Expand Your Ability

Put aside your self-help books. Step away for a moment from the your therapy session. Consider movement as a key ingredient you've been missing.

In a world that's so focused on thinking and feeling, why would movement be necessary for self-improvement? Let's find out.

Moshe Feldenkrais in his book Awareness Through Movement gives 9 reasons for Why Movement? We tackle the first one: Your nervous system is preoccupied mainly with movement.

Expect to learn: - why nervous system is primarily concerned with movement - you're the descendent of a great line of movers - put your feet up like Freud

This is episode one in a nine episode series.

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If you have lived with insecurity, it can be challenge to imagine what a good relationship could be like. A good relationship can be so foreign, you might even reject it.

It's so important to understand what secure bonds look and feel because that can give us the perspective to turn around what's not working and to strengthen what is working.

That's the topic of my conversation with relationship expert Adam Lane Smith:

What does secure behavior look like? What behavior leads to mutually fulfilling relationships that are sustainable, and enjoyable?

Adam Lane Smith is The Attachment Specialist with over 450,000 followers across his social media platforms. He consults internationally with CEOs, investors, entrepreneurs, executives, military veterans, and engineers to solve their attachment issues and improve their relationships. He also has appeared on numerous podcasts discussing generational attachment issues, recovering from trauma, and raising global awareness of attachment.

Expect to hear in this episode:

• The importance of bodywork to do mental health work.
• We attract what we expect.
• How insecurity pushes away healthy people
• Our perception doesn't make things real
• The straightforward clarity of secure communication: "How would a 5year phrase this?"
• The Exchanging of Needs to fulfill each needs.
• Why secure people work toward mutually fulfilling relationships.
• Clarify and Collaborate. You need to clarify in order to work with others.

Hi, I’m Jeffrey. As a Feldenkrais and somatic movement practitioner I help you get in touch with your body so you can unravel old sticky patterns and make way for greater creativity, power and joyful play.

Want to put the ideas in this podcast to work?

You can book a free 20 minute consult call to find out if we’re a good fit for 1:1 coaching. Learn more here.

Join the newsletter to be the first to hear about future opportunities to work with me.

Download my free lesson: Effortless Freedom in Moving

Download my free guide: 9 Surprising Benefits of the Feldenkrais Method

Get Your Questions Answered!

Submit your questions! I will answer them on a future episode of the podcast.

I'm directing a documentary film about Feldenkrais.Check out the Teaser Trailer.

Follow me on Instagram: @expandyourability

Had an Aha? Let me know: [email protected]

Stay connected and subscribe to the podcast.

"We all have more experience of movement, and more capacity for it, than of feeling and thought," says Moshe Feldenkrais in his 3rd argument for Why Movement as a basis for self-improvement.

In the North American culture I call home, there is a strong emphasis on personal growth through acquiring information like facts and ideas with not much of a focus on learning through movement (I understand the irony that I am creating a podcast to share information 😆). Feldenkrais believes movement offers richer experience for us than thoughts and feelings. We can learn directly through movement and find out for ourselves.

In this episode you'll hear about:

Movement's primacy in the nervous system.

Jeffrey's personal experience of disregarding his body.

Sensitivity vs. Over-Excitability (a continuation of the idea's from last's week's episode).

Avoiding difficult feelings.

"Thought-terminating Cliches".

Uncovering our deep beliefs and stories.

Feldenkrais' goal to lead people to being critical- and free-thinkers.

For this episode, I draw from Feldenkrais' book Awareness Through Movement.

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Hi, I’m Jeffrey.

I am a Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner and Filmmaker. I am the director of the upcoming documentary on the Feldenkrais Method.

Stay connected and subscribe to the podcast.

New Course Coming! I Need Your Help.

Do you feel stuck lately? Are old ways of thinking, feeling, or moving holding you back? What do you need more support with?

I am doing research interviews with people like you in order to build an online course. Would you be open to a 15-20min interview? Send me an email: [email protected]

Download my free guide: 9 Surprising Benefits of the Feldenkrais Method

Watch the Feldenkrais Documentary Teaser Trailer: teaser.feldenkraismovie.com

Follow Me on Instagram: @expandyourability

Had an Aha? Let me know: [email protected]

Have you ever been called "too sensitive"? I have and I don't like it. It's not helpful and I think it misses the point.

In this episode, I reframe sensitivity. Sensitivity is a good and necessary quality. Sensitivity is about how you receive information from the world to inform your actions. Wouldn't you prefer a partner who is sensitive to your needs? A baker who is sensitive to the ingredients? A driver who is sensitive to the road?

The issue is when we react too intensely to what we're paying attention too. This is over-excitability. Over-excitability is like the small dog that barks wildly, waking up the whole house because he heard something (just the wind) outside.

I offer a technique to quiet down your internal excitable puppy. (hint: it will be boring 😆)

In this episode, you will hear:

• Sensitivity reframed as good and useful
• Over-Excitability is what wears us out
• A guided technique for interacting with difficult experiences
• Our habits are maintained in our muscular tone
• Developing a taste for 'unnecessary urgency'
• The importance of low-effort present with your experience ('just enter the pool')
• The power of acting bored

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New Course Coming! I Need Your Help.

Do you feel stuck lately?

Are old ways of thinking, feeling, or moving holding you back?

What do you need more support with?

I'm building an online course to help people deepen their connection with their bodies, overcome entrenched habits and open up new pathways of moving, thinking and feeling.

To build this course, I'm doing research interviews with people like you to see what you need.

Would you be open to a 15-20min interview?

Send me an email: [email protected]

Hi, I’m Jeffrey.

I am a Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner and Filmmaker. I am the director of the upcoming documentary on the Feldenkrais Method.

Stay connected and subscribe to the podcast.

Download my free guide: 9 Surprising Benefits of the Feldenkrais Method

Watch the DocumentaryTeaser Trailer: teaser.feldenkraismovie.com

Follow Me on Instagram: @expandyourability

Had an Aha? Let me know: [email protected]

This episode presents my interview with Kelly Cordes of Central Minnesota's WJON radio station. I talk to with her about what is the Feldenkrais Method, it's benefits and what does taking a class look like.

I was connected with Kelly because I have been teaching at the Whitney Senior Center in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Seniors are in a particularly open to the Feldenkrais Method because it is so accessible for people -- it doesn't require beginners to be strong, agile, or flexible. The Feldenkrais process helps everyone improve regardless of their starting point.

As we age, the poor habits of moving and thinking catch up with us and lead to wear and tear and aches and pains. Life doesn't have to be a downward slope. We can learn at any age to have more effective and efficient movement which means we can become more graceful, creative and strong.

You will be surprised by what you can do!

In this episode you will hear:

• The Feldenkrais's emphasis on questions over force (we don't try to fix ourselves).
• The phrase you can't teach an old dog new tricks is incorrect!
• Listen to your body while it's quiet, before it yells at you with aches and pains.
• How we wall off our potential growth through our negative beliefs.
• What is an Awareness through Method® group class like?
• Jeffrey's recommendation to give this work a fair trial (try 6-10 lessons to see if it works for you).
• Jeffrey's personal story and questions that led him to the Feldenkrais Method.

About the interviewer Kelly Cordes

WJON Website

Hi, I’m Jeffrey.

I am an Embodiment Coach. I am the director of the upcoming documentary on the Feldenkrais Method.

Stay connected and subscribe to the podcast. 👋

Download my free guide: 9 Surprising Benefits of the Feldenkrais Method

I'm directing a documentary film about Feldenkrais. Check out the Teaser Trailer: teaser.feldenkraismovie.com

New Course Coming! (Would you do me a favor?)

Do you feel stuck lately? Is there something that you want to do, but you just can't do it yet?I am doing research conversations with people like you in order to build an online course using the Feldenkrais Method. Would you be open to a 15-20min interview? I'd love to hear your story! Send me an email: [email protected]

Follow Me on Instagram: @expandyourability

Had an Aha? Let me know: [email protected]