à la carte spirit by ilona fried
Feldenkrais
Feldenkrais: The Wine Tasting of Movement
Imagine attending a wine tasting where the pourer fills a large goblet and, instead of handing it you, splashes the contents in your face. Some of the liquid might reach your lips and tongue, but likely you are so shocked by the dousing that you’re gasping for breath rather than inhaling the bouquet. In lieu of finding the precise phrase to describe the wine’s complex notes, you let fly a few … Continue reading
Feldenkrais and the Tyranny of “Touch Your Toes”
“…some have the knees straight as if it were a rule that you have to touch the floor having the knees straight.” – Moshe Feldenkrais, The Master Moves One afternoon in my Feldenkrais program, trainer Katrin Smithback invited us to take a break from a seated activity by having us stand. “Now,” she said, “touch your toes.” … Continue reading
Feldenkrais: Drawing a New Self
Decades ago, as a tween, I took a class at the DeCordova Museum in Lincoln, MA to learn to draw cartoon characters. While I don’t have those drawings in front of me, what I recall is that we started by sketching approximate shapes: circles, ovals, cylinders, whatever roughly characterized a face, arm, torso, belly or … Continue reading
When a Bargain Comes at a Price
“Your clothes should be as important as your skin.” ― Amit Kalantri A day before my Feldenkrais training resumed in Santa Fe, I drove to a shopping center to buy a notebook and get my hair trimmed. On the way out, I passed a Ross (Dress for Less) Store. It’s not a place I usually visit, but since … Continue reading
Feldenkrais: How Do We Know We’re at Choice?
My fourth grade teacher Miss Fredericks, whose heavily lacquered blond bouffant resembled a golden helmet, gave us an exercise I still remember. She handed each of us a sheet of mimeographed instructions and asked us to read them to ourselves, silently. Perusing the purplish letters on the white sheet, I began to follow the instructions, each … Continue reading
à la carte spirit by ilona fried 
Recent comments