Creating Neurological Balance & Ease

Each class will help you to reduce the negative effects of anxiety and stress, and develop an optimal balance between action and relaxation.

Each exercise takes advantage of your brain's neuroplasticity to access your innate ability to change, interrupt habitual patterns, and will give you the tools you need to create a neurological equilibrium which you can count on.

David will share some of the exercises and techniques that he has found to be most effective with his students and clients, and that he uses himself to calm and relax his nervous system. 

These novel and gentle exercises are appropriate for everyone.

• No previous experience with the Feldenkrais Method is needed to participate.

• Practitioners and those with experience with the method welcome too!

Series includes:

Six video classes with talks + original Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement@ lessons

17 downloadable audio recordings These are the 6 video classes edited into talks and movement lessons for ease of access

Six hours of Q and A Videos + noted questions below

Bonus Recordings: Finding Neurological Balance and Creativity through Your Spine + Movements of the Jaw and Tongue to Reduce Anxiety + audio downloads of 5 Soothe and Calm sensory-learning exercises

“I loved how calm my body and mind felt after each lesson. It's slowly integrating into my everyday life.” -Allison Smoole

“I learned that I can deal with anxiety with simply opening and closing my hand.”

Student experiences:

“I have chronic migraines and neck pain. I felt that a new window of opportunity opened for me to find relief of my chronic conditions. After trying many different forms of therapy, I found some relief and increase in movement after one class. Doing the sessions made me realize that doing minimal and slow movements could allow me to progress rather than doing the same old repetitive exercises that were not helping any longer. I felt that I hadn’t hit a plateau and in fact, there was a lot to look forward to.”

“This idea of ‘letting go of unnecessary effort, tension in the body, translated to a calmer, less anxious emotional self. Even smiling reduces tension!”

“I realized how much the eyes, jaw and tongue influence movement. I also recognized I needed to keep efforting less. I notice that I tend to over-effort and am practicing letting go as I notice; recognizing holding my breath less during the course of daily activities.”

“This experience taught me a lesson that going into the lessons and being genuinely interested in listening to the body’s response without imposing my goal is the way to get better.” -Hozumi Kessler

“I feel better, I am more relaxed, I feel increased presence and am happier! -Christina Fargell

“I had an ‘AHA’ moment at the very end of the session. For some reason it was not clicking...move like a fish or snake. Then...I got it! My body slithered into organization. I also had a good laugh.I felt much more at ease in my body. Less tension with the ability to recognize tension. It helped me to relax my mind as well.” -Alison Babil

“I feel like I can stay more relaxed in stressful situations at work, because I feel that it´s ok to be me. This is an ongoing process since a few years, but Davids class definitely helped remembering.” -Angela

“I love the way I feel after the lesson. I hear, echoing in my head, ‘use less’. I walk around the house relaxing/releasing my shoulders and back, reminding myself to ‘let go.’” -Karen

“I am learning the ease with which I can shift from tension to comfort with simple shifts of attention. There is an increased degree of patience with myself and others, and a more clear belief in each of our abilities to change our patterns and moods.” -Linda Christy

“It was a highlight having a regular exploratory practice that encouraged me to stop and think. The lack of judgement and correction was a revelation to me and very much what I needed. I have used the hand opening sequence many times and found it very calming. I am also much more conscious of my breathing and letting myself go in order to breathe instead of making it effortful and a strain. David’s instruction to let go of the belly made me cry as I didn’t know that I had been holding...the breathing has helped my balance and the regular practice meant that I put time aside for myself that I might not have done otherwise.” -Jo

“I’m now aware of those areas of the body, tongue, jaw, etc. that tighten when there’s anxiety and when I notice one, I try to remember to to and belly breath. I am able to find and sense greater ease in the body, recognize it as an address and I can go back to it. It’s calmed long-standing obsessions and ruminations of the mind in a significant way.” -Sosan Ghosh

Movements of the Jaw and Tongue to Reduce Anxiety

This lesson is done lying on your back on a mat, rug or blanket, but can also be done seated in a chair if being on your back is not comfortable. Note: video begins 10 minutes in…

What participants noticed:

Very calming / My face feels so soft and relaxed / Huge relief to my stiff neck! / I feel like my face is melting <3 / Would be very helpful after dental work / felt amazing, and had some new feelings about my body. Will be thinking about this for awhile! / I notice a lightness everywhere! / My right TMJ has been clicking / popping this morning and it now feels released and the sides more balanced / Noticing whole nervous system more relaxed / Lots more freedom of my cervical spine / deep release in core and shoulders / my jaw and neck feel much more relaxed / Calm, light, peaceful / I notice that my shoulders easily away from my ears and my jaw is dropping easily / So fundamental! Thank you / My throat feels open along with a connection of jaw to tailbone / I feel that in my neck also!! ️/ My jaw feel so much looser…what a relief / My digestion is working / I notice the beauty and peacefulness of the plant life outside my window / Love the tongue and the tailbone / Great for my spinal stenosis / I realize how tight my jaw is. TMJ probably contributing to this a lot Feels slightly looser :) Thank you! / I have multiple whiplashes and this is wonderful / Relief in c1-c2 mirrored in my hip joints / Stiffness in cervical spine is gone

David answers additional questions that came up after the lesson:

More participant reflections:

I love the mention of our brain being our friend / Feel so grounded in my lower spine - incredible connection to the tongue and jaw and was standing taller / Face and jaw so relaxed and so fascinating to feel all the connections / My tongue feels loose as well / I hold insane tension in my jaw for years and this was incredibly effective and efficient! Thank you so much. Can’t wait to practice this again / My neck feels much better / My head is floating on top of my spine now with soft tongue and more relaxed jaw moving in both directions left and right

My eyesight is clearer / Vision improved!!!! / Insightful to feel connection of tongue and shoulder blades. Loved the differentiation patterns / More lively, soft neck, trunk more of a piece, more stable walking, happier / Less tension in face and neck - but also, my right hip was sore before and now no pain - relief / Pelvic floor is alive too / I noticed more space in my ribs during the last standing movements / My right ribs are often much less mobile than my left, and using the tongue allowed me to make space in my ribs, pelvis, and shoulder / Calming and restorative!

I believe this would be helpful if trying to fall asleep and feeling anxiety - the subtlety of the movements and invocation of the parasympathetic can be so helpful / Very calming / Noticing that my visual tracking now is smoother / This was new to me and appreciated you, David / Profound learning / Tingling softness in between my fingers, so free, ..love.... / Spacious at the top of the spine / The eyes seem resting further back in the sockets/  Thank you that was wonderfully relaxing / I could feel the tension in my jaw melt away. And I can turn my neck farther than usual / My teeth are touching in a very different way after the lesson / This class helped reduce my headache / Awakened my visual perception…

Movement & Creativity is a Feldenkrais Access affiliate