Frank Wildman, GCFT, PhD
Educational Director,
The Feldenkrais
Movement Institute

Winter 2008

BEYOND THE LIMITS OF STRETCHING Part II

Hello….

The Feldenkrais movement lessons in this newsletter will enable you to learn length.  People usually don’t think they can learn to have longer and more flexible muscles and joints.  Typical belief is that a certain amount of effort, force, or time is required on a consistent basis.  Pushing into the end range rather than moving slowly and easily within a comfortable range of movement is a commonly accepted way to lengthen muscles.  

But we can learn to increase the range of motion throughout our body by gentle movements that regulate the stretch reflex.  The stretch reflex involves both neurological and mechanical components.  We must always remember that our brain and muscles operate as one unit.  The brain largely determines the amount of tone and most of the length in a muscle.

Research has proven that the plastic properties of the brain, called neuroplasticity, can strongly affect the muscular state of the body. Most people accept the idea that stress, tension, or a lack of movement can decrease the length of a muscle and decrease the ability of a muscle to generate force at length.  The opposite is also true. The stretch reflex can be positively influenced and regulated by behavioral conditioning, sensory stimulation, and skill training.  The Feldenkrais Method is based on sound scientific principles put into an enjoyable practice with results that are surprising.

Please perform the lessons below slowly and without strain.  Let your attention be available to observe your entire body as you enjoy each movement. 

Enjoy the lesson!

Frank Wildman, Ph.D., GCFT

You can discover more by ordering the DVD “Your Brain As the Core of Strength and Stability” through our web store. Several items are also on sales until the end of the year. Stock up on our specials today…they're great gifts!

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• Go Slowly. Time is an extremely valuable tool in the Feldenkrais Method. The movements you are learning may seem unusual and unfamiliar to you. You will need time to assimilate them, to feel the way your body is moving and changing. Do not rush! Pause whenever you feel like it and repeat movements you find pleasurable or want to experience more fully.

• Insist on Comfort. There is no reward in doing any of the movements in an uncomfortable position. Gently alter the position in whatever way makes it comfortable for you. I want you to enjoy the process of the movement as much as the result. If it hurts, it’s not helping you (“No pain, no gain” does not apply in this method!) Never try to overcome pain, if you feel it. Pain is a signal that your body is asking you to find a new way to move. Answer it with gentleness and respect.

• Don’t test your limits. The Feldenkrais Method is not about seeing how far you can move , how high you can lift, how long you can stretch, Your goal should be to discover how your body achieves a movement so that you can learn to make that movement easier. Your movements should always be light, and as effortless as possible. Imagine how good it will feel to do simple mobile tasks without trying hard, without working.

• Use your imagination. Take the time to do different movements from these lessons inyour head only, before doing them in practice. Allow the movement to become very clear and lucid in your mind, like a scene from a movie. Imagine a movement before attempting it can make an enormous difference in your ease of motion. You may find that your body responds to your mind by moving as if it is replaying the imagined movement, with almost no effort at all.

• Rest frequently. The movements in these lessons, while gentle and pleasurable, may cause slight strain because you are using parts of muscles you may not have used in a long time, or in ways that are not familiar to you. Rest often during each lesson. You cannot rest too much. Relax and let the movement settle in, enjoy the feeling. Who knows – it could become a habit.

• Take the lessons with you. Throughout your day, pay close attention to how a lesson affected you. One way to do this is to keep a notebook and write down what you have felt from the lessons, and how it influenced the way you performed everyday activities. Be aware of changes in the way you reach, walk, sit, and think. Putting your sensations into words builds a new sensory vocabulary and expands your body awareness, increasing aliveness and changing fixed habits of thinking and feeling. A lesson doesn’t have to end with its last movement let the learning process linger and grow.

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