Today was a kinda sorta cold day so I decided to take the day off riding. I went out for breakfast at a diner, read some of my new book (Bill Bryson’s The Body, A Guide for Occupants), picked up my car at the garage, meditated, took a nap, set up some 2020 401K withdrawals, and then went to my Introduction to Feldenkrais class.
The class took place at a rec center in Arlington. It began with a body scan meditation, something I’ve done many times over the years, although never in a room full of a dozen people. Next, came a series of very gentle simple movements lying flat on our backs. As we were doing them, the instructor gave specific instructions as to where to focus our attention. Imagine a narrow beam of light shining down the length of your body from head to toe. The movements were to the left and right of this center line. Knees. Hips. Torso. Arms. Head. All building to a combinations of sideways movements.
You pretty much have to give yourself up to the concept otherwise you’d get about ten minutes into the class, get up, and go get a beer. The rational side of your brain is asking “How can this possibly do anything?” As the movements progress, however, the body becomes more and more relaxed, more and more limber. After an hour, my body felt like it had gone on a nice, little vacation.
Then I stood up, my left leg came back to reality. Ugh.
It was an interesting experience. Pretty clearly, if you are in a high-stress job or life situation, you’d really benefit from Feldenkrais.
I want to see how my body feels in the morning before deciding whether I will do more.
A Few Spokes Shy of a Wheel 