Julia’s story
My name is Julia and I have been participating with the Feldenkrais Method for over 4 years.
For the first 3 of those years I was a sufferer of Fibromyalgia, a condition made up of chronic pain and chronic fatigue. I sought relief through Functional Integration sessions and found this method to be one of the only forms of treatment effective at reducing my pain. My sessions gave me not only pain relief, but reduced tension, greater clarity and ease of movement, heightened awareness, easier breathing and reduced anxiety/stress levels.
Throughout my sessions I began to learn first how I was holding my body, and then how to find a more efficient and easier way of moving. I also learned simple and effective ways to reduce my pain by myself at home.
For the later few years of my treatment I have also been attending Awareness Through Movement classes. These classes are fantastic as you are taught different ways in which you can use your body, making the lessons easy to then practice and use at home.
I am also a musician, having just completed a 4 year bachelor of music performance degree on violin, which could entail up to 4 or 5 hours of playing per day. I found the Feldenkrais Method to be useful in all aspects of my learning and performance. I found it easier and quicker to change technical aspects of my playing, and also found less tension and therefore improved sound and ease of expression.
I am now inspired to study the Feldenkrais method as I truly have found it to have a positive impact on all areas of my life. But most importantly the method teaches me to learn how to care for myself, which I believe is one of the greatest gifts any treatment can give a person.
I do not believe the Feldenkrais Method to be the sole reason I have now ‘kicked my fibro’, but it was however a very important aspect of my recovery. I absolutely encourage any person who is interested to discover the joys of the Feldenkrais Method.