Feldenkrais – Awareness Through Movement mini workshop

 is approaching quickly! 
I look forward to this theme as working with the ribs and the spine will have huge benefits for the comfort and ease of your posture, breathing, neck, lower back, hips and basically everywhere.
It works like magic, you will see, I mean feel 🙂 
There are already some bookings for this day, so book yours soon. 
 

Our Mobile Ribs and Spine 

In some languages the ribcage is called a rib basket and that is how I call it because just like the ribs, a basket is a more flexible image than a cage.
This amazing rib basket is made of 12 pairs of curvy shaped ribs offering protection to our most precious and vital organs: the heart, lungs, oesophagus, trachea, thymus, liver, gallbladder, stomach, pancreas. The movement of the ribs and their function to hold and support this cavity is essential for the optimal functioning of these organs. If the ribs are held fixed or are collapsed, it will affect not just the organs within the chest cavity but also create stress in the muscles of the neck, shoulders, chest, back, abdomen and the pelvic region.

Try this: sense into the whole of your rib basket and gently contract the muscles in between and around the ribs. The immediate thing is that your breathing will stop, you can still take some air in and let some out but it wont be a full and free action. Try to have a drink of water or eat a piece of something. Can you smile? 🙂  Can you bend down or turn to look behind? What is walking like? The quality and pleasure of movements will be dramatically reduced, right? Your smile won’t feel so genuine and the drink or food won’t want to go down easily.

We all hold some degree of constant contraction in these muscles, because we need to so we don’t just collapse.
The question is, are we holding more or less than is necessary? 

The Spine, our backbone, a beautiful set of 26 vertebrae (or 33 if we count the fused ones of the sacrum and tailbone) creating a wonderful S shape column, connecting the skull and the pelvis. Enclosed in the vertebral column is the spinal cord making up the central nervous system with the brain. The vertebrae fit and join together so amazingly that they  allow a wide range of movements: extension, flexion, side bending, twisting and rotations and various combinations of these. These movements of the spine intimately engage with the ribs. 

Through a couple of Awareness Through Movement lessons we will be exploring these relationships of ribs and spine, finding the wide range of possibilities they can move. Focusing to work on these areas will have huge overall benefits.
The chest is also a seat of held emotions or painful memories. With this kind of work some emotions can be released or evoked. It is particularly important to work slow and always do less, rest a lot and being kind to ourselves. 

Lessons of the Feldenkrais Method allow time to reflect on and observe the ways we unconsciously learned to move or hold ourselves, creating habits and larger asymmetries. Once you are aware of these habits you can begin to explore different possibilities for movement and a more even distribution of support. 

Cost: £25

Where? 

@ Station Yard Studios

4 Station Yard, Chuley Road, Newton Abbott, TQ13 7EF Ashburton

 

Arrive at least 5-10 min early to settle so we can begin on time at 10.30am.

If it is your first time doing ATM arrive 15 min early for a short introduction. 

What to bring and wear?

There are some mats and blankets in the studio, but bring your own if you like.  Wear warm and comfortable clothes that you can move easily in.

There will be a break in the middle for tea, chat and snack. We will finish at 1.30pm.

Book your place now.

Ps. Be in touch if you have any questions and feel free to spread the word if you think this might benefit someone.