Feldenkrais® for Better Walking

Saturday June 13, 2009
1 pm– 4:30 pm
$50

Call The Feldenkrais Centre at 416-928-3505
to register or for more information!

Hippocrates claimed walking to be man’s best medicine; while Henry David Thoreau referred to an early morning walk as a blessing for the whole day. Walking is one of the best, overall ways to stay active. Walking has been shown to help in the fight against obesity, heart attacks, diabetes, osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, as well as certain cancers (the Archives of Internal Medicine showed that seven hours of walking a week at a brisk pace of five to seven kilometres per hour was associated with a 20% decrease in the incidence of breast cancer). Research also indicates that a brisk 20-30 minute walk can have a similar effect as a mild tranquilizer.

Clearly walking has many physical and mental benefits. However, as with any physical activity there are risks, if not done properly and with care. We learn to walk before we talk, and over time we develop habits of walking that make our unique gait recognizable to friends from a block a way. These same habits can limit us; even create the conditions for pain and injury.

As applied to walking, the Feldenkrais® Method analyzes gait, explores the synergy of legs, pelvis and back, and the cross lateral relationship of hips and shoulders. It also looks at how our hip joints work when we walk, as well as the contribution of the spine.

Feldenkrais® for better walking aims to tinker with the parts that enable us to walk, combine them in new ways, clarify connections, and clear out the debris. Applying the Feldenkrais® Method to our way of walking will help to improve this fundamental human movement pattern, ensuring we walk with more ease, effectiveness and pleasure.