No. 17, April, 2019
THE WELLNESS SALON
Musings on wellness from Donna Simmons, Feldenkrais ® Practitioner
The Feldenkrais® Method has two unique modalities. One is called Functional Integration® (FI®), a private hands-on session where the practitioner guides the client. This is what I do in my office. The second approach developed by Moshé Feldenkrais is called Awareness Through Movement®, or more commonly, ATM®.
ATM® is a verbally-guided class that can accommodate groups of any size. (In my own training we had groups approaching 100 persons…) Developmental movement patterns are used to bring the participants to a new state of awareness, flexibility and strength. In contrast to yoga or Tai Chi, participants in ATM® classes are not striving to achieve a pre-defined position; rather, they engage in a process of self-exploration focused on movements and activities associated with daily life. ATM® classes may be done in sitting, standing, walking, or lying on the floor, on a mat. As with FI®, somatic re-education is the goal. ATM® classes typically run anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour.
Both ATM® and FI® tie directly into functional movements of daily life and are easily incorporated in your daily activities by taking even just a few moments to focus with gentle attention on the specific movement. The jazz classic Take Five[1]is a great mnemonic for putting this into practice. For example, an ATM® lesson that involves sitting in a chair and exploring the idea of rotation through differentiated movements of the eyes, head and shoulders can easily be integrated while backing a car out of a driveway, playing tennis, walking to the bus, working at your computer, or texting on your phone. Learning to move with an open and curious mind often leads to the release of stress and tension.
Stay tuned for more information on ATM® classes taught by Donna Simmons, and in the meantime remember to “take five” during your day to revisit the movements explored in your Feldenkrais®sessions.
Namaste,
Donna
[1] Composed by Paul Desmond and first recorded by the Dave Brubeck Quartet in 1959 for the album Time Out.