Cheryl L. Ilov's Blog, page 21

Unique Form of Movement Therapy: Feldenkrais!

There is a unique form of movement therapy that is the best kept secret known to mankind. This movement method can help you move better, feel better, get rid of pain, stress, anxiety, etc. It can even help you reverse the aging process and engage in activities you never thought you could do before. You can even learn how to stand on your head. The list goes on and on. This unique method is called Feldenkrais, and here  are a few reasons why Feldenkrais is unique from other methods.

Move from your skeleton.

In Feldenkrais, we focus on moving from our skeleton rather than pushing from our muscles. Because, our skeleton is what supports us, and our bones and joints are what propel us through space. Our brain and our nervous system is the command center that puts it all together for us. Our muscles simply shorten (contract) or lengthen (relax) according to what the system requires it to do.  

Quality rather than quantity.

We are more interested in the quality of our movement rather than the quantity, velocity, or repetitions. When we change the way we approach movement, our nervous system is more able to interrupt movement patterns that are interfering with our ability to thrive.

Slow is better, and less is more.

We move slowly–very, very slowly. It allows for a way of “listening” to the movement pattern as well as the effect it is having on our body, and the feelings and sensations we experience as we move.

No pain, much gain.

We make ourselves comfortable. I know, it sounds self-indulgent and contradictory to the common mantra of “no pain, no gain.” However, if we are experiencing any kind of discomfort, our nervous system isn’t able to work it’s magic and integrate the many wonderful new changes it is experiencing.

 

It’s all about awareness.

In a nutshell, we are training our awareness. Our awareness of our selves, our movement patterns, our environment, and our relationships. Here is a lovely quote by Moshe Feldenkrais himself, the master of movement which summarizes it quite well.

“Through awareness we can learn to move with a surprising lightness and freedom at any age, and improve our quality of life. Not only physically, but emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually.”        -Moshe Feldenkrais

I don’t know about you, but I think that’s a beautiful thing. Thank you, Moshe, for restoring to each of us our human dignity, and providing us with the path to live up to our full potential.

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Springtime in the Rockies and Feldenkrais for One and All

Ahhhh, springtime in the Rockies! It’s a beautiful time of year, and one that I love dearly. Springtime anywhere is always special, but here in the Rocky Mountains, you just never know what to expect. And you have to be ready for anything.

It’s important to be prepared for any kind of weather or event that might surface, and it is also important to be flexible. The Feldenkrais Method can help you find the flexibility you need. Not just for the weather, but for every situation that comes up in life.

I had the distinct honor and privilege to spend a beautiful springtime afternoon last week in my favorite place in all of Colorado, Estes Park. I had been invited to teach a Feldenkrais class at their remarkable library for their Wellness Program. Of course, I accepted. I love Estes Park, and never miss an opportunity to go there. And I surely never pass up a chance to teach a Feldenkrais class and spread the word about this life-altering method. Besides, what a wonderful way to honor the upcoming birthday of the man behind the method, Moshe Feldenkrais himself.

So I happily packed up my teaching materials, and began the 70 mile drive north from Denver to Estes Park. I had no idea what to expect. I didn’t know what the room would be like, how many people to expect (if any), or what the participants wanted from a Feldenkrais lesson. Assuming people did show up. Nor did I know what to expect from the weather. Like I said, springtime in the Rockies is quite unpredictable. It can turn from a bright, sunny day to a blizzard in a matter of hours. Yikes!

But, it’s okay. I am a Feldenkrais practitioner and have been for a long time. I am flexible, and I can handle almost any curve ball that gets tossed my way. Even if no one shows up for a class I have planned and drove 70 miles to teach. Not that it mattered, because at least the librarians would be there.

Well, people did show up. Quite a few of them, in fact. I shared a wonderful standing lesson with them titled “Unlocked Knees” or “Let Your Knees Be Your Teacher.” As always, I learned a lot from that teaching experience, and I had a great time. I was even invited to come back. That’s when you know things went well.

As I said my farewells and packed up my car to drive the 70 miles back “down the hill” to go home, it began to snow. Big, fat, soft, fluffy flakes. I stood outside for a few minutes just to enjoy the lovely weather, the sensations of the snow falling on my face, and the satisfaction of enjoying a job well done in my favorite Colorado town. I love Feldenkrais, I love Estes Park, and I love springtime in the Rockies!

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How would you answer the call to serve?

How would you answer the call to serve? I recently had the opportunity to answer that question for myself, when I was called to report to jury duty. Oh, I’ve been called before. Actually, I have been called many times over the years. However, I have never been selected to serve. I’ve never even made it close enough to be interviewed as a possible juror. Who in their right mind would ever pick me as a juror? I have a look on my face that screams “GUILTY!”

I simply can’t help it. My face is an open book, and the pages read “GUILTY!” So, I wasn’t too concerned when I received the summons to report for jury duty early in January. I just rolled my eyes, marked my calendar, and resolved myself that a Monday morning would be wasted. I don’t see clients on Mondays, so it wouldn’t impact my business. It would, however, keep my from going to ballet class that morning, but I supposed I could deal with that.

Imagine my dismay when I received another summons to report for jury duty in February, just 4 weeks after I had to report for County Court. This time the summons was for Federal Court, and it was for an entire month! How in the world was I going to manage that? I’m self-employed. If I don’t work, I don’t get paid. Even worse, I received the summons on Christmas Eve.

I texted my attorney. I asked her how they could do this to me, and if it was legal to require a citizen to report to jury service twice in 4 weeks. Her advice was to appeal (so to speak) to County Court, as they might take pity on me. Then she advised me to buy a lottery ticket. 

I was in full-blown panic mode. Although I was certain I wouldn’t be picked as a juror, there was no way I could manage my business and take care of my clients while I was at the beck and call of the Federal government for 4 weeks. It would ruin my business.

Much to my dismay, I was picked to serve on a jury for a trial that was scheduled to last 3 weeks. As I raised my right hand to take the oath, I was so nervous and upset I was afraid I would throw up, pass out, or wet my pants. I also realized that I was being asked to do something that was so much bigger than myself, and my petty concerns. This was going to be an incredible sacrifice, not only for me, but for the 13 strangers standing along side me.

I didn’t know how I was going to get through the next 3 weeks. But I did know that there were millions of Americans  over the years who sacrificed a lot more than 3 weeks in service to our country. It helped me put things into perspective, and made me almost honored, and most definitely humbled, to serve. The next 3 weeks proved to be one heck of a rollercoaster ride.

And when it was all over, I was proud of myself, my fellow jurors, and the judicial system that each and everyone of us are a part of, whether we want to be or not. That’s how I answered the call to serve. God Bless America!

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Old-Fashioned Kind Of Girl….

I’m an old-fashioned kind of girl. And I have a love/hate relationship with modern technology. Especially since I consider myself technologically challenged. While I sincerely appreciate the miracle of modern technology, it still overwhelms me a bit. And sometimes it creeps me out.

I feel like we don’t have any privacy anymore, at least not like we did in the good old days when I was growing up. When we were kids we didn’t text, message, or snapchat. We communicated the old-fashioned way. We stood on our front porch and yelled to our friends down the street to come out and play. Or we stood on our side porch and looked down the hill to see who was going to the swimming pool so we knew when it was time to join them. 

We didn’t have answering machines, let alone voice mail. If we missed a call, they would simply call back at a later time. And under no circumstances would we answer the phone during dinner. It would have been considered the epitome of bad manners. Unlike today, where a family of four could eat dinner without even looking at each other, because they are so preoccupied with their cell phones.  

The truth is, cell phones continue to perplex me. I can use one, but only on a limited capacity. I suppose it would help if I hired a ten year old to teach me a few things. But honestly, I kind of miss the rotary phone. It was so much easier back then. I miss the phone booths on every street corner. I even miss the party lines that some communities had, where you could listen in on your neighbors’ private telephone conversations.

On second thought, maybe we didn’t have as much privacy back then, either. But at least we aired our dirty laundry in our neighborhood and local community instead of blurting it out for the whole world to see and hear. And have it put in someone’s data base somewhere.

I really am an old-fashioned kind of girl. I prefer face time over screen time. I prefer holding a hand instead of a smartphone. I find the sound of a voice is so much sweeter than the sound of a keyboard. Most of all, I prefer lively conversation to the silence of a written response via text or email. Besides, I can talk a lot faster than I can type, and with a lot less mistakes as well.

I’m also a people person. I love meeting them, talking to them, and working with them. It is my life’s work. I need to embrace that part of myself just as I continue to embrace this wonderful but often confusing high tech world we live in. And to remember that there is always a person behind the machine.   

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Mistakes: Making Them and Moving Along

I hate making mistakes. Unfortunately, I make a lot of them. The good news is, I also learn a lot from each and every mistake I make. It took a long time for me to fully accept and understand that making mistakes are an important part of the learning process. It’s bad enough to make a mistake in private, but none of us want to look silly in public. And I’ve done it more times than I care to admit.

For example, I was late to embrace modern technology. Six years ago the only thing I could do on a computer was to send and receive email. I certainly have come a long way since then, and I am proud to report that I am completely self-taught. Which means I have made a lot of mistakes along the way.

I have unknowingly breached online etiquette, unwittingly looked like a nit wit, and sometimes appeared downright ridiculous as well as unsophisticated. But, I learned a lot. Even when I occasionally fell flat on my face, I always was able to get back up, shake it off (eventually), and move along.

At this point in time, I find myself at a major fork in the road of life, with several outstanding opportunities looming in front of me. All I have to do is step forward and receive them. All I have to do is say “yes.”  But, there’s still that nagging little voice in the back of mind, whispering those dreadful words, “But, what if you fail? What if you make a mistake, or fall flat on your face?” 

I’m tempted to give in to that voice, and to throw in the towel before I even begin. After all, what if I do make a mistake or fall flat on my face? Then I realized that it wouldn’t matter. Of course I will make mistakes–a lot of them. I’m not perfect, and could never hope to be. Nor would I want to be. Because it is through trial and error that we learn. It is through our mistakes that we build character. And it is through falling on our face that we learn how to get up again.

So, I think I’ll just tell that voice in my head to shut up and mind her own business. I have better things to do with my time, and so do you. So, go ahead–make some mistakes, take a few chances, and fall on your face. Remember that every obstacle is an opportunity to learn and grow. And do remember to stay positive, and tell the negative voices to mind their own business. 

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Unlock Your Jaw and Heal Your Pain

A lot of people develop jaw pain, tooth pain, headaches and TMJ dysfunction. However, often times our aches and pains are a result of unnecessary tension in our muscles, or from faulty movement patterns. After a period of time, these habitual patterns can cause excruciating pain, joint dysfunction and joint destruction. Yikes!

However, we can interrupt these harmful patterns by simply improving our attention and awareness. Try this simple but highly effective movement lesson based on the magic of The Feldenkrais Method®.

1) Lie on the floor on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. You may need to support your head with a folded towel. Don’t use a pillow–a pillow is too soft to provide your nervous system with the appropriate feedback (proprioception).

Take a few minutes to relax, take a few deep breaths, and feel your weight gently sink into the floor.
Bring your attention to your face, neck and jaw. Does your neck feel tight? Does your mouth or the muscles of your face feel tense? Are your teeth touching?
Don’t try to change or “fix” anything, and don’t place any judgement on what you are sensing. Instead, be aware of what you are feeling and sensing in your face, jaw and neck.
Stop and rest your attention for a few moments.

It may sound strange to “rest” when you might feel like you haven’t really done anything,  but it’s important to rest your attention, and to slow yourself down. 

2) Once again bring your attention to your face, neck and jaw.

Slowly begin to open and close your mouth in a very small and easy range of motion. Do not open your mouth all the way, and do not let your teeth touch as you close it. Stop and rest.
Continue to open and close your mouth by making the movement even smaller and slower. Make it small, smooth, soft and easy. Stop and rest with your mouth gently closed without your teeth touching.
Continue the gentle movement of opening and closing your mouth in a smooth, continuous, rhythmical way. Stop and rest.

3) Gently open your mouth in an easy range of motion, and in a position where you feel no sense of stress, strain, or discomfort.

Gently take your lower jaw a little to the left in a comfortable position. Again, slowly and rhythmically  open and close your mouth while leaving your jaw to the left. Do not allow your teeth to come together. Pay attention to the joint of your jaw, which is located just in front of the opening of your ear. If you hear a clicking of your jaw, or you experience and pain or discomfort, make smaller and smaller movements until you find a range of movement that is comfortable for you.  Stop and rest.

4)  Again, open your mouth in an easy and comfortable range of motion and gently take your lower jaw a little to the right.

Open and close your mouth in a comfortable range of motion while leaving your jaw to the right. You may want to take a moment to compare the 2 sides of your jaw and how they move. Often times, one side moves easier than the other. If you hear a clicking of your jaw, or you experience and pain or discomfort, make smaller and smaller movements until you find a range of movement that is comfortable for you. Stop and rest.

5) One last time, return to just opening and closing your jaw as you did at the beginning of this movement exploration.

Notice the sensations in your face, neck and jaw now. Notice the quality of the movement as compared to when you first began this movement exploration? Stop and rest. Give yourself a few moments before you slowly bring yourself to sitting and eventually to standing. Take a brief walk around the room before you continue with your day.

This simple movement lesson will help you identify when you are holding excess tension in your face and jaw, allowing you to interrupt these patterns and heal your pain. Feldenkrais….you simply have to try it to believe it!

 

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Great Fit Tips to Help Keep You Moving

Don’t wait to feel great. It’s already the end of January, and those New Year’s resolutions might be a distant memory. The resolve to exercise more may have sounded like a great idea during the over-indulgence of the holidays, but now reality has set in. 

The cold weather and short, dark days make it hard to stay motivated, and the let down from the holidays makes it even more challenging. Who feels like leaving the house to work out? Here’s the good news–you don’t have to leave the house to stay on track with an exercise program. Here are a few great fit tips that you can easily do at home to help keep you fit and healthy.   

1). Get on the ball.

If you don’t have one yet, get a large exercise ball. If you do have one, start using it. Just sitting and bouncing on the ball is a great way to improve your posture, balance, stimulate circulation and strengthen your low back and abdominal muscles. Just a few minutes a day on the ball can make a huge improvement in your strength and flexibility.  

2).  Why weight? 

A resistance program will shape and tone your muscles. Invest in a set of light weights to use while sitting on your ball to strengthen the muscles of your arms, chest, upper back, and shoulders. You can use your weights in sitting and/or standing, but sitting on the ball challenges your balance, posture, and strengthens your core muscles even more.     

3). Clean up your act.

While doing household chores, slow down and really focus on the quality of your movements as you work. The simple act of cleaning the house then turns into an opportunity to improve your gait, balance, strength, flexibility, posture, body awareness and body mechanics. It’s almost like a moving meditation practice.

4). Shake it up.

Nothing kills your enthusiasm for exercise like boredom. Now is the time to try that dance, yoga, Pilates, or Tai Chi class you have been always meaning to try. Any of those will help balance your energy as well as your body. As an added benefit, you will learn movement patterns that you can easily practice at home to keep you fit and healthy.

5). The more the merrier.

Recruit a friend so you can encourage and support each other to stay focused on your goals to get fit and stay fit. It also helps to stick with a program if you have someone to be accountable to, and it makes working out a social experience as well as a physical one.

These are just a few suggestions. Just a few minutes of exercise each and every day can have a huge, positive impact on your strength, flexibility, overall health and fitness. Small, simple changes that you can implement at home can easily be incorporated into your daily routine. Use your imagination to see if you can find a way to design a program for yourself that is fun, playful, and interesting. That is the key to success, not just during the dark days of winter, but all year long as well. The possibilities are endless!

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Sleep Your Way to Better Health

Ahhh, sleep. Nothing rejuvenates your body, mind, and spirit like a good night’s sleep. But for many of us, sleep can be an elusive dream, so to speak. Even worse, a lot of people wake up in the morning with pain because they “slept wrong.” Yikes!

Because I truly appreciate the value of a good night’s sleep, I don’t believe that there is a “wrong” way to sleep. However, here are a few tips that can help you wake up to a pain-free morning. After all, I want you to be able to face the day feeling fit, fabulous, and ready for anything.

1) If you sleep on your back.

Use a pillow under your knees to support your low back in a neutral position. Play with different sizes until you find the one that is the most comfortable for you. Be sure that the pillow you use under your head is the correct size to support your head in a comfortable position.

  2) If you sleep on your side.

Place a large pillow between your knees. This eliminates the strain on your low back and hips by putting your lumbar spine (low back) and pelvis in a neutral position. You may want to support your legs all the way to your ankles. Put another pillow in front of your chest and let your arm rest on top of it. This takes stress off of your shoulders and puts your cervical spine (neck) in a neutral position. Again, make sure that the pillow for your head is properly supporting you in a comfortable position.

3) If you sleep on your stomach.

Body pillows are great for stomach sleepers. Place the pillow in front of you so you can position yourself over the pillow as if you were lying completely on your front. You have the sense of being on your stomach, but your spine is being supported in a more neutral position. This eliminates the strain and pressure to your low back caused by excessive extension as well as neck strain from lying on your stomach for prolonged periods of time.

I recommend using traditional pillows that you already have in your home. You can spend a lot of money on special therapeutic pillows and be disappointed in the results. Since you already have pillows, put them to good use and save your money.

Don’t worry if you position your pillows and wake up to find them on the floor or thrown across the room. It takes a while to get used to the pillows, and we all move around and re-position ourselves a lot during the night. Your body will become accustomed to the pillows and you will subconsciously readjust them in your sleep as you move.

Wishing you good nights, good sleep, and good health!

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Be Careful What You Tell Yourself

Be careful what you tell yourself. Words are very powerful, and what you believe it what you become.

Several years ago my husband and I were traveling to Atlanta to visit his family. We were on the train from the concourse to baggage claim and I was practicing a technique I learned in martial arts. I stood with my eyes closed, my knees bent, and without holding onto anything, I practiced finding my balance while I sensed the movement of the train.

As I was getting into a meditative state, I heard a loud voice say, "I have to sit down, because I'm an old lady! When you're an old lady, you can sit down, too." I opened my eyes and saw a woman squeezing into the last available seat and talking to a little girl standing near her. I closed my eyes and went back to my musings and practice while the woman continued her litany about being an old lady.

When we got off the train and moved toward the escalators, I automatically went to the stairs while the woman continued, "I have to take the escalator because I'm a old lady!" "Good grief," I wondered, "How old is this lady anyway?" I turned around to look at her and almost fell the rest of the way down the stairs. She had to have been at least ten years younger than I was at the time! What kind of message was she sending to herself, as well as to that little girl?

Getting older is inevitable--being old is a choice. Never underestimate the power of positive thinking, as well as the detrimental effects of negative self-talk. Be very careful what you tell yourself, because what you hear (even from yourself), is what you believe. And what you believe is what you become. And I believe that all of us are beautiful. I also believe that we can be healthy, active, vibrant and fit, and every age and in every stage of life. Believe it!

Forever Fit and Flexible: Feeling Fabulous at Fifty and BeyondCheryl L. Ilov

Self-Confidence is the Best Self-Defense

Self-confidence plays a critical role in self-defense. How we stand, walk, and carry ourselves communicates to the world how we feel about ourselves. People pay more attention to our body language than we think they do. And they respond to what they see, and what they think they can get away with.  

This really hit home when I was teaching one of my self-defense classes for women. There were several grown women and two petite teenagers in the class. The girls were sisters, and they were adorable. One was very chatty and outgoing, and the other one was extremely quiet and reserved. They were accompanied by their grandmother, who had decided they should all take the class together.  

It usually takes some time for women to feel comfortable in a self-defense class, and this group was no exception. However, eventually they began to get into the spirit of the class. They even started to have fun with it, which is always one of my goals. 

The quiet teenager hung back and silently watched the rest of us play with a few techniques and walk through several different scenarios. I thought she was just shy, so I made an effort to engage with her and make her part of the group. After a few moments I said, “Now let’s pretend that someone is picking on you at school.” She shot a look at her grandmother. The room got very quiet. Finally her grandmother said, “That’s exactly what’s happening, and why I brought her here.”

Ahh, that explained her demeanor and her body language. I wished I could go to school with her the next day and protect her from her tormentor. But that wasn’t practical. Instead, I continued teaching from a slightly different perspective. And I made sure this girl was front and center.

Pretty soon, something remarkable happened. She began standing taller (all five feet of her), and started looking me in the eye. She paid closer attention to what we were doing and got a lot more talkative, although not nearly as loquacious as her sister. Eventually I slid up beside her and whispered, “You’re getting it now, aren’t you?”

I wish you could have seen the look she gave me. She had a gleam in her eye and a knowing smile on her beautiful face. As a matter of fact, she actually glowed with a wisdom well beyond her years. She nodded her head and replied, “Oh, yeah. I get it.” I could see her self-confidence increase as the class continued. It was a beautiful sight to behold.

Two weeks later I received an email from her grandmother. She informed me her granddaughter told her that one self-defense class changed her life forever. She wasn’t being picked on any longer and was enjoying going to school again. Or at least, as much as any teenager can enjoy school.

I would love to know how the final confrontation went down. I would have given anything to see how she stood her ground. Most of all, I would have loved to see how her tormentor responded. Especially since I know it was done in a non-violent manner. Sometimes all you have to do is walk tall, look people in the eye, and stand your ground. After all, the best offense is a good defense. And self-confidence is the best self-defense.  Wouldn’t you agree?

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