Tag Archives: Seniors

Falling over in sitting and standing

I shared an article recently about an experience with someone in a Balance class who didn’t walk, stand or sit in an upright position.  I want to share now what motivated a change in her mental, emotional and physical behavior in her first two classes.

Our first class together was spent re-directing her focus from her storytelling to noticing how to stay upright in her seat to do the movement patterns being shared with her.

She didn’t show up for the second class yet did come back for the third. Between our third and fourth classes there was a significant difference.  She had been the first one to arrive at the third class.  This meant there was enough time to spend propping her up to stay in an upright position.  She was frozen solid through her shoulders, arms, neck, head and torso with one side of her rib cage being held so it was shorter than the other.  arm support To keep her upright props were placed under her arm on the side that was contracted (shorter side).  Blocks were put under her feet so she could feel them on the floor.

By the end of the lesson she became aware that she had stopped using her back muscle strength to hold herself upright even in sitting.  She had lost physical contact with engaging them!

After our class she went home and used the same propping technique to support herself in sitting.  This was obvious  as at the next class she was able to bring herself into an upright position in sitting and hold it.  She had no concept of this the week before.  As I place props under her arm I noticed her arms were more flexible and she was bracing herself less!

She was more happy and content in this class and I noticed she was listening more deeply and paying attention.  At the end of this class she exclaimed, “No one is showing us this or explaining how the body works.”

This is an extreme example of the meaning of Moshe’s quote:

Flexible Bodies, Flexible Minds

Moshe Feldenkrais

Renee Lindstrom, GCFP,
Feldenkrais® Practitioner since 2007, Value-Based Communication & Empathy Coach since 2004, Art of Placement  since 2000, Founder of Greater Victoria Peace & Intercultural Celebrations since 2010 & Greater Victoria Labyrinths since 2012, #yyj Peace Week Calendar Founder – 2014 & 2015

CARING FOR THE AGING

Empathy, Empathy, Empathy

for yourself and them

Five steps to put on your ‘aging to do list!’

PaperArtist_2014-01-26_10-44-55

Behavior & decisions impact one’s senior years.  It can show up as mental, emotional and physical suffering.  (Mortality is mutual for politicians, employers, employees, activists, mothers, fathers, wealthy or poor)

AGING TO DO LIST:


  1. STOP MASKING THE SYMPTOMS WITH FIRST AID SOLUTIONS
  2. LEARN TO IMPROVE YOUR EXPERIENCE
  3. BE CURIOUS ABOUT HOW YOU DO THINGS 
  4. EXPLORE IMPROVING YOUR MOVEMENT AND WELL-BEING
  5. FIND OUT HOW TO EXPERIENCE PLEASURE AND JOY

Find out more about Personal Development Class Series and Workshops

by:  Renee Lindstrom, May 02, 2015

#1 Regret Senior’s have:

The number one regret (fear) statement that those aging ask is “What if  my family finds out………..”
Fill in the blank with, I did, I spent, I behaved………

What is good advice for younger folk?  Ask yourself this question: Is my behavior/decision going to leave me filled with remorse and regret if my kids or grandchildren hear about it?

In the News ~ B.C. researchers call “fall prevention” a public health priority

Yesterday CBC News shared how published researchers in British Columbia had analyzed videos of 227 falls by 130 seniors in B.C.  between 2007 and 2010. (Adults of all ages could benefit by becoming more aware as these seniors did not just change how they shift their weight at this stage of their life.

I enjoyed watching the video shown on the news that demonstrated how balance is connected to shifting body weight, counterbalancing and sensory awareness. Watching the video I could see the weight shift in the filmed subjects legs and recognized it  confirms what I share in may Awareness through Movement balance classes.  Here are a few comments from the researchers:

“We show that the most common causes of falls are incorrect weight shifting and tripping, and the most common activities leading to falls are forward walking, standing quietly and sitting down,” concluded study co-leader Prof. Stephen Robinovitch, of the department of biomedical physiology and kinesiology at Simon Fraser University, and his team.

“Our findings emphasize the need to target each of these activities in fall risk assessment and prevention strategies,” they added in calling prevention a “public health priority.”

For more on the story

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Personal Function Integration Sessions for improving Balance


Renee Lindstrom, GCFP, Feldenkrais Practitioner & Awareness through Movement teacher since 2007
Authored  Achieving your Goals  31 Day Program, Sleep Sweet Sleep, Kid’s Peace Bus Calendar of Values  Educational Program & InTouch with Your Values Self-Actualization Program. Communication & Empathy Coach since 2004, Art of Placement  since 2000, Labyrinths of Victoria since 2012, #yyj Peace Week Grassroots Calendar Founder, Vice-Chair of World Children’s Summit on Peace & Nature in 2015