Moshe Feldenkrais, creator of the Feldenkrais Method, discovered that relieving tension and pain is possible by re-educating the brain pathways to change muscle behavior.
In an exclusive interview with Paul Voudouris, internationally renowned, award-winning musician, entrepreneur and Feldenkrais Practitioner, he explains how this unique method works.
Retrain the Body With Feldenkrais – Natural Pain Relief
Suite101: What drew you to the Feldenkrais method?
Paul Voudouris: It was the desire to further my own growth, and to discover, or uncover, how I create my discomfort and how I could find my way out again.
Habits are very easy to form but a little more complicated to change or eradicate, and a great part of this has to do with the neural pathways that have formed to “service” those habits. The nerves that “fire together, wire together,” and become the efficient way that we go about doing things.
It takes attention to detail and a changing of routines to create new behaviors.
Feldenkrais Classes — Pain Treatment
Suite 101: Who benefits from a Feldenkrais class ?
Paul Voudouris: A 25-year old yoga or Pilates instructor who is active daily could come in for years of lessons and not find a way out of her pain while a 90-year old who does no exercise could come in for a few lessons and find a way out.
Anyone can benefit from the therapy but it’s highly variable and, as it’s a learning method, it depends on how each person learns; and, then, whether he/she has the discipline to change. Feldenkrais made it clear when he said, “I’m not interested in flexible bodies, but flexible minds.”
Feldenkrais Training – Mind Body Therapies
Suite 101: Will these changes make it possible to relieve pain?
Paul Voudouris: The brain is an amazing thing. We use the body as a means to get to the brain. That’s why the group lessons are called Awareness Through Movement. In the end, it’s like that song I used to hear as a kid: “The hip bone connected to the...” and so on… Everything is connected.
If someone comes in with a problem with his or her neck, I’ll most certainly be dealing with the ribs, the shoulder blades, the clavicles, the fingers, the jaw, and so on…
Unconscious behavior is the root of our ailment, awareness of that fact can help us to change that behavior and, hence, to remove the cause.
Learn How to Control Pain With Feldenkrais Method
Suite 101: Can you talk about being disconnected and how that relates to chronic stress disorder?
Paul Voudouris: We’re all disconnected in one respect or another. Basically, we respond to stimuli with a predetermined set of responses. If being connected, or present, were easy then we’d all be illuminated masters. Being connected, or present, is so supremely difficult that most will opt for watching television. Or they’ll drink or take medications to relieve stress.
You can go to all the practitioners in the world for them to “adjust” you to the way they believe your bones or body should look, or take all the pills available to reduce inflammation, but the minute you sit in your favorite chair, hunched, or stand with your knees locked you’ll begin to exacerbate the situation once again.
Mind Body Connection in Feldenkrais Method
Suite 101: What has Feldenkrais done for you, personally?
Paul Voudouris: It has helped me understand the importance of the brain and central nervous system and how it relates to physical well-being, along with freeing me from pain. It has taught me to discover elegant function on my own and how to NOT depend on other modalities that require that I believe in someone else or something outside of myself to get better.
Much of what we learned in our physical education classes has now been disproved. Yet we continue to hear “no pain, no gain” and go to spinning classes, mistaking the release of endorphins for true health (and are then stupefied by the fact that we have meniscus damage in one of our knee joints).
Feldenkrais Classes — What to Expect
Suite 101: Can you tell us what happens in one of your Feldenkrais sessions?
Paul Voudouris: There is a short interview with the student concerning ailments, bones broken, work, pastimes, hobbies, position of sleep, among other details. I will note the way the student sits, the manner in which he speaks, the mobility of the head, the position of the pelvis and feet, and other countless behavioral habits.
I’ll normally suggest at least three important and general practices in which to engage, which include walking barefoot over uneven surfaces, differentiating the eyes from the movement of the head, and changing as many habits as possible (wear the watch on the other hand, open the door with eyes closed, after finding the key with the opposite hand, etc.).
The student will remove his shoes but will remain clothed and will lie on a low, firm table (though a lesson can be given standing, sitting, kneeling, etc.). The position of the lesson will vary depending on the information derived from the interview. The lesson will most probably change each time the student comes.
In other words, this is not a massage that starts face down, and proceeds as it has each time prior. This is an investigation and has a high creative ingredient in that there is no ONE WAY to give a lesson. I work with each individual and go where the lesson takes us.
Mind Body Online
In this Healing Quest video, a patient can be seen reaping the benefits of Feldenkrais therapy.
When I asked Paul about my own weight lifting injuries, he responded, "Don't work so hard. The body needs to be loved, not whipped." Suddenly a light bulb went off. I finally understand why Moshe Feldenkrais claimed, "If we treated others the way we treat ourselves, we'd have no friends."
Many thanks to Paul for sharing his thoughts on the Feldenkrais Method and here's hoping that we begin loving our bodies more and injuring them less! For more information, contact Paul Voudouris directly at pvoudouris@yahoo.com.
Vicki F. Chavis - Growing up in Asia, Europe and North America left Vicki with a love of cuisine, history, language, fashion and travel. Today she writes on ...
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