Sensing: The Difference Between Doing and Feeling

Part 5 of the At Home in Yourself series.

Imagine reaching up to an upper cupboard to take down a cup.

For most people, this is such an ordinary movement that it happens without a second thought. You reach, take the cup, and move on.

But for someone with a frozen shoulder, shoulder sensitivity, or another limitation, that same simple action can feel strained. The arm reaches, but it feels as though the shoulder is doing all the work. What should be effortless suddenly requires concentration and effort.

In a Feldenkrais lesson, we explore movements in a different way. Rather than focusing only on what the arm is doing, we begin to notice how the different parts of the body participate together.

The arm doesn't have to work alone.

The chest, spine, ribs and pelvis can all contribute to reaching. When the whole body participates in a movement, the arm may no longer need to work so hard. The movement can become easier, more coordinated and more comfortable.

This is one of the things I love about the Feldenkrais Method®: the lesson doesn't teach you how to move your arm to the cupboard. It teaches your nervous system new possibilities for organizing movement.

And you don't have to think about those possibilities every time you reach for a cup.

That is an important part of the learning.

We are not trying to spend our days thinking, "Now I will use my pelvis," or "I should remember to move my ribs." The point is not to consciously apply the lesson to every movement.

Instead, something can change quietly in the background.

After exploring many variations of movement during a lesson, you may find yourself reaching, turning, bending or getting up from a chair differently, without deliberately trying to do so. The movement may feel more connected. You may use less effort. Something that used to feel restricted may have more options.

You learn during the lesson, and then your body carries that learning into life.

This is why Feldenkrais lessons can be so subtle. Nothing dramatic has to happen. You don't necessarily leave thinking, "I have learned a new movement."

Sometimes you simply reach for the cup the next morning and notice that it feels a little easier.

That is the difference between doing and sensing.

Doing gets you to the cupboard.

Sensing helps you discover how you can get there with your whole self.

FAQ about sensing and feeling in Feldenkrais

What is the difference between doing a movement and sensing it?

Doing a movement means getting it done: you reach for the cup and move on, measuring success by whether the arm arrived. Sensing a movement means noticing how it actually happens, how the different parts of you participate together. In a Feldenkrais lesson the point is not to perform the movement well, it is to feel how you organize it, because that is what lets the movement become easier and more connected.

Do I have to think about the lesson every time I move?

No. The point is not to consciously apply the lesson to every movement. After exploring many variations during a lesson, something can change quietly in the background, and you may find yourself reaching, turning, bending or getting up from a chair differently without deliberately trying to. You learn during the lesson, and then your body carries that learning into life.

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Awareness: You Cannot Change What You Do Not Notice

At Home in Yourself is a series on what actually changes in a Feldenkrais lesson, one idea at a time. More are on the way.