Tag Archives: flexibility

Self-care for 2022

Happy New Year to you!
I hope that you’ve had a chance to rest and relax over the festive season. Feldenkrais classes start again this week so it’s a chance to get into a routine of self-care for 2022.
If you’re not ready to come back to live classes, Wednesday Feldy Online continues at 6-7pm. This weekly online session explores a range of classic Feldenkrais lessons that help reduce muscle tension and improve your range of movement.  The drop-in rate is £8.00 and you can book here . Alternatively, you can buy a Class Pass which is valid for 12 weeks – that’s five classes for £35. Please email me to get this.
I’ve created a new live Feldenkrais course for people to try! The “Restore Your Body” course is for four sessions where you’ll get the opportunity to delve a little deeper into a theme. Many of the Feldenkrais lessons address a certain subject, e.g. stiff shoulders, flexibility in the spine. I’ve put together four lessons on one topic only so that you can feel the real benefit and change from a concentrated approach.
The first course is ‘Relieving Tension in the Neck and Shoulders”, the dates are:

15th, 22nd, 29th January and 5th February 2022

​The second course is “Releasing Stiffness in the Feet and Ankles”, the dates are:
19th, 26th February and 5th, 12th March.
One four-week course is just £30 or buy both courses for £50. Email me to book or ask any
questions.
Venue: Room 4, All Saints Church Eccleshall, Ringinglow Road, Sheffield S11 7PP.
My 1:1 sessions (Functional Integration) are continuing on Mondays from 11-2pm at The Practice Rooms in Sheffield. I’m observing safe Covid measures for these and will continue to do so for the time being. These 1 hour sessions can be a real benefit to addressing long term issues around stiffness, lack of mobility or poor posture.
I am continuing a small amount of 1:1 sessions online for people who are either isolating or can’t travel into Sheffield to see me. During lockdown, this online work has proven surprisingly successful and I’m delighted that so many people have benefited from gentle encouragement and exploration. Again, if you’re interested in trying this, let me know.
I hope to see you soon – in the meantime, all best wishes for 2022!

Workshops for June and July

Very happy to announce a new series of online workshops!
IMPROVE YOUR FLEXIBILITY IN FEET AND ANKLES
Saturday 27th June 10-11.15am (£15)

Stiffness and a lack of flexibility in your feet and ankles can lead to pain and discomfort in your knees and hips as well as restrict your walking and running. This workshop will help you to discover stability and strength as well as a better range of movement. Here is your direct booking link: https://MIndfulBodyclasses.as.me/?appointmentType=13787304
Your zoom link is in the confirmation email.
MOVING THROUGH YOUR WHOLE BODY
Thursday 9th July 6 – 7.15pm  (£15)

Release body tension and find how connecting through your whole body improves your strength and flexibility as well as giving you a sense of “grounded-ness” and calm. Book here:
https://MIndfulBodyclasses.as.me/?appointmentType=14139781 Your zoom link is in the confirmation email.
HAPPIER HIPS
Saturday 18th July 10 – 11.15am (£15)

Stiffness in your hips affects sitting, walking and running as well as adding to knee strain. If you’re spending too much time on your sofa or office chair, then this workshop will give you a greater sense of flexibility and connection in your pelvis. Book here: https://MIndfulBodyclasses.as.me/?appointmentType=14139762
Your zoom link is in the confirmation email.

Words matter…

On 3 June, I will be running a morning workshop – Releasing Tension in Neck and Shoulders – at Breathe Pilates in Sheffield. This workshop is all about learning to undo tension in the neck and shoulders and find greater ease in moving and reaching. It’s a popular workshop as so many people find themselves dealing with stiff shoulders, tension headaches and a pain when moving the neck – life literally becoming “a pain in the neck”! Where Feldenkrais can help with this is raising awareness of how you sit, stand and reach as well as how you arrange your environment when carrying out long or repetitive tasks. A simple example is the way you sit at your office desk and look at your computer screen. ( Go to http://diannehancock.co.uk/the-feldenkrais-method-in-action/ for a short lesson in how to sit more comfortably at work)

But The Feldenkrais Method isn’t just a physical training discipline, it is also a way to rethink how you feel about yourself. Your own self-image dictates your approach to life, exercise and well-being: poor self-image can often lead to poor or harmful choices about how you go through life. Bound up with self-image are the words we use to describe ourselves and our intentions and these words can reinforce our state of mind. Constantly telling yourself that you are “rubbish” or “failing” only emphasises failure – which is as logical as constantly criticising a baby on their attempts to crawl or walk! Sports scientists have discovered that visualising success, the perfect trajectory and the winning outcome, leads to better achievement. I learnt on my Feldenkrais teacher training to change or avoid words such as “try” “fail” “push” “doesn’t work” and find alternatives such as “interesting” “experiment” and – my favourite – “approximation”. I often work with people who attend gym and fitness classes regularly and are very frustrated by injury. They struggle with the recovery process, mainly because they can’t (or won’t) change whatever they were doing to cause the injury in the first place. In a Feldenkrais session, we try to encourage self awareness, to observe what is happening and perhaps find a different, more “successful” route to achieve flexibility and efficiency. For those who want to be “fixed” and not have to think about it, this is quite a challenge, particularly when they see the injured part of the body as “rubbish” “wonky” “bad”.  Recently I had a one to one session with a client who has had ongoing problems as a result of poor and excessive exercise: running without a warm-up, “no pain, no gain” as a constant mantra – habits that he was finally letting go off. Hopefully, he will continue his exploration into better movement through thinking disciplines such as Feldenkrais, mindfulness and yoga and question those practices that talk about “push your body”, “feel the burn” and “push harder”.

Balance and Coordination Workshop

There are still places on this Saturday’s workshop “Improve Your Balance and Coordination” so book a place now!
Venue: Breathe Pilates, 85 Clarkhouse Road, Sheffield S10 2LG (next to the Botantical Gardens).
When: Saturday 9 April from 10.30 to 12 noon.

*** Special Offer*** There will be a follow up class on Saturday 16 April from 10.30-11.30. Book the workshop and get the class half price!
Cost: £18 for workshop Class: £9.50 Workshop + Class: £23.00
Go to www.diannehancock.co.uk/book-a-class/