A common reaction after a Feldenkrais lesson is, “Whoa! I’m walking with a wiggle!” or “I don’t think my hips should move this much.” Or even “Uh oh. This walk is going to get me into trouble.” But what I see as that person is walking is a beautiful, elegant, smooth locomotion. The combination of cultural restrictions and the culture of sitting has created a society that has forgotten the power of moving from the pelvis, and in the process, created a laundry list of injuries and pain. The experience of elegant movement can feel downright risqué if the pelvis had been immobilized for most of one’s life.
When we see anyone who moves freely from the pelvis, whether it’s Rihanna or Jackie Chan, we are mesmerized. That freedom of movement is our birthright and the key to a comfortable back as well as the ability to live more spontaneously. After all, if the pelvis is frozen, it’s pretty hard to respond quickly, move freely,
One of the powerful strategies of learning that Feldenkrais lessons offer is that everything is connected. By learning to move not just the pelvis in isolation, but the whole self in an integrated manner, aches and pains disappear. A recent article in Science Daily cited a study where a group of people with back pain, after a program of sensory motor learning based on Feldenkrais reported “the y had learned to trust in themselves and now felt able to handle their low back pain themselves without seeking further medical help.”
Three elements of any effective action are organization, orientation and timing. By learning to connect your parts (the hip bone is connected to the head bone indeed!) you can out smooth anyone – on the dance floor, at a meeting, or just hiking in the woods.