Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Les Izmore


This is part of the extensive trail network in Sun River, OR. I lived about 7 weeks a year here during my 4 year feldenkrais training.
It was one of the cheapest short-term housing alternatives for a group in the Bend area.
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I spent hours after class walking or biking these trails. Occasionally crossing paths with the local deer herds or the wandering coyotes keeping a wary eye on me keeping a wary eye on them.
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Often I was alone on a trail in the middle of nowhere left to contemplate my simple existence while on this simple trail through the simple woods, next to a simple river, with simple mountains off in the distance.
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One thing I've learned about simplicity is that having less doesn't necessarily mean enjoying less. I can learn to be more efficient with what I have, this is of course assuming that base needs are met.
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There is a reasoning for why we often say during lessons to do less. Make the range smaller, the speed slower, less repetitious. This is in hopes that you learn to discern differences better.
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In scientific circles it's called the Weger-Fechner Effect...
... the less stimulus applied to a subject, the easier it is to measure change.
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Eg: a weightlifter is holding up a 200lb barbell, someone adds a feather to one end. Or the same weightlifter is still standing but without anything in his hands, someone adds a feather to his hand.
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Which scenario above is he more apt to note a change in weight?
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For more on the Feldenkrais Method® you can go to:

Erik LaSeur
Guild Certified Feldenkrais Teacher®

Monday, May 12, 2008

Fence building


Part of the fence I, with the help of my bro-in-law, built last Monday.
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Have I ever built a fence before? No.


You'd laugh at the plans I drew up for this thing. They were completely in my head.
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My boss at my day-gig where I've been handling the payroll for about 10,000 people is used to this from me.


This is a typical conversation between us...

boss-lady: Erik can you help me understand this such and such numbers problem?

Me: Sure, it's blah blah blah blah.

boss-lady: Cool....Do you have a written procedure for this?

Me: Uh...no. But it's in my head!


Such is how I make it through life.
There is a madness to my methods though. Having been profoundly deaf my whole life I've had to do things differently than most people.
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I'm a visual and tactile person.

Auditory, not so much.
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But with loss of one ability I've been blessed with others to pick up the slack.
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One of the strategies we use in our lessons is that of visualization. For some people this can be very effective in learning new ways of moving and being in the world.
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Many world-class athletes have been using visualization techniques for years to enhance their performances.
When we visualize ourselves doing the act the nervous system still sends signals to the muscular system. The muscles may not move, but they've received the instructions. So learning is still going on.
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Whatever you plan to build, whether it be fences or castles in the sky, visualization is a potent technique that can help you get there.
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For more on the Feldenkrais Method® you can go to:

Erik LaSeur
Guild Certified Feldenkrais Teacher®

Monday, May 5, 2008

The dance of not doing



The red clover is filling out the parking strip nicely. These are the first types of flowers that'll bloom in this space over the next few months.

Since this short strip abuts a 'STOP' sign there is no parking allowed, so the past two years I've planted it with wildflower seeds to beautify the corner.

To Do or Not to Do

One of the biggest challenges feldenkrais practitioners run into is the concept of not-doing. Most of us come from health and or medical fields and are used to doing something to someone, or working on someone, or otherwise being the expert of someone elses experience.

But what if we looked at it from a different perspective?

No one can know you better than yourself. And to use this to it's greatest success it's in our best interest (feldenkrais practitioners) to find a way for you to become more connected to yourself.

Another way of saying it could be: To Do or to Be.

If I can be with you I'll have a better chance of figuring out how you do something than if I just do stuff to you. To be with someone forces me to set aside any agenda I may have or preconceived notions of what 'should' be done to you.

This helps set the stage for learning, when the student realizes there is a two-way communication going on. To do something to someone implies a one-way communication....me to you. Sure I have moments when I just want to put someone in a posture I feel would be better for them, but this would take away any sense on their part that they're part of the solution.

When was the last time you touched or talked to someone without trying to impose your agenda upon them? Without trying to fix their problems?

Going through a 6 year disease process with my late wife I came face-to-face with many well-meaning people that were trying to tell us what to do. Not only was this unsolicited advice but it also made us feel at times as if we couldn't do anything right or that there was a 'reason' for this disease and if we would just try out their latest treatment everything would then be fine.

The unknown violence we cause in others lives by trying to help them....doing it to them.

Take a moment when with your loved ones or friends (or most importantly...yourself) to just be with them, happy that they're part of your life, and perfect the way they are. Of course you have better ideas of how they should be, but try keeping it to yourself.

For more on the Feldenkrais Method® you can go to:

http://www.feldenkrais.com/

Erik LaSeur

Guild Certified Feldenkrais Teacher®

http://www.alkimoves.com/