Other Voices on Feldenkrais

The “Feldenkrais Moves Me” series by Buffy Owens.

I’ve written dozens of posts about my experiences with the Feldenkrais Method (yes, there are more to come). It’s gratifying when readers share that my blog has motivated them to either take a Feldenkrais class for the first time or return to it after a hiatus. With the many opportunities and distractions of modern life, we might need a nudge to remind us to reconnect with what’s helpful and nourishing or be inspired to try something new. The reminder can take the form of personal stories, even those of people we’ve never met. Fortunately, a growing number of Feldenkrais narratives are circulating, and not just in article form.

Practitioner Buffy Owens, a “self-proclaimed somatic fanatic and a Feldenkrais freak”, is creating a series called “Feldenkrais Moves Me”. She artfully blends digital recordings, text, color and music to paint compact yet evocative and engaging portraits of Feldenkrais students, practitioners and trainees. When she invited me to participate in her project I confess that, initially, I balked. To condense my still evolving “story” into 120 or fewer words felt daunting. The thought of recording my voice and have it be “out there” triggered some anxiety. I prefer to express myself in writing, which (on this blog) offers the possibility for subsequent revision. My inner control freak and graphic designer wondered about what music and colors she’d choose; they wanted to stick their noses into her creative process and tinker (frankly, I think they were envious of Buffy’s unique audio-visual format, developed after many approximations). In the end, my desire to support this endeavor plus her cheerful persistence overwhelmed my resistance. In the Feldenkrais spirit of learning, I experimented with downloadable recording software Audacity, rather than using my now familiar iPhone’s voice memo feature. After making several tweaks to the text and my delivery, I flipped the bird at perfectionism and sent her a recording. You can listen to and view the result here.

I hope you’ll take a few moments to enjoy the other stories. Most are just one minute long. I find them moving. Perhaps they will move you, too.

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