Welcome to the November 2019 issue of our newsletter.  A west country team head the bill this time, with Cornish Practitioner Julie Taylor-Browne looking at her work with older people.  She describes how clients have transformed their perceptions about how much they can improve - from walking on coastal paths to playing with grand-children.  Somerset based Jackie Adkins has recorded a 15 minute lesson to complement this theme.   The lesson hones in on pushing through the feet, so you can explore this work directly.

As ever, do take a look at our workshop and class listings below, to find a practitioner near you.  And don't miss out on the pick of our recent social media posts and articles, and a link to the North American Guild's (FGNA) recent news.

As with all people who come to the Method there is nothing ‘typical’ about older clients. They may come because they have had a fall and have been injured and/or they have lost confidence.  They may be worried about stooping, they notice how difficult it is to get down to the floor (and back) to play with their grandchildren, or they may have a condition which limits their movement. 

There is, however, one thread which unites them, and that is a fear that they are on the ‘downward slope’, and that their limitations are permanent and can only get worse. It is helpful to remember Moshe Feldenkrais when he said that: “Nothing is permanent about our behaviour patterns except our belief that they are so.” 

So working with older people who are compromised in their movement, involves exploring these fears, reassuring them that there is scope for improvement and finding what they want to do again or what they once enjoyed. With one person who had fractured his wrist after a fall and had become very unsteady on his feet, we worked on his balance with the aim of rediscovering some of the lightness and confidence in the steps he had taken when he was a keen ballroom dancer. Scientific research also backs up the success which Feldenkrais can have in addressing balance issues in older people. (Hillier, S & Worley, A (2015) - see full reference below)

People may also come with hip and knee pain, and I find that working with their feet is both fruitful and enjoyable. Often a recent (or not so recent) foot or ankle injury has led to an uneven pattern of walking which the client can easily sense as we work, and this clearer awareness helps them find a better way of putting weight through the feet, knees and hips.  One client came to see me because she was worried about walking along the coastal path as she had recently begun to feel unsteady. After a few lessons (both ATM and FI), she now walks her newly acquired dog daily on the cliffs. An added bonus, she also told me, was that she could now always get on and off the toilet without fear of losing her balance. 

Another concern for people is noticing that they are becoming rounded in their upper spine, and they find that they are looking down more, and feeling more unstable.  We often work on strategies for bending down to pick things up, and for getting down and up from a chair. We work with the carriage of the head and the movement of the eyes and explore the relationship between the head, the spine, the pelvis and the feet. An additional bonus is that people usually find they can turn much more easily when reversing the car!

Older people are more likely to have entrenched their habits for longer.  While this can result in heightened challenges in everyday life, by the same token Feldenkrais is well placed to tackle these issues.  The method is about developing self-awareness to recognise what we do in life, to shine a light on unhelpful habits, and thereby give us the power to change those habits and reverse their negative effects.

Article reference: The Effectiveness of the Feldenkrais Method: A Systematic View of the Evidence; Hillier, S & Worley A (2015); Hindawi Publishing Corporation, Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Volume 2015, Article ID 752160, 12 pages; http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/752160

Based near Helston, in Cornwall, Julie works with a wide range of people with a huge variety of conditions, and has been immensely impressed with how much the Method has helped so many people. She previously worked as a researcher and consultant in the area of sexual violence and child abuse, and turned to animal training in 2003, specialising in alpacas, llamas and horses (see www.carthveanalpacas.com), including qualifying as a Tellington Touch practitioner,   where she found out about the Feldenkrais Method. The Method cured her longstanding aches and pains caused by sports (including riding) injuries, as well as making her a better animal handler and teacher.  She started the second London Training in 2011 and graduated in August 2015.