Shaking up Habits of Observation and the Effect on Movement

You never get rid of habits, you just substitute different ones. And I emphasize the plural because it is so much better to have three habits for a particular movement than just one. But of course it is even better to have three very well-organized, up-to-date habits than three stale ones. So you want intelligent habits that aren't bullies.

The trick to non-habitual movement is non-habitual attention.

(Or is it vice-versa?)

In a Feldenkrais lesson, you are invited to explore precise changes in a single movement—the cock of your wrist, the integration of your breath, the cast of your eyes—and then it is up to you to absorb the stuff you like for your system. You come with one way to raise your arm and you leave with three. But of course for your system to know 'oh, actually, that is more efficient' or 'yes, that is easier on my rotator cuff' or 'this just feels more like an expression of me' it has to actually pay attention.

It isn't that you'll walk away from the class thinking every moment about every angle and sequence. But in a good class, you will have convinced your systems that there is something worth a bit of curiosity. That the choices you have by rote could be more numerous and more satisfying.

Over time, that might mean you have a different gait that is easier on your older hips. That you remember you have ankles. That the clavicle and the shoulder blade remember their old love for one another….