Feldenkrais – Page 3 – Cheryl Ilov International

Feldenkrais, Survival, and Supernovas

Written by Cheryl on July 25, 2016. Posted in Ninja Notes.

I love the connection between martial arts and Feldenkrais. After all, Feldenkrais is based on martial arts, the art of movement, and the art of survival. Moshe Feldenkrais believed that all human beings were intended to not just survive, but to thrive in their environment. He also wanted to return to each person their human dignity. How beautiful is that? To have human dignity, you must be able to protect yourself and have strong personal boundaries. As a martial artist, I understand that, and I always integrate the principles of martial arts, self-defense, and survival skills into my Feldenkrais sessons. I get so passionate about Feldenkrais and the art of survival that many of my clients wanted to explore this connection at a deeper level, with practical application for daily life....

Feldenkrais®: Science and Magic

Written by Cheryl on November 30, 2015. Posted in Cheryl's View.

I am passionate about science, especially neuroscience. If I hadn’t been accepted into a master’s degree program for physical therapy, I would have earned a master’s in neuroscience instead. However, I couldn’t see myself working in a lab all day. I’m more of a people person. Besides, if I had gone in that direction, I may never have discovered Feldenkrais. I absolutely love the method, and I love being a practitioner. My greatest reward is witnessing the magic of this method as it helps my clients improve the quality of their lives. However, my greatest challenge as a Feldenkrais practitioner is trying to explain what Feldenkrais is, how it works, and why it is so effective. Feldenkrais is not magic; it’s science, and is based on the scientific principle...

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do….Or Not

Written by Cheryl on August 31, 2015. Posted in Cheryl's View.

Before I discovered Feldenkrais, I often found myself in situations that weren’t working out for me, or doing things I didn’t want to do, just out of habit. Even if I wanted to change, I couldn’t figure out how. The most glaring example was with my best and dearest friend. We met in ballet class 25 years earlier and established an unlikely friendship. She was quiet, reserved, shy, and highly intelligent. I was loquacious, demonstrative, outgoing, and just smart enough to get by. For some reason we got along famously. However, over the years what had begun as a wonderful friendship based on mutual support, respect, and caring somehow turned into one that was demanding, controlling, and manipulative. Our social interactions left me feeling drained, depleted, and even angry....

Opportunities to Learn are Everywhere!

Written by Cheryl on August 17, 2015. Posted in Cheryl's View.

One of the greatest rewards of being a Feldenkrais practitioner are the wonderful students you meet along the way. Occasionally, a student becomes a friend and ends up being the teacher. You never know when, or how, it will happen. A few years ago I worked with a psychotherapist who specialized in Equine Therapy. He loved Feldenkrais (of course), and asked me to teach a workshop to a group of therapists at his ranch. It presented a fabulous opportunity for me as well as for the entire Feldenkrais community. You see, as a practitioner, I feel it is my duty to get out reach out to a variety of different populations and “spread the word of ‘Krais,” so to speak. The workshop was a huge success, and when it was over I began packing up my materials so I could leave. Suddenly...

Feldenkrais® Training: Who’s that lady?

Written by Cheryl on August 3, 2015. Posted in Cheryl's View.

My Feldenkrais training was held in a beautiful old dance hall, complete with hardwood floors, huge windows, gorgeous chandeliers, and small mirrors strategically placed around the room. It was a beautiful room, and the perfect venue for our training. We often had visitors who would come to spend a day or even an entire week with us. Sometimes we only had one or two strangers in the room; other times we had a full house. Each morning the visitors were invited to stand up and introduce themselves before we proceeded with our first lesson of the day. In the middle of my third year of training, I arrived at the dance hall to an unusually crowded room. I wondered who all those people were and what they were doing there. I felt annoyed and irritated to see so many interlopers in my training....

Why Feldenkrais® is better than stretching….

Written by Cheryl on February 2, 2015. Posted in Fit Tips.

When we experience tight muscles or stiff joints, we stretch them to improve our flexibility and increase our joint range of motion. Unfortunately, most of the time, stretching does not correct the problem. As a matter of fact, stretching may actually make it worse. There is a simple physiological explanation for that. Muscles do not become tight on their own. Tight muscles and stiff joints are a result of faulty alignment of our skeletal structure. Poor posture, prolonged sitting, static standing, working at a computer, or sedentary lifestyle interferes with the natural forces of gravity going through our skeleton. As a result, our normal muscle balance and tone is interrupted, resulting in some muscles becoming short and tight. If you do not correct your faulty structure, you...

What is Feldenkrais(R)?

Written by Cheryl on October 20, 2014. Posted in Feldenkrais.

The Feldenkrais Method is a highly sophisticated form of neuromuscular re-education based on the scientific principle of neuroplasticity, which simply means that our nervous system is capable of changing and learning new patterns during the course of our entire lifetime. Feldenkrais’ unique approach to neuroplasticity accesses our nervous system in a very gentle, but powerful way, through movement. We all have habitual patterns of moving, sensing, feeling and thinking that help us move easily through our day. However, some of our patterns may be harmful and destructive, resulting in chronic pain, joint dysfunction, headaches, neck and back pain, anxiety, stress and fatigue. With Feldenkrais lessons, habitual patterns of stress, strain or “holding” are gently interrupted,...

Feldenkrais Training: The transformation begins….

Written by Cheryl on September 22, 2014. Posted in Feldenkrais.

When I finally completed my first two weeks of Feldenkrais training, I was exhausted. However, there were no life-altering changes, no magical “AHA” moments, no epiphanies, no enlightenment, and certainly no transformation. I was pretty much exactly the same as I was the first day I walked in to the training two weeks earlier. Where was all this change I was supposed to experience? Nope, I hadn’t changed at all. Except, of course, for the love affair I had with the floor during the first week. I absolutely could not get enough of that floor! The tips of my fingers still tingle just thinking about it. Then there was that little incident where I was moved to tears simply by the image of a ball rolling across my arm. What was up with that? Then I had that melt down at the...

Feldenkrais(R) and the wardrobe malfunction….

Written by Cheryl on September 3, 2014. Posted in Feldenkrais.

I had minor surgery on my right shoulder last week, which reminds me of an old joke. Question: What is the definition of minor surgery? Answer: Something they do to someone else. In other words, it’s still surgery and a pretty big deal, no matter which way you cut it, so to speak. Anyway, I had my marching orders to take it easy, don’t use my arm, don’t lift anything, etc. However, no one said that I had to stay home, so the day after surgery I decided to treat myself to a manicure and pedicure. The soft lights and classical music at the salon was a far cry from the sharp needles and bright lights of the surgical suite. Besides, I figured a mani/pedi was just what the doctor ordered. Having made up my mind, I started to get dressed. I grabbed a camisole and mindlessly pulled...

Feldenkrais Lesson: Rolling the Head

Written by Cheryl on June 23, 2014. Posted in Feldenkrais.

Yesterday’s Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement(R) lesson was titled “Hand Rolling the Head.” Actually, it would be more appropriate to say “Hand Rolling Your Head.” Rolling the head implies a sense of detachment or lack of ownership to the marvelous structure which sits on top of your spine and protects the most intricate personal computer you will ever own….your brain. Besides, the term “the head” implies a creepy image of a head rolling around on it’s own. That’s not a picture that supports a healthy self image, and it’s also a bit jarring to the nervous system. Ooops, I mean, your nervous system. Language does have a powerful impact on how we see ourselves. If we are impersonal in our approach to a lesson, we might...

All of her experiences, training and practice contribute to a truly customized workout/core-strengthening program for each of her clients.
-Claudia D.
She not only helped alleviate the pain, she helped me regain flexibility and got me back on my center.
-Misti M-K
She gently guide you so that ultimately you understand your body better and are able to move with greater ease and less pain.
-Gwendolyn P.
Some of the numbness around my knees has subsided and I’ve regained some feeling as well as had deep joint pain reduction. Flexibility and overall strength has increased.
-Melinda C.
Her gentle, loving approach is just what my body needs to fully recover from a recent car accident. I leave each session with a slight tingling sensation and movement seems much more fluid.
-Shannon G
Cheryl’s background in physical therapy, dance, Pilates, Feldenkrais, and martial arts make her very capable of not only understanding movement but helping others achieve their goals!
-Sheila S.

Tag: Feldenkrais