Slippery keys, injuries, purchasing DVD etc.

Guys & gals, something is wrong with my forum notifier and i had no idea all this activity was going on in this thread. Great stuff! I can't answer it all right away but will try to catch up.... For now, I'm starting to think that healthy movements will readily stimulate plenty of blood flow (both in the short-term and the long-term), whereas unhealthy ones give a feeling of blocking off the supply. A bit of generalisation, obviously, but would you agree that this is a reasonably healthy yardstick for students? ...By the way, can I ask you a little about general Feldenkrais? Can it do a lot of good for a shorter leg? I noticed ages ago that my shoes wear down more considerably on the right. I also tend to feel a certain kind of compression on my left hip (which would presumably correspond with trying to compensate for that leg being a little longer, by squashing down on that side). Strangely enough, doing proper legato on the piano made me realise that, when walking, I haven't been feeling the balance on the right leg properly. ...I've also been discovering that when seated at the piano (or anywhere), my weight is not evenly distributed. If I physically pull the right buttock across, I feel more balanced, but I cannot achieve this posture without using my arms to help. One thing I've been wondering about is the role of the pedals in playing. Can the fact that the right pedal is in constant use be related to any such imbalance? ...Similarly, what do you think about Horowitz putting his left leg back? I used to do this a lot and wonder whether this is also responsible for certain postural issues. ...Anyway, sorry if that's rather back and forth, but I'm wondering if all these things may be interconnected in some way. I tend to feel slightly twisted to my left side in general (and pushing my right shoulder back to the position my left naturally rests in causes a lot of grinding). Do you know any good Feldenkrais practitioners in Birmingham (UK)? I'm guessing that it would be a good way to improve some of these things? Also, do you know any piano teachers who are especially good for technical issues? 1) Yes healthy moves will improve blood supply! 2) Yes, Feldenkrais could do a great deal (over time) for the things you mention. 3) I used to think Horowitz's left leg back for forte was the one weak link in his otherwise impeccable physical organization. I perceived it as creating a forced sound in some forte's, for instance the second theme in the Chopin G minor Ballade when it appears in A major. I still think this perception is accurate, but he was so great that maybe I am still missing something. By the way, A QUESTION: DID HE DO THIS IN HIS OLD AGE OR GIVE IT UP? Come on all you YouTube fiends, get online and take a look! 4) Use of the pedals etc - yes it can lead to imbalance - sometimes it is difficult to ascertain the root cause for an imbalance, but often that cause is not so important as improving the function. And remember, Feldenkrais will not magically make you two legs equal. It will TEACH YOU HOW TO MOVE WELL with uneven legs. If the legs even out a bit, so much the better but it's important to remember that this is a byproduct of improved function and not the end goal. More answers or comments later! AFF

When the chiropractor does the adjustment, it is a mechanical act. He didn't teach the neurology to move the bone to the new place, he just cranked it over there. That's why the effects are never permanent - your old neuromotor patterns relentlessly returns your body to its old state. However it is not a completely useless exercise, because it at least shows you how you might be operating if you could develop a physical organization that this more symmetrical alignment. Feldenkrais alone didn't help you because the neuromotor patterns pulling your skull to that weird place are too strong to be changed that easily. You definitely CAN improve your case with Feldenkrais, you just need a lot more of it. I suggest a combination strategy where you have a Feldenkrais lesson shortly after the chiropractic adjustment, and see how different that lesson feels compared to the one you had when there had been no adjustment. Try to figure out how you could MOVE DIFFERENTLY in order to cultivate the way of being that would keep your spine in the new alignment. Lemme know! AFF

Hm... that is exactly what I wanted to say about the difference of getting something specific corrected from an outside source (i.e. chiropractor) or learning to prevent misalignement by yourself. In other words, if you had the resources to 'get fixed up' by a chiropractor in the morning and in the afternoon each and every day, it may very well give you a similar benefit as with a self-learned practice (Feldenkrais, Alexander technique, Yoga, Tai-Chi, Meditation...). The only questions are: is this practicable ? What is more sustainable What is more long-term... ? I think, everybody must come to the same conclusion, it is self-evident. Feldenkrais alone didn't help you because the neuromotor patterns pulling your skull to that weird place are too strong to be changed that easily. You definitely CAN improve your case with Feldenkrais, you just need a lot more of it. From my own experience and from people I have talked to, I know that Alexander-technique is dealing with the exact same topic of 'alignement' and 'habits', it even focuses mainly of the balance of the (heavy!) head on top of the atlas-joint, it is called the 'primary control' and is one of it's main foundations. There are many ways to Rome, but if this forum here is intended to be open and un-dogmatic, it should be possible to discuss this in a fruitful way. My Alexander teacher has repeatedly told me, that he can't fix everything and that some specific (in my case) pelvis-adjustment may need help by a chiropractor/osteopath. He also acknowledged the benefits of Feldenkrais, only that _some_ people have achieved much freedom of movement in many parts of the body, but in the process have not freed their atlas-joint. If there is some real anatomical problem, any method of movement-awareness can -in most cases- only help to , the problem is part of human reality as is disease and death. Can someone explain to me, why there is so much 'heat' between followers of different methods, that all might have a big piece of 'the truth' ? To stay on the Obama-track ... we should talk to each other, listen to the other side

1) He also acknowledged the benefits of Feldenkrais, only that _some_ people have achieved much freedom of movement in many parts of the body, but in the process have not freed their atlas-joint. 2) Can someone explain to me, why there is so much 'heat' between followers of different methods, that all might have a big piece of 'the truth' ? 1) Feldenkrais takes longer to get there because Alexander Technique tends to start with the head and work down while we Feldies feel that it's more logical to build good organization up from the foundation and especially from the pelvis, the power center as well as center of gravity for the body. We often take a long time to get to the head and neck, literally getting everything else lined up in preparation for that final part, because we know that if everything is lined up, the student has the greatest chance of MAINTAINING the new organization of the head & neck. And that's the basic goal, right? To maintain the new learning. 2) The Alexander Technique as an Art/Profession is a generation or two older than us Feldies. Moshe Feldenkrais was in his 40's when he studied with Alexander who was already close to the end of his life. Alexander was a genius, originally an elocutionist who developed his ideas with no scientific training. I believe Moshe, a physicist, electrical and mechanical engineer, judo expert and extremely well-read in anatomy, physiology, neurophysiology and psychology, understood as well as anybody the magnificence of Alexander's achievements, and he was able to place them in a more scientific framework. This was one of the basic processes that led to Moshe building his own method on the foundation of Alexander's work. Alexander Technique still uses things like verbal commands ("think forward and up") to organize movement whereas Moshe felt it more effective to Alexander teachers feel threatened by Feldenkrais practitioners, whom they perceive as moving in on their turf. Feldenkrais practitioners have been known to spit on Alexander Technique because Feldenkrais is supposedly an 'improvement' on Alexander. But when you watch a good Alexander teacher and a good Feldenkrais pracitioner working, it is like watching two peas in a pod, they are so similar in what they . And more and more of us are working together instead of competing; it is actually really nice to see. For instance, there's a guy who plans to publish the Study Guide in German, who has already published many books on Alexander Technique in German translation and whose wife is an Alexander teacher. This is a nice form of cooperation and cross-fertilization of which I would like to see more... As for "anatomical problems," I have been through Rolfing, Hellerwork, Shiatsu, Alexander and Lord knows what else in an attempt to place my understanding of Feldenkrais in the context of everything else that is going on in terms of bodywork. What I've discovered is that sometimes our senses are too dulled to respond to the fineness of Feldenkrais, and then some of these others might achieve something. BUT THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY ACHIEVE. Feldenkrais understands that So if a chiropractor whacks you and you feel better, your neuromotor system probably picked up on some new sensations of your body and managed to make the adjustment - to learn. But the chiropractor is still thinking mechanically, which for us is barbaric. AFF

Before I had had any chiropractic treatment, as I said, my head would not turn fully to the right. On the left side, I was able to increase my range of movement considerably by way of the Feldenkrias movement exercises. On the right, however, the bones would actually lock at a certain point and block further movement. As a result there was never any improvement in range of movement to the right beyond the point of that block. Now, after many NUCCA adjustments, there is no such block; my head freely moves to the right to the same extent that it moves to the left. Perhaps I have now "learned" to move my head to the right, but from where I sit, it sure seems as if the mechanical adjustment has in reality released a structural block, freeing me to move to the right the way I easily could have done previously had the block not interfered. The NUCCA folks believe that the slight angular misplacement of the skull on the Atlas, when it exists, produces much lopsided tension in the body (through pressure on the brainstem) whereas Alexander and Feldenkrais apparently would say that poor habits of movement produce all tension that in turn produces displacement of the skull. I suspect it works both ways, but the NUCCA chiropractors could offer in evidence the observation that there is often a profound relief of tension up and down the spine immediately following an adjustment; when the skull slips out alignment again, the tension returns. Also, it seems that the greater the tension relief produced by an adjustment (which perhaps reflects the accuracy of the alignment), the longer it ultimately lasts, everything else being equal. My chiropractor uses the presence of systematic lopsided tension as one diagnostic sign that adjustment is needed. If tension and habits of movement were the main factor producing the displacement of the skull, it is hard to see why mechanical replacement of the skull to its correct position should relieve the tension. It seems like it ought to have little effect, or work the other way around. Still, I don't disagree with the idea that re-educating the musculature after chiropractic adjustment may help the alignment last longer; I have attempted a bit of that myself, and my impression was that there was at least a small benefit. By extension I think that poor habits of movement and resulting lopsided tensions could at least contribute to displacement of the skull from its proper position in the first place. However, it is quite something else to say that a relaxed and efficiently functioning musculature can spontaneously put the skull back exactly where it belongs after it has been displaced from its proper resting position on the Atlas. It is conceivable, perhaps, but I think it is unlikely, and I would tend to put the burden of proof on Feldenkrais and Alexander to show that it can actually happen. The technology certainly exists to take X-rays of the Atlas alignment before and after movement re-education. Perhaps this has already been done? Apparently the NUCCA people generally recommend that people not do Feldenkrais work at the same time they are having the Atlas treatment, since a fairly small strain on the head/neck area can undo an adjustment when it is young, and some Feldenkrais movements can have that effect. I have certainly seen how even some very simple movements of the head when an adjustment is young can cause the adjustment to slip; one can actually hear the small cracking sound when the skull slips on the Atlas, and when an adjustment is young sometimes this happens when I am doing nothing more than turning over in bed at night. Of course, one could do mental Feldenkrais, and one could presumably do Feldenkrais movement work on areas of the body other than the head and neck without danger of undoing an adjustment.

A complex and difficult question. The NUCCA procedure sounds fascinating. But is it really the BONE that blocks? Is it not rather the material surrounding the bones, which controls where they rest, that makes the block? Bones are inert. They don't do anything by themselves (except grow extremely slowly!). So when the NUCCA person does the adjustment and there is a tremendous release, THAT RELEASE IS NEUROLOGICAL. It was the brain that changed the signals to the muscles, because the shift in the bone alignment gave it new sensory information. When the skull slips out of alignment again, it is probably because of a return of the muscle contraction habits that put it out in the first place. I am curious as to how one might combine these two interesting disciplines to create a method where a NUCCA-style manipulation might dovetail with Feldenkrais-style work to make a really effective "cure" for that kind of problem. Thanks for the very clear and educational post! AFF

Well, it must be some combination of bone and muscle, to be sure. But apparently the top of my spine below the Atlas had a twist or spiral in it, so the vertebrae would reach the limit of their rotation to the right earlier than they should have. The displacement of my skull maintained the twist, as did the sheath of muscles in my neck, (by holding the skull in place). It took my chiropractor a while to figure out how to correct the twist, but once she did, it released my neck to be able to turn to the right. Your are right, of course, that the release is neurological. And my habits of muscle contraction may well contribute to my trouble with holding the alignment. It almost always goes out in the same direction, which is doubtless a clue. But sometimes it slips with such little provocation, usually when I'm lying down, that I wonder if I actually have too little muscle contraction to hold the darn thing in place! The chiropractor long ago gave me a set of neck and back exercises that she recommended I do on a daily basis to help hold the alignment. I would slow them down and do them with enough body awareness that they became somewhat like Feldenkrais exercises. So that's one way to combine the two disciplines right there. I realize now that I haven't been doing the whole set for a while. Maybe that's part of why the alignment isn't lasting--it did last longer back when I used to do them all. --Rush

Ok, the atlas joint is very important (as are all parts of our body). Ok, a gentle movement by an outside agent of this joint will make you feel better, if you _let_ it (as with every joint you can get freer). But now that I've seen what NUCCA advertisement looks like... "Dear professional doctors in hospitals all around the world: Stop pulling out those babys by their head, your ruining their lives! Please.. leave 'em right in their womb, otherwise they may stumble or run into things and throw their atlas out of alignement! Stop the suffering, not everybody has the money to get aligned again..." ...hmmm I knew it, you gotta get it done by the Pro's, because only they know what "true subluxation" is, and they sure have the X-rays to prove it. I'm cured of this idea. Thanks, but no thanks. Blatant, pseudo-scientific.. "we-cure-all-your-pains, because we found the reason for them all". The most ridiculous thing I've seen in a long time. Good luck with it (Jee.. I have to get into manufacturing these pens-on-a-spring Atlas-machines... I will even make them more impressing and have them make beeping noises and shine a crosshairs on people)

"Dear professional doctors in hospitals all around the world: Stop pulling out those babys by their head, your ruining their lives! Please.. leave 'em right in their womb, otherwise they may stumble or run into things and throw their atlas out of alignement! Stop the suffering, not everybody has the money to get aligned again..." Umm, maybe your casually sarcastic dismissal would look a little more dignified, were it not for the fact that the fellow who already explained that he could not properly rotate his head in one direction, before undergoing this type of treatment. I have no doubt that there are quacks around in the field who charge money for limited benefits, but are you perhaps suggesting that it was merely psychological in origin- that he can now move his head properly? I'm looking forward to your theory... Andrew Would you want an amateur jerking your spine around, by the way? Good luck to you!

Umm, maybe your casually sarcastic dismissal would look a little more dignified, were it not for the fact that the fellow who already explained that he could not properly rotate his head in one direction, before undergoing this type of treatment. I have no doubt that there are quacks around in the field who charge money for limited benefits, but are you perhaps suggesting that it was merely psychological in origin- that he can now move his head properly? I'm looking forward to your theory... Andrew Would you want an amateur jerking your spine around, by the way? Good luck to you! Of course, as with all 'methods' (quacks or no-quacks), there is always the placebo effect, it has been proven in countless studies. But NUCCA just tops it off... they even compare themselfes to Harvard Medical School. As for theories, just take a look at the nucca site, you'll find answers for everything sure enough If anyone claims to know by scientific means how humans function in such detail, he can not be taken seriously. I don't have a theory... probably nobody has. All we can do is live and see how to do it in a good way. I can not possibly judge what makes someones head move more freely after a nucca treatment, but I will voice my opinion about this.