Often when someone has stress or pain in a shoulder, whether it stems from injury or repetitive strain, through the Feldenkrais/Anat Baniel Method, we find that this shoulder is working without the help of all the other parts of the body. We usually don't think about our ribs, spine, hips or feet, when we reach for something or work at the computer. But if you try to lift your arm and intentionally stiffen everywhere else, especially if you do it repeatedly, you will most likely sense the strain on your shoulder, arm and maybe your hand.

In one of these movement lessons, whether individual hands-on or verbally guided group, students discover how the shoulder, for example, or any other part, will be pain free when moved in connection with all the other parts of the body, including breathing. When you lift your arm and can feel how to allow your ribs, vertebrae and hips to move according to the particular way you lift your arm, the movement will be easy and comfortable. With each lesson, your awareness of HOW you move increases and your brain organizes your patterns of movement based on your learning to move with greater ease. Everything you do gets easier and more pleasurable.

In my next 2-day class, we will be exploring and discovering the way shoulders and hips connect in movement in order to increase freedom of movement and get rid of aches and pains in both areas. Discovering one connection almost always leads to a greater sense of connection in general, and we realize other benefits like improved posture and breathing, increased overall flexibility and strength, and a deeper sense of well being.