Being Older—A Radical Approach

Dear Reader,

Older. Older than what? Older than I used to be. Older than many folks around me. Older than I expected to be so quickly.

This business of getting older is complex, and, apparently, not for wimps. Happily, I can say that I’m reasonably healthy and happy. As I look around me, I recognize that this is not to be taken for granted. It’s also not something for which I can take much credit.

No matter how much older we are—I spoke recently with a 20-something year old who was feeling older, noticing how quickly time was passing by—stuff changes. Stuff changes, and we don’t always like what’s happening.

Specifically, I’m thinking about what happens when we get injured. Very young children fall down, look around to see if the grownups look alarmed; perhaps they say, “I’m okay.” perhaps they cry. For the most part they bounce back and heal quickly. Another physics lesson has just happened. Perhaps their balance improves, because they’ve figured out something new about navigating in gravity.

Along the way, we “older” people have had injuries, some minor, some more troublesome. Somehow, we’ve adapted. We heal the best we can and move on. Sometimes easily, sometimes with more challenges.

No matter what, we’ve all made adaptations—always with good reasons, and usually with some cost.

One of my favorite things about the Feldenkrais Method, is that we can continue to learn, adapt and improve, no matter where we start. Another favorite thing is that we don’t have to eliminate those useful adaptations. We just add new awareness and movements to our toolbox. Adding new tools gives us more options, especially options that work better and cost less.

We add those options by bringing awareness to how we move and exploring different approaches to similar movements. Along the way, we might discover how we literally hold ourselves back, and, as if by magic, we find new pathways towards our goals. Life gets better!

It’s a radical experience. We’re often told that we have to work hard, push through the pain or obstacles, and get strong. Maybe not. What I’ve learned in Feldenkrais is that when we explore easier pathways, we actually feel stronger and more efficient. We’re less likely to hurt ourselves, and we find we move faster and more efficiently. It’s surprising and delightful. Another thing: we often feel younger and more energetic after a Feldenkrais lesson—sometimes, we even look younger. Life gets better.

If you’d like to test this out, I hope you’ll join me sometime soon. You can reply to this email or Book an Appointment, if you have questions or would like to work with me privately.

And, here are some group experiences coming up in the next several weeks:

This week, our Tuesday online Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement> lesson.

There’s still room in the Unlocking the Rib Cage mini-retreat at the Jung Center of Houston on Saturday afternoon, October 28. The Jung Center of Houston is one of those little known treasures in this remarkable city. It’s a great place for learning and renewal.

I’ve also scheduled a new series of lessons: Finding Freedom and Comfort in Your Own Body. It’s a three-lesson series that will also include a private session. The lessons will be online, Wednesday evenings, November 1, 8, and 15. The private session will be the participant’s choice: Feldenkrais lesson or coaching, in person or online. Participants will be provided access to an audio recording of each lesson, in case they need to miss a session or would like to refresh their experience of the lesson.

Whether you’re feeling older or younger, have all the fun you can!