Nourishing healthy spirit in a healthy body
Mindful Movement
“Please lie on your back and sense how much of your body is in contact with the table today. Do you sense the difference between the way your shoulders are in space? Does one seem to be higher off the table than the other?..”
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Sometimes I receive a detailed answer, sometimes it’s a simple “I don’t know”. And that is perfectly fine. The latter is as much of a valuable answer as the former. I explore what is there, collecting more information with my eyes, but even more so through the touch. I sense the weight, the tonus of the muscles, the organisation of bones. Gradually, I get to know the habitual movement patterns. People find comfort in the familiar. So, that’s where we start.
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Each person’s body landscape and organisation are unique and therefore new, unknown to me. For a second, I take in the sensations of my hands. It's remarkable how much body organisation can change in response to an intentional gentle touch. I sense how the shoulders start to give some of their weight to my hands, softening the muscles around and leaning into support of my palms.
Mindful Movement work is the exploration of the way in which you habitually move and organise your body, what limits your movement, and how the combination of the above triggers and sustains your current state (including different sorts of discomfort and pain). Together, we search for the available for you ways to improve it and gradually add new easier options to your movement repertoire for a long-lasting change.
We work gently with the central nervous system to refine the connection between the mind and the body using the quality of neuroplasticity. It helps to unlock movement patterns and change habits from the core, allowing you to move beyond current limitations. To create a profound, foundational change in how you move and use your body.
The individual work focuses on individual needs and circumstances. I listen closely to the conversation between my hands and your body through the soft and respectful touch. What does it tell me? Does your body follow my invitation to move in a certain direction or does it prefer to go the other way around? I explore and investigate what is available. What options are already there but go unnoticed and therefore not used?
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Together, we expand on what is already available to create more ease and less pain in the movement. We explore the possibility to reduce the parasitic muscle tensions and to restore better use of the skeleton as a support structure for the long-term effect.
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Each discovery and improvement that we go through during the session is unique to your own experience and can have a profound effect.
The group lessons are based on the same principles but are carried out through verbal guidance. During the lesson, I guide you through a sequence of gentle, comfortable, and anatomically coherent movements while asking you to listen to your sensations.
“Sense the contact that your head has with the floor. Then slowly roll your head to the right. What is the difference between turning your head and rolling it? Is one easier for you than the other? Try both and see it for yourself. Notice how the position of the spine in the space changes during this movement…”
Group lessons are great for maintaining the effects of the individual sessions and the continuation of your development at a bit slower but steady pace. On the other hand, they are also self-sufficient and can be followed as a main way of self-exploration and improvement. Great results can be achieved with these lessons only, as long as the practice is regular.
Mindful Movement practice invites you to get to know yourself better, to listen to your body, and to notice the differences without judgement. This ability is crucial for any fundamental changes.
Mindful Movement can be beneficial for people with chronic pain, strong muscular tension or movement difficulties (including dimentia and related disorders) , as well as for people who want to improve and refine their skills in any kind of movement activity (sportsmen, dancers, etc.). It can also provide relief for people with chronic stress, burnout or sleep problems, bringing a sense of calm and feeling grounded in your own body by reestablishing a strong foundation.
This work is based on my personal journey of overcoming chronic pain issues and comprises my knowledge and experience in a range of somatic education techniques (including Feldenkrais Method) and other bodywork principles (classic massage, Yoga, Taiji and QiGong), as well as my research background in natural sciences.