I had just finishing teaching a Feldenkrais lesson at Yoga Haven Studio, it was based on improving sitting up from lying down. In the lesson, there were a lot of details for each student to notice...where to push off of the floor with the top hand, how the student holds their head and where are their eyes gazing. There were details linking the position of the head in relation to the spine and pelvis. At the end of the lesson, a student asked, "When will we use this movement other than when we are getting out of bed?"
In the movement lessons that I teach, based on The Feldenkrais Method, students learn how to move easier, simply put. The result is super useful for creating less tension on muscles and joints and the nervous system. Life spoiler alert: this is really helpful as we get older! Over time, it's typical for a student to feel better and even have a sense of feeling younger, because they are moving with less effort and feeling more energetic, and perhaps have less, or no pain.
There is a Zen saying I heard years ago in a yoga class, and later, in a Feldenkrais class. "How you do one thing, is how you do everything." That saying has made me think about my life and my movement. Practicing The Feldenkrais Method, I have found that as I improve my movement and feeling even in one part of myself (such as my jaw), it as helped other areas of my body. As I improved the usage of my shoulders, in one lesson, I could feel my running improved, and eventually my hamstring pain went away. My chronic shoulder and neck pain improved, and if the pain came back, I was able to recognize what I was doing that was contributing to it and stop it. Because body and mind are not separate, I also found that my relationships improved. I was happier and more creative.
So, back to sitting up. How do you roll on your side and sit up? How do you stand up, walk, open a door, pick up boxes, pick up your child? What habits do you have that play out in your yourself, no matter what the action is? Do you tense your jaw, tighten or lift your chest? Do you draw your shoulders back or down? Do you hold your breath, or do you breathe shallowly? Do you take care of yourself if something is uncomfortable for you? Or, do you ignore your feeling and push through, no matter the cost to yourself later? When we learn how to attend to our whole self, we are able to choose better options in movement and life.
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