Have you ever felt like you were stuck in a rut? Perhaps you have a certain habit or pattern that you’ve tried to change, but you keep repeating it, even when you don’t want to. The old pattern comes creeping back, like an unwelcome guest in spite of your efforts. You try harder to change, put in more effort. and you fail again. So, you try even harder. That doesn’t work, either. Tired and defeated, you may just give up. Maybe you even think that the problem is all in your head. In a way, it is. It’s in your brain, your nervous system, and your neurons.  Your neurons communicate with your brain through complex connections. They tell your brain to respond a certain way to a particular stimulus.  Neural connections that cause a specific response to a stimulus grow stronger...

Issac Newton knew what he was talking about. You know, a body in motion tends to stay in motion and a body at rest….well, you get the point. Here we are, already at the end of January, and those New Year’s Resolutions to work out more and get fit are staring us in the face. Our resolutions may have sounded quite reasonable during the festivities of the holiday season, but now it’s almost February. The cold bleak weather, demands of work, family and the reality of time constraints may sabotage our efforts to achieve our goals. Perhaps we are even overwhelmed by our goals and have already given up. But here’s another idea: why not change your strategy to make your goals more achievable? Start with small, simple changes at home and at work that could easily be incorporated...

Meet my new niece. Isn’t she adorable? Nothing like a puppy to make me feel all squishy inside!

I have always had a passion for the biological sciences, but when I experienced my first course in neuroscience, I knew I found my niche. My brain almost squealed with delight. I guess you could say I’m nuts about neurons. I even considered pursuing an advanced degree in neuroscience, but I just couldn’t wrap my brain around it, so to speak. I couldn’t see myself working in a lab all day. I’m more of a people person. But I sure did love the subject, and I still do; it’s like candy for my brain, only a lot healthier. I gobbled up every course I studied and found myself looking for more. Even though I didn’t get my advanced degree in neuroscience, I resigned myself to knowing that as a physical therapist I could still work with people and have some exposure...

I used to have headaches. Blinding, incapacitating, vice-gripping, put your life on hold for three days kind of headaches. I don’t have them anymore, but they used to be unbearable. For some reason, when I was in my Feldenkrais Training, my headaches got much worse before they got better. However, it’s interesting that eventually they went away completely. One of the worst headaches I’ve ever experienced was in the middle of my second Feldenkrais Training segment. I woke up with the familiar pain gripping my head, neck and shoulders. I couldn’t turn my head, and I wondered how I was going to drive to class that morning. I had stabbing pain deep in the middle of my thoracic spine, and I thought blood was going to shoot out of my eyes. Even my hair hurt. It was promising...

One of the most valuable things I have learned from my Feldenkrais Training is that what we tell ourselves really does matter. Our mind (our brain and our nervous system) is constantly listening and processing the information that it receives. What we tell ourselves is what we believe. What we believe is what we become. This became quite obvious during ballet class a few days ago when I listened to several of my ballet friends beat themselves down with negative self talk. Our teacher had just given us a challenging and complex combination. A group of dancers stood around discussing their limitations, their short comings, their injuries, the reasons why they wouldn’t be able to do the combination and what would happen when they tried. It was fascinating to see all of their dire predictions...

One of my favorite ballet teachers is quite the task mistress and really keeps us on our toes, so to speak. I just love her, and I love her classes. If your ballet technique doesn’t improve after studying with her, you might as well hang up your toe shoes and go home. She teaches a professional level class, and I have to work pretty hard just to keep up. This means thoroughly engaging my mind as well as my body, which brings me to the point of exhaustion at the end of an hour and a half, but it’s fun. I love challenging myself. I often write down my corrections in a small note pad I keep with me at all times. Some of the younger dancers have remarked what a good student I am when they see me scribbling madly in my book. I smile sweetly and thank them, but the truth is, I can’t...

Here it is, another New Year, and already our New Year resolution guilt may be weighing heavily upon us. It doesn’t help to see all of the signs at the local health clubs advertising “A New Year and a New You!” Gee, and I kind of liked the old one. Adding insult to injury are the endless commercials for weight loss programs neatly sandwiched in between all of the commercials for junk food in anticipation of the playoffs and the upcoming Super Bowl. It’s even more difficult to get motivated to stick to those New Year’s goals for fitness and weight loss with the cold, dreary weather. Those junk food commercials are looking like a good option. What’s a body to do? Before you give up, here’s a little bit of advice which is not only helpful but practical...

About two months ago I started using the brain building games from Lumosity. You may have heard of it. You know, “build a better brain based on the scientific principle of neuroplasticity, but it just feels like you’re playing games.” Well, as a Feldenkrais Practitioner, I’m all over this neuroplasticity, and I certainly do love to play, so I thought I’d give it a try. At first I was surprised at how easy it seemed and how much fun it was. I was especially surprised to discover how well I scored at mathematical equations. After all, I have a reputation for not being good at math. Another surprise was a game called “Familiar Faces”, where you have to recall the names of customers that visit your diner. You then have to match up the right food orders...

A few days ago I was cleaning my kitchen, when I mindlessly knocked a sugar bowl off of the window sill and into the sink. I watched in horror as if it were falling in slow motion, with me unable to stop it or catch it before it hit the sink and shattered. It was my mother’s sugar bowl, and it had sat on the exact same spot for the past three years. I felt the threat of tears coming on as I picked up the broken pieces and tried to fit them back together like pieces of a puzzle. I wondered if I could possibly repair it, and if the glue would hold.  At least the bowl was empty, so I didn’t have sugar all over my kitchen to clean up. Then I started to berate myself. How could I have been so careless? How could I have been so clumsy? Why had I been in such a hurry? But then, something...