• What exactly is the Feldenkrais Method®?

  The Feldenkrais Method reconnects you to the kinds of learning you did as a baby, which is exploratory, trial and error and interactional. Using movement as the primary entry point to the whole system, you can develop the skill of self-awareness in order to improve your sense of being connected to your body as well as to the world around you. This improves the way you carry yourself and the way you move through life.

  A big piece of this method is learning to observe how you do what you do from a neutral place of non-judgement. Through this practice, you learn to slow down and reduce the need to perform rather than to learn. In a funny way, when you feel effort or resistance, that is the feedback that tells you that something’s off.

  The genius of the hundreds of movement lessons that Dr. Feldenkrais created is that they simultaneously help you discover better and more coherent movement patterns, while at the same time they help you understand your own personal learning habits. When you learn how to learn better, the world provides ample opportunities for discovery and growth.

  Through a series of sensory-motor exercises, the Feldenkrais Method opens up unlimited possibilities, offering a freedom and ease you’ve likely never imagined. Each simple, yet innovative exploration offers a chance to reorganize yourself. You learn about the way you learn. And as you become more self-aware, your brain unlocks new potential for your body, changing your posture, your outlook and your life.

• How soon do you get results?

  The Feldenkrais Method is not a quick fix, but signs of improvement, progress and hope can be evident even in the first lesson.

• Can I do this work on Zoom?

  Yes. As a person who uses touch, I have been amazed to find that I can give very effective lessons as well as Awareness Through Movement® (ATM) Classes via Zoom. My practice now includes people across the U.S. and in Europe.

• Is the Feldenkrais Method good for us as we age?

  Yes. It’s one of the best tools you can have for aging well. Whether you’re 40 or 80, the key element is being connected to your body so that you can sense what you’re ready to do or not ready to do on a given day. This practice helps you listen to the information your body gives you, lessening fear and building confidence.

  While some things are out of our control, there are many ways to be and feel vital. If you continue to use yourself better and better, you can deal with any injuries or challenges that may show up in the future. Resilience, both emotional and physical, is the benefit of doing this work at any age.

• Can the Feldenkrais Method help chronic pain?

  Yes. As you learn to slow down and tune in doing this method, the nervous system starts to calm down. When the nervous system calms down, everything calms down including the pain. And of course, as you slow down, it becomes easier to feel the details that will help you improve your body mechanics.

• What is your teaching philosophy?

  When we work together, I’ll ask you to do something as simple as walk across the room. As you move, something specific will catch my attention. Together, we’ll follow the clue of this detail wherever it leads. In this way, patterns of movement are revealed that you may experience as joint or muscle pain, or difficulty in moving. My role is to simultaneously establish a connection with you while guiding you to a place where you can connect with yourself and achieve this pattern shift.

  I invite you to give your intellectual taskmaster a rest and once again explore the language of your body as you haven’t since you were an infant. This learning opens the door – to relief of pain and stress, and to the removal of the self-imposed obstacles that have been holding you back from living the life you were born to live.

• Can the Feldenkrais Method help with past trauma?

  Yes. Movement is part of the picture when healing a trauma response. Clients who may be doing therapy of another sort find that this body piece makes that more effective. Trauma often disassociates us from our bodies. The Feldenkrais Method can help us come home to our bodies.

• How is your work with singers and other performers different than other voice lessons?

  My own lessons in the Feldenkrais Method helped me discover a whole new paradigm of practicing, learning and teaching. A variety of tasks – some familiar to performers and some not – help you learn, with greater clarity and ease, how to use the soft palate, tongue, jaw, and breath as they were intended to be used. Staying connected to your whole being, you search for the elusive internal players needed for refined singing and any other kind of performance. Even better, a sense of ease moves into in the rest of your body and mind as these new skills are learned.

  You shift fluidly back and forth between the skill to be learned and the information the body provides as to what needs to be clarified, what “language” is best for you, and at what pace. You discover how to translate verbal directions into action as your own learning style gets discovered. And guess what? By tuning into your body, singing, speaking or performing from the heart just happens and you are present in yourself. Being nervous and imagining what everyone else is thinking about your performance fade away. You may even surpass your initial idea of what success looks like.

  This approach works for beginners, experienced performers who are stuck, or anyone looking for their “voice” in the world.

• How much does it cost?

  I charge $25/person for group classes. My basic fee for a private session is $110. If this is a challenge, ask me about a sliding fee.

Still have questions? Please ask!