Deep Dive:
The Illusion of Isolation
Our Deep Dives gather standalone Feldenkrais Project lessons into themed courses of study. Newcomers, we recommend exploring our primary collections first for a more generalized intro to Feldenkrais.
For humans, learning to do two or more different things skillfully at the same time is common and enormously practical. When you think about it, it's also miraculous. We must patiently practice, differentiating and integrating until there's a sense that the movements are a single coordinated action. When either movement is handled in an isolated, abrupt, or forceful way they disrupt each other. But when both are done beautifully, each benefits.
- from Nick's notes on lesson 3C
Imagine you're driving. To check your blind spot you turn your head but not the steering wheel. Or picture a ballet dancer's poised, quiet arm above swiftly moving legs, or a basketball player simultaneously jumping, seeing the basket, and shooting.
In our nervous systems nothing happens in isolation, even if it appears that way on the outside. We can't actually "turn off" one body part or function to focus on another, nor move parts truly independently.
Skillful movers create illusions of isolated movements that look simple, but in reality they're sophisticated actions that require practiced and real-time differentiation and integration.
- Differentiation is making kinesthetic distinctions between two or more parts or functions, often in simultaneous different movements
- Integration is functioning as a coordinated and effective whole self – body and mind – or skillfully relating a part or parts to the whole
Two sides of the same coin, these processes are the primary ingredients of learning. This Deep Dive is designed to improve your differentiation and integration skills while applying them to actions that are particularly useful to “super-movers” like somatic teachers, athletes, dancers, and other performers. You’ll break up complex patterns of turning, twisting, and lengthening your body so you can rebuild them with more efficiency and control.
This Deep Dive is intended for experienced Felden-fans, but you don’t have to be a super-mover to benefit. We expect everyone will need to adapt or imagine parts of some lessons to stay within comfort limits.
When you encounter difficulty remember to link your comfort and breathing to the attention and movement challenges. LESSS is more: Light, Easy, Soft, Slow, Smooth movements lead to more and faster learning. If you can't find a way to enjoy a lesson then skip it for now, or try one in its Context or Related Lessons tab instead.
If you can, progress through the whole course with ideally no more than a few days between lessons. You can also study shorter sequences then take a break: the colored boxes and numbering highlight thematic links and entry points. The first lesson in each box is the most accessible.
Some lessons are free, but to access lessons marked "Patrons" you’ll need to join the Feldenkrais Project (or sign in when you click them) as a Patron-level donor. Click to learn more about donation or our donor benefits.
Integrate Your Hips, Torso, and Eyes
Essential skills for super-movers...and the rest of us, too!
1A) The Hip Joints: Moving Proximal Around Distal
Explore and enjoy a gentle non-habitual relationship
Created a nice integration of all the rest of my body...well oiled, moving so easily
Allowed me to identify and let go of a lot of involuntary muscle work
1B) Secrets of the Seated Twist
Use those freer hips in our introduction to side-sitting study
Like having a massage: it gently eased my chest, arms, and hips till they were once again supple and stress-free.
1C) The Movement of the Eyes Organizes the Movements of the Body (Patrons)
Harness your side-sitting skills in this potent classic Feldenkrais lesson
By the end of it my balance and movement was so much better.
Differentiate Moving Parts from "Not Moving" Parts
Keeping something still in the outside world requires skillful movement and awareness inside
2A) Self-Hug, Embracing Our Differences (Patrons)
What can be learned from skillfully not moving your pelvis?
Excellent and interesting lesson... new observations, sensing new combinations
2B) The Power of Prone: Twisting on Your Belly
What about skillfully not moving your head?
More mobility and ease... thank you!
2C) Improving Rotation, Embracing Our Differences (Patrons)
Advanced differentiation practice for your head, pelvis, and more
I found these isolated movements very difficult when I first tried belly dancing... I wish I had had access to this lesson then.
Advanced Differentiation and Integration
Practice quiet, efficient coordination and control of your whole self. Starts very small, gets very challenging.
3A) Calming the Nervous System, Integrating Hands and Eyes (37 min, Patrons)
Low-level coordination practice has big benefits in this introduction to "bell hand" lessons
3B) Rib Basket, Shoulder Cloak (Patrons)
Let go of your concept of a "cage" and "girdle." Differentiate new details, then integrate them into a more functional self-image.
3C) Getting Free with a Bell Hand (Patrons)
Learn to be delicate, precise, and powerful all at once
This feeling of the spine lengthening accompanies most actions of the body when they are properly carried out.
– Moshe Feldenkrais, Awareness Through Movement
4A) Finding Sensations of Not Shortening (Patrons)
Learn to integrate length with multiple movement riddles
4B) Dynamic Diagonal Lengthening (Patrons)
Learn to lengthen continuously while shifting your weight
4C) A Dynamic "Core" Lengthens the Spine (Patrons)
Learn to lengthen continuously while stabilizing your weight
It is very difficult for me to remember not to use excess effort, but it was worth it.
How was this Deep Dive for you? What’s the effect of studying multiple lessons on a theme?
I would love a deep dive on the GI tract – mouth, tongue to anus/sphincters and swallowing. Thank you –
This is a great idea. For now, have you made it through the Jaw, Neck, and Shoulders Deep Dive to The Tongue and the Spine lesson?
And I’m hoping to publish a pair of lessons for Patrons focused on the pelvic floor sometime this year.
I’ll keep in mind the idea for an even more focused Deep Dive.
[Update: check out Improving Pelvic Floor Control and Ease (Patrons) if you haven’t yet!]
I second the request for exactly this – the entire tract including swallowing especially. Not much out there on this.
Thanks I have been working with tongue, jaw Feldenkrais Project lessons. I have Ruthie Alon’s Adv ATM on Sphincter but directions aren’t clear on first lesson connecting tongue to anus and extremities- fingers, toes.
[Note from Nick: Lest we raise eyebrows, Diana is talking about learning to sense and use the many deep neurological connections throughout the alimentary canal, in order to reduce unhelpful tension and improve its function. The lesson she’s discussing is not about creating touch connections between these body parts!]
Is anyone familiar with this lesson? One lengthens spine by pulling in anus and root of tongue down throat. Soften and release. Confusing part- lying on back, heels touching, knees apart, moving from this position to side lying flexion. Not clear on mechanics. She’s also working with tongue-anus connection to toe, finger flexion- extension like when kitten sucks at mother’s teat. She skirts over many ideas. Thanks – Diana
Hi Diana! We haven’t made a place yet on The FP for open discussion of outside (non-FP) lessons, so I don’t think the professional, semi-pro, or super-fan Feldy folks you’re looking for are going to reply here, since you’re deep into a topic I haven’t explored thoroughly on the site. But I’ll leave the comment up in case anyone spots this who can help! I myself am not familiar with this Ruthy Alon lesson or series, though I know and love lots of her other work.
Maggy Burrowes recently did a Sphincter series which contains this lesson, I believe https://maggyburrowes.com/2023/05/22/discover-the-secrets-of-your-ring-muscles/
V powerful stuff!
Thanks. The more I do the lesson I find ways to explore, which is the Feldenkrais approach. She is big on connecting through the whole body.