à la carte spirit by ilona fried
Awareness
On Giving Up Facebook for Eight Days
Despite my trepidation, refraining from Facebook for Passover proved to be a revealing exercise in awareness, therefore an excellent decision. During the first few days, I reflexively clicked on the Facebook URL in my browser history as if I were a caged rat conditioned to press a lever. Having logged out of Facebook the evening of April 3, I couldn’t … Continue reading
Awareness Through Mufti: Feldenkrais and…Fashion?!
Moshe Feldenkrais was no slave to fashion. His casual if not indifferent approach to clothing (loose shirts with pens and envelopes in the pockets) and untamed hair reminds me of that of my late father, also a physicist, who at times was oblivious to wrinkles, incorrectly buttoned shirts, a fly away mane and mismatched socks. I learned from one of Moshe’s American students that he … Continue reading
For Passover, I’m Refraining from Facebook
This year marks my first, “post-gluten” Passover. The holiday, commemorating the Jews’ hasty exodus from Egypt, is in part observed by eating matzah, unleavened bread, while also refraining from eating hametz, anything made of fermented grain (bread, pasta, beer, etc.). The complete dietary rules are more complex and vary depending on ancestry. Ashkenazi Jews, hailing from Eastern Europe, also avoid rice and legumes on … Continue reading
Feldenkrais Off the Mat: One Sidedness
I taught a friend a genre of Feldenkrais lesson where most, if not all, of the movement is focused on one side of the body. Afterwards, we talked about his experience as a student and mine as a teacher. While the lesson facilitated a huge insight about how he moves, and what might have impeded freer movement, he … Continue reading
Feldenkrais Off the Mat: Even Distribution
When I practiced yoga, my teachers emphasized that if our lives weren’t changing off the mat, then we were just exercising, not doing yoga at all. It didn’t matter if we could get into complicated poses if we still cursed in traffic, blamed others, were highly reactive or otherwise kept repeating unproductive habits. Ideally, the calm, peace and connectedness … Continue reading
à la carte spirit by ilona fried 
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