Senior Citizens and the Feldenkrais Method by Andrea

1 of 30

Slide Notes

Created by Andrea Higgins
Published by Kinesthetic Edge

Website: www.KinEdge.com
Twitter: @KinestheticEdge

Service Marks: Feldenkrais Method® is a registered service mark of the Feldenkrais Guild® of North America.

Photo Credits:
Slide number 1, 17, and 20 by Rosalie O'Connor (www.rosalieoconnor.com). All other slides are in the public domain and used via the Haiku App.

Senior Citizens and the Feldenkrais Method

Published on Nov 20, 2015

For more in-depth information, please view our Digital Press, which produces online publications. There you will find a companion piece to this presentation. Go to https://kinestheticedge.atavist.com.

View Outline

PRESENTATION OUTLINE

Mindfulness and Movement

A FELDENKRAIS METHOD® MODEL FOR CULTIVATING WELLBEING AND CONNECTION

BY WAY OF INTRODUCTION...

THE SENIOR CENTER FELDENKRAIS CONNECTION

This slide presentation is recommended for anyone who cares for, or works with senior citizens. It will introduce you to a programming paradigm that can help to keep seniors healthy and engaged. The paradigm is based upon the Feldenkrais Method of movement.

Learn how this method can bring about positive physical, cognitive, and emotional change, and serve as a basis for life-long learning.

For more in-depth information, please view our Digital Press, which produces online publications. There you will find a companion piece to this presentation. Go to https://kinestheticedge.atavist.com.

Photo by ritavida

2 Things Happened on the way to Feldenkrais Class

Norman Doidge published "The Brain's Way of Healing: Remarkable Discoveries and Recoveries from the Frontiers of Neuroplasticity"
A personal connection to the "business of healing."

The Feldenkrais Method of movement offers an avenue to mindful living, but it has not had wide recognition in the general population until recently.

Photo by tracyshaun

Norman Doidge releases a new book!

"The Brain that Changes Itself: Remarkable Discoveries and Recoveries from the Frontiers of Neuroplasticity" examines non-invasive ways to access the brains ability to change and heal. Doidge identifies how the Feldenkrais Method fits into this new brain science field of inquiry.

The Business of Healing

Up-close and personal

The Business of Healing: an up-close and personal look

While Feldenkrais is an educational, rather than a medical intervention, it can never-the-less bring about positive changes in health and wellness.

Photo by DFAT photo library

DEDHAM'S STORY

The Senior Center in Dedham, Massachusetts recently launched a Feldenkrais program. Within just a few days over 40 people had signed up.

Photo by NoWin

"What is the most important reason to have a senior center?"

In preparation for designing their permanent Senior Center, the Council on Aging sent a survey to residents of the town, ages sixty and up. The survey included the following narrative response question.

Safety.

Quality of life.

Ability to thrive.

"construction of a senior center [would] contribute to their overall safety, quality of life, and ability to thrive."

97 percent of respondents said that a Senior Center would afford them safety, improved quality of life, and the ability to thrive.

Photo by swanksalot

Need for Community

Over one third of respondents indicated the need for community. The report included quotes from two respondents...

Photo by HPUPhotogStudent

10.

"It's a cold world when you're alone"

The first individual made the following statement...

Photo by VinothChandar

11.

"Loneliness kills, especially if you have lost your spouse. Human contact is necessary for mental and physical health."

The second wrote this...

Photo by i.tokaris

12.

DEDHAM

THE PROGRAM LAUNCH

Dedham now has over 55 people participating in the initial launch of an introductory Feldenkrais program.

At each class, participants take part in a movement lesson, and complete a journaling exercise. They respond to three statements:

1. How is my body today?

2. How is my mood today?

3. How is my thinking today?

Photo by mikecogh

13.

PROGRAM STRUCTURE

Because so many people signed up, there are two session weekly. One session is a chair only class. The other is a hybrid class in which participants can choose if they want to be on a chair or on a mat.

Photo by vincentgallegos

14.

DON'T THINK OF FELDENKRAIS AS EXERCISE

THERE'S SO MUCH MORE TO IT

The Feldenkrais Method does involve the use of gentle movement, but the aim is quite different from an exercise class. The goal is heightened awareness, not necessarily improved strength or flexibility.

Photo by ROSS HONG KONG

15.

Therapeutic.

Improved cognitive function.

Elevation in mood.

Feldenkrais can potentiate a number of "quality of life" benefits, including:

1. Greater comfort and ease in body use.

2. Improved clarity of thought and cognition.

3. Elevation in mood.

Photo by Roy Cheung Photography

16.

RESEARCH

There have been a number of studies conducted on the benefits of the Feldenkrais Method. You can view a research bibliography of over 150 studies at the following link (which is hosted by the Feldenkrais Educational Foundation and Guild of North America): http://www.feldenkrais.com/Research-Bibliography

Photo by jannekestaaks

17.

STUDIES HAVE LOOKED AT...

How individuals with dementia can learn new habits and are empowered through the Feldenkrais method.
The Effect of Feldenkrais on balance, functional mobility, and quality of life in adults post-stroke.
Body awareness as therapy for patients with fibromyalgia and chronic pain.
Stress Management in Cardiac Rehabilitation: Observations on Attention and Emotion.

There have been a number of studies that have focused specifically on senior citizens. These are a few examples of the topics that have been researched.

18.

METACOGNITION

THROUGH MOVEMENT

The relationship to movement that one experiences in a Feldenkrais lesson is akin to the process of metacognition. Normally we think of metacognition as the process of thinking about thinking. In Feldenkrais, movement is thinking, and the avenue by which we can observe our thought process in action.

Photo by MUTEvibe.

19.

FELDENKRIAS INTEGRATION PROCESS...

Rest periods.
Applications to action that has meaning for the individual.
Connection to others, in which the quality of connection is deepened and improved in a meaningful way*.

Feldenkrais learning relates to how we live. It needs to integrate into our life through the avenues by which we make meaning.

Photo by gravity_grave

20.

THE NAME GAME

Because Feldenkrais helps one to connect first with the self, it can help us to learn how to connect deeply with others as well.

For seniors who are feeling isolated, or who may have lost a spouse or their closest friends, Feldenkrais can help to create a sense of connection with community through shared experience.

Photo by TheArches

21.

Create opportunities that foster a deeper connection.

Feldenkrais also offers two learning structures. A verbally-led process for those who are active, and a gentle hands-on process for those who are a bit more frail.

22.

Lesson Time

If you missed the live presentation Andrea Higgins recently gave at the MCOA Conference, you can still experience a lesson. Visit this link to download a free track from "Body Knowledge," an MP3 lesson collection from Kinesthetic Edge. Here is the link: https://gumroad.com/l/SzVo

23.

POST LESSON REFLECTION

Most people feel different after a lesson, more relaxed and at ease in body. But this physical change is also tied in with your thinking and emotions.

Photo by StuartWebster

24.

Movement brings the relationship between the physical, intellectual, and emotional self into focus.

One of the things that makes the Feldenkrais Method such an effective change agent is the way it connects to all aspects of the self.

Photo by ecstaticist

25.

LEARNING TO LEARN

WE ALL START WITH MOVEMENT

The Feldenkrais Method is about learning, and it brings us back into contact with our earliest experiences of learning to learn--with movement.

Photo by Tela Chhe

26.

My Big Idea !

In her MCOA Conference presentation, Andrea Higgins, Director of Kinesthetic Edge, http://www.KinEdge.com outlines a plan for developing a programming paradigm for seniors based upon the Feldenkrais Method.

Photo by ronnie44052

27.

ADVANTAGES

Depth of focus
Cross-Community
Cross-Disciplinary
Shared resources

Such a program offers exciting opportunities for in-depth design and collaboration.

Photo by Leo Reynolds

28.

DANGERS

Emphasis on the program or the institution, instead of the individuals.

There are pitfalls to be avoided. Andrea is dedicated to making the program in the service of seniors, as opposed to the other way around.

Photo by electricnerve

29.

OPTIMISM

THE TIME FOR FELDENKRAIS HAS COME

If you would like to connect with Andrea, to support or participate in piloting a Feldenkrias Program in your community, you can contact her here: http://www.kinedge.com/contact/

Photo by mripp

30.

KINESTHETIC EDGE

WEB: WWW.KINEDGE.COM TWITTER: @KINESTHETICEDGE

If you would like additional information about the Feldenkrais Method, with a special focus on senior citizens, you might like our newest Digital Press release:

"Mindfulness and Movement: A Feldenkrais Method Model for Cultivating Well-being and Connection"

Available at https://kinestheticedge.atavist.com

Thank you!

Slide Notes