(08-01-2011, 07:34 AM)benjamin Wrote: Hi Pat,
Interesting. Can somatics be done by yourself at home?
Because I live in a small town and there is nothing available like that. I used to have a friend who was a feldenkrais instructor, but he has moved away and I haven't heard from him and can't get in contact with him.
I will do another search, but i've tried to find many things near me and haven't been able to find practitioners.
I have these persistant problems with my shoulderblades and upper back. So it would be great to do something about it.
Yes, it can. There is a movement class version and a one-on-one session version. For most problems the classroom version is good enough, it just takes longer but is cheaper. Really severe problems probably need a trained somatic educator. The goal of somatics in all its forms is to educate the student to eventually be 100% self-sufficient with their care.
Your problem seems like classes would be the best route. My suggestion would be to pick up the Myth of Aging Somatic cd set. It covers major habituation patterns the majority of people have. If you do those, especially the first two lessons you should notice your back starting to loosen.
http://somatics.org/shop/products/hanna_...h_of_aging
fyi- i don't get any affiliation money from suggesting this.
Somatics works extremely fast to loosen muscles. The catch is that in my experience with it on myself and with clients is that movement patterns you learn are never truly forgotten. You need to ingrain newer relaxed patterns that over time become stronger than the old unwanted patterns. In practical terms what this means is that after doing the exercises you will be much more relaxed. Typically after sleeping though, you will find some of the tension will return. It's almost like your brain resets at night to whatever the strongest pattern is. But if you spend 5 minutes each morning just reminding yourself of the healthier patterns by doing a few quick movements, you will quickly go back to the previously learned relaxation and even get more relaxed each day.
Let me give you an example you can play with for your upper back shoulders...
For all the described movements go extremely slowly, so slowly that you have to concentrate. It will be mentally challenging. You will notice at time almost like "dark" spots where your brain doesn't quite know what to do. Physically it will show up as unsmooth or skipping motion. Never go to the point of a stretch. You should always be comfortable.
Lie on your side so that you can move the top shoulder freely. Imagine your shoulder is a clock. It can lift up (toward ear) to go to midnight. It can go down to 6. Forward to go to 3, rolling forward. Or back to go to 9, rolling backward. Keep your hand on your hip so it doesn't get involved in the action and flop around. We are isolating the shoulders here.
1. Do 10 reps really slowly of going back and forth from 3 to 9.
2. Rest for a 30 seconds
3. Do 10 reps going from 12 to 6. (Rest)
4. Then get more complicated start making very small circles (12-3-6-9 and later the reverse).
5. This should take you around 5 minutes each side and hits all the major muscles of the shoulder/upper back a little.
There is nothing complicated about the movement itself. The trick is the speed. You are moving so slowly that the conscious brain is forced to pay attention to get the job done. With conscious awareness comes control and relaxation. Over time you will get more relaxed. There are faster ways but they require a practicioner. This will get you there though. Play with it for a week and let me know if you feel any change. If you have any questions let me know.
