Awareness of Movement

Back when I was on the trial membership, I noticed that the gym had Feldenkreis classes which were mentioned to me a number of times when I was doing physical therapy for my back. The therapist has said it would help me ‘fix’ my back. But I could never find a place or the time to actually get to one of the classes. When I saw the class listed, I was very excited to try it. 

As I waited for the class before mine to end, I noticed a lot of older people lining up. One of them was sweet enough to ask what had brought me here since I was ‘young’. I said that my physical therapist had mentioned that Feldenkreis could help me with my back issues. She then told me about the instructor. She said he was a strange guy with a low yet booming voice. I already had imagined something in my mind when he walked up. He asked if anyone was new to the class and I said yes. He asked me what brought me to his neck of the woods and I told him about how I was told the Feldenkreis method could ‘fix’ my back. He corrected me immediately by telling me that it wasn’t about fixing anything. It was all about being aware of our tendencies and how we prefer one side to the other. 

Finally we were allowed to enter the class and he said to get a blanket and a mat and that was all I would need. We worked on one very basic exercise but the point was to be very aware of which side was actually doing the exercise. We repeated the exercise over and over on both sides of the body always with our eyes closed to be more in tune with our body.

We then moved onto another exercise in much the same way. Focusing on which side was actually doing all the work. At one point the instructor said that what we were doing was “delicious” with his deep baritone voice. This cracked me up. I am not entirely sure what made it funny…the fact that he said what we were doing was delicious or that this very strong baritone said it almost out of context.

I really enjoyed the class because it did show me my preferences and where I was expending all my energy. At the end of class I thanked him and he welcomed me to come again. Then a number of the older participants came up to me to ask me what I thought. I had to admit that it was a very interesting and a different approach to exercise. 

I was really happy to give it a try. I felt so energized after the class, which isn’t usually how I feel about any class. I knew I wouldn’t be sore the next day either. I felt both sides more symmetrical, more balanced. I hope to get back to these classes soon.