Oct 5, 2023 update: The Feldenkrais ATM lesson in this Zoom replay has been edited down into a permanent free audio version. Promotional elements have been removed, and ATM variations that were explored during discussion after class have been seamlessly edited into the lesson audio. It’s called Free Your Torso for Better Posture, Walking, and Running , and it’s now the best way to study the lesson in the Zoom replay below.
But, if you’re here to see what our weekly class is like, watch the Zoom replay! It’s a great lesson either way.
The FP Weekly Class presents
Feldenkrais for Walking
an Awareness Through Movement (ATM) lesson and discussion with Nick Strauss-Klein
Discover how the Feldenkrais Method can improve your walking skills!
In this mostly lying down Feldenkrais lesson, you’ll nourish the neurological “roots” of walking by learning how to better integrate your axis with your arms and legs, so you can walk through life with more confidence and pleasure.
Nick also shares practical tips for taking your learning “off the mat” and into your walks, and answers participant questions after the lesson.
While this June 6, 2023 open house event replay was free, our normal model for The FP Weekly Class is pay-what-you-can. Tuition always includes a replay like the one below (to stream or download, in video or audio form) plus all the follow-up study info below.
In the replay, Zoom’s screenshare showed me something different than it showed you, so I skipped it. To find The FP Weekly Zoom Class on our website, go to our homepage (click our logo at the top of this page) and scroll down, or click our Lessons & Learning menu.
Our class replay emails always have lots of info and follow-up study ideas.
Please skim all the blue headings below
The replay
By accessing this replay you are releasing Nick Strauss-Klein, The Feldenkrais Project, and Twin Cities Feldenkrais, LLC from responsibility for any injuries or discomfort that might arise while or after viewing/listening to this replay.
You’ll need:
- At least an hour (the lesson is one hour, followed by a 5-minute break then discussion)
- A quiet space
- A mat or blanket soft enough to lie on
- A bath towel
New to Feldenkrais? Welcome! You can start with this lesson, but here’s some required reading before studying at home, including your responsibilities as a student.
Oct 5, 2023 update reminder:
For the best study experience we now recommend this permanent audio version of the lesson.
Or, to check out The FP Weekly Zoom class, watch this replay on YouTube, or watch or download it via Zoom.
Discussion begins at 1:04:15. There is a short walking exploration during the discussion, at 1:08:10. Highly recommended for everyone. It clarifies WHY we attend to our sternums so much during a lesson “about” walking!
or
Zoom audio replay
(smaller file size, easier to store if you download)
Reminders: How to learn and improve with Feldenkrais
- Follow any healthcare restrictions you have been given.
- Go very slowly, moving within your own easy, comfortable range.
- Don’t do configurations or movements that are uncomfortable. Adapt or imagine them instead.
- Try to let go of doing the movements the “right” way.
- Do NOT push, stretch, strain, worry about symmetry, or “compete” (even with yourself). You will get more benefits by doing less.
- Tune in to simple pleasures: breathe, be curious, and enjoy the changes you feel.
- Rest between each movement, longer than you think you should.
- These pleasantries aren’t just because I’m nice. They make neuroplasticity – changing habits! – more efficient.
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Send the link for this page to someone curious!
Lesson source
It’s a homebrew that I developed from a combination of very simple side-lying Feldenkrais lessons: one focused on the shoulders and hips, the other on simple folding and extending.
I’ve begun most of the walking workshops and courses I’ve taught over the years with versions of this lesson because I find it very effective to get folks into a new mind/body space about walking. Listen to the discussion to hear more about why!
“Homework” options
You could do this lesson again in a few days, or check out these related Feldenkrais Project audio lessons to expand your learning. Many are free. They’re one hour unless a time is shown.
To choose, click on titles to read lesson descriptions, then follow your curiosity!
Connecting Hips and Shoulders Part 1 and Stretch Without Strain (39 minutes) are closely-related to our shoulders and hips explorations.
From our shoulders, ribs, and sternum Deep Dive:
- #7, #8, and #9 all connect folding and arching with turning the shoulders and hips
- #11 will help you feel the answer the question one student asked in discussion: how can we lift the sternum without a sharp arching of the lumbar?
For a chair-seated exploration of improving the relationship between shoulders and hips, and connecting them with folding and arching, try Sitting and Turning with Length (26 minutes).
Attending