Feldenkrais® Notes

Feldenkrais classes begin Wednesdays, February 8 @ Noon

kimcottrell — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 04:06:35 +0000

Beginning February 8 . . .

Awareness Through Movement® class

on Wednesdays at NOON

@ Harmony Yoga

2108 NE 41st Ave, Portland 97212

. . .

Themes:

Reversibility in Action, Wednesdays, February 8 – March 7 (Repeated on Fridays, February 10 – March 9)

Discriminating Differences, Wednesdays, March 14 – April 11 (Repeated on Fridays, March 16 – April 13)

Please Note: There will be no Friday class on March 30.

All of my students, new or continuing or drop-ins, are welcome to attend one or the other. At this point, you do not need to let me know in advance which class you’ll attend. We should have enough space with the Hollywood location in addition to the Alberta Street location.

The reason we are not adding another class on Alberta is that the Hollywood location is accessible, i.e. no stairs to get into the building. There is on-street parking, but the Hollywood neighborhood has been busier as of late, so you might get there a few minutes early to find a space. Doors will be open at 11:45am.

As always, dress in layers so you can adjust to the temperature depending on the lesson we do. There are plenty of yoga blankets available, but please bring your own blanket if you prefer.

Harmony Yoga is across from the Hollywood Library.

Deeply personal, the Feldenkrais Method works for you . . .

kimcottrell — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:55:44 +0000

A funny aha happened on the way to my computer . . .

It has become apparent to me that this Feldenkrais work is so deeply personal that most of the celebration when change happens takes place quietly and out-of-the-public-eye. If you’ve any doubt of that, remember how difficult it was for you to locate a practitioner.

Indeed, the process of learning and letting go of the old habits is very personal. As a student of this method for 20 years, my nervous system knows well the ups and downs of learning about my compulsions and sorting through how to let them go. Even now, examining with a magnifying glass the family legacy my relatives passed along and experiencing the benefits of freedom that come when one breaks those long-time patterns moves me forward in anticipation.

Image via Wikipedia

Of primary importance is that you find the tools you need to uncover your own legacy and improve your own situation. If you learn that the posture of your face relates to the posture of your body, if you get it that a large portion of your body postures carried by the long line of relatives who’ve come before you, and if you learn that by changing your habit of walking you can influence how you think, then let’s dive into the lessons so you can change your walking and your postures!

There is never a push for you to attend an event, it is much more important to me that you bring yourself to a class or a private lesson when you are ready. When you are ready, you’ll know it. You might feel a little funny and nervous about what you are getting into, that’s more common than not. There isn’t a neat package of lessons all tied up in a bundle for you or a perfect description of the Feldenkrais Method that answers every person’s questions. Most often, you simply need to bring yourself and get on the table or the floor and feel what it means to let go of the old stuff that gets in your way.

And, to give more options for our discovery time together, a second Awareness Through Movement class is coming soon at 12-noon on Wednesdays in the Hollywood District.

You might also choose to join me on January 29 (For the Love of Your Feet) or February 9 (Developing Flexible Feet) for more discoveries in the foundations of your posture.

If you have been waiting for a special class and it hasn’t happened, send me your ideas. Please feel comfortable emailing me privately if you’d rather not leave a public comment, your requests and thoughts are very important to me.

May you gain all the tools and insights you need to live this next moment, day, week, month, and year. Every aha counts . . .

Warm regards,

Kim

Join Kim at Sellwood Yoga . . . For the Love of Your Feet

kimcottrell — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:13:55 +0000

Healthy feet contribute to good posture and overall health, this cannot be stressed enough! Your feet are your ultimate foundation, providing support and stability for many different kinds of movement. They hold you upright, secure you in space, and give power for jumping, dancing, and walking.

We’ll briefly discuss the effects of ill-fitting shoes and the challenges of maintaining healthy feet. Then, you’ll move in sensory-motor activities designed to help you rejuvenate your feet. Finally, we’ll spend some time on the care and maintenance of your best feet. You’ll go home with abundant ways to reconnect and support your feet, and you in your life.

January 29, 1-3pm

Registration Info Here

Don’t miss this opportunity to meet your feet, like you did when you were a child. Come take your shoes off and discover anew what it means to twiddle your toes.

Gradual Beginnings, classes start January 6

kimcottrell — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:55:52 +0000

Weekly Feldenkrais classes resume Friday at 10:45am on January 6 at Motion Massage Studio, 1829 Alberta St, Suite 12.

We’ll begin 2012 with a focus on the principles of the Feldenkrais Method, specifically beginnings, reversibility, and discrimination of differences.

The theme for the next 5 weeks will be Gradual Beginnings and we will aim our interest and attention at all aspects of Beginning, from the very first moment of thinking a thought to the final movements of completing an action. We will explore what it means to hone the beginning so smoothly that it happens effortlessly. We will examine the relationships between initiating movement in the classroom and initiating actions in daily life.

The value of gradual beginnings is most apparent when we have often exerted and tried and cajoled ourselves into doing all the myriad of tasks assigned to us in our lives. When we ease into the beginnings with less effort, the sensation is one of less stress and more comfort.

Save the Dates

January 29, For the Love of Your Feet (@Sellwood Yoga)

February 9, Developing Flexible Feet, (@Pie Footwear)

For more info, see the Calendar page.

The Face . . . Friday, December 23, 10:45. Special class, $10

kimcottrell — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 05:31:35 +0000

This Friday, meet with Kim and her regular students at 10:45am at 1829 NE Alberta for a special Feldenkrais class that everyone loves, the Face. This lesson will relax, focus, calm, restore, invigorate, and inspire you for the remaining days of 2011.

Contact Kim at 503.890.6865 if you have any questions.

Reminder for final workshops of 2011 . . . reserve space for your future.

kimcottrell — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 06:54:42 +0000

The clock is winding down on this year of 2011, this amazing, challenging, earth-shattering, mind-numbing, and connection-building year.

Join me in foot-related indulgences at Pie Footwear on Sunday at 11am, For the Love of Your Feet……….email me if you want to attend, kim(at)kimcottrell(dot)com.

Then, in the afternoon, we’ll dig down into the nuances of breathing and what is good and what is not good. Lots of stories are told about the breath, it’s this and that and only the other. Most of us get an idea and overuse it. Figure out your own pattern and what will serve you even more. Every Breath You Take is from 2:30-4:30. You have to call Yoga Pearl to register for that one, 503.525.9642.

Save the Date: December 11, 2011

kimcottrell — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 03:11:55 +0000

Another Sunday Fun-Day approaches . . . a day designed as your spa day, your letting go of old habits day, and a day you can indulge legitimately in attending to your needs. Last month’s was fun and inspiring for all of us, myself included. I am always satisfied when folks come out to learn more about helping themselves live a more comfortable life. In case you missed it, here’s some early info on December’s offering.

Sunday Morning, 11am
For The Love of Your Feet
We’ll be at Pie Footwear exploring, experimenting, and enthusing about things that make feet comfortable. For The Love of Your Feet is all about how you can stimulate your health by taking care of your feet. Join us for coffee and pie and fill up on ideas to take home with you and share with others. Your feet will love you, your back will love you, your relatives will love you because, face it, you’ll be happier when your feet don’t hurt. $10 pre-pay, $15 at-the-door. Register with Kim here.

Sunday Afternoon, 2:30-4:30pm
Every Breath You Take
Adventure downtown Portland to Yoga Pearl and be prepared to have your breath taken away by the ways you can inhale and exhale easily and completely. You will learn what it is to hold your breath without forcing, what it means to release the breath fully, and increase your awareness of every dimension in which you breath. Leave this class feeling refreshed and invigorated. $25 in advance, $30 at-the-door, register by calling Yoga Pearl @ 503.525.9642.

Sunday, Fun-Day . . . November 13

kimcottrell — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 05:14:55 +0000

Two events with time in between for a yummy lunch at one of Portland’s super, local-organic-fresh-ingredients cafes or restaurants. This Sunday, Fun-Day is a time to relax, drop out of your daily run-around, and take some time for you to soak in who and what you can be when you’re paying attention to slightly different aspects of your life.

Sunday Morning @ Pie Footwear . . . A Leg to Stand On, 11:00am. Refreshments: coffee served with PIE. We’re continuing on with our 3-part series on the feet. We want you to have healthy feet, shod or not shod, and the healthy posture that comes from knowing how to stand tall over those feet. Call Kim at 503.890.6865 or email her at kim@kimcottrell.com to get your name on the list.

Sunday Afternoon @ Yoga Pearl . . . The Body Home, 2:30-4:30pm. Learn how to get ready for the upcoming holidays and times of turmoil. Dig deep down and find that internal place that isn’t a meditation, more of a tracking of where you are in space and time. Discover how to stay connected to your own experience regardless of old habits that convince you to run away. Once you know how to stay inside, you’re free to linger, slow down, not be pushed aside or spend your time apologizing. $25, register with Yoga Pearl, call 503.525.9642.

Call Kim for any questions, 503.890.6865.

Vitality Tip: Roll Like a Bear

kimcottrell — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 20:53:49 +0000

Once upon a time, years ago when I lived in Seattle, I worked in a physical therapy clinic with a man who was severely injured from a fall on the basement stairs as he went down to repair the furnace. He was barely able to walk, let alone sit or stand for any length of time. His pain level was so severe, he was depressed and despaired of ever feeling normal again. We spent several lessons easing the discomfort in his shoulders and neck and finding flexibility and agility again in his legs and feet. One day he came in and I felt he was ready for more. I chose this lesson for him, and it’s a great lesson for anyone . . . enjoy!

Baby Bear Rolling

Audio of Baby Bear Rolling

(you can pause the audio anywhere along the way to spend more time with each stage of the activities)

Lie on your back and get a sense of your ability to let the floor support you. Take many breaths and wait until you can feel the inhale and the exhale become easy and smooth. When there is ease in your breathing and ease in your spine, hips, legs, and entire self, then begin.
Bend your knees and take hold of the front of your left knee with your left hand and the right knee with your right hand. You will have your palms on your kneecap. Think of gluing the palm to the kneecap. In fact, nothing else in the lesson matters as much as keeping your hands on your knees. Do not let go.
Begin to roll slowly to the right and the left. Slowly. And just a little. Don’t roll too far. Notice if you hold your breath or use your belly muscles to keep your balance. And, what do you do with your head as you roll, does it stay still or is it moving? Rest.

Image via Wikipedia
Hold your knees again in the same way and this time see if you can roll over to lie on your right side or your left side. Keep holding your knees, even while you lie on your side and rest down. Do not let go of your knees.
Figure out how you will roll back to your back without using your elbow to push or your belly muscles to pull. What do you need to do with your organization to gently roll without effort from side to side and from your side to your back or your back to your side? Rest.
Finally, compare the difference between rolling from side-to-side when your knees are touching, versus when they are far apart from one another. Roll a few times with each version and note that your back and belly don’t have to work as hard when you have space between your knees. Your sacrum can open and the back of your pelvis begins to feel rounded instead of square. Note that it’s less effort and you dont’ have to push with your arms. Rest.
Practice this holding knees and rolling side to side until you can go so slowly and so softly that you use gravity to pull you over. You’ll learn that if you look where you are going the movement flows as well.

This lesson is great for equalizing your efforting in the front and back of you, at loosening the grip of your eyes on your movement and of easing your comfort after a long car or plane ride. If you’re a writer, this lesson helps you counteract the effects of sitting at your workstation for many hours.

Let me know how it goes . . .

Shouldering the Load begins Friday 10/28

kimcottrell — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 22:08:04 +0000

Way back in the day, when I developed this series, I couldn’t have imagined how deeply the metaphor, Shouldering the Load, would fit. In fact, some days I look around and wonder how we humans get up in the morning and go to work and keep a sense of okay-ness with ourselves, let alone with others. Considering current events all around the planet, it’s getting harder and harder to do just that.

According to Richard Wilkinson: How economic inequality harms societies, an excellent TED Talk, when there is a greater disparity between the haves and the have-nots, there is less trust and more illness and difficulties of every kind all throughout that culture. The United States ranks pretty high on the economic inequality, though it varies state by state, so it makes complete sense we’ve been feeling a heavier load as the days go by.

Thus, I’m even more inspired to share with you this Shouldering the Load, Feldenkrais lesson series that can help you smooth out your own personal ups and downs, connect your whole self into one moment, and gain fluidity and resilience to thrive another day. You need no prior experience, just your watchful senses and your motivation to live your fullest.

I’ve learned that if we return to our loved ones at the end of the day with enough energy to make the transition from public world to personal world still within us, we build and sustain more satisfying relationships. Satisfying relationships are what make it worth the time spent lying on the floor, even for 10 minutes.

So, for you, for your loved ones, for your future . . .

Shouldering the Load 5-week class series, Fridays, 10:45, drop-ins welcome! And, if you don’t live in Portland, this series is available via e-lessonswithKim.