Despite pain in my hip I slept well (drink and drugs in appropriate amounts worked!) and thought on waking all was fine...until I stood. Taking everything very slowly I was able to pack, get the suitcase downstairs and walking. I'd resolved to grab a cab, but as I walked things got easier so I kept walking and paying attention. It was a beautiful day, and I was really sad to be leaving the city.
I walked in to the Feldenkrais Institute and lifted my suitcase to a shelf and froze solid in pain. I wasn't sure of the protocol in asking for help..would I have to pay? Could I make it back to Vermont if it stayed like this? Fortunately, I relaxed a bit and asked the Director and he sent me to the person who had done the individual session with me on Wednesday. 10 minutes of gentle bending released the muscle that was triggering the pain, and I completed the day really and truly doing as we are always instructed "much less than you think you can". The experience was very instructive. How quickly we can program ourselves to expect pain, and also, when it is gone there is a new space to work with.
Hurricane Irene was the topic of the day. It's due to hit the East Coast on Saturday. I was delighted that my focus on saving money had me leaving on Friday evening and with great care made my way across New York to JFK, arriving a good 3 hours before my flight was due to depart. It has been delayed since I arrived, and with luck I'll be back in Vermont soon after 1:30 on Saturday, a full day before the impact of Irene is expected to hit the state.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Day 6
The cumulative effects are starting to tell. I did make it to the Met this morning...for about 20 minutes, a quick look at the Islamic room, which I attended the opening of with my aunt in 1975, and then back down 5th Ave on a bus, the racing a few blocks to avoid an enormous rain cloud.
An eye lesson started the day, which in the had us rolling each eye in opposite direction. Those of us who hadn't fallen asleep, were pretty exhausted, but wide eyed at the end.
The next exercise may have been my downfall, as in the last stage it involved a rocking on the belly, and I may have moved too much...although it didn't feel it at the time. It was about 3 hours later, when I leant forward to pick up my brolly from a window sill, that my left leg seemed sore, at the hip.
I walked home, taking my time (no rain thank heavens) and because I've got more training tomorrow and travel I've had a hot shower, rested, taken ibuprofen and had shot of tequila. End of daily journal approaches!
An eye lesson started the day, which in the had us rolling each eye in opposite direction. Those of us who hadn't fallen asleep, were pretty exhausted, but wide eyed at the end.
The next exercise may have been my downfall, as in the last stage it involved a rocking on the belly, and I may have moved too much...although it didn't feel it at the time. It was about 3 hours later, when I leant forward to pick up my brolly from a window sill, that my left leg seemed sore, at the hip.
I walked home, taking my time (no rain thank heavens) and because I've got more training tomorrow and travel I've had a hot shower, rested, taken ibuprofen and had shot of tequila. End of daily journal approaches!
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Day 5
Plans to do anything in the morning got put aside when I recalled an instructor had said on Monday "your entire job this week is to look after yourself." It came as I was trying, somewhat half heartedly, to decide between heading to the Metropolitan Museum or finding my way to South Ferry and Staten Island. The fact that neither appealed as much as resting, reading seemed insolent of me. After all there's a big city out there and I shouldn't waste time. Then it came to me, I was going into the 5th straight day of intensive attention, including, in my lunch break, an individual session, and that perhaps taking advantage of the city was at the expense of my own best interests. So I took my time, re-read the homework, and meandered into class via Barnes & Noble Bookstore, Fishs Eddy and a couple of other stores.
Just as well, because the first exercise was on hands and knees...and if you think that a couple of hours moving in and out of that position is easy...more power to you.
The individual session is challenging in another way...making sure that each part of the body is heavy, doing nothing, so the practioner can move it for you. I'd hoped to get him (Raz) to focus on my ankles, but it is really my right shoulder that lead me into individual sessions, and it remains the most visible issue...so there was no fooling him!
I had a quick lunch that I'd picked up at Pret $4.79 and then went into the after lunch session ready to fall asleep...which I did. FK is one of the few classes I know of where one is congratulated by the of the assistant teachers for falling asleep...and no, there was no trace of sarcasm in their voices. Feldenkrais built much rest into his classes, believing that it when the brain learns. MRIs in recent years have shown this to be very much so. I'd already done the ATM session, and so on waking, was able to do the last part very gently and slowly, but with ease.
After class one of the other Vermonters suggested we find the HiLine and explore it. We got on at 28th Street and walked down what used to be an elevated train line delivering to warehouse. The end was reached too soon at 10th street, having given us a lovely view of the Hudson, sail boats, sculpture and plants galore. It's beautifully appointed with seat, benches, and all in all one of those places that one can delight in what people can do, even if they often don't!
Dinner was a $21 prime rib at Pete's...the bar O'Henry made famous established in 1864. I love prime rib, but I should probably have had company to eat it!
Just as well, because the first exercise was on hands and knees...and if you think that a couple of hours moving in and out of that position is easy...more power to you.
The individual session is challenging in another way...making sure that each part of the body is heavy, doing nothing, so the practioner can move it for you. I'd hoped to get him (Raz) to focus on my ankles, but it is really my right shoulder that lead me into individual sessions, and it remains the most visible issue...so there was no fooling him!
I had a quick lunch that I'd picked up at Pret $4.79 and then went into the after lunch session ready to fall asleep...which I did. FK is one of the few classes I know of where one is congratulated by the of the assistant teachers for falling asleep...and no, there was no trace of sarcasm in their voices. Feldenkrais built much rest into his classes, believing that it when the brain learns. MRIs in recent years have shown this to be very much so. I'd already done the ATM session, and so on waking, was able to do the last part very gently and slowly, but with ease.
After class one of the other Vermonters suggested we find the HiLine and explore it. We got on at 28th Street and walked down what used to be an elevated train line delivering to warehouse. The end was reached too soon at 10th street, having given us a lovely view of the Hudson, sail boats, sculpture and plants galore. It's beautifully appointed with seat, benches, and all in all one of those places that one can delight in what people can do, even if they often don't!
Dinner was a $21 prime rib at Pete's...the bar O'Henry made famous established in 1864. I love prime rib, but I should probably have had company to eat it!
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Day Four
Day Four
Started off early to see St John Divine. Googled directions, and only after I started following them did I realize that I should have looked at the map instead. They just wanted to get me on a subway the quickest way possible, and not to the best route. Lesson learned! Cathedral was a bit of a let down, but then my last deliberate visit was to Barcelona and the Gaudi one!
Got the bus back down Columbus Ave, having detoured (no, really I was lost) in Riverside Park, and then jumped off that bus and walked through Central Park, to catch a train to 28th Street...just in time for class. I'd walked nearly 4 miles and was just hoping that David was not going to say "And now for something completely different, we won't be on our backs today...all standing" fortunately it was on the floor!
Big exercise on bending...mostly from sitting. Followed by an afternoon of rolling. We were doing so well, we rocked the building...no, wait, that was the earthquake!
Question posed by the instructor that is making me ponder: "How do we go to sleep?" it came up as a part of a discussion of awareness, consciousness and attention. But really do we do something, or stop doing doing things? And how can we do, or in some cases not do something so much with out having considered how it is done?
Then in the evening it was rush back to the hotel, shower and join my friend Penny for a delightful sea food meal seated outside, catching up. She's doing really well, in a well paying job using her medical and writing skills. She looks great, and as always is claiming to need to lose weight but not showing it, and eating healthy food with gusto.
Now to homework...and sleep. I'm one tired puppy.
Started off early to see St John Divine. Googled directions, and only after I started following them did I realize that I should have looked at the map instead. They just wanted to get me on a subway the quickest way possible, and not to the best route. Lesson learned! Cathedral was a bit of a let down, but then my last deliberate visit was to Barcelona and the Gaudi one!
Got the bus back down Columbus Ave, having detoured (no, really I was lost) in Riverside Park, and then jumped off that bus and walked through Central Park, to catch a train to 28th Street...just in time for class. I'd walked nearly 4 miles and was just hoping that David was not going to say "And now for something completely different, we won't be on our backs today...all standing" fortunately it was on the floor!
Big exercise on bending...mostly from sitting. Followed by an afternoon of rolling. We were doing so well, we rocked the building...no, wait, that was the earthquake!
Question posed by the instructor that is making me ponder: "How do we go to sleep?" it came up as a part of a discussion of awareness, consciousness and attention. But really do we do something, or stop doing doing things? And how can we do, or in some cases not do something so much with out having considered how it is done?
Then in the evening it was rush back to the hotel, shower and join my friend Penny for a delightful sea food meal seated outside, catching up. She's doing really well, in a well paying job using her medical and writing skills. She looks great, and as always is claiming to need to lose weight but not showing it, and eating healthy food with gusto.
Now to homework...and sleep. I'm one tired puppy.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Day Three
Life has to not be all Feldenkrais while I am here, so this morning I arose early enough (thanks Jenn for the call early, it feels great to talk to someone other than a server or class mate) to go shopping at Keihls...old fashioned new twist cosmetics store that in 1975 looked like a museum, and has now updated itself, while retaining the old sense. Unfortunately, my penchant for carry on only meant that their moisterizer wasn't purchased as it wasn't available in travel size. I then went on to Whole Foods, and purchased breakfast for the rest of the week...$8.25.
Fresh peaches were bought at the weekday Union Square market...I thought nit only happened on Saturday. $2.42.
It's come back to me what we did yesterday...we were given a an ATM that resulted in my right leg being even longer than my left leg, and, for the first time at least for me, the leader didn't go through the process of doing the other side. It resulted in my body having both my usual process and feelings on one side, and a new way on the other, and my brain body had the choice of assimilating the new or going back to the old. Judging by the ways my knees feel today, it went for the new!
Breath was the focus of the morning. It is an area of particular interest to me as several people have identified me as breathing "wrong" and one person helped me by identifying it as paradoxical breathing. I have learned (from twisting my diaphragm the first time I did this kind of exercise to a) pay close attention b) visualize beforehand. Today I missed the denouncement of the exercise by thinking too much.
Then we watched Moshe. We were warned his scope of skills was wide, a mathematician, physicist, top Judo expert, lived in Paris, London, Scotland, Palestine, and Israel, spoke 5 languages and on the other hand he was born in rural Ukraine and was of a generation where PC was unknown. I'd sum him up as a nerd. He was interested in what became his life's work since a teenager, and while he was highly verbal, what he was teaching was all about movement and feeling, so the gap is large. I am not being my typical involved in discussion self. Listening carefully, forming my own questions, and then seeing if they get answered rather than pushing forward. It's a change, and that's the point of this...change.
In the afternoon, a long ATM that I had done before. But I'd done it when my right shoulder was greatly hampered, so it was fun to do it and feel great change. I happen to know that tomorrow it will conclude with getting us into standing. I am looking forward to that...as it sure didn't work out last time.
And tonight, after a nice meal (17.95) of pasta, broccoli rabe, and pesto at LaFollia on 3rd and 20, I am arranging to see my friend Penny tomorrow night
Fresh peaches were bought at the weekday Union Square market...I thought nit only happened on Saturday. $2.42.
It's come back to me what we did yesterday...we were given a an ATM that resulted in my right leg being even longer than my left leg, and, for the first time at least for me, the leader didn't go through the process of doing the other side. It resulted in my body having both my usual process and feelings on one side, and a new way on the other, and my brain body had the choice of assimilating the new or going back to the old. Judging by the ways my knees feel today, it went for the new!
Breath was the focus of the morning. It is an area of particular interest to me as several people have identified me as breathing "wrong" and one person helped me by identifying it as paradoxical breathing. I have learned (from twisting my diaphragm the first time I did this kind of exercise to a) pay close attention b) visualize beforehand. Today I missed the denouncement of the exercise by thinking too much.
Then we watched Moshe. We were warned his scope of skills was wide, a mathematician, physicist, top Judo expert, lived in Paris, London, Scotland, Palestine, and Israel, spoke 5 languages and on the other hand he was born in rural Ukraine and was of a generation where PC was unknown. I'd sum him up as a nerd. He was interested in what became his life's work since a teenager, and while he was highly verbal, what he was teaching was all about movement and feeling, so the gap is large. I am not being my typical involved in discussion self. Listening carefully, forming my own questions, and then seeing if they get answered rather than pushing forward. It's a change, and that's the point of this...change.
In the afternoon, a long ATM that I had done before. But I'd done it when my right shoulder was greatly hampered, so it was fun to do it and feel great change. I happen to know that tomorrow it will conclude with getting us into standing. I am looking forward to that...as it sure didn't work out last time.
And tonight, after a nice meal (17.95) of pasta, broccoli rabe, and pesto at LaFollia on 3rd and 20, I am arranging to see my friend Penny tomorrow night
Day Two
Slept like the proverbial log! Awoke at 8, and puttered on the Internet until 9:39, when I realized that class was in an hour and I hadn't showered, breakfasted or walked there! Gathered myself together, and grabbed a good $7 (yep, this is turning into a way of tracking expenses too) smoothie of banana, ginger, coconut and cashews on the 20 minute walk over to the West Side. Last night it felt like an hour...guess that's the difference a suitcase and a long day make to sense of time!
It's crazy, but at 7:00 tonight I can't for the life of me recall what we did in the morning, a real indication that I have got to do notes at lunch. Instead I spent some time with two other women, Sue from Vermont and Cheryl from CT looking at the Leo house in the hope that we could get a room for 5. This would have meant $50 a night each, a nice reduction probably worth the inconvenience of sharing. But they only have two rooms that are designated "family" and they were both booked up through the end of the year!
The class is trying to find solutions to the housing issues for the out of towners. Of course, few people in NYC have extra space...but there are some options to explore. Even in a dedicated class life issues interrupt!
In the afternoon we did the Skeleton Arms exercise...which then went into a rolling motion, that was so simply and easily executed I was stunned. Ive been doing ATM since February of 2010, and often felt like I had found something new about myself, but after this I felt like I'd never roll over the way I used to again. Then, for the first time we watched each other. The challenge was not to correct, but to observe. Where was the motion being initiated, how was the flow of the motion. And then to talk about it without using judgement. Just observing was difficult...and then not judging...well, we all had fun with catching the words we used like better, right, etc!
Back to the hotel, at a brisk pace, because the long awaited thunderstorm was clearly imminent, and I had no jacket or brolly with me. I let the storm get it's first few clouds enter while I typed up most of this, and then ventured out to dinner at Mumbles, just on the corner, and had a great salad with flank steak slices and a glass of red wine $26, and looked for some fun things to do in the mornings, which appear to be free!
It's crazy, but at 7:00 tonight I can't for the life of me recall what we did in the morning, a real indication that I have got to do notes at lunch. Instead I spent some time with two other women, Sue from Vermont and Cheryl from CT looking at the Leo house in the hope that we could get a room for 5. This would have meant $50 a night each, a nice reduction probably worth the inconvenience of sharing. But they only have two rooms that are designated "family" and they were both booked up through the end of the year!
The class is trying to find solutions to the housing issues for the out of towners. Of course, few people in NYC have extra space...but there are some options to explore. Even in a dedicated class life issues interrupt!
In the afternoon we did the Skeleton Arms exercise...which then went into a rolling motion, that was so simply and easily executed I was stunned. Ive been doing ATM since February of 2010, and often felt like I had found something new about myself, but after this I felt like I'd never roll over the way I used to again. Then, for the first time we watched each other. The challenge was not to correct, but to observe. Where was the motion being initiated, how was the flow of the motion. And then to talk about it without using judgement. Just observing was difficult...and then not judging...well, we all had fun with catching the words we used like better, right, etc!
Back to the hotel, at a brisk pace, because the long awaited thunderstorm was clearly imminent, and I had no jacket or brolly with me. I let the storm get it's first few clouds enter while I typed up most of this, and then ventured out to dinner at Mumbles, just on the corner, and had a great salad with flank steak slices and a glass of red wine $26, and looked for some fun things to do in the mornings, which appear to be free!
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Day one
Not off to a great start...
Not off to a great start...
Arose at 4 to be ready at 4:30 for cab to airport. It's now 7:40 and I'm still at the gate...in Burlington. We would have landed in JFK according to the schedule! Everything went so smoothly on my trip on the 29th I just wasn't prepared for this.
Finally hit the floor at the Institute at 12:50. Perhaps I should have driven!
First ATM was Dead Bird, I arrived 1/3 of the way through it, but as I'd done it before I wasn't as confused or disoriented or upset as I might have been without experience. At the first instruction to lie on your back I relaxed into the process.
Second ATM had no name, and from the response I got to asking for one later, I got the impression it might be a "new" one, but that's just a supposition. It sure got my shoulder relaxed though.
The class has a) more younger people than I'd have anticipated, b) a greater percentage of men, and to the amazement of us all, three people from Vermont! One from Brattleboro, one from East Montpelier, and myself. Of course everyone else identifies me as "the English woman" so perhaps I don't count as Vermont!
I got back to hotel too tired to make decisions about food, so wandered up and down 3 Ave, and finally risked all on a Halal cart that offered lamb over rice for $4. It was three times as much as I could eat...so I learned something, about the quality of the lamb by inference. But it gave me the energy to get in, shower and putter until a reasonable time for real sleep.
.
Arose at 4 to be ready at 4:30 for cab to airport. It's now 7:40 and I'm still at the gate...in Burlington. We would have landed in JFK according to the schedule! Everything went so smoothly on my trip on the 29th I just wasn't prepared for this.
Finally hit the floor at the Institute at 12:50. Perhaps I should have driven!
First ATM was Dead Bird, I arrived 1/3 of the way through it, but as I'd done it before I wasn't as confused or disoriented or upset as I might have been without experience. At the first instruction to lie on your back I relaxed into the process.
Second ATM had no name, and from the response I got to asking for one later, I got the impression it might be a "new" one, but that's just a supposition. It sure got my shoulder relaxed though.
The class has a) more younger people than I'd have anticipated, b) a greater percentage of men, and to the amazement of us all, three people from Vermont! One from Brattleboro, one from East Montpelier, and myself. Of course everyone else identifies me as "the English woman" so perhaps I don't count as Vermont!
I got back to hotel too tired to make decisions about food, so wandered up and down 3 Ave, and finally risked all on a Halal cart that offered lamb over rice for $4. It was three times as much as I could eat...so I learned something, about the quality of the lamb by inference. But it gave me the energy to get in, shower and putter until a reasonable time for real sleep.
.
Friday, August 19, 2011
It's the night before
and I am excited, anxious and ready all at once. It's been a long time since I had a first day at school...1969 I think!
My registration arrived just today, and I had checked before if they took Discover and they said yes...but the paperwork says not. Somehow I believe we will work the payment!
As I wrote the above I thought "I think my Credit Union may be able to raise the card limit immediately on my Visa card" and looking at the website I determined that they were open even at 6:30 on Friday evening! So that obstacle is cleared. Now, on to the issue of packing!
My registration arrived just today, and I had checked before if they took Discover and they said yes...but the paperwork says not. Somehow I believe we will work the payment!
As I wrote the above I thought "I think my Credit Union may be able to raise the card limit immediately on my Visa card" and looking at the website I determined that they were open even at 6:30 on Friday evening! So that obstacle is cleared. Now, on to the issue of packing!
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