Bouncing Back

I spent part of the 4th of July over on Alki Beach playing beach volleyball.

This was the first time I've played volleyball in at least 10 years, and the first time in sand.

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Needless to say, I trashed my body.

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But I'm happy.

I met some new friends, found my serve :-), and now have a new (fun) way to get/keep in shape.

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Physically, I know I'll be ready the next time we play as I've learned how (through my feldenkrais training) to reset myself.

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The lessons take on a much more personal flavor when I've compromised my own abilities to move easily....lol.

The notions of moving less, and slower are easier when it hurts to do otherwise.

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Mentally, I feel I've made another huge step in my own recovery.

During the six years that Yvonne battled breast cancer I slowly removed myself from most friendships and activities, as I focused more on being there for her.

I hadn't realized what I done until after she passed on and I all of a sudden felt very alone, fat, and old.

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I've had to basically start a new life (luckily I had a job, a house, and a handful of good friends left).

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Moshé once gave a talk on 'What is health?'

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Part of his definition of health was the ability to overcome adversity, to bounce back. To take a hit and find a way to come back and live life...kind of a 'fuck you' to whatever tried to knock you down.

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I may never make a living in the feldenkrais profession (very few do), but you can't take away the invaluable learnings I received and continue to hone for my own self-preservation. The ability to re-set myself (derail any habitual patterns that I become aware of that aren't good for me) by the simple act of laying on the floor and allowing gravity to teach me a better way of being.

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For those who've never experienced an Awareness Through Movement lesson the above paragraph probably seems non-sensical. But it is a simple process for anyone to learn how to teach themselves to be their own best advocate for health.

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See you on the beach!

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

http://www.feldenkrais.com/

Erik LaSeur
Guild Certified Feldenkrais Teacher®

http://www.alkimoves.com/