FAQs Archive - Page 8 of 21 - SmartBody SmartMind

Q: 3. I felt impatient with this exercise, and kept wanting it to speed up. What can I do when I’m feeling bored and distracted?

There are a couple things you could do. One, just understand that this is your brain trying to keep you from slowing down and exploring yourself in a different way, and keep returning your attention to the lesson and yourself, whenever you catch yourself in your head. Or two, pause the recording and really be with that irritation and discomfort, and see what it might want to do, and how might it want to move through your body. What words or sounds might it express? How would your face express what you are feeling? You can try all that, and see if you might be able to let some of that charge be expressed, and then come on back.

Q: 2. Can repeating this lesson improve and rewire posture?

Yes. This is definitely a good one to repeat, though it’s important to remember with all Feldenkrais lessons that it’s not about doing the movement nearly as much as it is about how you pay attention to yourself while doing that movement.

Q: 1. I found myself passing a lot of gas (I have digestive problems at the moment). Is it possible that these exercises can affect my digestive tracts?

Sure! The focus is on the back and simple movements of the legs, but there is a lot of movement that passes through the abdomen as a result, so it’s not surprising to me that things might start moving.

Q: 4. My jaw is always tight. Should I not be doing this lesson? Or should I do it while trying to keep my jaw in a ‘natural’ state?

There are two ways to approach this. One is to keep doing this lesson, but have the primary focus be on your jaw and keeping it loose. Do the movements, but notice your jaw. As soon as you feel it tightening, think about it being soft and loose. The other approach is to work with the underlying aggression that is probably stored in the jaw -- this is almost always why jaws are chronically tight! Review the Healthy Aggression Lesson and also the Vooo-Ahhhh lesson with this jaw tension in mind.

Q: 3. I tend to do the exercises with my eyes closed, feeling internally what’s happening, until this lesson. This time I was very alert, with eyes open, watching every move I made. I’m intrigued as to what might have changed that made me want to pay attention in such a different, more focused way!?

It sounds like you are feeling safer in your environment and also more tuned into your system, such that you can pay attention to both the internal and external simultaneously. Congratulations!

Q: 2. I have back and neck problems since getting orthodontic work done when I was younger. I have always assumed my stiff neck and headaches would always be there because of this. Can lessons like this bring about improvement and change?

Yes, these symptoms can absolutely change! Lessons like this can help, but it is likely there is some other work that needs to happen first, in order for the Feldenkrais approach to be effective. It sounds like there is some stored traumatic stress and tension in your head and neck that has a lot to do with thwarted self-protective responses (meaning no human mammal would want to be operated on in such a way, there would have been an urge to fight off the orthodontist, which had to be repressed), so I think it would be helpful to approach from that angle first, by reviewing the Healthy Aggression Lesson , and my Annihilation article that is linked at the end of that lesson.

Q: 5. As someone who has struggled with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) for the past decade, I've been eager to experiment with this exercise. I experience an array of unpleasant sensations in my gut most days. I've completed the exercise four times now. When I do it before bed, I fall asleep within the first five minutes, and wake back up towards the end of the exercise. I'm not sure if this is a freeze state, or if my digestive system is simply needing the rest? When I do it in the morning, I'm able to stay awake, but haven't noticed an increase in sensations or movement in the gut. If anything, I feel less connected to my gut during the exercise, as if there is a void of sensation. I wonder if there is a way that I can refine this exercise, so that my gut experiences more ease and flow?

When the system has been irritated for so long, it will take quite a lot of repetition to change things, so I would say just keep it up! If you only fall asleep at night when you’re tired, but not when you try it during the day, I don’t think that’s a freeze response rising up. More likely, it is the system sinking into a bit of much needed rest, though it does sound from your description of the “void” that there is some freeze going on in this area too, and it may need quite a lot of repetition to get the memo that it’s safe to start waking up and feeling more.

Q: 4. I had spasms during this exercise. Now at night, if I place my hands on my body -- on my stomach, anywhere on hips or pelvis, or my chest, then I spasm over and over from that body part, until I take my hands off. So I can't touch my body now? I'm wondering what this means, and if I need to be doing anything?

Try and see what happens if you just allow those spasms to play out without being afraid of them. It sounds like your body is trying to let go of some old Sympathetic charge, and we want this to happen, as long as it is not too overwhelming. Also, check in and see if there are areas that don’t spasm, like your arms or legs.

1. What’s going on? I don’t understand this approach, and am experiencing nothing/weird bodily responses

1. What’s going on? I don’t understand this approach, and am experiencing nothing/weird bodily responsesIrene Lyon2019-11-13T11:35:52-08:00

3. I felt impatient with this exercise, and kept wanting it to speed up. What can I do when I’m feeling bored and distracted?

3. I felt impatient with this exercise, and kept wanting it to speed up. What can I do when I’m feeling bored and distracted?Irene Lyon2019-11-14T16:10:02-08:00

2. Can repeating this lesson improve and rewire posture?

2. Can repeating this lesson improve and rewire posture?Irene Lyon2019-07-27T17:21:03-07:00

1. I found myself passing a lot of gas (I have digestive problems at the moment). Is it possible that these exercises can affect my digestive tracts?

1. I found myself passing a lot of gas (I have digestive problems at the moment). Is it possible that these exercises can affect my digestive tracts?Irene Lyon2019-11-14T16:08:30-08:00

4. My jaw is always tight. Should I not be doing this lesson? Or should I do it while trying to keep my jaw in a ‘natural’ state?

4. My jaw is always tight. Should I not be doing this lesson? Or should I do it while trying to keep my jaw in a ‘natural’ state?Irene Lyon2019-11-14T16:15:47-08:00

3. I tend to do the exercises with my eyes closed, feeling internally what’s happening, until this lesson. This time I was very alert, with eyes open, watching every move I made. I’m intrigued as to what might have changed that made me want to pay attention in such a different, more focused way!?

3. I tend to do the exercises with my eyes closed, feeling internally what’s happening, until this lesson. This time I was very alert, with eyes open, watching every move I made. I’m intrigued as to what might have changed that made me want to pay attention in such a different, more focused way!?Irene Lyon2019-11-14T16:14:46-08:00

2. I have back and neck problems since getting orthodontic work done when I was younger. I have always assumed my stiff neck and headaches would always be there because of this. Can lessons like this bring about improvement and change?

2. I have back and neck problems since getting orthodontic work done when I was younger. I have always assumed my stiff neck and headaches would always be there because of this. Can lessons like this bring about improvement and change?Irene Lyon2019-11-14T16:14:12-08:00

1. This Feldenkrais work is too slow/boring/difficult

1. This Feldenkrais work is too slow/boring/difficultIrene Lyon2019-11-14T16:13:00-08:00

5. As someone who has struggled with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) for the past decade, I’ve been eager to experiment with this exercise. I experience an array of unpleasant sensations in my gut most days. I’ve completed the exercise four times now. When I do it before bed, I fall asleep within the first five minutes, and wake back up towards the end of the exercise. I’m not sure if this is a freeze state, or if my digestive system is simply needing the rest? When I do it in the morning, I’m able to stay awake, but haven’t noticed an increase in sensations or movement in the gut. If anything, I feel less connected to my gut during the exercise, as if there is a void of sensation. I wonder if there is a way that I can refine this exercise, so that my gut experiences more ease and flow?

5. As someone who has struggled with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) for the past decade, I’ve been eager to experiment with this exercise. I experience an array of unpleasant sensations in my gut most days. I’ve completed the exercise four times now. When I do it before bed, I fall asleep within the first five minutes, and wake back up towards the end of the exercise. I’m not sure if this is a freeze state, or if my digestive system is simply needing the rest? When I do it in the morning, I’m able to stay awake, but haven’t noticed an increase in sensations or movement in the gut. If anything, I feel less connected to my gut during the exercise, as if there is a void of sensation. I wonder if there is a way that I can refine this exercise, so that my gut experiences more ease and flow?Irene Lyon2019-11-14T15:00:33-08:00

4. I had spasms during this exercise. Now at night, if I place my hands on my body — on my stomach, anywhere on hips or pelvis, or my chest, then I spasm over and over from that body part, until I take my hands off. So I can’t touch my body now? I’m wondering what this means, and if I need to be doing anything?

4. I had spasms during this exercise. Now at night, if I place my hands on my body — on my stomach, anywhere on hips or pelvis, or my chest, then I spasm over and over from that body part, until I take my hands off. So I can’t touch my body now? I’m wondering what this means, and if I need to be doing anything?Irene Lyon2019-11-14T14:59:10-08:00