No. 18, February 2020
THE WELLNESS SALON
Musings on wellness from Donna Simmons
Feldenkrais ® Practitioner
“Reflections (on Feldenkrais): I am more and more aware of physical sensations in daily life. If I notice I am efforting, I relax. Sometimes I adjust my shoulders. Other times I intuitively make a change which “causes” me to take a deep breath and relax. …while traveling back and forth to Virginia I made slight changes to how I rolled my suitcase…
I am able to lay on my side for ATM classes. Laying on my back, I am able to stretch my arms out with them laying on the floor. Last year, I had to prop them with pillows.
I noticed last Saturday as I climbed the steep stairs to go to class, I was saying to myself, “feet, shoulders, tongue, eyes.” I did this a couple of times before I noticed I was doing this.
I am using the image of Hand in Honey Jar out in the world. One example is how I hold the steering wheel when I drive.” JA 12/19
This message came from someone I have been working with for a little over a year (and she generously agreed to let me reproduce it here). It was one of the nicest gifts I have received from a client: the acknowledgment that becoming aware of what one is doing allows for making choices to do something else. Small things can and do make a big difference. Note also the awareness that the knowledge and the experience gained from rolling on the floor in ATM® (Awareness Through Movement) classes or from being on the table in FI® (Functional Integration) can be manifested in our daily activities. Taking the time (a single moment or two) to check-in and notice what we are doing often allows for change to happen. Adding the piece of awareness gained from an ATM® or FI® helps create specific change; i.e. the way we hold the steering wheel while driving.
The idea of reflection, of paying attention is not only about our physical organization but also our relationship to our organization. What narratives do we create and hold onto? Are the limitations “real” or based in our experience of them? Does it matter? Thanks to the experience of self-reflection (or doing a “scan”) we know that change is possible; we simply have to let go of the fear that something is unalterable. And we need to do so kindly. And gently. And with patience. As with any effective meditation practice, perfection is not the goal.
In this spirit of reflection, I, too, have come to some realizations. I find that I am overdue for some inner work that might or might not involve discarding perceived limitations and, maybe, being open to other possibilities. To this end, I will be taking a month-long sabbatical from my practice beginning March 6th through April 6th. I will disconnect from my office and my work with Feldenkrais committees and boards and I will pause my mentoring and teaching activities. I’ll start with a silent retreat for a week at my favorite Hermitage just south of Big Sur, accompanied by my favorite books, pen, and paper. I’ll be practicing what I preach, so to speak, and I am certainly looking forward to that.
With an open heart and good wishes for all, I bow to the divine in us all.
Namaste,
Donna