Tag Archives: Feldenkrais

Have you missed me?

I hope you’re keeping well!
After a refreshing break this year, I’m delighted to tell you that I am organising some new in-person Feldenkrais classes and workshops, starting in October 2024. The ever popular First Saturdays will begin on 5th October at a new venue in Sheffield – Soul Fire Studios, 7 Edgedale Road, Sheffield S7 2BQ. These monthly sessions will be from 10 – 11.30am and the workshop fee is £15 per person or £25 for two friends together.
Here’s the following dates for these monthly workshops:
Saturday 5th October: Releasing Tension in the Neck & Shoulders.
Saturday 9th November: Easing Stiffness in the Feet, Knees & Ankles
Saturday 7th December: Happy Hips for Healthy Living

From 8th October 2024, I’m starting two new weekly classes in Sheffield and the venue for these will be The Annexe Suite, Sharrow Community Forum, The Old Junior School, South View Road, Sheffield S7 1DB.
10.00 11.00 am :  Your Yoga (Women only).
11.15 – 12.15 pm: Move Better, Feel Better! (Feldenkrais Class for everyone).

Class Pass of Five Classes: £40
Single Class: £10

Please email me on dianne_hancock@hotmail.com to book.

Feldenkrais & Yoga

Feldenkrais & Yoga Workshop

Saturday 16th September 1 – 3pm

I’m looking forward to teaching a Feldenkrais & Yoga workshop this Saturday, 16th September 2023 at Hands on Health Yoga Studio in Sheffield.  Those of you who have come to my classes or workshops will know that I’m passionate about people finding easy ways to experience pain-free movement. The Feldenkrais approach helps you to understand how your body works best. Sometimes a simple adjustment makes a difficult yoga pose easy and elegant . This workshop is open to non members of Hands on Health, please contact them to book on 07714 785 431 or email me here Come along and find out more!

Classes and Workshops for Spring 2023!

University of Lincoln Dance Students

What is The Feldenkrais Method? I’m running a taster session this Saturday 4th February 10-11am at All Saints Church Hall. If you book onto this, you get £10 off the cost of the following mini course, “Fear of Falling. Booking link for taster: https://MIndfulBodyclasses.as.me/?appointmentType=16447505

Building Resilience for Uncertain Times

“Nothing is permanent about our behaviour patterns except our belief that they are so”
– Moshe Feldenkrais 

I think that many of us will look back on 2022 as a time of great change and turbulence. It is increasingly important that we can find some sense of stability and control when outside events seem so uncertain. Personally, I am very grateful that I have some things that I can turn to in order to build my sense of resilience and inner calm one of those is my regular practice of self awareness through The Feldenkrais Method.

How can exploring physical movement help with anxiety? The Feldenkrais Method encourages self acceptance and the notion that change is possible.  Although we cannot always change outside events, we can develop a mindset that helps deal with feelings of being overwhelmed. In every Feldenkrais class, you are encouraged to explore a simple pattern of movement, perhaps reaching with one arm or pushing with a foot in order to connect to the pelvis. Gradually, more variations are introduced and you have the chance to explore how your body can respond positively to new patterns and levels of complexity. As you progress through the session, you will discover how your whole body can be engaged, giving a sense of connectivity, grace and yes, power. Because we practice these movements without stress or a sense of competition, the nervous system is calmer and the mind refreshed.

At the end of a Feldenkrais class, you will feel more connected to yourself and you will have built some inner resources that can sustain you.

“In order to change our mode of action, we must change the image of ourselves that we carry within us.”
– Moshe Feldenkrais

If you would like to take part in a live Feldenkrais class, it’s not too late to book!

The Feldenkrais mini courses continue next week with the start of  Restore Your Body: Jaw, Neck and Shoulders. In times of stress and anxiety, it is easy to develop unconscious habits of holding and clenching – particularly in the jaw and around the shoulders. This leads to discomfort, pain and restricted movement which in turn increases anxiety and stress. Break this circular habit by exploring a set of focussed Feldenkrais lessons designed to release tension and find better and more integrated ways of moving.

Each Restore Your Body course is for four weeks’ duration and follows a specific theme.

Here are the available dates for this year: 
Restore Your Body 2: Jaw, Neck & Shoulders. 12th, 19th, 26th November & 3rd December 2022.
Restore Your Body 3: Balance & Coordination. 7th, 14th, 21st & 28th January 2023.

You can book one or all of these courses by  clicking this link . All RYB classes are recorded and are available to attendees. If you can’t attend class in person, it is possible to purchase the audio recordings only.

Restore Your Body mini courses are £30 for the four weeks. Audio only recordings are £25

Watching the Flowers Grow…

My September newsletter is finally out! It’s been a busy year so far but I’m looking forward to teaching my new Autumn schedule of classes and mini courses. You can sign up for my monthly newsletter by going to the Contact page. Here’s a sample of this month’s edition: https://mailchi.mp/a0193238c9c2/first-saturday-workshops-6098901

 

Feldenkrais Short Courses 2022

Here we are in April and I hope that 2022 has been kind to you so far. This year, I’ve enjoyed meeting and teaching newcomers to the Feldenkrais Method as well as the lovely “regulars” who have been enjoying my classes and workshops. 

In January, I launched a new series of Feldenkrais short courses: Restore Your Body. These four week programmes focus on a specific theme, such as tension in the neck and shoulders, so we get the opportunity to really explore how The Feldenkrais Method can release unhelpful patterns of movement and produce some real physical change.

Third in the series is: Restore Your Body: Hips and Pelvis and this starts on Saturday 23rd April from 10 – 11am at Room 4, All Saints Church Ecceshall. The dates are: 23rd & 30th April, 7th & 14th May.

The fourth in the Restore Your Body series is: Restore Your Body: Balance & Coordination. Dates are 11th,18th, 25th June and 2nd July 2022.

Each short course will be 4 x 1 hour sessions on a Saturday morning and by the end of the four weeks, you will feel a real benefit to your body. Class recordings will be available after each live session.

Venue: Room 4, All Saints Ecceshall, Ringinglow Road, Sheffield S11 7PP.

The price is just £30 for one course, buy both for £50. You can pay by bank transfer, card or PayPal. Please click here to email me your booking.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT RESTORE YOUR BODY COURSES

“My shoulders have dropped a mile – thank you!”

“My feet feel so soft and flexible, it’s like power walking on clouds!”

“Each session built on the last one, I feel that I have really learnt something about how my body works.”

New Short Courses for 2022!

I’m very excited to be offering a new Feldenkrais course this year! “Restore Your Body” is a series of 4 live weekly sessions that focus on a certain topic, e.g. Releasing Tension in the Neck and Shoulders; Releasing Stiffness in Feet and Ankles. Each session builds on the previous one so you have the opportunity to explore the topic in greater depth and discover a real change in your body. Sessions will be recorded so that attendees can revisit the session again and again.
Course 1 starts tomorrow, 15th January! There are some spaces left so it’s not too late to book now! Here’s the link: https://MIndfulBodyclasses.as.me/?appointmentType=26451190

What is a Feldenkrais teacher?

What is a Feldenkrais teacher? There are about 8,000 teachers of The Feldenkrais Method around the world – not a great number when compared with yoga and Pilates, but to be a Feldenkrais teacher, it does take commitment, dedication and a certain flexibility of mind. Moshe Feldenkrais developed his movement awareness method as an educational system for the mind and body; he wrote extensively about this throughout his life and passed on this knowledge to his students up until his death in 1984. Moshe realised the vital importance of working with the whole body and indeed the whole self in order to achieve lasting, radical change: to be able to teach this, Feldenkrais teachers train for four years on a globally recognised programme in order to understand not only how the body works, but also the nervous system, habitual movement patterns and early childhood development. There are no “quick fixes” although most people can experience radical change after one 45 minute lesson.
So when you go to an accredited Feldenkrais teacher, you can be confident that this person will not force your body into shapes or encourage you to “feel the burn”. You will be respected as an individual whose body has its own unique history. You will also be safe as accredited teachers MUST hold valid public indemnity insurance. All accredited Feldenkrais teachers have access to Advanced Training and many are continually adding to their knowledge as well as writing, researching and publishing. If you are interested in becoming a Feldenkrais teacher, please use this link: http://www.feldenkrais.co.uk/further.php

Feldenkrais, Creativity & Play

I hold my Functional Integration – Feldenkrais 1:1 – sessions at The Practice Rooms in Sheffield. The Practice Rooms are a network of centres devoted to therapy and counselling and the Sheffield centre is situated in a beautiful large building in a leafy part of the city. Last month, the organisation invited me to contribute to their blog page on the theme of Creativity & Play; here’s the link to my article, I hope you enjoy it! https://emea01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/…

Here we go…!

I’ve just added a whole schedule of workshops and classes to my Acuity booking system. As we move out of lockdown, I’m very happy to offer live classes and – for the time being – a Saturday workshop where you can choose to join via zoom or be there in person. Here’s the link to view all the available classes. https://MIndfulBodyclasses.as.me/