Matthew Whyndham
2024 words. About 3 pages
of A4.
This
essay has 6 sections.
1. What I knew already
I have known of the existence of something called the Feldenkrais method for a while, but I have never really known what it was exactly. I have heard about it from friends (who happen to have had RSI), from the discussions on the list, and I have also seen it mentioned in the major RSI books. I recently had the chance to try it out, and therefore I have been able to put these few words together about how it might be helpful for RSI people.
Hitherto I have thought about it as being in the same general category as the Alexander technique. That is, a system of thought that enables a person to reflect on their body-use habits, and thereby seek a better way of moving.
Another perception that I have had is that Feldenkrais method is characterised by the same very gradual learning curve as the Alexander technique. This is partly due to remarks that other people have made about the method, but is also based on the observation that if we do indeed have harmful body habits, then these will have taken almost a lifetime to establish, and it would therefore be unreasonable to expect them to be fixed overnight.
As I am aware so far, the objective of the method is to enable the user to have more Awareness of possible bad habits so that they can be avoided. In common with the Alexander Technique, there isn't a prescribed better way of doing things, simply that by eliminating harmful or ineffective movements or postures then better ones will naturally take their place.
Incidentally, I have often thought that the Alexander Technique, at least as it is generally taught, suffers slightly from this open-endedness. To some people, the lessons can seem rather vague and pointless. This may be related to one of the Alexander Technique’s central philosophies, that of the importance of avoiding "end gaining" – that is, bodily movements that are consciously constructed toward a given purpose (these movements are usually performed inefficiently since one is thinking of the exterior purpose of the movement to the detriment of its efficiency). At worst, the lessons can be upsetting since one's way of being is being critically analysed.
On the other hand, a practice like Tai chi, by having a Form
(routine of movements, around which the classes are usually constructed), gives
the student something to get to grips with. Note that the Form isn't the
essence of Tai chi, it’s something to practice Tai chi on. The apparently
gentle movements of Tai chi do in fact originate in a powerful martial arts
system. Since the movements have been designed for maximum efficiency
(effectiveness as well as economy of movement) the underlying principles
(balance, breathing, use of the whole body in every movement – especially of
the waist and torso) help the user to use their body in an effective way in
daily life as well (first – Yin –
yield to the motion of that
shopping trolley, adopt a GROUNDed stance, connect the WAIST and then – Yang –
REDIRECT its momentum down the aisle, all the while keeping the limbs springy
and open).
So, what about Feldenkrais? An open day held by a local “Alternative Therapy” Centre gave me a chance to speak to their Feldenkrais practitioner, and to learn a little bit more.
2. What I found out
The method, note: not a therapy or a treatment, was developed by a Moshe Feldenkrais who among other things was both a physicist and a sportsman (nothing wrong with either there). At one point he developed a knee injury from Judo competition, and rather than submit to an operation which gave a 50 per cent chance of success, he wanted to find a way to fix what he saw as the cause of his injury, rather than treat it symptom.
From what little I now know there seem to be two main foundations to the method. Firstly that the body, and it's mind, is a system which needs to work effectively as a whole. As some examples, how the way the waist and the hips move affects the placement of the feet, or the shoulder’s relationship with the hand, or perhaps the foot's influence on the shoulder. Secondly, that the best way to correct inefficiencies in the system is to allow the senses to experience the body's positioning, relationships between its parts, and faults in posture and movement. Since most of the time our brain suppresses sensory information from many parts of our bodies, simply to allow us to get on with our lives, this will seem like new information.
The method is applied in two ways. There is a 1-1 practice, called Functional Integration, wherein the practitioner uses touch and manipulation to firstly find out where there is tension in a person's body, and also to enable that person to feel the difference between a tense state and a relaxed one.
Secondly there are the groups, called Awareness Through Movement (ATM). Here the class is guided through a series of movements, some of some complex and some of them simple, which again aim to highlight the differences between using the body as effective system and using it in a problematic way.
3. Less of the chit-chat, what is it actually like?
I had a short taste of Functional Integration during the open day. As I lay on the (padded) slab, face up, the practitioner used their hands to feel around my shoulder blades, my neck, and places around. Some spreading, and kneading, of my shoulder blades went on. Straightaway I could feel that I was being put into a more neutral position. My shoulders were pushed down towards my feet, again, this was better. Overall, it felt like a gentle, yet purposeful massage session. At the end of the session there was a conversation, which seemed an integral part. The thrust of this seemed to be "what did I notice? What was different? Did I feel better?" (I did).
I also attended an ATM class a week later. There were three people plus the teacher. This is not typical, around 10 in a class is more common. It lasted about an hour.
The class was centred on one simple exercise, namely sitting (side-saddle) on the floor and twisting the head and shoulders from looking straight ahead to the side--a movement of about 90 degrees.
While we were repeating this movement we were given suggestions to think about certain aspects of it, and sometimes to modify the movement by moving only certain parts as a time, or by moving some parts, like the and neck and shoulders, in an opposite sense to one another.
The class proceeded according to a script, and the class leader consulted their notes frequently (although without interrupting the flow).
From time to time there would be intervals of lying on the floor. Again we were invited to consider how we were doing this. What angle did the feet make with the floor? How relaxed or tense were the shoulders and neck? How were the hands being held?
The breaking down of the twisting movement into its constituent parts probably gave the best opportunity to see how the system (the body and the technique) worked. This is called differentiation in the Feldenkrais jargon.
By moving just one part of the whole stack of twisting body parts, I could start to see how my senses were being tuned in to the positioning of rather forgotten parts of the anatomy. The suggestions of the leader seemed to be designed to encourage this self-discovery. "See if the curvature of the spine varies during the motion of the shoulders."
Following the differentiation or deconstruction of the total movement, it was then pieced back together. "See if the movement is now easier, or can go further."
Between each stage there were sessions of simply lying on the floor, again thinking about the attitude of various pieces of the body.
All the suggestions and directives seem to be of the conditional variety, i.e. use of the word "if ". I think this is so as to encourage the use of one's own senses, rather than believing what one has been told.
However there did seem to be some implied direction of improvement. Whether this is really part of the technique or whether it's simply because the leader can't help showing the fruits of the work, I do not know.
At all times we were encouraged to make ourselves as comfortable as possible during the exercises. It is another tenet of the method that the body can't learn if there is pain in the system. Hence there were ample cushions, chairs, and other props to make the sitting easier so that the twisting exercise itself could be facilitated.
4. Reflections
It occurred to me during the class that what we were doing seemed to be like the procedures used to calibrate a scientific instrument, by running simple test patterns through the System and then observing the response we were learning more about the inner workings of it. Remember the BBC test card in those pre-Kilroy days? The point of that was that someone could look at the image on your telly and tell you what was wrong with it. And if you're very lucky tweak a few screws and put it right.
The format of the exercises functions as the test signal generator. For this procedure to work we of course have to turn on our senses to respond to body positions and tension.
If this is gobbledegook to you, then think how a piano is tuned. The tuner hits each string alone with a tiny hammer and listens for the response. Only when each string has been adjusted is it worth attempting to play a piece of music.
Going back to the instrumentation analogy though, bear in mind that most electronic instruments will not be certified as accurate for more than a few years between calibrations. Therefore the re-calibration work is a continuous feature of a laboratory. Alternatively, think about a car, that needs regular servicing too. It's not surprising than that some bodies need some re-calibration done on them after a few years of hard work.
I think the emphasis in the Feldenkrais technique is that this retuning is best done internally, and to do this one must first activitate the sensibility of the body.
5. Effects
Does the medicine work? Well, here are a few of the side-effects so far.
When walking or sitting: increased awareness of tension in shoulders.
When standing up (!) in the bathroom : Notice that feet not neutrally planted but rising up on the balls of the feet.
Sitting at a table: supporting the head with the hands, but pressing down hard with my head.
At the PC: pressing down with the heel of the hand (mouse hand especially).
6. Moving forward
I will definitely continue going to the ATM classes, and possibly a few functional integrations as well. I can see that at my stage of RSI recovery this is just the right sort of reprogramming. There is a range of exercises covering different basic movements for the body. I am not entirely not sure, but I think about 10 of these classes will cover most of the "syllabus".
I also think that this thinking will co-exist very well with the other things that I'm doing right now. Namely, a bit of Tai chi, some general gym work, and the odd bit of jogging.
This might have been too much to deal with 18 months or so ago. At that time I was in a bit too much pain to do anything much. I remember going along to my usual yoga classes and just not being interested. I ought to stress at this point that Feldenkrais class leaders will try it to make it easier for a class members to accommodate whatever physical difficulties they are having by adapting the exercises and so forth.
For people who are in a lot of pain just now I think it's something they ought to read upon and think about doing as soon as they feel able to.