Earlier this summer, an exciting new study was published in the (Oxford Journals) Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine Journal: "Feldenkrais Method® Balance Classes Improve Balance in Older Adults: A Controlled Trial". Read the full study here.
While the study is not light reading, it does begin with a good overview of The Feldenkrais Method® and how it relates to improving balance. Balance is a complex skill, requiring an interplay between motor, cognitive, and sensory skills (including processing input from the visual, vestibular, and proprioceptive systems). In addition, the ability to dynamically interact with a changing environment is critical. Typical therapeutic interventions concentrate on only one aspect of balance. The Feldenkrais Method, with its recognition of the link between sensing, moving, thinking, and feeling, deals with all of these aspects of balance simultaneously.
In this study, 26 older adults attended a 10-week twice-weekly series of Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement® classes designed specifically for improving balance. A balance confidence questionnaire, a physical test called the Four Square Step Test, and walking gait speed were assessed before and after the classes.
The results? "All measures of balance and mobility were improved in the Feldenkrais treatment group. In addition, most of the active participants noted benefits with regard to body image and a greater ability to engage in everyday activities, such as walking pets and climbing slopes." (Quoted from Healthy Fellow, who provides a nice summary of the study, if you would rather not read the details.)
While poor balance is a leading cause of disability in the older adults, people of all ages can have balance challenges. If you or someone you love would like to improve balance, join our next series of Awareness Through Movement® classes called "Exploring Balance: The Interplay of Stability and Mobility." These classes will be offered weekly from September to November in the Research Triangle Park area of North Carolina. For details, see www.movewithelan.com.
September 11, 2009
April 22, 2009
Weeding Your Movement Garden
Spring has sprung. Growing season has begun. Everywhere I look people are tilling, preparing beds, preparing the soil, digging, planting, and watering. The seeds sprout. Joy abounds. Then, closer inspection reveals not just our desired plants, but also weeds. The culling starts.
First we identify the weed: (noun) a valueless plant growing wild, especially one that grows on cultivated ground to the exclusion or injury of the desired crop. Paying close attention guides us in identifying the undesired or troublesome plant, which if left unattended, will usurp the water, the light, the nutrients, and the space of our intended plant, destroying its health.
So we perform an action. We weed: (verb) 1) to free from weeds or troublesome plants; 2) to remove as being undesirable, inefficient, or superfluous. [Thanks to dictionary.com!]
As with gardens, so with our movement. In healthy, graceful, efficient movement, all parts of the self work together to create the intended action. If parts of you are moving in a way that contradicts your intended action, you experience discomfort and effort, and perhaps an increase in pain. You will work a lot harder than necessary to accomplish your task. Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais - the founder of the Feldenkrais Method of Somatic Education - called these movements "parasitic". They are unintentional, unconscious, and cross-motivated, and they drain your energy and health. In other words, these movements are the "weeds" in your garden of movements.
So, take a moment to notice: Next time you sit at the computer to write, do you hike your shoulder up to your ear as you use the mouse? Do you tighten your thighs when standing? Do you hold your breath when learning something new? Do you clench your hands when having a difficult conversation with someone? Do you tighten your jaw or purse your mouth when concentrating? Do your toes curl under when you walk? Must you? What is the cost to you?
The Feldenkrais Method of Somatic Education will teach you to "weed": to develop your ability to identify and remove those pesky parasitic movements that steal your energy and your comfort, and increase your pain and exhaustion. Remove these and move closer to being a beautiful garden in action.
First we identify the weed: (noun) a valueless plant growing wild, especially one that grows on cultivated ground to the exclusion or injury of the desired crop. Paying close attention guides us in identifying the undesired or troublesome plant, which if left unattended, will usurp the water, the light, the nutrients, and the space of our intended plant, destroying its health.
So we perform an action. We weed: (verb) 1) to free from weeds or troublesome plants; 2) to remove as being undesirable, inefficient, or superfluous. [Thanks to dictionary.com!]
As with gardens, so with our movement. In healthy, graceful, efficient movement, all parts of the self work together to create the intended action. If parts of you are moving in a way that contradicts your intended action, you experience discomfort and effort, and perhaps an increase in pain. You will work a lot harder than necessary to accomplish your task. Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais - the founder of the Feldenkrais Method of Somatic Education - called these movements "parasitic". They are unintentional, unconscious, and cross-motivated, and they drain your energy and health. In other words, these movements are the "weeds" in your garden of movements.
So, take a moment to notice: Next time you sit at the computer to write, do you hike your shoulder up to your ear as you use the mouse? Do you tighten your thighs when standing? Do you hold your breath when learning something new? Do you clench your hands when having a difficult conversation with someone? Do you tighten your jaw or purse your mouth when concentrating? Do your toes curl under when you walk? Must you? What is the cost to you?
The Feldenkrais Method of Somatic Education will teach you to "weed": to develop your ability to identify and remove those pesky parasitic movements that steal your energy and your comfort, and increase your pain and exhaustion. Remove these and move closer to being a beautiful garden in action.
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