Puzzles in Movement as Problem Solving Skills

Learning how to solve a movement problem is a skill that we use as a learning strategy in Feldenkrais Awareness through Movement®. This skill is very useful for dealing with pain and the skill can be generalized in one’s life. Problem solving or figuring things out is something one does daily. It can be as simple as learning to use an unfamiliar washing machine or complicated like learning how to play a musical instrument. Creative solutions may come spontaneously when you have practiced problem solving with your whole self.

For example, when faced with a situation where your pain is increasing, or maybe you are worried that there is something you want to do that might increase your pain–you have a problem to be solved.

If you have practiced solving movement puzzles with your body, you can draw on this skill, such as noticing what you are doing, thinking, or feeling. Are you breathing, or holding your breath or using too much effort for the task? Are there ways to use yourself that could make the action easier or less stressful? Are you flexible in your attitude towards accomplishing the task and when and how fast?

Shifting Your Attention and Mode of Action

You can figure out how to move in a different way that doesn't increase pain. For example, if you are sitting in a booth in a restaurant with cramped space, how do you organize yourself to get up and out without triggering more pain. Could you go more slowly, use your arms to help you slide to the edge of the booth’s seat? Do you need part of the table cleared in order to have the space you need to maneuver? Could you do it bit by bit? Are you in a negative self-talk loop? Can you ask for help? Are you okay with taking more time?

Some strategies that are used in ATM lessons that could be helpful to solve movement problems are: shifting your attention to other parts of yourself and looking for other possibilities for moving? Can you relax enough to shift your attention, change your usual mode of action, alter the timing, attend to your breathing, or adjust your attitude?

Embodying Open Mindedness

We all have habits of mind and body. We rely on a set of ways to act in the world, it’s a big part of our self-image. For example, many people will continue doing a task until it's finished, even when they notice it is hurting them. There is often a push back for changing up one’s usual way of acting which can seem to make us freeze up and resist changing a behavior. It can be disorienting to do something differently, to think differently. Can you be okay with this. This is an important part of embodying open mindedness, and it can be practiced in an Awareness Through Movement lesson. For example, pausing, resting, changing your pattern of action, including your thoughts. Then the quality of open mindedness will be more readily accessible and skillfully deployed.

This is an excerpt from a Q & A with Deborah Bowes from her Chanukiah Feldenkrais series.

Students appreciate these kinds of ‘pearls of experience’ that Deborah shares her classes.

New Feldenkrais series with Deborah Bowes: Legs in Action

About Deborah Bowes:

Deborah Bowes is a Feldenkrais® Teacher and Trainer. She initially trained as a physical therapist at Columbia University in New York and later earned a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Shenandoah University in Virginia. She holds a B.S. in Biology and Physical Education from Rhode Island College.

As a Guild Certified Trainer of the Feldenkrais Method® since 2000, she has taught widely in the United States, Canada, Germany, Sweden, Australia and Colombia in over 35 training programs.  Her other related in-depth studies and practices include Tai Chi Chuan, Qigong, yoga, sensory awareness, meditation, and dance.

Deborah had a private practice in San Francisco at the Feldenkrais® Center for Movement & Awareness for over 30 years. She now teaches and consults online. She is an adjunct faculty member at Saybrook University, teaching Movement Modalities for Wellness. Her doctoral research demonstrated the benefit of her Feldenkrais Method program, Pelvic Health & Awareness for Men and Women. Her other courses are on Movementandcreativity.com