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Cast your mind back to your first day at school. As you took a seat and prepared for your first lesson, little did you know it wasn't in reading and writing - itwas learningto sit in an uncomfortable chair for hours on end. As your body resisted and you squirmed, you were told to "sit still". That was Lesson One in ignoring your bodya skill you've probably maintained throughout life, particularly ifyou work in an office.

Sit on the edge ofa firm chair and rest handson thighs. Place feet flat on the floor, directly below your knees, shoulderwidth apart.
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Slowly tip your pelvis forwards and move your eyes and head towards the ceiling, arching your back. Take note of how far you can see without straining. Return to start position. Repeat, looking towards the same spot on the ceiling. Can your gaze go further?

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INSTANT CALM

Lesson One in ignoring your body was followed inevitably by two (slouching), three (wearing your shoulders up around your ears), and so on.... Before long you were limping around the place like Dr House, and you hadn't even finished school yet. But what if you could lose the shackles of these lessons - undo your Humpty Dumpty chair slump - and start moving, walking and running the way you were born too? Enter Ukraine-born physicist, engineer and martial artist Dr Moshe Feldenkrais (pronounced Feldenkrice). Suffering from recurring knee problems after an injury in the 1940s, he was told by surgeons he needed an
AFTER ONLY

OF PARTICIPANTS SUFFERING CHRONIC BACK PAIN IMPROVED ENOUGH TO RESUME NORMAL ACTIVITY
SOU RCE UNIVERSITY OF OREGON PRESS

four sessions 76%


OF FELDENKRAIS

operation that had only a 50 per cent success rate - and that he might end up wheelchair-bound. Armed with his knowledge of physics and motion, he investigated alternatives. He reasoned ifhe could walk 100 times and one of those times had resulted in an injury, surely he could learn a way to walk that wouldn't impact on his knee. And guess what? He was right. "If you bring your awareness to how you move, you'll notice what you're actually doing," says Feldenkrais practitioner Margaret Kaye, who took up Feldenkrais in 1986 to solve her debilitating RSI complaint. For example, bend your wrist downward. Did you notice if you curved your fingers? Try it again, but keep your fingers straight as you bend your wrist. Can you feel the difference? See how much more effort is required when the fingers don't participate? These subtle differences are the idea behind Feldenkrais.

Occupational Rehabilitation found the Feldenkrais Method is more effective at reducing neck and shoulder complaints in female workers than physiotherapy. "The Feldenkrais Method group showed significant decreases in complaints from neck and shoulders and in disability during leisure time. The two other groups (physiotherapy and placebo) showed no change or worsening of complaints;' says lead author Inga Lundbald.

TIME TO GET IN SYNC


The Feldenkrais Method can be taught in two ways. Functional Integration Feldenkrais is a one-onone session with a practitioner that lasts for about an hour. It's great for tackling your specific problems. The second option: group classes in Feldenkrais called Awareness Through Movement. These one-hour sessions help you work on making slow, gentle adjustments to your body that don't push you beyond your comfort zone (so no scary spine cracking). As you move, awareness is brought to any tension in your body; you work on correcting these and learn better ways to move your body. People walk away from Feldenkrais classes with an "aha!" feeling that their body is finally working in sync. Why not try it for yourself? As you strut tension-free down the street, you'll marvel at how tall and light you feel. Hell, you'll feel so good you might even consider challenging Todd McKenney to a dance-off.

TOO MUCH FRICTION


The excess energy used to prevent your fingers from bending is the type of action that can lead to muscular friction, which Feldenkrais experts say is the big issue in movement-related problems, such as backache. Kaye, who works with a wide range of clients (think everyone from runners with dodgy knees to businesswomen who spend eight hours hunched over a laptop every day) says it's incredible to see how minor body adjustments can make a major difference. In fact, a study published in the Journal of

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To find a Feldenkrais class in your area, go to feldenkrais.org.au

Slowly roll your pelvIs and look towal'ds the floor, allowing your-back to round. ReJaxyour shoulders, neck and chest. Repeat a few times.

Slowly lower your head further, letting your back stay rounded while you look towards the ceiling using your eyes only. Your movement should be restricted because you r eyes and head are moving in the opposite direction. Repeat a few times.
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Let your eyes and head move together, looking towards the ceiling Feel the middle and upper part of your back arching. Can you see further than you could in Step 1?
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