What's good to know before you do this course:

Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement lessons are typically taught by voice. This means that they are not demonstrated by the teacher. This is a very important principal embedded within the Method: that the student find's their own movement 'solutions' to the movement 'problems' that are posed during the lesson and to not be influenced by what they see other people do. In this way, the student experiences kinesthetic based learning. When discoveries are made, they are profound and long lasting because of this.

In spite of this important principal, I decided to demonstrate the first of the four lessons in this series. This is because I am not in the room to respond to what I am seeing. The demonstration is just a guide to the size, speed and quality of movement that is expected when doing Feldenkrais, and nothing more. These audio lessons invite you to trust your own innate body wisdom and learn to explore the unknown with curiosity, gentleness, self care and openness. It's not about being right or wrong, but about finding your own way and owning your discoveries. Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement lessons are a mindfulness based movement practice, not an exercise class.

These lessons are recorded live from the studio. In the background you will hear the soft sounds of a busy University dance campus. As such, you will be getting an authentic learning experience. As you do these lessons, imagine that you are lying on the floor with 25 other students of all different skill levels, engaged in deep learning about their bodies; the way they move, the way that they think, sense and feel. All making very individual and profoundly personal discoveries, guided just by voice and their own nervous system and experience.

About this course:

Movement is a fundamental part of all human behavior and endeavor. When you improve the way that you move and you learn to move with greater awareness and skill, you also improve the way that you feel, sense and think.

This second collection of lessons is for people who have done my first introductory course: “Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement lessons: Introduction”. It is also for people who already have some experience with the Fedenkrais Method or another somatic based movement practice.

Feldenkrais is an extremely gentle movement based training that teaches you how to heighten your ability to sense and feel yourself while you are moving while improving your freedom and range of movement in all planes of action.

The Feldenkrais Method is more like a movement based guided meditation rather than an exercise class.

As with any pattern of action, thinking or feeling, when you start to recognize the habitual and learn something new, you create the opportunity for growth, awareness and new possibility in all aspects of your life.

Practicing the Feldenkrais Method can have many therapeutic benefits, hone specialised physical skills and support creative expression.

These lessons have been adapted from a series that was originally designed for and taught to people training to be professional dancers, The lessons are recorded live in the dance studio. You do not have to have the physical skill of a trained dancer to benefit and learn from these lessons.

Please note that only the first full lesson is demonstrated. As per normal practice, the following lessons are just audio files. This gives participants the opportunity to find their own "solutions" to the movement "problems" to optimize learning potential.

Lecture 1: How to do Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement lessons

Students will understand how to do Awareness Through Movement lessons safely and in a way that will optimize their learning.

Lecture 2: Coordinating The Flexors and The Extensors

In this first Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement lesson you will discover how improved organisation of the muscles of the trunk provides greater trunk control and stability.

Recorded live in the dance studio, this lesson is suitable for any level of movement expertise.

It is done lying on your back and takes 45 minutes.

Usually Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement lessons are not demonstrated, but rather the class is lead verbally by the teacher. In this first lesson I will demonstrate the movements as a reference, however the lesson should be undertaken as described by the audio, rather than be watched and copied. This encourages the student to take responsibility for their own learning, problem solve for themselves, and as such, achieve greater learning outcomes.

Subsequent lessons will be provided as an audio lesson without any visual demonstration.

Lecture 3: Opening The Arm In Side Lying

In this second lesson you will learn how to connect the movements of your arms to your torso.

Recorded live in the dance studio, this lesson is suitable for any level of movement expertise.

It is done lying on your side and takes 39 minutes.

This lesson is an audio lesson and should be undertaken as described on the audio track.

Lecture 4: Powerful Arching

In this third lesson you will discover powerful arching by exploring light and easy back extension movements.

Recorded live in the dance studio, this lesson is suitable for any level of movement expertise.

It is done lying on your front and takes 55 minutes.

This lesson is an audio lesson and should be undertaken as described on the audio track.

Lecture 5: Baby Bear Rolls

In this fourth lesson you will learn how to reduce the effort in the hip joints by finding a clearer connection of the movements of the legs to the spine.

Recorded live in the dance studio, this lesson is suitable for any level of movement expertise.

It starts lying on your back and takes 63 minutes.

This lesson is an audio lesson and should be undertaken as described on the audio track.