Exactly as with the shoes, there is no universal practice or care routine where one size would fit all. Find an active approach that feels fun, doable, and makes sense to you. And remember: it’s not just about muscles. See any conditioning and technique as something that allows you to become more of a sensing being that is free to creatively express through movement.
Read MoreWhile collecting data for this blog series, I asked tangueras in my local group:
What do you do to take care of your feet? What issues do you have to deal with, and what did you find helpful?
I was hoping to connect with a few local dancers and get to know my tango community better. But what followed was a deluge of comments, questions and messages from all over the world.
Read MoreOne of the first changes I noticed during my professional training was how much I began looking for sensory comfort in daily life. … When it came to my footwear, I gradually got rid of anything that restricted my feet or their movement in any way, and anything with heels. This included what most people would call “flats”: 0.5 cm heeled shoes.
But what actually happens when you wear ANY heeled shoe?
What do you see here?
Apart from a young woman who has already had some sobering life experiences but is still full of joy and anticipation, what I see right now is her curled toes. So not Comme Il Faut … (Tangueras, pun intended!)
Why did she need to curl them? There is a lifetime behind the answer.
Read MoreProprioception, sometimes called your “sixth sense”, is en vogue. I hear more and more people mentioning it in the world of biomechanics, exercise, and tango. But do we really understand what it is, how it works, and what it means for our movement, exercise routine and lifestyle choices? In this blog post, I’ll try to demystify proprioception, but I also would love to establish its primordial dependence on the foundation of our upright being - our amazing feet.
Read MoreHow Feldenkrais classes support your diastasis recti abdominis (DRA/DR) healing without saying “diastasis recti”.
Here are my takeaways from the DR workshop with Katy Bowman and Jill Miller, part by part, and here is how what we do in an Awareness Through Movement (Feldenkrais) class can be an answer to your DR issue:
… it’s the most effective thing I’ve ever done. Chiropractor, osteo, physio, craniosacral - I’ve done a lot. And FeldenkraisⓇ has been the most helpful thing - not just for pain; it helps you do what you are doing better. I found a massive benefit in how I do manual handling and lifting and moving my child. It’s better for her as well …
Michaela’s story, part 2
I enter Michaela’s home and know straight away that I am in an environment where parents are committed to providing as many movement possibilities for their child as they can: floor mats and balls and peanuts of different sorts next to the kitchen, a therapy table and a big free floor space in the room next door, and a pool in the backyard. 6-year-old Sophie is sitting in front of Michaela, and Michaela is helping her daughter to drink …
Read MoreWhat if I told you that an epidural is not the most efficient pain relief in labour?
Do you know what’s the most efficient? Your feeling of safety.
It’s a good idea to keep this in mind while deciding on where and with whom you’d love to give birth. Do you feel safe here? Are you convinced that you can build a relationship of mutual trust and respect with these people?
Read MoreIf it feels so good and if it is so desperately needed, why could someone not be in love with this? Why is it possible that when you come to a class that promises so many benefits (vitality and performance, less pain and injuries, more calm and clear thinking …), you could feel irritated and even hate the whole experience?
Read MoreJust relax …
Lie down and relax …
Uh
Your body doesn't work this way - it’s like someone yelling at you “Stay calm!” expecting you to actually calm down …
When I was pregnant with my second baby, my massage therapist told me I needed to relax my lower back. For the life of me, I had no idea what he was talking about. I was not aware, not an iota, that I was doing something with my lower back and therefore needed to “relax” it. Can you relate?
So why “relaxing” doesn’t always work?
How do I even explain Feldenkrais® without using a 4-letter F-word?
Here I’ll say it: F - U - E - L
Imagine that you have two cars:
Read MoreDuring Book Week this year, I was invited to talk to Class 2 children at Waikato Waldorf School about people who are not mentioned too often when we talk about books: translators. My previous professional identity is just that: I did a lot of translation. What does it mean for you when you come to see me now as a Feldenkrais® practitioner and pain educator?
Read More“Most women can’t deliver a baby without medical assistance because the human head is so large” … Ouch. I love science. Recently I got across a YouTube channel called BeSmart that explains science to kids in funny and engaging ways (and adults like it too). I was enjoying the episode on “Evolution FAILS in the Human Body” (I know) when the host, Dr. Joe Hanson, made that statement. The whole thing is supposed to be kind of funny, but let’s hang in there for a few minutes and clarify what we are dealing with.
Read MoreRecently I had to reflect on my journey to where I am and what I do and be reminded of my why's as your Feldenkrais® practitioner. I got together with Carla Sargent from Healing Birth to talk about my birthing journey and choices, eventful initiation to motherhood and what it took to heal from it.
Read MoreMary had a fall on her bathroom tiles. Tania was coming back home at night when she had a car accident. Becca was playing with her kids in their newly built swimming pool when her son hit his head against hers.
None of these women was engaged in high-impact sports. None lost consciousness. None of them suspected concussion … for a while.
Read MoreWhen Fleur made her first appointment with me following her midwife’s recommendation, she was only 8 weeks pregnant. One and half years prior to that, though, she had had a big ovarian cyst removed surgically, followed by diastasis recti, stress incontinence and pain.
Read MoreBefore the festive season madness starts whirling around at full speed, I wanted to remind you that more effort is not necessarily useful. And these were the words I found …
Read More“The pain was a nuisance. It didn’t stop me from doing anything, but it hurt. When I was going to sleep, it really hurt and I couldn’t sleep because it was painful. … I got quite close to being burnt out about 2 years ago. And coming back from that, I had to look at different things to do so that this doesn’t happen again. …
I definitely feel a lot better. I get 90% less pain than before. I can have occasional pain, but it’s nothing noticeable. I have more techniques to use. Experimenting with moving it in different ways really helped. My mental health has improved.”
Read MoreImagine yourself being a toddler who figured out how to move through space independently while staying vertical – as soon as you can take yourself fast enough to spaces you want to explore, there is no real need to refine your walking so you accept what you learned as a good way and that’s how you will know walking. Of course, you will continue learning and adjusting to some extent, but sooner or later you will reach your “good enough”.
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