Feldenkrais for Life podcast
38 episodes - English - Latest episode: 9 days ago - ★★★★★ - 10 ratingsIn each episode, we discuss ideas and experiences about the Feldenkrais Method. You will learn skills that move you from pain to comfort, anxiety to ease, explore learning and spark creativity. Check it out! You will like what you hear.
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Episodes
S5 E4 - Finding Harmony in Movement
April 19, 2024 07:00 - 28 minutes - 26 MBMindful movement can create greater harmony between the voluntary and autonomic nervous systems. We discuss this important brain-body connection for wellbeing. Visit https://AchievingExcellence.com and https://DonnaRay.com to learn more about Donna and Al and to explore our class and product offerings. Visit the show website: https://FeldenkraisforLife.com.
S5 E3 - Q&A: Yoga, Emotions, Stretching
April 05, 2024 07:00 - 30 minutes - 28.5 MBAnswering listener questions on topics like yoga, emotional release in practice, and why we don't stretch in the Feldenkrais Method®. Visit https://AchievingExcellence.com and https://DonnaRay.com to learn more about Donna and Al and to explore our class and product offerings. Visit the show website: https://FeldenkraisforLife.com.
S5 E2 - Creative Thinking: Convergent vs Divergent
March 22, 2024 14:03 - 34 minutes - 31.5 MBHow do convergent and divergent styles of thinking relate to creativity? We explore how Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement lessons can stimulate flexible, creative problem-solving. Visit https://AchievingExcellence.com and https://DonnaRay.com to learn more about Donna and Al and to explore our class and product offerings. Visit the show website: https://FeldenkraisforLife.com.
S5 E1 - Building Confidence and Resilience
March 08, 2024 14:00 - 19 minutes - 18.3 MBAs our physical abilities improve through practice, so does our confidence to meet life's challenges. We discuss how the Feldenkrais Method can cultivate resilience for aging well. Visit https://AchievingExcellence.com and https://DonnaRay.com to learn more about Donna and Al and to explore our class and product offerings. Visit the show website: https://FeldenkraisforLife.com.
S4 E8 The Sacred Sacrum and the Pelvis
August 11, 2023 16:49 - 22 minutes - 20.9 MBAncient civilizations often referred to the sacrum as the “holy bone.” We discuss the “holy bone,” the social impact of our self-image and the pelvis, and the birthing process. Visit: https://AchievingExcellence.com and https://DonnaRay.com to learn more about Donna and Al and to explore our class and product offerings.
S4 E7 Four Criteria for Coordinated Well-Learned Action
July 28, 2023 16:44 - 35 minutes - 32.1 MBIn his book, The Potent Self, Dr. Feldenkrais puts forward four criteria for coordinated, well-learned action: the absence of effort, the absence of resistance, the presence of reversibility, and breathing and posture. We discuss each of these with examples. Visit: https://AchievingExcellence.com and https://DonnaRay.com to learn more about Donna and Al and to explore our class and product offerings.
S4 E6 Cross-Motivation
July 14, 2023 16:41 - 22 minutes - 20.8 MBCross-motivation is when we enact more than one motivation at the same time. By becoming aware of our cross-motivations and sorting out our intentions so we are acting in a mono-motivated way, we use less energy, feel better, and get more done in our lives. Visit: https://AchievingExcellence.com and https://DonnaRay.com to learn more about Donna and Al and to explore our class and product offerings.
S4 E5 Trauma
June 30, 2023 16:38 - 32 minutes - 30 MBWe discuss trauma resolution from the perspective of psychotherapy and the Feldenkrais Method. Visit: https://AchievingExcellence.com and https://DonnaRay.com to learn more about Donna and Al and to explore our class and product offerings.
S4 E4 Errors Mistakes and Correctness
June 16, 2023 16:32 - 21 minutes - 19.4 MBWe discuss how mistakes are essential to learning. Hear a story about how a music teacher encouraged a little girl to make mistakes to help her learn; and how trying to do something correctly limits our success. Visit: https://AchievingExcellence.com and https://DonnaRay.com to learn more about Donna and Al and to explore our class and product offerings.
S4 E3 Going Slowly
June 02, 2023 16:18 - 21 minutes - 19.7 MBWe discuss why we move slowly when doing Feldenkrais lessons. And how essential that is for learning. Experience the difference between going quickly and going slow. Visit: https://AchievingExcellence.com and https://DonnaRay.com to learn more about Donna and Al and to explore our class and product offerings.
S4 E2 Going to the Border
May 19, 2023 16:14 - 27 minutes - 25.4 MBWorking within your range of comfort, Exploring variations at the border of ability, discovering a greater capacity, Doing too much, Involving more of yourself Visit: https://AchievingExcellence.com and https://DonnaRay.com to learn more about Donna and Al and to explore our class and product offerings.
S4 E1 Reframing Illness and Building Resilience
May 05, 2023 15:59 - 22 minutes - 20.8 MBWe discuss how reframing an illness can improve the healing process. How your brain is predictive, and how to build resilience through intentionally engaging in challenging situations. Visit: https://AchievingExcellence.com and https://DonnaRay.com to learn more about Donna and Al and to explore our class and product offerings.
S3 E8 Understanding Differentiation
October 21, 2022 23:25 - 20 minutes - 18.2 MBDifferentiation is a crucial concept in the Feldenkrais Method®. We discuss and define differentiation and give lots of examples and a guided movement experience so you can sense the differences. We discuss differentiation in emotions, movement, thinking, and sensing. Visit Donna’s site: https://DonnaRay.com Visit Al’s Site: https://AchievingExcellence.com Get your first Feldenkrais lesson from AchievingExcellence.com. Use coupon awesome-podcast to save 20%.
S3 E7 Your Brain Cannot Think Without Motor Function
October 07, 2022 23:19 - 26 minutes - 22.9 MBA fundamental concept of the Feldenkrais Method® is the brain cannot think without motor movement. We get into this concept through some movement explorations and discussions. We talk about thinking, feeling, sensing, and acting and how we move our attention to these different domains of experience as needed in our daily experience. Shifting our attention like this is primarily outside our conscious awareness. However, we can bring this process to consciousness. Donna guides us through a ser...
S3 E6 Mind Sets and Priming Mental States
September 23, 2022 23:14 - 30 minutes - 29.3 MBWe talk about the work of Alia Crum and the studies she has done on mindsets and their influence on our health and biology. We get into the effects of social suggestions on aging. We discuss auto-suggestion and how health care providers could improve their communication skills. We return to Dr. Feldenkrais and his interest in auto-suggestion and hypnosis and how these concepts became influential in developing his method. Thinking and Doing: https://achievingexcellence.com/thinking-and-doi...
S3 E5 The Mind and the Brain
September 09, 2022 23:11 - 23 minutes - 21.7 MBHow does the mind influence the brain? It was a widely held belief that the mind was a result of the brain, and the mind could not reflect and affect the functioning of the brain. It was just around 2000 that this belief started to change. Dr. Feldenkrais understood this decades ago and applied the idea of using the mind to change the brain in his Awareness Through Movement® and Functional Integration® work. Dr. Feldenkrais is considered one of the first neuro-plasticians. Visit Donna’s si...
S3 E4 What is Reversibility?
August 26, 2022 23:02 - 23 minutes - 21.1 MBWhat is reversibility? Dr. Feldenkrais considered this an essential concept of the Feldenkrais Method®. We give examples and do some explorations with reversibility. We also discuss good posture, cultivating quality movement, and choice. We end with how the method is generalized to daily life and how the benefits show up spontaneously without practice. Visit Donna’s site: https://DonnaRay.com Visit Al’s Site: https://AchievingExcellence.com Get your first Feldenkrais lesson from Achiev...
S3 E3 Your Jaw
August 12, 2022 22:59 - 18 minutes - 16.5 MBWe discuss the functioning of the mouth and jaw. What is the relationship between the jaw, neck, and eyes? How does the pelvis influence the functioning of the jaw? What part does the tongue play in a well-organized jaw? We discuss and explore these ideas in this podcast, which introduces our audio program, "Release Jaw Tension Now." https://achievingexcellence.com/release-jaw-tension-now/ Visit Donna’s site: https://DonnaRay.com Visit Al’s Site: https://AchievingExcellence.com Get y...
S3 E2 Making Finer Distinctions for Improvement
July 29, 2022 21:47 - 21 minutes - 19.3 MBWe discuss a concept Dr. Feldenkrais presents in his book Body and Mature Behavior. Which is that there are two paths of development. One is the pathway of improvement in which a person continues to make finer and finer distinctions. The other is the pathway of decline in which a person lumps their experience into larger and larger categories. We discuss this in reference to movement, the Feldenkrais Method®, and hobbies such as painting, gardening, and building. Body and Mature Behavior:...
S3 E1 The Importance of Resting
July 15, 2022 21:39 - 22 minutes - 20.1 MBWhy rest? When to rest? How does resting improve learning and productivity? There is resting as in naps, and there are rests that help us learn. Waking rests helps improve and integrate what you were just doing—facilitating learning. Resting can reset the brain and nervous system for improved performance. Visit Donna’s site: https://DonnaRay.com Visit Al’s Site: https://AchievingExcellence.com Get your first Feldenkrais lesson from AchievingExcellence.com. Use coupon awesome-podcast t...
S2 E9 - Feldenkrais Aging with Ease
December 30, 2021 19:00 - 21 minutes - 22.1 MBWhat happens in the brain as we age? How can we use the Feldenkrais Method® to continue to improve ourselves and do the things that are important to us in life? We each share our insights on how the Feldenkrais Method can keep you moving and vital while aging. Visit Donna’s site: https://DonnaRay.com Visit Al’s Site: https://AchievingExcellence.com Get your first Feldenkrais lesson from AchievingExcellence.com. Use coupon awesome-podcast to save 20%.
S2 E8 - How Language Creates Experience
December 23, 2021 19:00 - 17 minutes - 18.4 MBWe discuss how Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett’s books “How Emotions Are Made” and “7 1/2 Lessons about the Brain” confirm what Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais taught decades ago and offers a modern way to language what we do as Feldenkrais practitioners. We go into detail about how language creates an internal response in the speaker and listener. Language matters while guiding Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement® Lessons. Visit Donna’s site: https://DonnaRay.com Visit Al’s Site: https://AchievingExc...
S2 E7 - Spontaneity and Aging
December 16, 2021 19:00 - 28 minutes - 29.3 MBWhat is spontaneity? How do social constraints inhibit our spontaneity? Experience spontaneous changes through Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement® Lessons. Discover how we develop responsiveness to our changing environment. Visit Donna’s site: https://DonnaRay.com Visit Al’s Site: https://AchievingExcellence.com Get your first Feldenkrais lesson from AchievingExcellence.com. Use coupon awesome-podcast to save 20%.
S2 E6: Memory and Development
December 09, 2021 19:00 - 27 minutes - 28.6 MBWe talk about implicit memory, explicit memory, and re-evaluating memories to create a new present-day experience. We discuss childhood development and learning and how we build new memories while experiencing Feldenkrais® Awareness Through Movement lessons®. Visit Donna’s site: https://DonnaRay.com Visit Al’s Site: https://AchievingExcellence.com Get your first Feldenkrais lesson from AchievingExcellence.com. Use coupon awesome-podcast to save 20%.
S2E5 - Categories of Experience
December 02, 2021 19:00 - 27 minutes - 28.4 MBWe discuss the Feldenkrais Method referencing: sensing, thinking, moving, and feeling. We define what a “category of experience” is and create a category to build a new referential concept. We also consider the pleasure of an un-categorized sensory experience and what is the Weber-Fechner principle. Visit Donna’s site: https://DonnaRay.com Visit Al’s Site: https://AchievingExcellence.com Get your first Feldenkrais lesson from AchievingExcellence.com. Use coupon awesome-podcast to save ...
S2 E4: Are You Comfortable in Your Misery?
November 25, 2021 19:00 - 19 minutes - 20.4 MBLearn to move from negative states into positive ones. Experience pleasant sensations of the present moment. Integrate feelings for more effortless flow from one state to another with the Feldenkrais Method. Visit Donna’s site: https://DonnaRay.com Visit Al’s Site: https://AchievingExcellence.com Get your first Feldenkrais lesson from AchievingExcellence.com. Use coupon awesome-podcast to save 20%.
S2 E3: Prediction Error Correction
November 18, 2021 19:00 - 22 minutes - 23.1 MBWe discuss the concept of Prediction Error Correction as Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett presents it in her book, “How Emotions Are Made,” from subtle adjustments in our nervous system to errors that cause accidents. This process is an essential element in developmental learning and Feldenkrais lessons. Visit Donna’s site: https://DonnaRay.com Visit Al’s Site: https://AchievingExcellence.com Get your first Feldenkrais lesson from AchievingExcellence.com. Use coupon awesome-podcast to save 2...
S2 E2: Truth, the Heels, and Body Budget
November 11, 2021 19:00 - 21 minutes - 22.6 MBWhat is truth? We find a unique reality in the contact of the heels on the floor. We explore the idea of a body budget. Visit Donna’s site: https://DonnaRay.com Visit Al’s Site: https://AchievingExcellence.com Get your first Feldenkrais lesson from AchievingExcellence.com. Use coupon awesome-podcast to save 20%.
S2 E1: Self-Regulation, Dealing with Stress, and Improving Posture
November 04, 2021 21:37 - 22 minutes - 24 MBWe consider the impact the restrictions of the pandemic have had on our brains and nervous systems. We discuss strategies to reduce stress from Zooming and computer use. Why is it “incorrect to correct” from Dr. Feldenkrais’s point of view? How do Feldenkrais lessons provide a better way to self-improve? Visit Donna’s site: https://DonnaRay.com Visit Al’s Site: https://AchievingExcellence.com Get your first Feldenkrais lesson from AchievingExcellence.com. Use coupon awesome-podcast to ...
Ep 8: Understanding and Resolving Pain
April 27, 2021 03:59 - 35 minutes - 37.4 MBWe discuss pain as a motivator to seek the Feldenkrais Method®; how movement affects acute pain and chronic pain. Donna shares how she managed pain and regained the use of her hand and arm using the Feldenkrais Method. Visit Donna’s site: https://DonnaRay.com Visit Al’s Site: https://AchievingExcellence.com Get your first Feldenkrais lesson from AchievingExcellence.com. Use coupon awesome-podcast to save 20%.
Ep 7: Mindfulness the Feldenkrais Way
April 12, 2021 22:10 - 30 minutes - 32.2 MBThe Feldenkrais Method® can enhance and invigorate your mindful practice. Whatever your practice - yoga, meditation, Tai-Chi, Aikido, or moving boulders - Feldenkrais lessons can make what you do easier. Visit Donna’s site: https://DonnaRay.com Visit Al’s Site: https://AchievingExcellence.com Get your first Feldenkrais lesson from AchievingExcellence.com. Use coupon awesome-podcast to save 20%.
Ep 6: Moving, Sensing, Thinking and Feeling
April 07, 2021 16:54 - 28 minutes - 29.5 MBThe Feldenkrais Method® includes movement, sensing, thinking, and feeling in the development of Awareness. Movement quality, how you move, integrates these primary aspects of the experience. Recognize the pattern of anxiety as described by Dr. Feldenkrais in his book, The Elusive Obvious. Visit Donna’s site: https://DonnaRay.com Visit Al’s Site: https://AchievingExcellence.com Get your first Feldenkrais lesson from AchievingExcellence.com. Use coupon awesome-podcast to save 20%.
Ep 5: Memory and Learning
March 29, 2021 20:40 - 26 minutes - 27.5 MBWhat is the difference between implicit and explicit memories? Learn to make pleasant memories stick. Become familiar with strategies of learning within the Feldenkrais Method®. Visit Donna’s site: https://DonnaRay.com Visit Al’s Site: https://AchievingExcellence.com Get your first Feldenkrais lesson from AchievingExcellence.com. Use coupon awesome-podcast to save 20%.
Ep 4: Learning, Unlearning and the Self-Image
March 23, 2021 13:16 - 30 minutes - 32.4 MBConforming to socially accepted learning norms may create habits of tension in the body/mind. What is the Weber-Fechner law, and how does it apply to learning the Feldenkrais Way? Play and problem solving make us smarter. Visit Donna’s site: https://DonnaRay.com Visit Al’s Site: https://AchievingExcellence.com Get your first Feldenkrais lesson from AchievingExcellence.com. Use coupon awesome-podcast to save 20%.
Ep 3: Dr. Feldenkrais, Learning and Habits
March 09, 2021 15:23 - 22 minutes - 24 MBLearn about Dr. Feldenkrais and the professional trainings he developed. Consider, competence, confidence, and how beliefs shape our self-image. Donna shares how she became a painter and Al discusses how he overcame his voice's significant limitations. Visit Donna’s site: https://DonnaRay.com Visit Al’s Site: https://AchievingExcellence.com Get your first Feldenkrais lesson from AchievingExcellence.com. Use coupon awesome-podcast to save 20%.
Ep 2: Habits, breathing, and self-regulation
March 09, 2021 15:18 - 28 minutes - 29.6 MBJoin us, and experience simple, easy-to-do, powerful Feldenkrais movements that demonstrate the nature of habit. Visit Donna’s site: https://DonnaRay.com Visit Al’s Site: https://AchievingExcellence.com Get your first Feldenkrais lesson from https://AchievingExcellence.com. Use coupon awesome-podcast to save 20%.
Ep 1: What is the Feldenkrais Method?
March 05, 2021 14:22 - 24 minutes - 25.5 MBUnderstand the difference between Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement® and exercise. Experience a short movement learning experience. Recognizing habits. What are they? And how Feldenkrais lessons impact them. Visit Donna’s site: https://DonnaRay.com Visit Al’s Site: https://AchievingExcellence.com Get your first Feldenkrais lesson from https://AchievingExcellence.com. Use coupon awesome-podcast to save 20%.
Trailer - Intro to the Feldenkrais For Life Podcast
March 02, 2021 21:36 - 4 minutes - 5.24 MBWe introduce ourselves and give you a preview of what’s to come in the first season of our Feldenkrais for Life podcast. Visit Donna’s site: https://DonnaRay.com Visit Al’s Site: https://AchievingExcellence.com Get your first Feldenkrais lesson from https://AchievingExcellence.com. Use coupon awesome-podcast to save 20%.