FeldenRide E-Book

Charlotte R. Zetterberg

• Herausgeber: Books on Demand
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 160

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020

Beschreibung

"Feldenkrais for Riders is a comprehensive guide to improving your riding far beyond what you could possibly imagine. The movement lessons in this book are based on the Feldenkrais Method of movement education. They will not only radically improve how you move, your posture and your self awareness in the saddle, but Charlotte´s light and personal approach ensures that the learning experience is a delight from start to finish. This book is a must for anyone who is serious about being the best possible rider they can be for their horse." Catherine McCrum, Feldenkrais practioner, Psychotherapist and rider

Leseprobe

FeldenRide

FeldenRide - A Guide to Feldenkrais for RidersPreface To the English EditionAcknowledgementsIntroduction1 Learning Through Movement2 Moshe Feldenkrais3 A Personal Journey4 Feldenkrais and Riding5 Self-image and Scanning6 Practical Tips Before the Lessons of the Book7 Starting All Over Again8 The Pelvis, Centre of Power and Balance9 A Good Posture10 Inhale, Exhale11 Handy Hands12 Circles and Turns13 Basic Lines14 The Thoughts Precedes the Action15 Face and Jaw16 Eyes17 Stand on Your Own Legs18 Short Games19 Skeleton Images20 Riders with Changed Lives21 Therapy with Horses22 My Place on Earth Right NowBibliography Moshe FeldenkraisRecommended homepagesCopyright

FeldenRide - A Guide to Feldenkrais for Riders

 Charlotte Rhonwen Zetterberg

This book is dedicated to Alexandra and Hugo. You are always present.

All quotes by Moshe Feldenkrais.

The content is not intended to be a substitute for proffesional medical advice. If you have any concerns about your health, you should always consult with a physician.

Horse care and riding are not without risk, and while the author have made every attempt to offer accurate and reliable information to the best of her knowledge and belief, it is presented without any guarantee. The author therefore disclaim any liability incurred in connection with using the information contained in this book.

Preface To the English Edition

My father Alexander Himpel was born in Berlin but came to Sweden as a child. He stayed in contact with Germany throughout his life, both with his friends and in his professional role as a theatre director, teacher and arts critic. Thanks to him my bookshelf contains several essential equestrian books in both English and German.

At the beginning of 2018, father proposed that we should translate my book to German. I would assist with technical terms, while he did the bulk of the work. I declined the offer. I had no time, I was uncertain about the interest in Germany and did not think that I could take his critical approach. We had an otherwise good relationship with daily contact and nice encounters as well as a shared interest in music.

On Saturday 7 April, father did not answer his phone. I drove over to his house. He had fallen asleep and passed away with his cat Lisa by his side, aged 87. Until the very end he was active and engaged with many different cultural projets.

Shortly before, I had begun attending an online course with the couple Thomas and Shana Ritter. Through videos, live broadcasts and practical riding exercises, my riding and teaching reached new highs. Their way of thinking and working has a lot in common with Feldenkrais. I was therefore not surprised that Feldenkrais lessons formed a part of the course.

In relation to that, I mentioned my book and it turned out that there was an interest for a German as well as an English edition. Now, I am also part of Team Ritter, where I assist my Feldenkrais colleague Catherine McCrum with courses like “The Aware Rider”.

Thomas and Shana! Thank you for the invaluable knowledge that you pass on and for the warmth and positivity that you spread. It helped me in my sorrow as well as in my profession.

Thank you Catherine for a fruitful collaboration and beautiful friendship. Thank you also for all the hours you have spent on correcting the manuscript of this book.

Hugo, my talented son, who lives in Scotland.  I am so grateful to you for help with the translation of this book into English.

Father! Thank you for your never-wavering support. Then as well as now.

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Acknowledgements

Many of my Feldenkrais colleagues and friends have played an important role during the writing of this book.

Göran Mörkeberg is an Assistant Trainer. This means that he is certified to train students to become Feldenkrais practioners. He also arranges advanced trainings for them. By participating in his sessions I have greatly increased my practical knowledge. When I was unsure about my professional role, Göran was always willing to act as my mentor, which supported me to think more independently. He alos volunteered to fact-check my book.

Eva Laser administered a web forum for Feldenkrais practioners for many years. There, I learnt a lot and started to think about and write down my ideas for developing my own work.

I have shared experiences and friendship with Eva Damkjaer and Anna Gunnarsson. They have read through the draft and also encouraged me to believe in the project.

My dear friends Malin and Ola Ridderstolt. You know why!

Mother Bodil and my partner Måns have supported me in many ways. It is to a great extent thanks to them that I have been able to write this book at all.

Finally, where would I have been without the training I have recieved from all of my two- and four-legged students?

Introduction

To make the impossible possible, the possible simple and the simple elegant.

Some people have a great deal of experience of the Feldenkrais Method, whilst others have only a vague insight into what it is. Most people I meet have never heard of the method before. Even so, it has influenced many; it has caused new training concepts to be developed; it is present in several books in the horse riding genre - unfortunately, in many cases, with no references to the source of the ideas.

Famous trainers such as Mary Wanless from the UK and Eckart Meyners from Germany saw the importance of the Feldenkrais Method. The latter is a retired Professor of Sports Physiology and Body Movement at the University of Lüneburg, Germany. He teaches riding instructors, judges a.o. for the FN (German Equestrian Federation), and designed the Balimo stool and the Franklin balls for riders. Other advocates are Sally Swift as well as John Syers and Christopher Connolly in their book Sporting Body Sporting Mind (1984). Integrating the Feldenkrais Method can certainly lead to many new inisghts and can greatly enhance the effectiveness of equestrian training methods.

There is, as of now, no Swedish literature on pure and simple Feldenkrais for horse riders. Throughout the years, I have therefore often been asked about such a book by students. There is definitely a need for a practical guide on how to teach yourself to develop your riding through applying the Feldenkrais Method. A guide that is not only useful during your individual riding lessons, but also on a riding school horse; while riding in the forest and over the fields, as well as on your own at home. And why limit what you learn to horseback?

The intention was to give a broad overview, but in order to fully understand the depth of the method, I warmly recommend the reader to get acquainted with Moshe Feldenkrais´  own works as well as contacting a Feldenkrais practioner for group classes or individual sessions.

As you apply the contents of the book to your everyday riding, you will probably discover new sides of yourself, develop self-awareness, and maybe have a sense of entering uncharted territory. My hope is that this will happen in a positive and embracing spirit, where everything feels possible.

1 Learning Through Movement

The Feldenkrais pedagogy offers tools for lifelong learning, a dynamic path to self-awareness and personal development. You can discover how you really are doing something, regardless of what it is, and find alternative modes of action. With increased awareness of how you make use of yourself, you can develop your abilities both in basic actions such as sitting, walking and running, or using your arms and hands; as well as in more complicated actions- such as sport and singing. It is about learning to learn, which means that you will be able to adapt it to your own needs and wishes of what you want to learn.

The result is a more efficient posture which allows you to move with less effort, breathe more easily and more functionally, and with a greater capacity for coordination and balance. All of this based on a clearer self-image.

Brain plasticity, or the ability to adapt, is a term within modern neuroscience. The ability of the nervous system to change and learn is a process that continues throughout a person’s life. The Feldenkrais Method is based on this knowledge.

Moshe Feldenkrais differentiated between intellectual and organic learning. Intellectual learning means that the learner acquires knowledge by reading, or listening to a lecture, for example. Organic leaning is about a way of learning where the process is similar to that by which a small child learns. Without evaluating you find your way through playful experimenting; based on yourself and your preconditions. Thereby your actions will become more anchored in yourself and you will gain access to them more easily.

The kinaesthetic sense, or proprioception, gives the brain information about the movements through the skeleton, muscles and ligaments so that we can orientate and coordinate our movements. This sensory sense gives information through inner images and maps. Words and speech are often insufficient and limited when we wish to share sensory information with others.

There is movement in everything we do, but movement also accompanies how we think, experience feelings, when we see and when we hear. Therefore, it is not only about how you move, but also about becoming aware of all parts of an action; how you think, feel and how you perceive with your senses. If something changes in one of these parts, a change will also take place in some of the other parts.

When all parts of a human being act together with the smallest possible effort, the posture and action become harmonious. Developing feeling and knowledge about this fine-tuned and complex interaction is one of the cornerstones of the Feldenkrais Method.

Photo: Anna Gunnarsson

Two modalities

The method is conveyed both through individual and group lessons, often combined. Regardless of the variety, learning takes place consciously as well as unconsciously.

Functional Integration (FI) is an individual hands on session where the Feldenkrais practitioner normally works with you in a lying position on a wide treatment table. Soft, careful manipulations and hands on guiding lead to new discoveries and alternatives.

Awareness Through Movement (ATM) is normally a group lesson. You are guided verbally through a series of movements, which encourage you to explore every moment in a focused but relaxed manner. This is done at your own pace and based on your own preconditions. Sometimes the lessons include non-habitual movements, giving the nervous system new stimuli and challenges.

The method is used successfully within many areas, for example artistic modes of expression such as music, theatre and dance, within sport and in martial arts,  rehabilitation, healthcare and personal development.

To become an authorized Feldenkrais practitioner, you are required to complete four years of internationally approved training.

2 Moshe Feldenkrais

What I am after is not flexible bodies, but flexible brains.

Moshe Feldenkrais was born in the Ukraine in 1904, spent his childhood in Belarus and migrated to what today is Israel as a teenager. After having learnt ju-jitsu he developed his own self-defence techniques and had a book published on the topic. Feldenkrais had a general interest in sport. During a football match he injured his left knee, an injury that would resurface later after a relatively long period without any problems.

After sitting his school leaving examination, Feldenkrais moved to Paris where he pursued further studies as an engineer specialized on mechanics and electronics. He worked as a research assistant for the Joliot-Curie couple (Nobel Prize laureates in 1935) at the Radium institute, and did a PhD in Physics.

Between 1939 and 1940 he worked for Paul Langevin, Professor of Physics. In Paris, Feldenkrais met Jigoro Kano, the founder of modern judo. Together with Kano, Feldenkrais introduced judo in the Western world and was one of the first Europeans to earn a black belt.

During the Second World War, Feldenkrais was forced to escape to Scotland, where he worked as a scientist for the British Admiralty. By spending time on slippery submarine decks, the old knee injury returned. Surgery was possible, but since the outcome was highly uncertain, Feldenkrais instead began to work on himself in order to solve the problem. It was during this time that he developed his method. His sources of inspiration were still within physics, the development of the child, the theory of evolution and judo. At the same time, he immersed himself within other scientific areas such as Systems Theory, Cybernetics, Anatomy, Psychology and Neurophysiology. He gave lectures and lessons to his researcher colleagues and used these as the basis for his book Body and Mature Behaviour, published in 1949.

After the end of the war, Feldenkrais moved to London, where he worked as an inventor and consultant. He continued to practice judo and was a board member of the International Judo Federation.

During his time in London, Feldenkrais studied the works of George Gurdjieff, F. M. Alexanders and William Bates among others. He also stayed with Heinrich Jacoby in Switzerland for a period.

In the 1950s, Feldenkrais returned to Israel and eventually came to work exclusively with his method.

Feldenkrais successfully used the method on people with completely different needs, from children affected by Cerebral Palsy to famous musicians such as Yehudi Menuhin.

He gave lessons to Israel’s first Prime Minister David Ben Gurion and taught the world-famous British dramatist Sir Peter Brook and his theatre company Bouffes du Nord. Feldenkrais also collaborated with many great thinkers such as the anthropologist Margaret Mead, and Karl Pribram, Professor of Neuropsychology. Eventually he introduced his work to Europe and the USA. The first Feldenkrais practitioner training took place 1969-1971.

Feldenkrais continued to develop the method until his death in 1984.

3 A Personal Journey

It was in the beginning of the 1970s in Malmö, Sweden. I had just started school and was rather small, quite shy and very scared. In most situations.

At my parents’ home in Djupadal you could often hear the clattering of hooves against the tarmac. As soon as I heard the sound, I would rush to the window or to the garden fence and devotedly look at the big, beautiful, almost magical horses. The riders from the riding school in Hyllie, who, lacking country roads, passed the street where I lived. Once when I was very young I visited the stables with my mother and saw a girl mount a horse. I had also tried pony riding at Bosjökloster manor. That was all, but inside there was a curious longing for more.

Me and some classmates had talked for a long time about going to the stables to look at the horses. We had indeed imagined ourselves going there and finally the day had come. Our mothers had given us crispbread and carrots for the horses.

At Swedish riding schools at the time, ponies had not yet made their breakthrough. The horses in the stable was therefore mainly very large Swedish Warmbloods, all tied in their stables. We were hit by the smell of the horses. As we walked along the row of stalls, they turned their beautiful heads towards us, maybe expecting something to eat. But they were big and the thought of just walking into one of their stalls felt a bit scary. Once we were there something unexpected happened. My usually brave friends lost their courage when they saw the big animals in their stalls and chose to stay outside. It was just me and one other girl who dared to stroke the horses and let them taste our treats. My mother was very surprised when we got home and my friends eagerly told her about the visit. Was it possible? Her careful daughter? As for me, I mostly remained silent, resting in the powerful experience that the encounter in the stable had given me.

Today, nearly 50 years later, I only remember the unfamiliar, bubbling feelings of excitement that were awakened in me. It was there, on that very day, that my lifelong passion for horses was born.

Riding camp in Norway 1974

I did not suddenly gain courage over one day. Often, I was anxious and careful when I was in the stables, yet I could not stay away. Suddenly everything was about horses. The riding instructors in Hyllie were my idols and my dream was of course to follow in their footsteps. I had favourite horses, consumed horse books and magazines. My favourite games involved small plastic horses and riders. With them I ran riding clubs and camps.

I studied booklets from riding camps and when my kind parents allowed me to attend, I kept a logbook of everything, positive and negative, that I experienced during the stay. Following a template that I had designed myself, I also asked friends about their camp experience and made thorough notes of their answers. This was followed by meticulous evaluations and eventually my own homemade camp booklets.

With my favourite pony Snobben in 1976

During a moment of weakness, my dear mother promised me that I would get to choose between a scooter and a horse when I was 15. She was used to me getting tired of all the nice and suitable activities she signed me up for – piano lessons, tennis and ice skating. She had not yet realised the extent of my passion. At the age of 15 I therefore became the happy owner of the piebald mare Vildros (Wildrose), sired by the Thoroughbred Um Said and produced by the Tinker cross Tugboat Annie. Vildros was 155 cm (15 ¼ hands) high and proved to have a natural talent for jumping.

A few years later I trained with Anders Edman in Ystad and with Maria Gretzer at Dag Nätterqvist´s old centre in Everlöv. I thought that the latter was the height of luxury – there was even a tea and coffee machine by the riding stables! These were happy days with a friendly group of people who not only trained and competed together but also spent time together. At one point there was a trend to give each other live birthday gifts, which began with a pot-bellied pig followed by zebra finches and gerbils. The tradition had an abrupt end though when one poor person was gifted a giant spider! Luckily it was not me!

Adult Life

After school, I trained to be a nurse, a course that was very prestigious at the time. I felt at home within healthcare but could not let go of my dream of working with horses. During the holidays I attended courses for pony instructors and riding camp organisers. My instructors told me that I had a talent for teaching; I received excellent marks and appraisals. I clearly felt inside me that I was on the right path and that I had found my calling in life.

Thanks to the thorough market survey of riding camps that I had conducted in my younger years, there were no problems when I finally changed career and started my own horseriding camps. I joined the Swedish Association for Riding Camp Organisers and my riding camp soon became a great success. It also turned out that there was a demand for a riding school at the place where I lived. Soon I worked practically the whole year, from early morning to late at night. And I loved it! I had managed to achieve my dream!

With Vildros

But how did my own riding proceed? Since a year or so I trained regularly for a dressage instructor. It proceeded slowly. A constant issue was not being able to achieve the same quality of riding at home as I did when my instructor was there. A certain frustration emerged. Therefore it almost came as a relief when I was forced to take part-time sick leave. At the end of my first pregnancy I was banned from riding.

Centered Riding

To pass time during the pregnancy I went to a bookshop where I found a newly published and curious-looking riding handbook. It was called Centered Riding, written by Sally Swift – an American who had developed a concept that she called centered riding, grounded in Tai chi and the Alexander technique. At home, I read the book from cover to cover, while I imagined myself doing the described exercises.

My little daughter was born, two months went by quickly, and I was once again permitted to ride. Neither me nor Vildros was in top condition, so we spent our rides in walk in the woods, while I tried to remember and try out sections from the book. After a while we re-discovered our previous shape, but at the same time we had found something new and exciting.