In this Video, Cynthia Allen explains how a disordered nervous system contributes to chronic pain and then offers ways how to reduce the noise in your brain using Feldenkrais. Let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment down below!
I was sitting up on my sofa with my head rested following along. The last thing I remember was doing the bell hand maybe for about a minute. Next thing I know I’ve startled myself awake. I fell asleep sitting up I was so relaxed!!! My husband said I was asleep for 45 minutes!!! Wow. I must’ve really needed the reset! I’ll have to take another listen later today!
Oh wow, I felt these tremendous waves of relief and gratitude fold out from within me while doing the jellyfish hand exercise. Warmth and a renewed feeling of connection flowed through my wrist as my hand gently pulsed up and down. I have had chronic lower back pain for nearly a decade and the sense of recognition and sorrow that emerged in response to your description of the inner environment as crowded and full of shouting was immense. After cupping my eyes, my gaze has softened remarkably and my ease, pleasure and well-being in this moment have all increased. I had no idea how much my eyes have been pressing out of their sockets in response to the pain and anxiety that usually crowds around me. Thank you so much, Cynthia, for giving my inner space this moment of calm and quiet.
What an eloquent and powerful expression of your experience. I am so glad to be part of showing you a glimpse of the potential that lies within. Wishing you well on your healing journey. ~ Cynthia
Calmed my busy brain within a few short minutes. Thanks Cynthia. I liked your comment that responses to old traumas do outlive their usefulness.The old emotional and physical wiring is persistent isn’t it? The morning feels and is quieter already! Thank you my friend.
I'm very new to Feldenkrais and I thank you as well as my intermittent hip pain for making me aware of my body and how I can move individual body parts to achieve relief and total calm in my mind. As the session ended I noticed a light, soft focus happing in body, brain and eye as well as a smile of deep contentment spreading across my face! Huge Thank you Cynthia, I now have something I can do in the night when discomfort affects my ability to sleep or at least rest with any situation that creates tension!
This is great. Thank you Cynthia. I particularly appreciated your explanation of why some people might have developed chronic pain because their early learning environment was not ideal for quiet and safe exploration. Really helpful and amazing the effect of these simple exercises.
Imelda - 2 mei 2020. Dankjewel Cynthia voor jouw eerste en nu ook tweede lezing over chronische pijn, je hartverwarmende en veilige uitstraling. Vanaf dat je begint stromen warme tranen en komt er van alles van vroeger naar boven maar ook recentelijke dingen zoals de plotselinge dood van mijn 27 jaar oude merrie waarvan ik nog in de rouwfase zit. En er zit nog veel meer, dat voel ik wel. Maar tranen maken dingen los en bewust. De oefening was fijn en veilig om te doen en wat vertel je mooie dingen van mensen die er veel baat bij hadden. Nogmaals dankjewel.
Wow Cynthia! I did this and i started to yaown so much and bringing out loud sounds... what a pressure came out of me! 8 m familiar to somatics methonds including some feldenkrais lessons and i ve noticed that it has so much effort in me... It is almost magic! But you are so right about the things you told at the beginning of the video... I try out your excercices every morning... Thank you of the deepest of my heart... ❤
Thank you so much for this. I enjoyed learning and doing these quieting movements, and am continually blown away by the richness of the Feldenkrais repertory!
I have found it very refreshing Cynthia to have you acknowledge that people should ‘play around’ with these techniques and that your better back programme draws on more than Feldenkrais. This flexibility of approach will, I’m sure, enable you to maximise the benefit of your advice and input. Although your introduction does not reference the problems with the nervous system being caused by disease alongside the other things you mention, I still wanted to see if I could potentially benefit by adding to the things I already utilise. I have MS that causes me chronic pain. I found that I needed to disengage from the eye technique, because know for MS can lead to blindness means I found it disconcerting. However the jellyfish/bell hand was not only new to me, but relaxing and I shall definitely try making use of it when the pain flares up. I most particularly wish to thank for for your guidance on breathing. I have utilised breathing, for example when doing mindfulness meditation and have already struggled with the requirement to take a deep breath in, whilst loving the sense of a long and relaxed exhale. I will be far more confident now of knowing that what works for me is to focus on the out breath and not to approach it with a rigid sense of expectation of myself. I may not be able to quieten an overstimulated CNS as mine is instead riddled with damage, but seeing myself over the hurdles of when the pain is louder each day will enhance my quality of life!
I am glad you found it useful Fiona and that you gave yourself permission to not do what bothered you. Even with disease states such as MS, the nervous system can be calmed for sure! So keep exploring and working with yourself. I think the Feldenkrais Method will be very useful for you. - Cynthia
I have now subscribed to your Feldenkrais practice. It’s where I belong. Thank you, Cynthia. I love these talking sessions which soothe my mental state of wanting to understand. 🙏🏼
Thank you. The eye cupping resource made me feel profoundly peaceful. I have heard of cupping the eyes from Healing teachings but the added focus enabled me to realise how using the computer too much, with all the distracting (and profoundly annoying) interruptions and alerts that go on, apart from what one is trying to do, over excite the nervous system. My pain walk really started to escalate following the lock downs (I live in UK). Whilst I realised that this was when it really started to kick in I could not understand why it had such a bad effect. This video explained that to me and I cant thank you enough. Will have to continue with the jellyfish hand as I found that very difficult to do, my hands being veeerry stiff!
Thank you Cynthia for this extremely useful technique...you have such a soothing and calming way of explaining this phenomenal method and after incorporating the bell hand and eye cupping technique feel extremely relaxed, calm and the pain in my back has subsided immensely...Thank you for all you do and May God bless you.
When you mentioned difficult birth I had a recognition and then further to embryonic stress which I’ve tried to address through underwater rebirthing sessions. I’ll say nothing really ‘stuck’ as far as permanently altering my central nervous system for the better. This was quite helpful. I’ve also come to see over the years to take the focus off my inhale, and to just notice what is to start. I notice I’m still in a more parasympathetic nervous system state while also maintaining a sharp focus which always is my intention.
Thanks for your sharing that. Our goal in the Feldenkrais work is to lower stress over and over. Is a gradual retraining process. It sounds like you have found a good path. Fabulous that you take the time to notice just what is in terms of breath.
Thanks for posting. I tried these when I read the "The Brain's Way of Healing." It's nice to see them demonstrated. I'm pleased to say with the eye cupping I had little to no "noise." I miss you!
I didn't really know if I'd need this. But, turns out I do. I lost 3 people in 8 months 12-13 years ago. . My sister, my husband, then my Mother. Had to go to 3 other funerals, plus a divorce in there and our cat died too. I've thought I've been losing it. But, guess not really. Btw, I walked into the hospital when my husband died. After when we left. I needed a wheelchair. I couldn't walk. I was in such pain physically for months. Depression. It's horrible
Cynthia, thank you so much for this lesson. I just found it on UA-cam, so this was my first lesson with you. This lesson was so deeply relaxing and completely released the jagged feelings and thoughts that were stressing my brain. I love your approach to Feldenkrais, your gentle expressive way of leading the lessons, and the sense of ease that flows. I have been working for 2 years as a private patient with Dr Ann Harman here in Gainesville, Florida, So I’m not new to Feldenkrais, just always searching for more people to lead me through home practice. I look forward to joining you in the future.
So grateful to discover your work. 🙏🏽. Myself, recovering from chronic pain pelvic SI joint dysfunction and low back from a physical injury. I am green and in uncharted territory with learning Feldenkris. I would be grateful if you can guide me , or suggest where to begin in learning this method.
It's really important that you sign up for the free summit starting soon. You can do that at FeldenkraisSummit.com. You can come to the free live summit or purchase the Unlimited Freedom Bundle. With the bundle, you will get access to smaller group, private Secret Sauce Movement lessons with Cynthia Allen and Lavinia Plonka. And you might benefit from that in addition to the free summit. But for sure, grab free.
Thank you so much. I really have lots of inflamatory pains. I've just discover Feldenkrais lessons a few months ago. What a chance ! This exercice was revealing a lot of agitation in my inner sigth. I will do it again to ease and calm at this inner agitation. Thank you for your great work/love that you are sharing.
I am so glad it was valuable for you Marie-Josee. You can see all my online options at futurelifenow-online.com All the best on your healing journey. ~ Cynthia
I have noticed that I rub my cupped hand back and forth with my fingers really firmly holding on to my thighs while I do that. I also tend to bring my hand to just below my collar bone and make a spreading motion with my my cupped fingers in and out, in and out. I have wondered why I make these motions. They feel calming. I have seen them as signs that I am not coping well. Your demonstration and explanation of the jellyfish and cupping give me a different perspective. I am probably actually doing something helpful. I also cup my hands over my chest center when anxiety burns there and it helps warm and calm the pain. I think I will pay attention to the suggestions you are giving me. They may be more helpful because they are more intentional. I will see what happens when I do.
Hello Connie. It sure sounds like you are doing some self-comforting. Exploring and being curious is a great thing to do. Let us know what you discover!
Wonderful video. Dr William Bates talked about using palming to improve vision. I come from a background of reducing noise in the nervous system to let vision function in a more optimal way :)
@@Futurelifenow Happy to see your knowledge about Bates and healing in general :). I ran into natural vision improvement by accident when I was contemplating Lasik. I started exploring natural vision improvement, failed initially, then traced it back to Dr Bates because I thought since he started vision healing, he would explain it better. I read his work, started applying, gradually understood that vision is all about eliminating noise and then my sight improved significantly. Then I became able to know which works make sense. I liked your video because it puts palming in context (relaxation and eliminating noise).
@@tareqal-shargabi4927 Can reducing noise in the nervous system also somehow correct and/or prevent worsening of cataracts? Normally I wouldn't think so, but I was just reading up on David Webber's story (the Feldenkrais practitioner known for going from legally blind to 20/20 and later developing the "Seeing Clearly" program) and noticed that the cause of his double cataracts was "eye pressure" (presumably from the autoimmune condition that led to his blindness) It just made me wonder if tense eyes (from a dysregulated nervous system) could also cause the kind of eye pressure that would result in cataracts??
444 Hi! Dr Bates magazines have many stories on people who were able to correct cataract by ‘eye relaxation’. In fact, Dr Bates says how he experimented on a bull eye, pressured it, saw the cloudiness formed (cataract), released the pressure and the eye became clear again. Palming is one of the main techniques of Dr Bates, which is based on closing the eyes, and not trying to see anything. This ‘elimination of noise’ lets the eye muscles relax and vision improves.
Thank you so much for sharing this! I enjoyed very much the jelly fish, and during the eye cupping I was pleased to find an almost black color internally, with a faint web of burgundy/brown over the black, but felt my eye actually physically twitching. The later subsided, and I was able to bring the color to almost complete black. Simultaneously, my back was feeling a lot better (I was feeling some pain in the lower back prior) and after the exercise my eyes felt a lot more relaxed, a wonderful feeling! As a singer I am very aware of my tongue, but I had no idea it had so much wiring into the brain, together with the hands and eyes. No wonder fine motor skills and language development, together with correct visual stimulation, play such a huge role in human development. I watched my mother re-learn to speak after her stroke at 71 (she lost her speech entirely), while building with and balancing fine planks together with my 2 year old son, who was also just starting to learn to speak. It was magical and joyful to see :)
I am really tuning into the jellyfish hand, as I am dealing for 10 months with a broken wrist --- tingling, numbness, stiffness.. Haha, when I was very little (around 3 or 4 yrs.) I used to throw jellyfish at people. Now here they come back to me, but they (jellyfish and undulating hands) are reminding me to rejuvenate humor in my nervous system and all its "circus/dream" effects... : )
I found the breath awareness and eye cupping helpful. Jellyfish hand however exacerbated my pain levels as it brought into focus the pain in my hands due to my Rheumatoid Arthritis. I've been managing my chronic moderate pain well for years. However, recently my hands are deteriorating and the pain is acute again. Looking further into the channel for some more excercises. Thanks.
What do you have for hearing loss? I know mine is from a noisy brain. Hearing aids are helpful but can send an unnatural sound that doesn’t make the situation or the brain noise better.
Hearing loss is something we aren't able to do much or anything about. Could there be situations where the brain needs calming to hear better, yes. And could there be times when the tension in the jaw, skull and neck affect hearing, yes. But these instances are fairly rare from what I have seen. I know hearing aids aren't the same. And don't help everyone as much as others. Definitely do Feldenkrais for calming the nervous system brain and improving awareness and perception overall because that improves most every moment of life. But I would still expect you to need support from a hearing aid.
About a year ago I started doing a “go to the dark place” I close my eyes and I have a black square patch to the right. I focus on the square and don’t allow any thoughts or visions. Within a few minutes I have removed enough stimulus that I can yawn and am reset for another hour or so to get me through a task or errand.
Absolutely brilliant exercises. I am not surprised to have a confirmation for the link between chronic pain to emotional trauma early in life. And very interested by your comments on how the brain repeats and strengthens bad ( and eventually better ) wiring. Thank you so much. Your breathing exercises were not new to me but as a professional musician I was more aware than most of how to use my hand ( bell or jellyfish ) as a means to calm myself. As I was already quieted, my eye color behind cupped hands was already dark. It is frequently red and even blood red. I will be attentive to trying this particular exercise when I am less calm to notice the differences.
Thank you, such a nice introduction to this method. With the cupping technique I could feel my eyes would keep wanting to strain and move and it was hard to relax them and let them “fall back” into the socket so it is clear to me that this is a real problem point for me. A question: due to my illness my body gets terrible fatigue often and in these times the use of my hands may trigger a worsening state. Are there techniques you could recommend that I could do without my hands so I can keep them still?
Sure. Lie comfortably on your back. Place one hand on your belly and one hand on your chest. Support the elbows with a pillow for comfort as needed. Then just allow yourself to breathe normally while noticing any movement other than hands. Do this for around ten breaths. Take a break and do it again. 🙂 You might also find this lesson nice: ua-cam.com/video/QTF8C4247Dw/v-deo.html
Thanks a lot. I am a Swedish feldenkraisteacher and loved to be reminded about this lovely lesson!!!!! Maybe we met in Amherst?? I was fortunate to be trained in Moshes last training!
Vertigo can have a lot of different causes. Sometimes just sitting and doing a basic pelvic tilt forward and back, left and right can help. But otherwise I would need to see you in all likelihood to have a clear plan. I wish you speedy recovery from it.
@@Futurelifenow I truly appreciate your reply and the get well wishes. In my case, I was diagnosed with BPPV associated with the ears, so movements of the head like lying down or turning the head at a certain direction left, right, up, or down can cause the vertigo. When I get better I'll keep on practicing your excellent videos. Greetings from Mexico.
so i was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, and then i got sick from a medication , after i had an accident . . . and here we go. At the same time doing therapy for CPTSD And i find myself have thoughts like - - what happened when i was born and my mother was sick, or when my father grabbed me by the neck etc . . well . . . and so i do my personal work; the world gets crazier during the covid lockdowns , i can't get medical treatment . . . and my therapist dies. And on I go. The noise. WOW The tinnitus that i had a whisper of in one ear is now a crashing symphony in both. Can't watch tv - nothing . What you have said here helps to know how to talk to those ones in side that are petrified all the time; and to help me learn that i don't have to push all the time. My first doctor when i collapsed and had such anxiety i couldn't go out alone - told me that hand movement thing that you did. He also said that he thought 'timed or counted breathing ' was terrible for anxiety patients - And when ever things are really bad - i go back to that. The eye covering is the first position in a Reiki treatment (i was /am i guess a reiki master )
@@Futurelifenow . . . - thankyou for your kindness - What a spill that was; which is what happens when the pain is high - if i'm not bedridden yet-i have no filter at all. ! That's the noise , right. I'm grateful for your reply, because i'm feeling very balanced out for the first time is a very long time . . so i need to remember how i got there. Thankyou!
Hello Cynthia, I’m loving using the soft hand movement for calming. I just wondered if I could use a domed eye mask instead of cupping my hands over them for the eye exercise though as I struggle to put my arms up due to shoulders aching and hurting? Would it be just as effective when doing Feldenkrais eye exercises or is it the relationship between the eyes and the palms that is needed please? Thank you for all you do🙏🏻
Hi Trudy. A mask won't have the same effect. But if you lie on your back and use pillows as support, you may find it very doable in small amounts at a time. 🙂
Great vid, thank you. Loved the bell hands. Looking forward to trying the eye cupping. And am grateful you told us about the studies showing that a really deep breath is actually an excitation...I had wondered if that might be the case.
Tinnitus is a hard item to address. It has many causes and occasionally the Feldenkrais Method makes some improvement but fairly rare that this happens.
I went several minutes in and observed you using the phrase "noise" with the assumption that the viewer understands you are using either a) a metaphor for poorly controlled neurological phenomena, b) the scientific definition of noise which is "irregular fluctuations in a signal that are not intentional or useful data" or c) you've made up your own definition. Which of these reflects your use of "noise" is unclear and renders this talk unscientific and frustrating to some.
Rosa- Oh so sorry you know the challenge of chronic pain. I do indeed know what pain is. How difficult life events affect each person can be quite different. But I understand depressed and bitter happens. I hope the video may give you some tools for relief. From you comment later on, it looks like it did. ~ cynthia
In this Video, Cynthia Allen explains how a disordered nervous system contributes to chronic pain and then offers ways how to reduce the noise in your brain using Feldenkrais. Let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment down below!
What's her FB page she mentions in the beginning ?
I was sitting up on my sofa with my head rested following along. The last thing I remember was doing the bell hand maybe for about a minute. Next thing I know I’ve startled myself awake. I fell asleep sitting up I was so relaxed!!! My husband said I was asleep for 45 minutes!!! Wow. I must’ve really needed the reset! I’ll have to take another listen later today!
We are glad that you find this relaxing. 🙂 We have more videos in our channel. 🙂
Oh wow, I felt these tremendous waves of relief and gratitude fold out from within me while doing the jellyfish hand exercise. Warmth and a renewed feeling of connection flowed through my wrist as my hand gently pulsed up and down. I have had chronic lower back pain for nearly a decade and the sense of recognition and sorrow that emerged in response to your description of the inner environment as crowded and full of shouting was immense. After cupping my eyes, my gaze has softened remarkably and my ease, pleasure and well-being in this moment have all increased. I had no idea how much my eyes have been pressing out of their sockets in response to the pain and anxiety that usually crowds around me. Thank you so much, Cynthia, for giving my inner space this moment of calm and quiet.
What an eloquent and powerful expression of your experience. I am so glad to be part of showing you a glimpse of the potential that lies within. Wishing you well on your healing journey. ~ Cynthia
Calmed my busy brain within a few short minutes. Thanks Cynthia. I liked your comment that responses to old traumas do outlive their usefulness.The old emotional and physical wiring is persistent isn’t it? The morning feels and is quieter already! Thank you my friend.
Glad you found it useful Mark!
I'm very new to Feldenkrais and I thank you as well as my intermittent hip pain for making me aware of my body and how I can move individual body parts to achieve relief and total calm in my mind. As the session ended I noticed a light, soft focus happing in body, brain and eye as well as a smile of deep contentment spreading across my face! Huge Thank you Cynthia, I now have something I can do in the night when discomfort affects my ability to sleep or at least rest with any situation that creates tension!
How wonderful for you!
This is great. Thank you Cynthia. I particularly appreciated your explanation of why some people might have developed chronic pain because their early learning environment was not ideal for quiet and safe exploration. Really helpful and amazing the effect of these simple exercises.
Glad it was helpful! 🙂
Imelda - 2 mei 2020. Dankjewel Cynthia voor jouw eerste en nu ook tweede lezing over chronische pijn, je hartverwarmende en veilige uitstraling. Vanaf dat je begint stromen warme tranen en komt er van alles van vroeger naar boven maar ook recentelijke dingen zoals de plotselinge dood van mijn 27 jaar oude merrie waarvan ik nog in de rouwfase zit. En er zit nog veel meer, dat voel ik wel. Maar tranen maken dingen los en bewust. De oefening was fijn en veilig om te doen en wat vertel je mooie dingen van mensen die er veel baat bij hadden. Nogmaals dankjewel.
Eye cupping, bringing in the black velvet, exercise calmed down my anxiety like nothing ever has. Much gratitude.
Oh I am so glad to hear this Susan. We all need ways to calm. - Cynthia
Wow Cynthia! I did this and i started to yaown so much and bringing out loud sounds... what a pressure came out of me! 8 m familiar to somatics methonds including some feldenkrais lessons and i ve noticed that it has so much effort in me... It is almost magic! But you are so right about the things you told at the beginning of the video... I try out your excercices every morning... Thank you of the deepest of my heart... ❤
What a powerful response. We're glad you find our video lessons so helpful.
this short session helped me calm down more than any single meditation I’ve done. Maybe I’ll do that Better Back program.
I'm so glad you got that benefit!
Thank you so much for this. I enjoyed learning and doing these quieting movements, and am continually blown away by the richness of the Feldenkrais repertory!
So glad you found it beneficial. The Feldenkrais repertory is phenomenal!
I have found it very refreshing Cynthia to have you acknowledge that people should ‘play around’ with these techniques and that your better back programme draws on more than Feldenkrais. This flexibility of approach will, I’m sure, enable you to maximise the benefit of your advice and input.
Although your introduction does not reference the problems with the nervous system being caused by disease alongside the other things you mention, I still wanted to see if I could potentially benefit by adding to the things I already utilise. I have MS that causes me chronic pain. I found that I needed to disengage from the eye technique, because know for MS can lead to blindness means I found it disconcerting. However the jellyfish/bell hand was not only new to me, but relaxing and I shall definitely try making use of it when the pain flares up. I most particularly wish to thank for for your guidance on breathing. I have utilised breathing, for example when doing mindfulness meditation and have already struggled with the requirement to take a deep breath in, whilst loving the sense of a long and relaxed exhale. I will be far more confident now of knowing that what works for me is to focus on the out breath and not to approach it with a rigid sense of expectation of myself. I may not be able to quieten an overstimulated CNS as mine is instead riddled with damage, but seeing myself over the hurdles of when the pain is louder each day will enhance my quality of life!
I am glad you found it useful Fiona and that you gave yourself permission to not do what bothered you. Even with disease states such as MS, the nervous system can be calmed for sure! So keep exploring and working with yourself. I think the Feldenkrais Method will be very useful for you. - Cynthia
I have now subscribed to your Feldenkrais practice. It’s where I belong. Thank you, Cynthia. I love these talking sessions which soothe my mental state of wanting to understand. 🙏🏼
Wonderful! Glad you have you.
Thank you for sharing this, Cynthia. Your voice is lovely and the cadence and tempo used to communicate is soothing.
Thank you for that feedback Eric. I'm glad you found it so.
Thank you. The eye cupping resource made me feel profoundly peaceful. I have heard of cupping the eyes from Healing teachings but the added focus enabled me to realise how using the computer too much, with all the distracting (and profoundly annoying) interruptions and alerts that go on, apart from what one is trying to do, over excite the nervous system. My pain walk really started to escalate following the lock downs (I live in UK). Whilst I realised that this was when it really started to kick in I could not understand why it had such a bad effect. This video explained that to me and I cant thank you enough. Will have to continue with the jellyfish hand as I found that very difficult to do, my hands being veeerry stiff!
You got a lot from that! I am so glad.
Thank you Cynthia for this extremely useful technique...you have such a soothing and calming way of explaining this phenomenal method and after incorporating the bell hand and eye cupping technique feel extremely relaxed, calm and the pain in my back has subsided immensely...Thank you for all you do and May God bless you.
Thank you Jennifer for such a warming comments. I am glad you benefited and wish you all the best in your healing journey ~ Cynthia
This is probably the closest I've ever felt to being hypnotized, what a fascinating and relaxing experience
Thank you so very much. The anxiety caused by chronic TN pain has already started dialing down after doing these.
That's wonderful! We are so glad for you
When you mentioned difficult birth I had a recognition and then further to embryonic stress which I’ve tried to address through underwater rebirthing sessions. I’ll say nothing really ‘stuck’ as far as permanently altering my central nervous system for the better. This was quite helpful. I’ve also come to see over the years to take the focus off my inhale, and to just notice what is to start. I notice I’m still in a more parasympathetic nervous system state while also maintaining a sharp focus which always is my intention.
Thanks for your sharing that. Our goal in the Feldenkrais work is to lower stress over and over. Is a gradual retraining process. It sounds like you have found a good path. Fabulous that you take the time to notice just what is in terms of breath.
I am happy to listen to all your advices which I never new before with such a soft and nice voice. thanks ,sandro
I'm glad it was valuable for you. - Cynthia
Thanks for posting. I tried these when I read the "The Brain's Way of Healing." It's nice to see them demonstrated. I'm pleased to say with the eye cupping I had little to no "noise." I miss you!
Glad you liked it Laura! I miss you too. Someone from your church referred a friend to me btw. Thanks for talking me up. ~ Cynthia
I didn't really know if I'd need this. But, turns out I do. I lost 3 people in 8 months 12-13 years ago. . My sister, my husband, then my Mother. Had to go to 3 other funerals, plus a divorce in there and our cat died too. I've thought I've been losing it. But, guess not really. Btw, I walked into the hospital when my husband died. After when we left. I needed a wheelchair. I couldn't walk. I was in such pain physically for months. Depression. It's horrible
That is a lot of loss Jill and yet, you are coming back from it. I'm glad this video was helpful to you. - Cynthia
@@Futurelifenow thanks
Jill how are you doing in 2023?
Cynthia, thank you so much for this lesson. I just found it on UA-cam, so this was my first lesson with you. This lesson was so deeply relaxing and completely released the jagged feelings and thoughts that were stressing my brain. I love your approach to Feldenkrais, your gentle expressive way of leading the lessons, and the sense of ease that flows.
I have been working for 2 years as a private patient with Dr Ann Harman here in Gainesville, Florida, So I’m not new to Feldenkrais, just always searching for more people to lead me through home practice.
I look forward to joining you in the future.
You are very welcome Cherylin. I know Anne and you are in good hands. But very glad I can be of some value to you from away. - Cynthia
Soooo very helpful, insightful, hopeful, and inspirational. Thank you, thank you.
You are very welcome.
So grateful to discover your work. 🙏🏽. Myself, recovering from chronic pain pelvic SI joint dysfunction and low back from a physical injury. I am green and in uncharted territory with learning Feldenkris. I would be grateful if you can guide me , or suggest where to begin in learning this method.
It's really important that you sign up for the free summit starting soon. You can do that at FeldenkraisSummit.com. You can come to the free live summit or purchase the Unlimited Freedom Bundle. With the bundle, you will get access to smaller group, private Secret Sauce Movement lessons with Cynthia Allen and Lavinia Plonka. And you might benefit from that in addition to the free summit. But for sure, grab free.
Thank you Cynthia. You really are not only knowledgeable, but also a pleasure to be with.
Thanks Meriah!
Thank you so much. I really have lots of inflamatory pains. I've just discover Feldenkrais lessons a few months ago. What a chance ! This exercice was revealing a lot of agitation in my inner sigth. I will do it again to ease and calm at this inner agitation. Thank you for your great work/love that you are sharing.
I am so glad it was valuable for you Marie-Josee. You can see all my online options at futurelifenow-online.com All the best on your healing journey. ~ Cynthia
Thank you very much Cynthia for the
Valuable methods you have demonstrated to calm the nervous
System.
You're very welcome!
Estou amando Cíntia moro no Brasil ❤
I have noticed that I rub my cupped hand back and forth with my fingers really firmly holding on to my thighs while I do that. I also tend to bring my hand to just below my collar bone and make a spreading motion with my my cupped fingers in and out, in and out. I have wondered why I make these motions. They feel calming. I have seen them as signs that I am not coping well. Your demonstration and explanation of the jellyfish and cupping give me a different perspective. I am probably actually doing something helpful. I also cup my hands over my chest center when anxiety burns there and it helps warm and calm the pain. I think I will pay attention to the suggestions you are giving me. They may be more helpful because they are more intentional. I will see what happens when I do.
Hello Connie. It sure sounds like you are doing some self-comforting. Exploring and being curious is a great thing to do. Let us know what you discover!
The bell hand gradually soothed my chronic shoulder pain....it felt glorious. Thank you so so much.
That is lovely to hear and I know a lovely experience for you. - Cynthia
Cynthia, you are SUCH a RICH resource! thank you!
Hi praise coming from you!
Wonderful video. Dr William Bates talked about using palming to improve vision.
I come from a background of reducing noise in the nervous system to let vision function in a more optimal way :)
Yes palming was used by Bates. Also used in meditation practices. Glad to hear of your background. Is that in behavioral optometry or ???
@@Futurelifenow Happy to see your knowledge about Bates and healing in general :). I ran into natural vision improvement by accident when I was contemplating Lasik. I started exploring natural vision improvement, failed initially, then traced it back to Dr Bates because I thought since he started vision healing, he would explain it better. I read his work, started applying, gradually understood that vision is all about eliminating noise and then my sight improved significantly. Then I became able to know which works make sense. I liked your video because it puts palming in context (relaxation and eliminating noise).
Goad to hear of you personal success. Good for you!
@@tareqal-shargabi4927 Can reducing noise in the nervous system also somehow correct and/or prevent worsening of cataracts? Normally I wouldn't think so, but I was just reading up on David Webber's story (the Feldenkrais practitioner known for going from legally blind to 20/20 and later developing the "Seeing Clearly" program) and noticed that the cause of his double cataracts was "eye pressure" (presumably from the autoimmune condition that led to his blindness) It just made me wonder if tense eyes (from a dysregulated nervous system) could also cause the kind of eye pressure that would result in cataracts??
444 Hi! Dr Bates magazines have many stories on people who were able to correct cataract by ‘eye relaxation’. In fact, Dr Bates says how he experimented on a bull eye, pressured it, saw the cloudiness formed (cataract), released the pressure and the eye became clear again.
Palming is one of the main techniques of Dr Bates, which is based on closing the eyes, and not trying to see anything. This ‘elimination of noise’ lets the eye muscles relax and vision improves.
Thank you so much for sharing this!
I enjoyed very much the jelly fish, and during the eye cupping I was pleased to find an almost black color internally, with a faint web of burgundy/brown over the black, but felt my eye actually physically twitching. The later subsided, and I was able to bring the color to almost complete black. Simultaneously, my back was feeling a lot better (I was feeling some pain in the lower back prior) and after the exercise my eyes felt a lot more relaxed, a wonderful feeling! As a singer I am very aware of my tongue, but I had no idea it had so much wiring into the brain, together with the hands and eyes. No wonder fine motor skills and language development, together with correct visual stimulation, play such a huge role in human development. I watched my mother re-learn to speak after her stroke at 71 (she lost her speech entirely), while building with and balancing fine planks together with my 2 year old son, who was also just starting to learn to speak. It was magical and joyful to see :)
Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for sharing your experience with us. 🙂
Interesting picking a dark spot in even darkness and spreading it out to the edges 😊😊😊😊😊
It really is!
I am really tuning into the jellyfish hand, as I am dealing for 10 months with a broken wrist --- tingling, numbness, stiffness.. Haha, when I was very little (around 3 or 4 yrs.) I used to throw jellyfish at people. Now here they come back to me, but they (jellyfish and undulating hands) are reminding me to rejuvenate humor in my nervous system and all its "circus/dream" effects... : )
..like picking up a broken egg from the floor.. -the "bell-hand"; so sweet and so underestimated.
It surely is
I found the breath awareness and eye cupping helpful. Jellyfish hand however exacerbated my pain levels as it brought into focus the pain in my hands due to my Rheumatoid Arthritis. I've been managing my chronic moderate pain well for years. However, recently my hands are deteriorating and the pain is acute again. Looking further into the channel for some more excercises. Thanks.
I am glad the eye cupping was helpful.
Oh my gosh, the jellyfish on my thighs was so soothing! Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it!
It's amazing how the world calms down and I forget about the pain in my back
It is isn't it.
Cynthia, you are quite wonderful. Thank you.
Ah, thanks Panevino.
What do you have for hearing loss? I know mine is from a noisy brain. Hearing aids are helpful but can send an unnatural sound that doesn’t make the situation or the brain noise better.
Hearing loss is something we aren't able to do much or anything about. Could there be situations where the brain needs calming to hear better, yes. And could there be times when the tension in the jaw, skull and neck affect hearing, yes. But these instances are fairly rare from what I have seen. I know hearing aids aren't the same. And don't help everyone as much as others. Definitely do Feldenkrais for calming the nervous system brain and improving awareness and perception overall because that improves most every moment of life. But I would still expect you to need support from a hearing aid.
Glad I’m not alone in always feeling “buzzed”. No wonder I have Fibro like symptoms! “Dis regulated” is a word a therapist used to describe me.
I'm glad to doing some useful information here. Maybe adding Feldenkrais to your healing would be helpful
About a year ago I started doing a “go to the dark place” I close my eyes and I have a black square patch to the right. I focus on the square and don’t allow any thoughts or visions. Within a few minutes I have removed enough stimulus that I can yawn and am reset for another hour or so to get me through a task or errand.
That sounds like a great practice for resetting!
Lovely. Blessssss you Cynthia.
Thank you! Bless you too! 🙂🙂
Água Viva esse movimento.....amooooo❤❤❤
We're glad you found it useful.
Absolutely brilliant exercises. I am not surprised to have a confirmation for the link between chronic pain to emotional trauma early in life. And very interested by your comments on how the brain repeats and strengthens bad ( and eventually better ) wiring. Thank you so much. Your breathing exercises were not new to me but as a professional musician I was more aware than most of how to use my hand ( bell or jellyfish ) as a means to calm myself. As I was already quieted, my eye color behind cupped hands was already dark. It is frequently red and even blood red. I will be attentive to trying this particular exercise when I am less calm to notice the differences.
Thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge Alfred. Glad you got something new from it. - Cynthia
Hi.. thanks so much for this.. so helpful
Can feldenkrais help a child with restlessness and ADHD like symptoms
Yes it can. There are many practitioners who specialize in working with children.
Thank you, such a nice introduction to this method. With the cupping technique I could feel my eyes would keep wanting to strain and move and it was hard to relax them and let them “fall back” into the socket so it is clear to me that this is a real problem point for me.
A question: due to my illness my body gets terrible fatigue often and in these times the use of my hands may trigger a worsening state. Are there techniques you could recommend that I could do without my hands so I can keep them still?
Sure. Lie comfortably on your back. Place one hand on your belly and one hand on your chest. Support the elbows with a pillow for comfort as needed. Then just allow yourself to breathe normally while noticing any movement other than hands. Do this for around ten breaths. Take a break and do it again. 🙂
You might also find this lesson nice: ua-cam.com/video/QTF8C4247Dw/v-deo.html
Thanks a lot. I am a Swedish feldenkraisteacher and loved to be reminded about this lovely lesson!!!!! Maybe we met in Amherst?? I was fortunate to be trained in Moshes last training!
amazing practice. thank you so much
You're so welcome!
I’m in severe pain and severe prolonged Benzodiazepine Withdrawal and this calmed me a little. Thank you!
I'm glad you had a taste of calming down. So important. - Cynthia
Brilliant! Thank you very much Cynthia. I'm currently having vertigo issues, is there any Feldenkrais lesson which can help with that?
Vertigo can have a lot of different causes. Sometimes just sitting and doing a basic pelvic tilt forward and back, left and right can help. But otherwise I would need to see you in all likelihood to have a clear plan. I wish you speedy recovery from it.
@@Futurelifenow I truly appreciate your reply and the get well wishes. In my case, I was diagnosed with BPPV associated with the ears, so movements of the head like lying down or turning the head at a certain direction left, right, up, or down can cause the vertigo. When I get better I'll keep on practicing your excellent videos. Greetings from Mexico.
so i was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, and then i got sick from a medication , after i had an accident . . . and here we go. At the same time doing therapy for CPTSD And i find myself have thoughts like - - what happened when i was born and my mother was sick, or when my father grabbed me by the neck etc . . well . . . and so i do my personal work; the world gets crazier during the covid lockdowns , i can't get medical treatment . . . and my therapist dies. And on I go. The noise. WOW The tinnitus that i had a whisper of in one ear is now a crashing symphony in both. Can't watch tv - nothing . What you have said here helps to know how to talk to those ones in side that are petrified all the time; and to help me learn that i don't have to push all the time. My first doctor when i collapsed and had such anxiety i couldn't go out alone - told me that hand movement thing that you did. He also said that he thought 'timed or counted breathing ' was terrible for anxiety patients - And when ever things are really bad - i go back to that. The eye covering is the first position in a Reiki treatment (i was /am i guess a reiki master )
Thanks for sharing. I'm sorry to hear how difficult it has been for you. It's good to have a few things you can use in your back pocket.
@@Futurelifenow . . . - thankyou for your kindness - What a spill that was; which is what happens when the pain is high - if i'm not bedridden yet-i have no filter at all. ! That's the noise , right. I'm grateful for your reply, because i'm feeling very balanced out for the first time is a very long time . . so i need to remember how i got there. Thankyou!
So useful today!
Glad it was helpful!
Hello Cynthia, I’m loving using the soft hand movement for calming. I just wondered if I could use a domed eye mask instead of cupping my hands over them for the eye exercise though as I struggle to put my arms up due to shoulders aching and hurting? Would it be just as effective when doing Feldenkrais eye exercises or is it the relationship between the eyes and the palms that is needed please? Thank you for all you do🙏🏻
Hi Trudy. A mask won't have the same effect. But if you lie on your back and use pillows as support, you may find it very doable in small amounts at a time. 🙂
Great lesson
So glad you found it valuable.
Thank you works with reducing panic
Thank you Cynthia.
You are welcome!
The visual aid of a jellyfish was most helpful. Lovely, effortless.
So glad!
Excellent
Thanks!
Can the hand bell movement be done with your eyes closed ...
Absolutely!
Thank you so much. Made me want to fall asleep haha
You're welcome 😊
Relaxation 😌
We're glad it was useful for you.
Great vid, thank you. Loved the bell hands. Looking forward to trying the eye cupping. And am grateful you told us about the studies showing that a really deep breath is actually an excitation...I had wondered if that might be the case.
So glad you loved the bell hand. A favorite of mine too. Enjoy! ~ Cynthia
Thank you!
You're very welcome!
I did the hand cupping and I noticed pain in my right eye !!
Sometimes by becoming quiet we become more aware of what is really happening.
I forgot my pain thanks 🙏🏾
How wonderful! ~ Cynthia
Unexpectedly I sat thru this entire video!
Thank you for doing so! Much appreciated. 🙂🙂
Thankyou so much for these Cynthia, there is to much to say to tell you how much this has helped.
I'm so glad to hear that Charlie!
Thank you so much! I'm looking forward to more videos.
Thanks for watching. You can check all my offerings at futurelifenow-online.com
Thanks
You are welcome.
Thank you
Glad you found it useful.
Wonderful.
Glad you found it so. ~ Cynthia
Tinnitus???
Tinnitus is a hard item to address. It has many causes and occasionally the Feldenkrais Method makes some improvement but fairly rare that this happens.
I went several minutes in and observed you using the phrase "noise" with the assumption that the viewer understands you are using either a) a metaphor for poorly controlled neurological phenomena, b) the scientific definition of noise which is "irregular fluctuations in a signal that are not intentional or useful data" or c) you've made up your own definition. Which of these reflects your use of "noise" is unclear and renders this talk unscientific and frustrating to some.
Thank you for your feedback.
softly explaining and with a hint of a smile like a hipnotist softly even I am beginning to be attracted to listen you and that smile . sandro sordi
This doesn’t really work. If you’ve been injured in an accident, no amount of “acceptance” is gonna make it go away.
I keep comfusing you and Martha Peterson.
Cindy Mulvey - I don't know Martha Peterson.
So we could do jellyfish movements with our FEET, also
That's right! There are lessons which involve all kinds jelly fish movements in all kinds of positions.
Ń
Chronic pain makes people
Depressed and bitter not matured
Do you really know what pain is ?
Rosa- Oh so sorry you know the challenge of chronic pain. I do indeed know what pain is. How difficult life events affect each person can be quite different. But I understand depressed and bitter happens. I hope the video may give you some tools for relief. From you comment later on, it looks like it did. ~ cynthia