February 1, 2018

• Feldrenkrais Method + Practica

  7 - 10pm

  Hi lovely people,

  I know the Feldenkrais Method isn’t a super well-known modality, so I wanted to give y’all a bit of information about it in case you’re wondering what’s going on February 1.

  Felden-what-what?

  The Feldenkrais Method was developed by Moshe Feldenkrais, D.Sc.,(1904-1984), who incorporated insights from physics, motor development, bio-mechanics, psychology, and martial arts to reconnect learning with human health and function. The main thing to know is that the Method uses gentle movement and directed attention to help people learn new and more effective ways of moving.

  Awareness Through Movement

  Feldenkrais group classes are known as Awareness Through Movement (ATM) lessons. The teacher guides students through a sequence of movements, encouraging them to move with gentle attention within a comfortable range. As you attend to the improving quality of movement, unnecessary muscular tensions throughout the body can reorganize and release. You can become more aware of your habits and develop new options for moving. Many students also experience stress relief and mood improvement.

  Less is More

  The Feldenkrais Method asks students to do less, go slow, and to develop awareness without judgment. That last part is sometimes the hardest. It can be surprising to find, for example, that your right shoulder is held higher than your left. Many of us might immediately think “oh, that’s bad, I have to fix it” and try to force it down. The Feldenkrais Method asks you to simply notice “oh, my right shoulder is higher than my left” and to leave it alone. There’s nothing wrong with one shoulder being higher than the other, your body has it’s reasons for doing this. And if you give your brain a chance to be aware of it in relation to movement, your body will find other options for your shoulder.

  In short: The Feldenkrais Method encourages students to develop awareness and sensitivity in order to increase options. Which reminds me in a lot of ways of the kind of things we talk about in tango...

  I’m excited to share this work with you! I’d suggest wearing clothes that you’re comfortable moving in. If you have any questions, please feel free to pm me.

  Abrazos, Lesley

  P.S. There was a write up about the Feldenkrais Method in the New York Times in October, if you want to read the article it’s at: https://www.nytimes.com/…/trying-the-feldenkrais-method-for…

Our Guest

Lesley Gurule

Lesley first encountered the Feldenkrais Method while completing her MFA in Acting at the University of Texas at Austin. After moving to New York to pursue her acting career, she continued to be interested in the Feldenkrais Method and used it often in her acting work. She enrolled and graduated from the Feldenkrais Professional Training Program at the Feldenkrais Institute of New York. After years of working as a professional actor, she's shifted her focus to being a Feldenkrais Practitioner and helping people find their own individual path to improvement with the Feldenkrais Method. Lesley's other interests include tango and kickboxing.