Curiously experiencing developmental movements in Feldenkrais
Curiously experiencing developmental movements in Feldenkrais
How you remind your body of what it already knows by moving with gravity
Many Feldenkrais lessons are based on developmental movements in Feldenkrais: the sequence of movement development that every person goes through in their motor development. Movements we explored step by step as babies and young children, often playfully, curiously, and without a goal.
In the lessons, these movements begin small and simple, close to the floor and in cooperation with gravity. Gradually they become richer and more complex. They invite you to explore the space around you and to let movement slowly arise further away from the floor. In this way, you relearn how to relate to gravity—not by using force, but by allowing cooperation.
Getting to know gravity again
As adults, we often experience gravity as something heavy, something that pulls us down. But that heaviness usually isn’t caused by gravity itself; it arises because we no longer clearly feel the supporting capacity of our skeleton.
When bones no longer fulfill their supporting role clearly, muscles start to compensate. They work harder than necessary and lose their natural cooperation. Movement can then feel heavy, as if living with gravity must by definition be strenuous.
If you look at young children, you see something different: lightness, resilience, and a beautiful cooperation between muscles and bones. Through endless experimentation, new movement possibilities keep emerging. That ability is still stored in our adult bodies as well.
Exploring timeless movement
That’s what these lessons also ask of you: to move as if, like babies, you have all the time in the world. Without a performance goal, without needing to “get” anywhere. The more time you allow yourself to feel and explore, the deeper the process can work.
It can feel quite miraculous: a movement that first felt heavy or even impossible suddenly falls into place by itself. But even if that moment doesn’t come explicitly, you often notice that your everyday movements become lighter. You feel more stability, more coherence, more ease.
Movements stored deep in your brain
Developmental movements in Feldenkrais touch patterns that are deeply embedded in your brain. They are part of the “wiring” that forms as a baby develops from being completely dependent to becoming a self-moving child.
Each time you explore these movements again, the corresponding organization in your nervous system is reawakened. And perhaps, as a child, you didn’t fully use all the possibilities contained in that development. Revisiting these movements offers the opportunity to continue that development—toward the richness and elegance that humans are capable of.
The memory of your body
These lessons can also evoke memories from the time when these movements originally emerged. The memory of that period is not stored in words, but in your body.
The more you begin to feel yourself in movement, the more may be released as experience or memory. Sometimes that’s joyful and light, sometimes sad or painful. Often these feelings are connected to parents or caregivers. As an adult, you can learn to hold these experiences with gentleness and attention. Sometimes it helps to imagine holding your inner child on your lap, comforting or reassuring it.
Want to experience it yourself?
These lessons are offered this spring semester in the weekly Awareness Through Movement classes at the Feldenkrais Centre Utrecht. It’s also possible to follow the lessons from home via Zoom.
Are you reading this blog after the series has already started or finished and still feel curious? Feel free to contact me.
If you have questions or want to share experiences about your own development, you’re welcome to respond below this blog. If you’d rather keep it personal, you can also email me.