Gillian Patrick

Biography:

I am a certified Feldenkrais Practitioner, potter and I teach ceramics.

I came to Feldenkrais through an interest in movement and activity. Snowboarding, hiking and mountain-biking throughout my twenties and early thirties had given my joints a hard time and I had been starting to feel the effects in the form of lower-back and knee pain.

From the first few Feldenkrais workshops, I began to recognise my movement habits. It was a shock to realise how much unnecessary effort I was using to do every day activities. These sessions opened my eyes to a new way of moving and being.

With a greater awareness of my movement I found I could make easy, small adjustments: softening the grip on my handlebars when cycling; relaxing my abdomen when at the potters wheel; relaxing the hold on my cutlery, even.

Sometimes these were fundamental shifts in the way I was moving, but more often they were small simple changes – accumulating to real improvements. Yoga poses that I’d deemed impossible were suddenly – and surprisingly, accessible. Regular weekly Feldenkrais classes made a real difference to me. On those rare occasions that feelings of discomfort in my knee or back reappear I can approach them with curiosity – how am I moving? how could I do it differently?

A regular practice helps me to move better and feel better. It is empowering to feel curious about any pain in my joints. Instead of experiencing a feeling of inevitability or defeat, I now feel I have options and am able find improvements in the things I do.

I practice Feldenkrais to help me to do the activities that I love more easily; for longer; with more enjoyment and, I feel, with improved outcomes.