All of the processes I teach are available online. I am currently using Zoom, which means that a recording of your lesson will be included in the fee, when it is appropriate to do so (group classes may sometimes be edited before sharing).
*All fees are suggested-rate-or-any-donation-welcome
(Please note that the regular classes and workshops appear first, and thus this list may not be in a sensible order, date-wise!)
Awareness Through Movement Online Classes on Zoom
Tuesdays @ Noon
12 pm – 1 pm GMT
This class is a general class and suitable for all levels of ability – we usually have time for a group chat afterwards for anyone who does not need to dash away.
Thursdays @ 6pm
6 pm – 7 pm GMT
This is a very gentle class and particularly suitable for anyone with chronic issues with injury, pain, or fatigue.
£10* for a single class
£32* for 4 classes per month
Classes on Zoom, recordings provided
*Suggested fee, or any donation welcome
These are ongoing classes, so the intention is for you to commit to attending on a regular basis: once a week is good, twice a week is better. Feldenkrais is about learning to learn; these are skills that you will develop over time with practice, and the benefits you will experience are also cumulative.
The Feldenkrais Method is unique in design, and of all the versions of personal training that include a physical element, Feldenkrais is most like Tai Chi, where regular practise is good, and the more time you give to the process the more you get back. At some point you become someone who practises Feldenkrais, and at that point the benefits and the pleasures begin to accrue.
One reason I am so enjoying teaching on Zoom is the facility to share a recording of the class so you can build up an archive of lessons to explore whenever you wish.
Much of what I write about in my blog is intended to make the pleasures and possibilities of learning how to learn more apparent earlier in the process; here is a recent article on the subject.
I am using Zoom, and you will need to book with me in advance by email. Once you have confirmed I will send you a secure link to access the broadcast.
Do use the contact form if you would like more information, PLEASE NOTE MY REPLIES HAVE SOMETIMES GONE ASTRAY RECENTLY, SO I AM ASKING PEOPLE TO INCLUDE A PHONE NUMBER, JUST IN CASE…
You can also contact me on FaceBook via my main work pages:
FaceBook: Feldenkrais & Embodied Voice, HumanSong––Self-Expression & Performance
Your Potent Inner Voice
Sensory Self-Awareness for Self-Healing
Wednesday Evenings 7 – 9 pm GMT
Online + Recording £20/Donation
These extended evening classes* focus on my Feldenkrais-based self-healing strategies, and the recordings are intended to make it very easy for you to develop these skills for yourself. I am exploring the evening format with the intention of supporting better sleep as well as pain relief and self-calming.
*I am aware that two hours is a long class, so do please know that you can choose to join us for the first hour only, particularly if that would make joining the class regularly more manageable for you.
One seldom-discussed aspect of the potency of the voice is the influential presence of an internal voice, constantly commentating on our lives. The voice inside our own heads can be an ally or an enemy; for a while now I have been discovering how to train my inner voice to be a better ally in my on-going project of self-healing. Here is an introduction to the process, from an article on my website:
“Self-Hypnosis – also known as Autogenic Training – has been around for a long time. I first came across it back in the Eighties, in a book called Superlearning. This was at right at the beginning of my interest in meditation, and practising the autogenic sequences from the book were the closest I came to achieving the deeper states of inner calm that are reportedly the most effective brain wave frequencies for healing chronic conditions.
Thus, when a bout of chronic fatigue left me with fibromyalgic pain that did not easily respond to the mindful movements that had helped me free myself of sciatica in the past, my investigations brought me full circle, and this time I made a connection I had somehow failed to make before. I remembered that Moshe Feldenkrais was also interested in self-hypnosis at a similar age, except that – being the over-achiever he was – he translated a significant book on the subject into Hebrew, and boldly added his own thoughts in a 26 page commentary.
The book was The Practice Of Autosuggestion by the Method of Émile Coué (1929), and Moshe’s original contribution has recently been published as Thinking and Doing, A monograph by Moshe Feldenkrais. He retained his enthusiasm for these concepts throughout his life, attempting to republish his translation in 1977, and using the techniques he still valued to speed his recovery after his stroke. Article continues here…
This workshop will be ideal for anyone seeking to improve their own health and wellbeing, and the health and wellbeing of others.
You will need to book with me directly to get the Zoom link, and a recorded version of the lesson is included in the fee. Bookings are by email, or via my contact form.
This will be a very practical course and you will receive notes and supporting materials to help you maintain the improvements you experience from this immersive Awareness Through Movement experience.
Daily Feldenkrais: Immersive Classes
Deep Core Alignment
Integrating Spine, Psoas, Sphincters & Diaphragms
Jan 31st – Feb 4th
Online + Recordings & Notes
1 pm – 2.30 pm GMT [8 am – 9.30 am EDT]
£75 / £50 (low income) / Or Any Donation Welcome
Embodied self-integration and alignment are part of the process we are all engaged in when we are ready to take charge of developing and maturing ourselves.
This path to self-maturation is what Feldenkrais is all about, and it can be experienced in many ways.
It can be your path to greater self-awareness
your path to self-healing
your path to more spontaneity and authenticity in your daily being
your path to joy
Bio-mechanically this dynamic alignment can be experienced as a lively, responsive interaction between your skeleton, your deepest core muscle systems, and the sensory-fascial web that contains, interconnects, and enlivens your bodily sense of self.
Emotionally we become more aware of – and more at ease with – the feelings that bubble up from inside, and thus much more able to allow ourselves to just be in the moment, even when experiencing intense sensations.
Awareness Through Movement allows you to progressively unravel everything you are doing that controls your feelings, and blocks the flow of energy, vitality and pleasure that we could all experience with ease as very young children – although it is important to recognise that, for some of us, this flow had already been stemmed by our experience of our mother’s stresses while we were still in the womb.
This daily class is designed to begin the very deep releasing processes from our core musculature that allow us all to regain the ability to experience fully the joy of being alive. It will be a very practical course and you will receive notes and supporting materials to help you maintain the improvements you experience from this immersive Awareness Through Movement experience.
Please do get in touch with me if you would like to chat, or make a booking
Toning, Overtoning, Vagal Toning
Tuning Your Ears & Your Nervous System
Sunday February 13th – Online + Recording
2 pm – 5 pm GMT [9 am – 12 pm EST]
£35 (suggested fee, or any donation welcome)
Toning…
In previous workshops we began to explore the possibilities of the sustainable consonants – mainly the fricatives and the nasal consonants.
In this workshop we will begin to explore the carrying power of the vowels. These are the vocal qualities that enable us to sing with musicality and intensity; they are what makes a voice distinctive, colourful, and resonant.
Overtoning…
The vocal overtones are the subtle frequencies that shape and colour the voice, and calibrate our listening skills. They are the sounds that enable us to distinguish the different vowels of our own language so precisely that we can easily detect the presence of an accent in a non-native speaker, even if we don’t know what the origin of accent is. Overtones have many names: instrumentalists may refer to them as ‘harmonics’, in audio technology they are known as partials . They are very common in forms of chanting, and are fundamental to the popularity of the sound [Om].
…Vagal Toning
Many self-development systems have a meditative process at their core – sitting in contemplation, and communing with an inner sense of ‘oneness’ with ‘the universe’ is pretty universal. Prayer, and affirmations are both standard tools for promoting emotional health the world over.
Dr Stephen Porges PolyVagal Theory provides an explanation for the efficacy of these practises at a neurological and evolutionary level. Our nervous system is focussed on our safety, and our sense of safety is fundamental to our sense of wellness. The vagus nerve manages both our older reptilian stress management circuits and our newer mammalian circuits, and we can use the management of our to soothe ourselves, increase our sense of safety, and shift our nervous system into our rest-and-recuperation mode – the neurological state that switches on our self-healing mechanisms, and helps to promote our physical and mental resilience.
This is I am sure why so many of the systems designed to integrate mind, body, and soul involved a chanting element – mantras and formal prayers such as saying rosaries all encourage the extension of the exhalation which enables the switch from stimulating-sympathetic to palliative-parasympathetic functioning.
Every time we inhale we briefly stimulate our sympathetic state-of-readiness (known as our fight-or-flight mode), and then, as we exhale again we shift back into our rest-and-recuperate mode – so all we need to do to soothe our nervous system is to exhale for a little longer than we inhale – it is that simple. This is I am sure the reason why there is so much evidence that singing is proven to be good for the health. When you examine the evidence you quickly discover that it is all based on research into communal singing, but once you understand Porges theories then you can easily see how to use these practices in a way that is effective even when you are singing while home alone.
Is is exciting to understand that this is the mechanism that allows us to synchronise our heartbeats via our breathing, whenever we are singing, or chanting, or praying together, and that it also works when we are playing games or performing dances that allow for movements to synchronise our rhythms. Many cultures that rely on physical labour use rhythmic sounds and work songs to both coordinate their movements and generate a heightened sense of community spirit and ‘togetherness’. This research enables us to understand how this sort of activity bonds us as communities and generates communal health benefits.
This workshop will be beneficial for:
Anyone interested in the potential for improving their vocal tuning in particular, or their hearing in general
Singers, presenters, performers, and anyone interested in the voice, and issues around self-expression
Anyone dealing with chronic stress, and/ or tension in the face, jaw, and throat.
Anyone interested in meditation and chanting
Fundamentals–FEB Sunday 23rd: Theme TBA
Individual Vocal Training Sessions
Rather than lower my standard rate for one-to-one sessions online, which is £70 for a 75 minute session, I am offering one-to-one online sessions as “suggested fee or donation”, for the time being. The extra time is necessary for discussion and feedback. I can accept payments via BACS, and, if that is inconvenient for any reason, PayPal.
Functional Self-Integration Lessons
I am still exploring ways to share my self-healing Quintessensual Consciousness practice. While this is still in the development stage I am offering a special rate of £40* for individual online sessions. This is a version of Feldenkrais focussed on pain and stress relief.
There are more details on my Home page, and several articles about it in the Writing area of my website. Do not hesitate to contact me if you would like to discuss with me whether this form of meditative training might be of help to you.
*Suggested-fee-or-donation rate applies.
Many years ago I recorded a short lesson about breathing – here is a link to this lesson in the archive on the Feldenkrais UK Guild website – enjoy!