Fall colors - red

I took these pictures about a month ago on a walk around the neighborhood.

The fall leaves were at their full-on red glory...

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This was my favorite tree on the street.

The brightness of the leaves helped me see it from 3 blocks away with ease.

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Some mid-sized berry like things down at the beach.

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The combo of pink and green looked delicious!

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One of the christmas cactus flowers in my living room, a few days ago:

For more on the Feldenkrais Method® you can go to:
http://www.feldenkrais.com/

Erik LaSeur

Guild Certified Feldenkrais Teacher®
http://www.alkimoves.com/

Coming January 09!

Awareness Through Movement lessons (group) at West Seattle Wellness in the Alaska junction.

Back pain? Just pay attention

I hear so many people complain about their sore backs and the many ways they try to alleviate it.

They go see their Massage therapist/chiropractor/Physical Therapist/Acupuncturist/herbalist/ect. ad infinitum.

While these methods all do wonders for temporarily alleviating the suffering and sometimes even long-term, none of them addresses the lifetime of habits that eventually led to this state of being.

I believe one of the most effective means is simply to pay attention to what you're doing. Once we begin to re-learn how to pay attention to how we do any action we then find how we incorporate (or not) the rest of ourselves in our actions.

The most efficient action is one where it's spread out evenly throughout the whole body.

Every action.

There is a reason Moshé entitled his last book "The Elusive Obvious." The Feldenkrais method is simple mechanics of efficiency, but this seems to elude most of us. If you want to watch a master at this type of learning look to the nearest infant, they're the most potent learners on the planet.

You can pay me (or the multitude of other LMP's) for a relaxing massage, or have a PT or physical trainer put you through the paces of strengthening your weak muscles, or have a chiropractor adjust your spine, or someone can balance your chakras, or do a voodoo dance to chase away the sore back demons.

But in the end did you learn anything about your habitual nature that got you into this condition in the first place? I do see the value in the other professions, I also believe that when the client feels they have control over their own healing, it's that much more powerful.

"If you know what you're doing, you can do anything." Moshé Feldenkrais

The next time you feel a muscular pain, whether it's your back, neck, shoulders, ect. pay attention not to the pain but rather to how you are using the rest of your body. How are you standing? Is more pressure on one foot than the other? Where on your feet do you support more of yourself? How are you sitting? Is there more pressure on one sitz bone (butt) than the other? Do you hold your breath during certain actions? Pay attention to excessive strain or holding patterns....etc.

You just might experience a little bit of your own magic (although I hesitate to use this word as it's really not magic just the nervous system responding to new information).

For more on how to apply this simple (fun and playful too!) yet very effective method for alleviating pain:

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

http://www.feldenkrais.com/

Erik LaSeur
Guild Certified Feldenkrais Teacher®

http://www.alkimoves.com/

I'm currently teaching individual lessons on Alki.

Gratitude today and always

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is the traditional day of the year when we give thanks for our lot in life. For our family and friends, home, job,health...etc.

In my own life I've found that regular sessions of thanks or gratitude have really opened up the beauty that life can be.

I find that not only having gratitude for all the things we deem 'nice' but also for all the people/things that we feel have given us challenges is important for us to move along in our growth as fully functioning humans.

It's those tough situations/people that have taught me valuable lessons in patience and forgiveness among other attributes. I've found it easier to put my experiences in perspective of how they shaped my life...to thank those that forced me to learn the tougher lessons.

In the end we all do the best we know how, the best we were taught by our siblings/parents/and other family members while we were in our formative years. In addition to this familial learning we also add in our extra-familial experiences and learnings that form how we are as mature (more or less) adults.

Hopefully today you'll take the moment to give thanks to all those (whether you judge the experience as positive or negative) that have impacted your life. And tomorrow....and the next day....and so forth.

Gratitude or giving thanks is one of the most powerful tools we have for our own growth.

For more on the Feldenkrais Method® you can go to:
http://www.feldenkrais.com/

Erik LaSeur

Guild Certified Feldenkrais Teacher®
http://www.alkimoves.com/

Curiosity cured the cat

The Grand Canyon has lots of ecosystems in a small space because of it's intense elevation changes.

Cats seemed to prefer this South Rim area.

Despite the sign it's tough not to let your curiosity roam for the sheer beauty of the canyon.

Curiosity is an important element in living a fuller, more spontaneous life. It can also play a role in our healing. When we begin to pay attention to smaller and smaller changes in our bodies during the lessons and after, we start to bring in more of ourselves to every movement. Every part can do a little and no one part does a lot.

No one can know you better than yourself, so you might as well be curious!

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

http://www.feldenkrais.com/

Erik LaSeur
Guild Certified Feldenkrais Teacher®

http://www.alkimoves.com/

Boo!

Happy Halloween!

I've lost 30lbs this year, so I'm going as a skeleton.

I built this guy (Dennis) in my trainer's garage in Bend, OR. A fun weekend with fellow classmates as we wielded drills and bungy-cords and the occasional brew.

I was warned...'Sasquatch Crossing' sign in Piercy,CA on Hwy 101.

Foggy morning in the Redwoods. They hide best in these conditions!

Fall colors in the Redwoods on the 'Avenue of the Giants'.

For more on the Feldenkrais Method® you can go to:
http://www.feldenkrais.com/

Erik LaSeur

Guild Certified Feldenkrais Teacher®
http://www.alkimoves.com/

Travel scenes

I don't think this guy was too amused at me backing my car up to take his picture, he was strolling along the shoulder just inside the West Yellowstone entrance.

One of the painter's pots....

Boys being boys....

Larry checking out the snow in Yellowstone...

This guy stopped all traffic just outside Jackson, Wyoming...

Zion National Park, one of the tunnel vents...

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Sunset over the North Rim of the Grand Canyon...

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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/

Keeping faith

Faith was born with her hind legs and part of a front leg (which had to be amputated).

She learned how to adapt to the situation and walks nearly erect. Notice how her tail is used for counter-balance.

Teach a person (or dog for that matter) how to function and their form adapts to the stimulus given it.

The common perception is that if you change someone's form then their function will change. I agree with this to a degree...once someone is in a chronic state then they can more easily address their habitual natures and learn to change their functions to more satisfying and efficient experiences.

Learn to live life more fully as a human being, or as a more full human doggie!

For more on the Feldenkrais Method® you can go to:
http://www.feldenkrais.com/

Erik LaSeur

Guild Certified Feldenkrais Teacher®
http://www.alkimoves.com/