I work with people over 50 to help them avoid losing their mobility so that they can

remain independent into their old age and

enjoy a full, active, healthy life.

I can help with issues such as...    Sciatica    Lower back pain    Neck and shoulder pain    Foot pain    Balance issues

    ScoliosisImagine how your life would change if you could learn a way to improve your comfort level!Do you have joint pain .... or sore feet, making it difficult, if not impossible to be standing for any length of time? Do you have balance issues, decreasing bone strength, difficulty catching your breath, issues with anxiety or tension? Learning new ways to move can be an essential addition to the treatment of neurological, orthopedic, chronic pain, and stress-related conditions.Improving the way you move means greater comfort performing everyday activities at work or home, and achieving greater excellence in athletic and artistic pursuits.As you expand your awareness of how you think, sense, feel, and move, the possibilities for personal improvement and human development are limitless.

The Feldenkrais Method is an educational modality though many consider it Feldenkrais Therapy. Often it is erroniously spelled as "Feldenkreis". It is actually named after the originator of the method, Dr.Moshe Feldendrais.

 

Feldenkrais® uses the fact that your body possesses an inherent intelligence.  It is a process of discovery of what of has been lost in the functional use of yourself. It is a system of teaching, using two modalities...private, hands-on or group classes where you can learn how to better move yourself.  Though either modality alone can help you make progress, some combination of both can help you reach your goals more quickly, whether it is to get relief from pain and discomfort or to improve your performance in, for example, your work outs at the gym or your performance in a triathlon.  This learning, using private, group classes or both, allows your body to rediscover easier, freer ways to move. How Feldenkrais works:  It accesses the nervous system, by tapping into the neuromuscular system by way of gentle movements with focused attention on changes in perceived sensations such as your sense of the weight and/or dimension of a limb, improved ease in breathing, and skeletal contact of the body on the floor or practitioner's table.Results you can expect:  This approach to learning reveals and alters habitual behaviors, postures and ways of moving that cause chronic tension and pain. It allows you to improve your posture and breathing. You will learn how to reduce stress, tension, and fatigue, ease pain and stiffness. You will learn to develop efficient and flexible movement.

Charlotte ChavezGuild Certified Feldenkrais® PractitionerandCertified Bones for Life® teacher

Specializing in the issues of aging

Just imagine how your life might change!!

 

Distinguishing between available modalities: There are many approaches to refining the use of self, such as the Alexander Technique, Pilates, Yoga, and simply back exercises, neck exercises, etc.

Here is the difference between Feldenkrais and each of these modalities...

The Alexander Technique uses the head and neck area around whichto organize the body, while Feldenkrais organizes around the pelvis to obtain changes in carriage and use of the self.

Pilates teaches a way to use and strengthen the optimal muscles groups for function.  Feldenkrais works well with Pilates because it can help you to discover neutrality in the muscles of your body from which to use the Pilates training.

Yoga is a meditative approach to organizing the body, however it doesn't reveal an awareness of optimal options of organization for performing the asana's.  It can also encourage stretching beyond the readiness of your muscles to lengthen, thus presenting the possibility of engaging the muscle's anti-stretch reflex, giving diminished returns for your efforts.  Feldenkrais can be a wonderful adjunct to your yoga practice, by improving your kinesthetic sense, that is, the sense of the relationships between the neighboring parts your body.

Back or neck exercises are different from the study of Feldenkrais movements.  Feldenkrais movements are unique so that they engage the brain more fully than repetitive exercises.  Feldenkrais movements are so interesting that they result in the awakening to possibilities of new, different and more functional ways that you can use yourself, ways that are unlike your habitual patterns.

I invite you to come and explore how you can improve the quality of your life!