Somatic Movement education utilizes movement and awareness to re-educate the nervous system and improve the quality, range, comfort and fluidity with which you move. Since we are moving every moment of our lives, improving how we move can improve all that we do.

The Awareness Through Movement®* lessons involve a series of gentle movement and directed attention designed specifically to disrupt habitual patterns of moving, thinking and sensing. You gain in flexibility and strength not through stretching or exerting yourself in any way, but by working slowly and gently in a way that educates your whole self to move in a more coordinated, efficient and graceful way. The more you know about how you are moving, the easier you can relieve pain and achieve higher standards of performance in sports, martial arts, dancing or any other physical discipline.

Can you benefit from somatic movement education?

• Have you ever experienced a Repetitive Strain Injury?
• Are you constantly being told to stand up straight?
• Would you like to improve your performance as a (insert your passion here ____)?
• Are you interested in personal growth & development?
• Would you like to improve your self image or body image?
• Do you see a chiropractor, acupuncturist or massage therapist
      and would you like to get more out of your sessions?

As your Somatic Movement Educator I will help you to remember that learning need not be hard and tedious. I will help you to find the joy of movement and support you in achieving your greatest somatic goals. Whether you want to get out of pain, improve your performance or fully express yourself.

Chances are that somewhere in your growth and development your organic learning was replaced with hard labored repetition, painful straining and maybe even a disassociation from ourselves.

While the lessons are not necessarily physically demanding, the challenge here is to tap into our innate sense of learning; where the main pre-requisites for YOU is a curiosity and desire to uncover possibilities in your senses, your thinking, your feelings, your movement, your SELF.

By paying attention to such detail you can begin to find out what you do that is unnecessary and perhaps causes more strain than is needed. For example, when you turn to look behind you, you may hold your breath and clench your jaw. Turning to look behind you does not require that you hold your breath and clench your jaw. However, you may do this without even knowing, causing unnecessary tension and perhaps even chronic injury. By learning how to focus your intentions into easier actions and eliminate unnecessary habits, new behaviors are formed and a greater sense of comfort and ease begins to permeate your life.

Stress & Pain
   ...discovering a new way of moving

Pain can be experienced as a physical sensation or as mental or emotional stress. A crucial part of what is needed in order to move out of pain is an internal understanding of how to move differently through life.

When people are stressed they tend to fall into habitual movement and thought patterns that lead to a variety of physical discomforts (muscle tension, shallow breathing and compromised sleep). When people experience discomfort or physical pain, they often try reduce it by avoiding the activities that tend to increase discomfort, by strengthening certain muscles, or by following advice about how best to move.

While all of these approaches can be helpful, when you gain an understanding of your body's design for effortless movement, from the inside out, you learn to discover for your self what is easiest for you in any given situation. As you gain awareness, you gain more choices in your response to life. Soon you will find yourself moving and breathing more easily, sleeping more soundly, and returning to the activities that you enjoy.

Because the Feldenkrais Method® of somatic movement education allows you to look at how you organize your whole self inside-out, it can be used to support other modalities. In particular it is beneficial when combined with any approach where a lessening of effort, strain and tension or the enhancement of mobility, flexibility, and balance would be of benefit. Some of the most common modalities that work hand-in-hand with Feldenkrais to maximize health and healing are:

• Chiropractic
• Acupuncture
• Psychotherapy
• Physical Therapy
• Stress Reduction Programs
• Weight Loss Programs

Performance
     ...moving with easy, grace and power

The benefits of Feldenkrais for performers is as profound and personal as the method itself. For dancers, it means a higher quality of movement and a richer, more diverse movement vocabulary. For actors, delving into the world of sensation often leads to expanded emotional range and more convincing characterizations. For musicians, the respite from habitual tensions is often accompanied by an ability to practice longer, without pain and with greater satisfaction. For athletes, the ability to discriminate between familiar habits and more effective options can lead to more ease, grace and power in movement and sport.

Regardless of specialty, practicing the ability to be present and honing your kinesthetic sense brings a whole other level of texture and depth to your performances. Many performers find that making Awareness Through Movement classes part of their practice reduces injury and tension while the exploratory style of Awareness Through Movement fosters self trust and feeds their creative process.

Personal Growth
    ...going deeper with the whole self

Movement is central to who we are. Movement influences both how we experience ourselves and how others perceive us. While the Feldenkrais Method can be a powerful way to reduce tension and enhance your capacity for fluid, graceful movement, these improvements are not considered an end in and of themselves. Because our habits of moving, thinking, feeling, and acting are deeply intertwined at a neurological level, changes in any one of these areas can effect us on all levels.

Feldenkrais can enhance your personal exploration and can support you in deepening your experience in any of the the following practices:

• Yoga
• Meditation
• Martial Arts
• Psychotherapy
• Expressive Arts Therapy
• Religious & Spiritual Studies

*Conscious Movements is grounded primarily in the principles of Feldenkrais Method® (rhymes with “paradise”) — a prolific and accessible approach to human understanding, learning and personal growth through movement.

Buffy Owens is a fourth year student of Feldenkrais Method® and an Authorized Awareness Through Movement® teacher. All private Somatic Movement Sessions can be recorded and provided as an MP3 download for your movement convenience.