Dear clients, students, friends,
 
I’ve joined forces with Sheri Cohen and Mary Margaret Moore to offer ongoing Sunday 5pm Awareness Through Movement classes at Yoga on Beacon, starting September 10th.

What this means is regular Feldenkrais classes in the south end with three teachers! You can register for all classes, for 6-classes at a time, or simply drop-in. Classes are available in-person or online. 
 
For those of you who have never taken an Awareness Through Movement Class, these sessions are the group way of accessing similar reorganization you feel when you come up from the table. You’ll do some novel movement experiments, and play with focused attention, and in the process feel different from your head to your feet. These are wonderful ways to own your own growth and continue to make your own progress towards aligning your movement with your intention.
 
For more information, and to register for these classes, please go to http://SouthSeattleFeldenkrais.com I’ll also put a link on my website for you.  The flyer is here as well. 

Upcoming Workshop Sept 17:
Free Shoulders and Neck at The Yoga Tree Seattle. For those of you who have come to a variation on this workshop, each one is a little different, but all of them offer you some information, some instant relief, and some strategies for thinking differently about yourself in movement. 
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Upcoming travel:
I have two trips coming up: Sept 5 – 15; and Sept 26 – Oct 9th.  While I’m away, I encourage you to go see Sheri Cohen shericohenmovement.com for individual sessions.
Meanwhile, I look forward to seeing you here, there, or around!

Montlake has been closed, and it's something how much Madison Valley becomes an island at these times.

Here are my travel dates for those of you wondering!

I'll be away September 5 - 15th working in San Fransisco, and September 27 - Oct 9th on vacation! Other than that, I plan to be around for the rest of the year.

Keep your eyes open for classes beginning in the fall, and remember to sign up for the next workshop at The Yoga Tree on September 17th. That's a fun one. Each of these workshops is different than the one before, but if you have special requests for things you'd like to revisit, please let me know. 

And, for those of you wondering, my application to become an assistant trainer for Feldenkrais practitioners-in-training has been accepted! Thank you to all of you who have contributed your well-wishes along the way. 

Kindly, Heather

April Feldenkrais Classes:
Sunday, April 16, 5-6pm
Wednesdays, April 19th & April 26th 10:30-11:30am
Three pop ups in April To come online, class registration is here.:
To come in-person, please email or text me. I give priority to current clients and previous class attendees. Class size limited to 3-4 people depending on what we are doing that day!

7 Class Series:  May 21 - July 5
Wednesday mornings 10:30
Online Drop-in $5-20 per class - register for the series, but pay when you come. You'll receive reminders for all the classes in the series. Or, simply email me for the zoom link.
Full series online $90 for the series (second weekly class included for free)
Full series In-person 1x week $120, plus free attendance in the second class online.

Two more Experiential Anatomy workshops coming up in June and July: One focused more towards breathing and posture; one towards balance, neck, ankle, foot and leg freedom. In Breath and Posture, we will explore the connections between how we hold ourselves and how we breathe, and improve both. Think neck and spine ease, and a freer more available breath. In Neck, Ankles and Balance we'll work with our feet, legs and neck, towards more effortless balance in walking and other activities. A caveat here, often when we work to improve movement and function of neck and legs, we feel a bit off balance and then find our improvement. That's possible, because as we change things, we must become used to the changes. Babies learn balance by losing their balance, just as we learn to find our equalibrium by feeling when things are off. This is true in life, as well as movement--or at least it has been for me!​

Did you know I am a member of a consortium of Feldenkrais Practitioners in Seattle? This is a fantastic resource of classes and practitioners. Perhaps you'd like a class closer to home? Perhaps you need an appointment and I'm away! 

It is always a good idea to try different practitioners. I love seeing you, and of course, I'm hoping to work with you again, but a different practitioner will always offer you a new perspective. It is like seeing yourself in a new context. It may be that a different perspective will spur new growth and even invigorate our work together when I return in May. 

Join me for two deep-dives, each with anatomy information and movement session that will help improve your relationship to yourself. These sessions introduce you to the Feldenkrais Method®, as well as help you feel better. How? Through novel movements that help feed new information to our brilliant nervous systems, providing us with more choices for how we do what we do! Even though these are focused on a particular area, improvement will be general—meaning, you’ll likely feel taller, experience neck freedom, and relaxation! In addition, find some rescue movements to help you keep what you learn.​

December 4th, find more comfortable sitting, and understand the anatomical foundations that support you during the many hours you spend in a chair. Take home with you some foundational knowledge, and movement practices that will help you sit more comfortably! Come again in January for the Shoulder workshop!

Two pop-up Awareness Through Movement Classes in December. This is not a series, so sign up for all the times you would like to attend, either online, or in-person. Only 3 spaces available for the in-person class. $20 in person / $15 online

I’m so grateful to you all for continuing to remember to avoid scented products, essential oils, lotions, and make-up when you come to the cottage. However, a few clients are coming wearing scent without realizing it.

As a chemically sensitive person, one of the most difficult things is Fabric Softeners and Scented Laundry detergent. It’s a good idea to simply keep a few items of clothing washed in scent-free detergent to use for visits to scent-free places (doctors, physical therapists, acupuncturist, etc.). Why? Because fabric scents stay in the space, sheets, and props, long after you leave. Sometimes it takes weeks to remove the scent (especially from fabric softeners, which coat fibers in perfumed silicone), and then these items are not available to use with other clients. In addition, they make me ill, and affect other clients!
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For more information on why avoiding scented laundry products is good for you, your neighbors, and your environment, look at this Seattle Study! Hitchcock Center for the Environment | Education for a Healthy Planet and Scented laundry products emit hazardous chemicals through dryer vents | UW News (washington.edu)

I'll be offering one-to-one sessions through-out the holiday season. Keep in mind, I'll be away January 17 - February 5th, as part of my internship helping to teach at a Feldenkrais Training. 

Learn kinesiology and function of the spine, as well as the basic anatomy, through sensing, looking, exploring, and listening. Then, through movement, expand your awareness of how you use your spine, and use the process to improve your alignment, posture, and sense of ease. Sit better, stand better, breathe better. 

Hybrid - online or in person at The Yoga Tree in Fremont (Seattle)

We have room for a couple more people in this trauma informed training. Jodi and I deeply value the practice of Restorative Yoga, and love teaching teachers. This practice is deeply needed, and is powerful to offer in groups or individually. Even when working with manual therapy clients, I find that the propping continues to be something I use with my clients. As a practitioner, Restorative Yoga has helped me balance the business that I tend towards. Quiet, restful, and meditative, Restorative Yoga has been an invaluable healing modality for me, and for my clients and students.   An added workshop on 11/17 is included and will address teaching restorative yoga online.

Jodi Boone and I are teaching Thursday nights at 7:15pm. Jodi in-person, and I'm teaching online. We'd love to see you all! Register through Mind Body app, or at ​The Yoga Tree - Home

10/19 and 10/23 will be quieter lessons organized around the pelvis, and how moving the pelvis influences everything else. We'll work with asymmetries and anatomical specificity, as well as some mindfulness cuing.  In the later classes, we'll work with the pelvis, spine, and neck. Some lessons will be quiet, others will be more active. Some lying, some seated and lying, some possibly on hands and knees as well. 

Classes end 11/27, and will begin again next year

In this lesson we clarify the location and movement of the hip joints and find more availability in the ankles, and participation in the low ribs, sternum, and upper chest. Now, of course, that means that the primary place of focus in the hip joints is only the beginning, and learning to facilitate the movement in the hips by softening the rest of you can transform your walking, sitting, and general sense of well-being. 

Sunday's recording is a little different. We spend more time on some of the stranger movements at the end. 

Here is an approximately 20 minute, side-lying process for improving pretty much anything. Ease in the shoulder and neck, ease in the hip and back, improved walking and twisting, improved sense of length and breathing. Remember, improvement happens because you work in your range of comfort, and continually think, where can I soften to make this movement smoother, clearer? Can I breathe more simply, or soften in the hip joints? 

Scan either seated, or lying down, and then the movements are side-lying. 

I offer you the option to pause the video and then do the other side. If you are addressing chronic pain, it is nice to do both sides--calming. However, you may feel free to stick with one side, and see what happens. If you do this, I recommend also paying attention to what is happening where you make contact with the floor or mat. 

Intrinsic Rewards Fall 7 class series Online $108 for access to classes twice a week 10/12 - 11/27
Choose your main time to attend these mindful movement explorations that help you to reorganize towards healthy function and well-being. I'll offer a lesson on Wednesdays, and reprise the same/very similar lesson the following Sunday. You may come to both for no extra charge; however please choose your main day to attend.
      Register here for the Online Weds 11am class
      Register here for the Online Sundays 5pm class

I love facilitating. I offer ideas, and people make amazingly brilliant discoveries. Witnessing these discoveries may be my favorite thing ever. I am learning more and more about how I know what I know, how to show, share, explain, some of this while allowing and encouraging people to find their own way, to do things their own way. This is perhaps why Feldenkrais is such a perfect fit for me. 

So, while I've missed you, I've been loving every minute of taking part in the training of people on the path towards becoming Feldenkrais Practitioners. You can expect some periodic times when I'll be away continuing on the trail. But never fear, I'll always come home to Seattle. 

Oh, and, yes, I've been in the boot this whole time. What better place than rolling on the floor for two hours a day for three weeks? I'm looking forward to hearing how my foot is healing. Optimism!

Self-study sessions with nourishing and restorative movement that will help you to re-organize your movement and find a sense of well-being, strength, stability and flexibility that you can apply to your other activities.  Register for these through YogaTree  --  Sessions will be audio recorded for your review. In addition, join Jodi or me, every Thursday evening there for Restorative Yoga in person! Wowee.

Jodi Boone and I are so excited to share that we will offer our Yoga Teacher Training in person this fall at the Yoga Tree, in Seattle's Fremont Neighborhood. Join us November 11-13, 2022, for this 23-hour training, (20.5 if you opt out of the included Online teaching workshop). Our training is intentionally limited to 12 participants so that you receive the most high-quality training experience and individual attention.

If you know someone interested in deepening their practice (it's like a learning retreat!) or gaining skills for guiding others in this deeply restful, trauma-informed practice, please share. Details are here, or you can visit The Yoga Tree website directly to register.  

Do you want to come in before I go? Schedule your appointment here

​I'm so excited to go to San Fransisco for three weeks as a mentor to some Feldenkrais Training students. I'll also be an intern in the training, deepening my own work. This does mean that I'll be away Sept 1 - September 20, 2022--and I'll miss you all!  However, I believe it is important and valuable for us to have different mirrors, and different feedback. It's a great opportunity to do that. While I'm gone, why not make an appointment with Michael Emanuel (call/text 206.399.2159) Therapeutic Massage - Michael Emanuel, LMT - Reiki Master Teacher, Seattle master of unwinding and supporting the system do it's own reset with Reiki and hands on work. Or, perhaps the lovely Sheri Cohen Movement Education | Seattle Feldenkrais, Yoga & Dance ?