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Becky Behling is a Guild Certified Feldenkrais practitioner, in full standing with the Feldenkrais Guild of North America | Manhattan, Kansas

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The Myth of “Standing Up Straight”: The Puzzle of Posture

August 12, 2017 by Becky Leave a Comment

At some point in our lives, we have been admonished by others, and frequently by our own selves, to “stand up straight”. Like me,  you may have even agreed to a postural assessment that revealed a surprising variety of twists and turns in your spine.  Many of my students are earnestly searching for the sure solution to this lifelong struggle.

“What is good posture?” This  question opens the chapter for Lesson 1 In Moshe Feldenkrais’ book Awareness Through Movement. Moshe wrote that we try “standing up straight” in various ways, yet we cannot maintain those positions without continuous effort. “Good” posture is often a constant struggle, and one in which we experience frequent failure.

Moshe noted “the word ‘straight’ is misleading because it doesn’t give us details that can help. Additionally, the geometric idea of straight is a static notion, as we humans have incredible dynamic potential. He noted, “From the dynamic point of view, every stable posture is one of a series of positions that constitute a movement.” Hence, posture is constantly changing because it is inherently dynamic. Anyone who has suffered the discomfort of a tweaky back muscle inherently recognizes this.

When our skeletons are enabled to participate as a supportive frame in gravity, our muscles are then freed to work with less effort. Energy requirements are reduced. Can you imagine attaining, and then maintaining, elegant posture that is both easy and effortless? Truly, it is possible!

Click here to view Feldenkrais practitioner Rich Goldsand helping three students “rewire” for movement improvement, including posture. Learn more about the Feldenkrais Method and find classes and practitioners at www.feldenkrais.com .

Filed Under: Fitness

Process takes time

October 1, 2015 by Becky Leave a Comment

“Movement is life. Life is a process. Improve the quality of the process and you improve the quality of life itself.” ~Moshe Feldenkrais

This concept of “movement is life” is a foundational principle of The Feldenkrais Method. Moshe’s profound statement also notes that movement is a process, and every process requires time. However, the stress of our everyday lives causes us to shift attention constantly. How impatient we become with process, wanting things to fall into place quickly and come together more expediently. Again and again we learn that rushing the process results in less-than-optimal outcomes, unintended consequences. My grandmother would say, “If something is worth doing, it is worth doing well.” In our time-compress lives, “do-overs” can be frustrating and costly.

The focus of Awareness Through Movement lessons requires diligent attention in slowing movement so that we sharpen the perception of what exactly it is we are doing. Only then are we better able to organize our unlimited potential for improvement. Who do you know that is searching for a method of personal discovery to “improve the quality of life itself”? Read about a Viet Nam veteran’s experience with Feldenkrais Method by clicking here.

Filed Under: Fitness

Self-care Key To Brain Health and Preservation

August 23, 2015 by Becky Leave a Comment

Dr. Laura DeFina, CEO of internationally-recognized Cooper Institute in Dallas, TX, recently noted that Alzheimer’s and dementia are diseases that are chronic and progressive which ultimately “steal who we are”. Although enormous amounts of funding are funneled into research and care, DeFina says prevention is within the power of every individual.

She shared about a recent gathering of the Dallas chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association where a group of experts presented a wide array of information on self-care. Topics included stress management, exercise, nutrition, and quality sleep, all which are known to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s and other related conditions. Among the findings presented was data from a 2013 Cooper Institute study indicating “higher fitness levels at mid-life had a 36% lower risk for developing Alzheimer’s and related disorders, on an average 20 years later than those with lower fitness levels”.

DeFina also noted the increasing evidence that persistent, moderate intensity physical activity enhances both brain volume and cognition. These recent findings demonstrate that physical activity not only helps when these diseases begin, but can have enduring benefits when started earlier in life.

To read the full article, click here .

Filed Under: Fitness

How Does Feldenkrais Help People?

April 15, 2015 by Becky Leave a Comment

This entertaining and brief post by Australian Feldenkrais practitioner Michael Cann is both delightful and informative, http://bit.ly/1FPxc4o .

Filed Under: Fitness

“Just being a good kid!”

February 19, 2015 by Becky Leave a Comment

Ida plays golf daily and holds the course record for the most holes-in-one: 11. She is now 102 years old. The hallmarks of her longevity? Watch this short video by Dustin Cohen (dustincohen.com), https://vimeo.com/117588730 .

What does “being a good kid” have to do with aging well? It can have quite an effect. Dr. Len Kravitz, University of New Mexico, has examined the commonalities behind the longevity associated with people living in the world’s four “Blue Zones”. One of the most compelling:  meaningful social networks. People who have successfully created greater social relationships have better general health, mental health, and vitality. Dr. Kravitz adds that “social integration is associated with decreased C-reactive protein, a risk factor for coronary artery disease. You can scan Dr. Kravitz’s comments here to learn more about the complex aspects of growing older.

Filed Under: Fitness

Bones For Life® available in Austin, TX

December 21, 2014 by Becky Leave a Comment

A new approach for improving bone health by creating a more reliable skeleton; developed by Ruthy Alon, one of Moshe Feldenkrais’ original students.

At Austin Aikikai, Bones For Life®, January 5 – February 28, 2015

Monday mornings, 11:15-12:15

$88 for series, $15 drop-in

7756 Northcross Dr., #111, Austin, TX 78757

Call Becky at 512-913-9913 to register

Bring a yoga mat, a bath towel, two hand towels, and socks. Wear layered clothing. For more information, see www.bonesforlife.com.

Filed Under: Feldenkrais, Fitness, Holistic Health and Well-being, Strength Training

Six Habits for Aging Well

January 4, 2014 by Becky Leave a Comment

The video below and the copy at MasterTrack.com offer a quick glimpse of Olga Kotelko, one of the most medaled masters track and field athletes. Holder of hundreds of medals from many events, Olga is surprised at the way people marvel at and admire both her and her accomplishments. The twist to the story?

Olga is 94 years old.
 

 

Says Angela Brooks-Wilson, PhD and geneticist in Vancouver’s Genome Sciences Centre/B.C. Cancer Agency, “ We think longevity is probably about 70-75% lifestyle.” To Bruce Grierson, author of the Parade feature covering Olga, healthy aging is determined only by one quarter genetics and “up to three-quarters is determined by how you play the hand you were dealt.”

Grierson’s Six Smart Habits of Super Agers

  1. Swap the sudoku for sneakers. Physical activity trumps enhanced brain function. In a recently released analysis of studies on the effects of brain games designed to improve memory and function, researchers noted the games aren’t likely to enhance physical function. Physical activity, however, positively affects both physical and cognitive function.
  2. Stay on your feet. Hours of inactivity is known to increase risk of common afflictions such as high blood pressure, blood clots, and some cancers regardless of the fitness level of subjects. Even for people who were regularly active, being sedentary for long periods of time appear to erase gains.
  3. Eat real food. Olga follows a balance and moderation approach to daily eating. She eats 4-5 times daily, lightly in the evening, and doesn’t skip meals. She supplements daily with a baby aspirin and glucosamine.
  4. Be a creature of habit. Forming helpful habits can carry people well through each day as well as through stressful events.
  5. Cultivate a sense of progress. Without question, age brings physical changes. We become slower and lose muscle mass. Masters events are adjusted by age and gender to reflect the relative declines in performance. In other words, notes Grierson, “reframe progress so it becomes a relative measure…move the yardsticks.”
  6. Lighten up. Stressing over the details of life is a choice. Says Olga, “Honestly, I don’t have the time.”

Read the full article here.

Also, for fun, here’s a recent presentation I gave:

Filed Under: Fitness, Holistic Health and Well-being

Great Sleep, Healthier Brain

November 14, 2013 by Becky Leave a Comment

1174-brain-in-profile-vector.htmlIn an NPR broadcast on October 17, 2013, it was reported that the brains of sleeping mice clean themselves of toxins. Researchers have been surprised to discover that brain cells of mice shrank and cerebrospinal fluid was pumped in and out of the brain by the nervous system at “a very rapid pace”. Dr. Maiken Nedergaard, neurosurgery professor at the University of Rochester, thinks this can help explain the link between brain diseases and sleep disorders. Alzheimer’s disease is in that group of disorders.
Sticky beta amyloid proteins are among the wastes removed from the mice brains during sleep. Dr. Nedergaard likened this process to the way a dishwasher works to clean dirty dishes. As the mice snoozed, the circulatory action of cerebrospinal fluid increased and was pumped in and out of the brain to rapidly to clean away toxic debris. Beta amyloid proteins, among other wastes, collect in brain tissues when mice are awake. Over time, their gummy quality gives amyloid proteins the ability to form plaques.
Although we would think this type of brain cleansing is an ongoing process, it is not. Dr. Nedergaard said that such scrubbing takes a lot of energy, noting, “It’s probably not possible for the brain to both clean itself and at the same time [be] aware of the surroundings and talk and move and so on.” This may be why people don’t think clearly after a sleepless night and could help explain why a long-term sleeplessness may result in death.
Although this cleaning phenomenon has not yet been observed in humans, it offers insight into brain diseases affecting humans. Dr. Randall Bateman, neurology professor at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has also been researching the effects of sleep on brain tissue. He thinks Nedergaard’s study may provide new ways to prevent Alzheimer’s by making it possible to “control sleep in a way to improve the clearance of beta amyloid and help prevent amyloidosis that we think can lead to Alzheimer’s disease.”
(http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/10/18/236211811/brains-sweep-themselves-clean-of-toxins-during-sleep)

Filed Under: Fitness

I have WHAT?? Getting Wise About Sarcopenia

November 9, 2013 by Becky Leave a Comment

Sarcopenia means muscle wasting. It is the decline in muscle mass beginning around age 40. It is partially responsible for declines in strength and power associated with growing older. Data from the National Institute on Aging reveals that “only 11% of people 85 and older engage in any regular exercise…and fewer than 15 % of people 65 and older do any regular strength training at a time in life when sarcopenia…contributes to some of the most troubling, and preventable, conditions of old age.”
Maria Fiatarone Singh is a professor at the University of Sydney School of Medicine. For the past 25 ears, her name has been seen frequently on much of the research investing the effects of regular strength training for older adults. “If I had to do only one thing for the frail older person, it would clearly be weight lifting exercise, and not any other form of exercise, ” she said. Here’s some of the data she’s collected from studies spanning those years:
  • nursing home residents soon doubled and tripled their strength with an appropriately intense resistance exercise program (1988)
  • people who suffered hip fractures and engaged in a year of weight lifting after injury reduced nursing home admissions and mortality by more than 89% compared with other therapies (2003)
  • balance exercises and strength training programs significantly reduced falls among older people (2012)
Dr. Singh and others contend that up to 95% of all older people can safely engage in regular exercise, even those with chronic conditions such as arthritis, hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease. In fact, many problems that are common in older adults are simply the result of low levels of fitness. Read the story of a 102  year old man who began working with a personal trainer three years ago here: http://www.timesofoman.com/Features/Article-354.aspx
For more information about the role of nutrition and resistance training in treating sarcopenia, view this 5 minute interview with Professor Roger Fielding of the Jean Mayer United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University. (http://sarcopenia.com).

Filed Under: Fitness

How to Deal With Emotionally Charged Situations

September 25, 2013 by Becky Leave a Comment

A Quick Thought…

I teach anatomy at a massage therapy school and occasionally receive pertinent pieces and related magazines in my faculty mailbox. Yesterday I read a brief article, “In the Work Place: How to Deal With Emotionally Charged Situations” by Christine Pemberton. She shared from “The Four Agreements”, a highly recommended book about “harmonious living with respect and acceptance”. Four foundational principles include:

  1. Always do your best. Knowing “best” can change with circumstances and physical state.
  2. Never make assumptions.
  3. Be impeccable with your word.
  4. Do not take anything personally.

Pemberton said honoring these four principles can lead to open communication and respect. That’s certainly solid advice and great wisdom for living.

(From “Dermascope”, August 2013, p 109)

Filed Under: Fitness

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Recent Posts

  • The Myth of “Standing Up Straight”: The Puzzle of Posture
  • Process takes time
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  • How Does Feldenkrais Help People?
  • “Just being a good kid!”

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Latest from the Blog

The Myth of “Standing Up Straight”: The Puzzle of Posture

August 12, 2017 By Becky Leave a Comment

At some point in our lives, we have been admonished by others, and frequently by our own selves, to "stand up straight". Like me,  you may have even agreed to a postural assessment that revealed a … [Read More...]

Process takes time

October 1, 2015 By Becky Leave a Comment

“Movement is life. Life is a process. Improve the quality of the process and you improve the quality of life itself.” ~Moshe Feldenkrais This concept of "movement is life" is a foundational … [Read More...]

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