Shifting perspectives through movement – can be the new reality

Some of the qualities a Feldenkrais® practitioner engages a students to focus on and explore through movement are demonstrated in this pic. These qualities aren’t labelled or even discussed in classes and sessions as it is all through exploring the patterns of movement that shifts all functioning parts of the human condition. Yes through simple movement expansion. Simple and effortlessly. Generally, functional movement is taken for granted and one is not aware of how they transition from one posture to another (prone to upright). When you stood up and took steps for the first time it wasn’t through a thought process of organizing the right way before executing it, nor was it with unawareness and a lack of felt consciousness. A baby’s ability to roll over and sit up is an internal pattern of learning, not external. It involves all the somatic senses and the qualities of spontaneity with an attitude of exploring. Patterns of movement are the first recognizable accomplishments of a baby.

External patterns of learning are shaped by the environment, however internally processed through all functioning human parts, starting with the somatic senses of the physical body. All external information comes in through the the physical body and travels into the brain. A baby is high functioning and processes an inner stream of consciousness while observing and learning an external stream of consciousness. For example, to be able to come into standing a baby must feel their weight shift through the individual bones that move spontaneously in any posture transition while at the same time learning the nuances of those speaking and engaging with them. The baby’s response to what they are seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling, and tasting influences their physical body responses such as muscle contraction and soft tissue, etc., that includes a reaction from their emotional body responding to tone of voice, body postures of others, and how they are being handled and nurtured.

The ability to think and respond is also an inherent ability however this develops from those in their environment that become their models. A baby’s learned response can be influenced by the mental concepts of others as they internalize and mimic them. As a Feldenkrais Practitioner one of the considerations is to silently understand this while engaging the participants to explore how to go beyond what they think they know. Each participant can do much more than they attempt through stuck patterns of belief and conditioning. The process of expanding their range of motion, flexibility and spontaneous movement also includes expanding their levels of emotional tolerance and increasing their brain function. It all begins with expanding and cultivating awareness that there is more to learn from inside versus seeking outside fixes, labels, and philosophies. Feldenkrais doesn’t replace or compare to other methods or models as it is an educational system for inner learning to be outwardly freer with less limitations.