Sissi

I found Gloria on the yellow pages, I was looking for a Feldenkrais practitioner in my neighborhood and, I’ll be honest, I was attracted by her Italian name since I am Italian myself and French language is not among my best skills…
I knew already Feldenkrais method for I followed it for some time in the past, always due to back problems (herniated disc and consequent surgery). It was clear to me, from day one, that Gloria had tremendous insight into movement problems, and more importantly, she had ways of getting the « fix » into my subconscious brain.

I have been under Gloria’s wing for many months now and I feel lucky I met her. The last two years have been probably the hardest of my life due to chronic pain but Gloria turned this period into a positive parenthesis of my life, making me realize so many things which would be impossible to list here!

I follow both ATM (Awareness Through Movement) classes and FIs sessions (Functional Integration) and what I love the most if the emphasis put on doing movements extremely slowly and gently, which is essential for breaking out of habitual movement patterns and learning new ones. This emphasis on slow movement also makes it ideal for people who are in chronic pain.

Feldenkrais is not an exercise routine, it leads you to more efficient ways of using the muscles you already have, it makes you aware of subconscious tensions and holding patterns that make your movement less efficient. I love the fact that the approach is somatic, mind and body as one whole

Movement lessons are meant to be done with a spirit of exploration, so no two repetitions should feel the same, and with great gentleness towards your body. Gloria’s goal is to make your brain realize that it has many choices for each movement, and to let your subconscious brain pick the best choice for each situation.

By attending Gloria’s classes/workshops I am learning to pay more attention to my body, gaining the confidence to solve my own problems. I learned that inefficient movement is essentially bad coordination among muscles, resulting in internal stress and muscular spasms.

Following Gloria’s methods helps me to better deal with my issues, above all pain. Now I have a better understanding of pain, I see the direct connection between inefficient body organization and many kind of pain, physical and mental. After a class, I feel more relaxed and efficient, I realize my posture is improving but I am also aware that this is not a quick and dirty job…it take time to change my view of my body.

So what can you expect when you get Feldenkrais lessons from Gloria?