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by Jerry Karzen
This new program authored by veteran Feldenkrais trainer Jerry Karzen offers participants a pathway to ease the tension that individuals in stressful situations experience. The guided-movement lessons offer a variety of simple, full or partial body movements that can lead to more mindful and ultimately deeply restful moments. The mindful movements can also offer the participants a taste of thought-free experiences such as those cultivated in meditation practices. These lessons can help to reset the way that the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems work together, leading to both fuller rest and resilient energy.
Lessons & Chapters
- Scanning – Focused & Generalized Attention (22:29 min)
Description:
How are you paying attention to yourself? Train your ability of precise sensory awareness. Learn to attend to yourself in a way that promotes learning and improved coordination and comfort.
- Becoming a Baby Again (1:00 h)
Description:
In the early stages, babies don’t do any deliberate movements, and sensory perception such as hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting and sensing, all blend, are not distinguished from each other. By revisiting basic activities, such as sucking, envisioning early childhood smells, and un-focusing the eyes, you can re-visit this unique state of being.
- Breathing Fully & Globally – Opening the Sides (44:16 min)
Description:
Very few breathing practices give attention to the sides of the torso. A relaxed, full breath however expands in all six directions. Giving attention to the sides of the ribs, while adding a gentle but deliberate welding breath, can allow you to breath more fully and easily.
- Basic Flexors by Folding – Part 1 (44:16 min)
Description:
Created by repeat activities or emotions, most people have become habituated to a constant unnecessary contraction of the flexor muscles. By using these muscles deliberately and with awareness, some of the holding patterns can loosen their grip. Upright standing and breathing can become easier.
- Basic Flexors by Folding – Part 2 (34:36 min)
Description:
One of Moshe Feldenkrais’ definitions of healthy action was reversibility, being able to stop and reverse a given activity at any moment. By exploring rolling slowly and reversibly – a movement commonly done with momentum – promotes precision and the discovery and release of parasitic effort. Later on, explorations lead into a complex use of shoulders, head and pelvis to soften the ribs by drawing an imaginary circle.
- Whole Body Breathing (39:19)
Description:
Observing a baby while breathing, we can see that the whole body breathes. It seems as if every cell of the body IS the breathing. By exploring the movement of opening and closing, of becoming small and becoming big, rolling side to side, in combination with the breath awareness, brings back this experience. This allows for a very deep relaxation and a sense of harmony.
- Soft Eyes, Sharp Vision (42:19 min)
Description:
During our daily activities eye movements are usually focused, the eyes are open to see. In this lesson, while comfortably lying on the back, you move your closed eyes without a particular purpose, without trying to see something. This can have a relaxing effect on your neck, jaw, breathing, face and more. As a result you may settle down, get quiet, and increase the sharpness of your vision.
- Breathing & Sound (33:12min)
Description:
In sitting you explore the relationship between the usage of the right and left nostrils, the position of your head, and the production of sound. What makes low and high sounds clear and full?
- Bell Hand (31:10 min)
Description:
There are many systems to put people to sleep. Some of them incorporate small movements, very early in the developmental parts of our brain. In this lesson early baby hand movements, in the Feldenkrais Method known as bell-hand movements, leave you in a deeply relaxed state.
- Opening Ribs for Breathing (38:38 min)
Description:
The breath is directed into various areas of the upper and lower ribcage, including the sides. This is supported by movements and positions, which open the areas the breath is being directed to. Thereby intention, attention and movement, all are designed to support each other.
- Open Perception During Action (34:47 min)
Description:
Erector muscles are asked to work in combination with rotation. Additionally, explorations challenge your capacity to coordinate as well relax the eyes, allowing for a broadened perception. Finally both are combined, and the question is raised of how the eyes relate to the movements.
- Pulsation – Open & Close (35:45min)
Description:
Part of the nervous system, the cellular and digestive system, the eyes, of all of life, is in an opening and closing vibratory process. To maintain integrity while also growing and expanding, contracting and expanding keep alternating. Through movement and breath awareness we consciously tap into and support these processes.
- Turning to See Right Left
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About the Author
Jerry is a graduate of the 1977 San Francisco Training with Dr. Feldenkrais. Jerry studied with Dr. Feldenkrais at the Feldenkrais Institute in Tel-Aviv. When they lived together between 1976 and 1984, Jerry was Moshe Feldenkrais’ personal traveling companion, secretary and close friend. He assisted in the editing of Dr. Feldenkrais’ last two books and directed, or himself videotaped, 95 percent of all existing tapes of Dr. Feldenkrais’ private Functional Integration® lessons. At the request of Dr. Feldenkrais, Jerry organized and administered his last training program and was the first Executive Director of the Feldenkrais Foundation. He has also served as President of the North American Feldenkrais Guild®.
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