The Pelvic Floor with Deborah Bowes
2 Self Paced Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement® series with Deborah Bowes, Feldenkrais Trainer
Part 1: Discovery, Integration & Power:
A series of lessons and short lectures that will help you to discover and integrate the full use of the pelvic floor.
The lessons use breathing, imagery, and easy to do movements of the whole body to awaken and coordinate the functional use of pelvic floor.
This unique program has been developed by Deborah Bowes based on the research evidence showing that a healthy pelvic floor coordinates with a system of muscles including the diaphragm, the deep muscles of the spine, the hips and abdominals. She also draws from the teachings of Moshe Feldenkrais who described that pelvic control results from a coordination of a larger action system.
Deborah's pelvic health program offers an effective approach that goes beyond simplistic ‘Kegel’ exercises. In addition to improving bladder control, past students also discovered improved balance, reduced back pain, a deeper sense of the pelvis, and greater sexual pleasure.
Recovering the full use of the pelvic floor can help reverse some of the consequences of:
aging / hormonal changes or childbirth / abdominal surgeries / hip replacements / prostate surgery / or enlargement, and erectile dysfunction
Many students report an overall feeling of enjoyment and aliveness from these classes.
These novel and gentle exercises are appropriate for everyone.
No previous experience with the Feldenkrais Method is needed to participate.
People of all genders are welcome.
Dancers, equestrians or anyone with a history of back pain, incontinence, childbearing, or abdominal surgeries will benefit from this approach.
Many people have reclaimed this part of their selves through these simple, yet deeply powerful movements.
Part 2: Power and Finesse
This four week online series will focus on improving your finesse or skill to sense and use the pelvic floor in full body movements. Experiencing Awareness Through Movement lessons, we will explore the pelvic floor system as it contributes to the organization of the spine, abdomen hips and all the way up to the head. The movements will be done on the hands and knees, sitting on the floor, and standing.
You can discover pelvic floor integration in your daily actions, like walking, breathing, or carrying, singing, and more with little need for conscious control.
Part 1 Self Paced Series includes:
9 video classes with talks + Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement lessons
Lessons:
1. Well-Being Through Pelvic Floor Awareness
2. Abdominal organization, the container and the pelvic floor
3. Peeing! + Exploring Front & Back of Pelvic Floor through Skeletal Connection
4. Balancing the Buttocks
5. Breathing Evenly and Optimal Lifting of the knees
6. Learning, Patience, and Engaging the Pelvic Floor
7. Everyday Movements and the Pelvic Floor
8. Looking Outward, Sensing Inward: Eyes and Pelvic Floor
9. The Pelvic Floor - Sitting/ Mapping/ Breathing
26 downloadable audio recordings These are clips of the 7 video classes & Bonus recordings edited for ease of access
Part 2 Self Paced Series includes:
4 video classes with talks + Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement lessons
Lessons:
INTRO: Guiding Principles
1. Organizing the Hip Joints
2. On Hands and Knees: Coordinating Hips, Pelvis and Spine
3. Lying on the Side: Slow Movement of the Leg
4. Standing and Moving Backwards for Balance
11 downloadable audio recordings These are clips of the 4 video classes & Bonus recordings edited for ease of access
Student experiences:
Less pain
“My pain in the lower back is gone.”
Big shifts
“I feel so much stronger in my pelvic floor. I don´t need to pee as often as before – and I sleep much better during nights thanks to this.”
“I now feel hopeful for the first time in a long while that I may not be incontinent forever :) It's been a really difficult journey for me to try and regain pelvic floor functionality, and this work has gotten the most promising results I've yet experienced. I look forward to continuing to work with these lessons and that I am capable of deepening my relationship with my pelvic floor with these tools.”
“I feel my pelvic floor is more engaged or connected to my everyday movements. Also, my cystocele has improved dramatically”
“TWO HUGE learnings for me were:1. The pelvic floor is a synergistic system! 2. The distance between the sternum and the pubis is an indicator of the degree of stretch or balance in the abdominals! This simple yet powerful sensation was HUGE for me and I found the adjustment of that provokes the synergy!”
“I became aware of my muscles in my lower belly in a way that I had never felt before – and that is so interesting and I just love it! I also felt very relaxed after the lesson.I must say that I am so impressed by Deborah’s deep knowledge in this field, she is really an expert!”
“I can sit cross legged on floor with greater comfort. I'm more aware of the imbalance between left and right sides. More aware in day of pelvic movements and their relationship to abdominals.”
Theory & practice
“The theoretical explanations, the relationship to everyday life and the physical practices were relevant and integrated in a clear and concise way. The series supported my knowledge for teaching dancers and for my personal health as a woman in her 60's.”
“It was very powerful information for me with regard to riding. It’s hard to put into words but I was able to bring each lesson into action on my horse while riding. I’ve been exploring a lot with regards to Feldenkrais and riding for years but this was very subtle and detailed and powerful.”
“Wow there were a lot of things I learned. I learned intellectually and experientially the relation of the pelvic floor to the diaphragm. I could sense the “movement container” in myself. This series was supportive in ways that were very practical like how to relax the pelvic floor and how to visualize the pelvic floor. I loved the part about peeing and basic self-care in that respect – the things you often aren’t taught about your own body unless you have a problem.”
Connection of Pelvic Floor to Posture, Breath & Emotion
“For me it was more a relationship to my breath, and my ability to use my breath to calm myself, including parts of me (my neck, my shoulder) that always want to jump in on the action - even when I'm doing nothing but lying on my back and breathing. It was great to develop a better understanding of the relationship between the pelvic floor, the diaphragm and the breath.”
“I have a better awareness of how my pelvic floor affects my posture and supports my back. I hadn't been aware of that connection before.”
“The lessons were taught so beautifully, with such care and attention to those on the floor which made them very organic. I also learned so much about my pelvic floor, connections and disconnections. Strengths and weaknesses. So that was so useful.”
“Before we started I really felt little conscious connection to my pelvic floor, it was like a "blank spot" in my body. Right from the first lesson I started to get more awareness and each lesson helped me to build on the connection.”
“I was able to discover relationships between the pelvic floor, use of the abdominals, breathing, and posture, and had insights during lessons that 'connected the dots' to patterns of tension in my neck and chronic headaches. My body image expanded downward, giving me a more powerful sense of the pelvis and legs.”
“Connecting the pelvic floor to the eyes which created a powerful whole body experience.”
“I realized that I was taking the utilitarian functioning of the pelvic floor for granted and not bringing to it the same attention and awareness I bring to other parts of the body. I was surprised at times by emotion without any specific content and yet not surprised to recognize that the pelvic floor would evoke a lot of lived experience. Intriguing, not scary. Also, as a post-menopausal woman, it's easy to feel "done" with the pelvic floor and kind of erase it from the map, but I realized that it's only fertility that's over, not other functions.”
Peeing!
“My favorite lesson was when Deborah talked about peeing. A subject most people shy away from, but Deborah gave us useful information so we can evaluate our own peeing.”
“Information on what is "normal" for peeing helped me know it was ok to wait longer, and also that I could increase my relaxation and comfort.”
Changing habits
“I felt my body image expand downward, giving me more length and breathing room in the container of the trunk. I better understood how I could let go of habitual holding in my abdomen and pulling upward through my head and let myself "ride" on the pelvis. I saw more sharply a familiar pattern of making myself smaller and let myself enjoy the expansion of feeling tall and large.”
“Remembering to notice in my everyday activities whether I'm engaging the pelvic floor system to support a movement, e.g. coughing, lifting, squatting. Conversely, I've become aware of many occasions where I instead "bear down" eeek!”
Benefit to practitioners and Feldenkrais students
“As a practitioner who primarily teaches ATM, I appreciated and learned from Deborah's style of teaching--clear, calm, straightforward, creative. Her matter-of-fact tone about this intimate area was just right. I particularly admired her style of responding to questions--knowing her own boundaries of expertise, knowing when the question needed to be turned back to the student.”
“I discovered that she was showing me how to teach Awareness Through Movement. I am a Feldenkrais student in a training program in Spain and I found this was a nice present that she offered me even without being aware of it. I am feeling so grateful for the whole experience.”
About the Q & A
“I appreciated how frank people were in their questions, and how Deborah met those questions with great openness and lack of judgement.”
“I really find written information helpful in reinforcing what was discussed verbally. The majority of the questions were things I was curious about but had not thought to ask. And reading about what other people had experienced or struggled with in particular lessons helped clarify my own experiences.”
“The Q & A introduced me to the wider experiences of others. It created a bigger picture and appreciation for complexities. It was incredibly generous for Deborah to keep on answering written questions. It gave me something to think about between sessions.”
“I really enjoyed the Q&A, in particular, thanks to the woman who asked about prolapse in the first session. Deborah's clear and helpful tips about elevating the pelvis slightly with a wedge or rolled towel worked wonders for me!!”
About Deborah’s teaching
“I loved the respectful, no-fuss quality with which Deborah approached the subject of the pelvic floor. Also, her compassionate presence with us. Beautiful and supportive. Thank you!”
“This series was supportive physically and emotionally. Deborah’s gentle, intuitive and knowledgeable approach helped me trust and relax into her direct approach. I loved that Deborah shared her own difficulties with her pelvic floor and how she overcame it. I loved how reassuring, supportive and confident she was in her work and in our abilities.”
“It was a wonderful workshop because of the content, the pedagogical structure and Deborah Bowes. She is a no nonsense and ethical person who I would study with again and again. I also appreciated Tiffany's assistance throughout the workshop since it made the class feel personal and quite smooth as an online class!”
“Her talks are very educational.”
“I found amazing the teacher, Deborah. I learned so much from her sweet way of teaching, the use of her voice. It's a pleasure to be in one of her classes. It was my first time and I found so nice to meet her. She creates a wonderful safe environment for the exploration of this intimate part of myself which I found was really out of my self-image.”
“I loved how informed and experienced Deborah is as a teacher. It was so enjoyable to follow her through lessons and questions.”
About Deborah Bowes:
Deborah Bowes DPT, GCFT has been researching and teaching about this subject for over 25 years. Her physical therapy doctoral research showed that this program of Feldenkrais lessons improves mild to moderate urinary incontinence. She is a Feldenkrais Trainer, having taught in over 35 Feldenkrais training programs in the US and other countries. She has been in private practice since 1987 at the Feldenkrais Center for Movement and Awareness in San Francisco. She ‘cured’ her own incontinence at age 44 and since then has been passionate about sharing this approach with others to improve their quality of life.
This series has different lessons from Deborah's excellent CD series, Pelvic Health and Awareness, and also include lessons that explore basics for integrating the pelvic floor into one's function. The series will be appropriate for any adult, and one can expect new insights and discoveries no matter your experience with Feldenkrais. The talks will cover many themes that are not in her previously published lessons and can be tailored to your questions and interests.