Rediscovering The Lost Way Of Walking
by Josef DellaGrotte Ph.D.

What is it in a persons way of walking that looks good, that resonates with us, that has a certain elegance to it, has a sense of togetherness, confidence, power, endurance, yet is relaxed and seemingly, attractive and enjoyable? 

As a somatic practitioner, therapist, and personal trainer, a veteran of many thousands of miles of walking on this planet, I have observed that a high percentage of clients who experience pains and difficulties relating to walking, Over the years, by working on developing  my perception to see beyond treatment into how things interact and interconnect, , I am more often able to see (what is often elusive, yet obvious, (as Dr. Feldenkrais, FM Alexander, Ida Rolf and others have pointed out) namely that all components of movement are not just parts but are all interconnected as one functional structural, and yes, even psychophysical entirety. 

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Recently, I experienced a series of Zentherapy sessions with Hudson area practitioner, Jim LaPeer. I found each session to be a fascinating process of letting go of not only physical tension, but mental tension as well. I experienced that when I hold tension in one area of my body, I also tend to hold tension in seemingly "unrelated areas." For example, when I consciously released the tension in my hip, tension in my shoulder or neck would release simultaneously. 

I chose to go through Zen Bodytherapy because, like so many people these days, I was experiencing a time of major transition in my life and felt I needed to let go, both physically and mentally, in order to see clearly what I needed to do. I met Jim LaPeer at the holistic center, Gentle Currents in Greenland, N.H., where he was seeing clients and I was offering psychic counseling sessions. One afternoon we spoke at length about the work he was doing and I decided that Zen Bodytherapy was just what I needed. 

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Feldenkrais In A Nutshell
by Joyce Kegeles,GCFP

There are two ways of studying The Feldenkrais Method®. People in pain or with complex problems will benefit from doing both ways concurrently if they are able; others explore their own path within the work, and can easily consult a practitioner's advice.

Awareness Through Movement® or ATM® is a group class, done either lying or sitting on a mat, and sometimes standing. This is not a form to perfect, but rather a variety of different lessons done with only verbal guidance by the practitioner. Lessons are structured to explore different neurological and developmental choices, which our brains will adopt unconsciously (on a pre-cognitive level.)

Functional Integration® or FI® is a one-on-one gentle manipulation on a table, fully clothed. The practitioner guides the person's movement through touch rather than with words. This approach is more individualized and direct, for a practitioner can move someone very differently from the way (s)he can understand in an ATM class. In FI as in ATM, the brain adopts new choices automatically without having to consciously "correct." This experiential learning results in a true ease of being reflected in one's movement, posture and breathing.