Twin Cities Feldenkrais

[If you are visiting this site to learn about private Feldenkrais lessons, please scroll down about halfway, past the large picture, to read about the Feldenkrais Method's hands-on one-to-one modality, Functional Integration lessons, with Nick Strauss-Klein. For information about my work with children with special needs, scroll about 3/4 down this page. Information about my ongoing weekly Awareness Through Movement classes at the St. Paul JCC is also available below. Please e-mail nick@twincitiesfeldenkrais.com if you'd like to be placed on my mailing list to learn about future Feldenkrais workshops, classes, and one-to-one lessons.]

12/11/11 update: Frederick Schjang returns to Twin Cities Feldenkrais at the St. Paul JCC on January 16th, 2012!

Change Your Age with Feldenkrais

a Feldenkrais Method workshop open to all, with master Feldenkrais teacher Frederick Schjang

• Monday, January 16m, 6:30-9:00 pm
• At the St. Paul JCC, 1375 St. Paul Avenue, St. Paul MN 55116
• $35 public, $30 JCC members, $25 JCC member early bird if registered by 1/1/12
• To register, call 651-698-0751
• For more information, contact Nick Strauss-Klein, director of Twin Cities Feldenkrais: 651-252-4094

Begin the new year with nationally-recognized fitness and wellness innovator Frederick Schjang as he returns to Minnesota to offer the revolutionary program Change Your Age with Feldenkrais. The St. Paul JCC and Twin Cities Feldenkrais proudly welcome back Frederick for another joyful evening of movement and awareness exploration. This all new Change Your Age Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement workshop is scientifically designed to help you feel and think younger as you recapture moving with the grace and ease of youth.

When you finish these easy-to-follow lessons, you’ll find yourself feeling more limber and free of many old aches and pains. Your carriage, posture, and the quality of your movements will seem more vigorous, more energized, and more youthful!

Like Frederick’s sold-out workshop at the JCC this past summer, this event is perfect for anyone looking to reduce strain and pain and enhance their enjoyment of all types of movement – from around-the-house activities, to classes and workouts at the gym, to high-level athletic or artistic performance.

Additionally, movement teachers, trainers, and coaches will find professional value in experiencing Frederick’s expertise and uniquely engaging approach to teaching movement, and everyone will find the lessons accessible and enjoyable.

Frederick is a 30-year fitness industry veteran, and a founding faculty member at the New York University School of Physical Therapy Doctoral Program. He has presented his work at the top national fitness education conferences (IDEA, ECA, and others) and on “Good Morning America” and ABC’s “Fitness Break.”

Register now – space is limited!

11/21/11 update: Feldenkrais for feet workshop on Sunday 12/11/11, and January weekly classes registering now

As Minnesota winter creeps closer, I’m pleased to offer one of my favorite workshop topics, Organizing the Feet for Balance, Posture, and Power, coming up soon at the St. Paul JCC. Learning to better sense and control the use of our feet has an immediate positie effect on our upright stability, which comes in handy when the snow and ice arrive! This workshop is great for both newcomers and experienced Feldies.

When I offer portions of this material to my Functional Integration students and my regular weekly Awareness Through Movement (ATM) classes, students are often amazed at what they can learn to feel and do with their feet in a short time. In this workshop format we’ve got more time to find and refine this new organization. We’ll see, discuss, and experience the functional anatomy of the feet and the lower leg, and discover how a “spiral of power” from a well-organized foot can organize the whole skeleton for action. Full workshop information is below.

And speaking of the weekly ATM classes, they run year-round and they are re-registering now for the winter session starting in January, 2012 (call 651-698-0751 for full information). In the meantime, did you know you can drop in for class any Tuesday morning, 9:30-10:30 or Thursday evening, 5:45-6:45 until December 22nd? (No class on Thanksgiving.) Both classes are pretty full, but drop-in space remains available at this time. Call me directly at 651-252-4094, or e-mail nick@twincitiesfeldenkrais to learn about the drop-in process.

Organizing the Feet for Balance, Posture, and Power

a Feldenkrais Method workshop open to all, with Nick Strauss-Klein

• Sunday, December 11th, 5:00-7:30 pm (please note time change)
• $15 for JCC members • $22 for the public
• At the St. Paul JCC, 1375 St. Paul Avenue, St. Paul MN 55116
• To register, call 651-698-0751

Foot pain or arch trouble? Do you experience aches or stiffness in your feet, knees, hips, or lower back? This workshop will use Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement (ATM) lessons to explore and enhance the use of your feet and their relationship to the rest of yourself. Using your brain’s extraordinary ability to learn more efficient patterns of movement and action when given the right sensory information, you’ll explore:

• how a supple, intelligent use of your feet and knees can improve your balance and reduce chronic pain in your feet, legs, and back.
• how to feel and find the particular use of your feet that most improves your posture.
• how well-organized feet recruit your legs, back, and breath for powerful athletic movements.

This workshop will include ATM lessons in standing and lying (mostly supine) positions, and discussion of neuromotor learning and the biomechanics of the foot. Mats will be provided. Please bring a bath towel to fold for head support, and dress in layers. Register through the JCC at 651-698-0751. You can contact the Nick with questions about the workshop: nick@twincitiesfeldenkrais.com, or 651-252-4094.

Public Awareness Through Movement classes at the St. Paul JCC

(1375 St. Paul Avenue, St. Paul MN 55116)

January-March 2012 weekly classes registering now!

A video about Feldenkrais ATM classes can be found below!

Please dress in layers so you will be comfortable with the variable temperature in the room. Bring a bath towel to fold for use as head support in class (please don’t substitute a bundled sweatshirt or similar – it’s not an even enough surface for our purposes).

If you’re new to Feldenkrais, ATM is a great way to encounter the method and start unlocking your potential for graceful, efficient movement.  If you have health, pain, or movement concerns about whether you would be able to take and benefit from the class, please contact me at 651-252-4094.

ATM classes use exploratory movements and guided attention to evoke new neuro-muscular patterns in the brain, improving your strength, flexibility, balance, coordination, and focus in an easy and pleasurable way.

Invented 50 years ago by Israeli athlete, Judo master, engineer, and physicist Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais, the Feldenkrais Method has been called “a revolution in human health” by Smithsonian Magazine. Students call the Feldenkrais Method “the missing link in fitness” and “a user’s guide to the human body.”

What else can you expect in a Feldenkrais ATM class?

• The movements are very gentle and relaxing, never painful.  Anyone, at any level can do them and benefit, from accomplished athletes to people who don’t like to exercise.
• You will feel better after class: you’ll probably stand taller, feel lighter, more flexible, and more grounded.
• A certified Feldenkrais teacher has been through an extensive 4-year training similar to kinesiology and is an expert in movement, posture, and body mechanics.

8/29/11 update: Fundamentals of a Healthy Back workshop coming September 11th to the St. Paul JCC

Following up on my popular “Free Your Spine” Feldenkrais workshop at the St. Paul JCC in June, I am offering another weekend workshop designed to improve your spinal health. “Fundamentals of a Healthy Back” will be Sunday, September 11th, from 2:30-5:00 PM at the St. Paul JCC. All are welcome, including newcomers, “Free Your Spine” attendees, and weekly Feldenkrais class regulars.

In this new Feldenkrais fundamentals workshop you’ll learn how to reduce chronic pain and improve the function of your back through scientifically-designed Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement lessons. These powerful self-exploration lessons will give you personal experience of some fundamental properties of a healthy back, including:

• how pains in the back, shoulders, neck, and jaw are linked to each other, and can be reduced together
• how to use awareness to support the natural curves of the spine, and to distribute effort efficiently
• how to improve your posture with a sense of ease and length instead of willpower

3/6/11 update: links to articles and resources for Flexibility and Balance

For those who have attended or are curious about my Flexibility and Balance at Any Age workshop today, here are the links I mentioned in class:

Article: “Stretching:  The Truth,” The New York Times. “The old presumption that holding a stretch for 20 to 30 seconds — known as static stretching — primes muscles for a workout is dead wrong…. ‘There is a neuromuscular inhibitory response to static stretching,’ says Malachy McHugh, the director of research at the Nicholas Institute of Sports Medicine and Athletic Trauma at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. The straining muscle becomes less responsive and stays weakened for up to 30 minutes after stretching, which is not how an athlete wants to begin a workout.”

Brief article, “Regaining Balance.” Discusses how a 78-year-old with a neuromuscular disease avoided becoming wheelchair-bound and learned to enjoy walking again.

Text instructions for how to do an Awareness Through Movement lesson designed to improve balance. This lesson focuses on movements of the head and eyes, a very important compliment to the lessons in my workshop.

This article provides some background about the Feldenkrais Method and relates it to studies about improving balance in the elderly. “Poor balance is a leading cause of disability and infirmity in the elder population. If you aren’t a part of that age group yet, please don’t tune out.”

Finally, The Busy Person’s Guide to Easier Movement was my source for the third lesson today. It contains fifty brief Awareness Through Movement exercises you can do at home, and I highly recommend it to my students. Frank Wildman’s writing and explanations are clear and concise.

If you would like to improve your flexibility and balance in a safe, effective, and pleasurable way, sign up for my ongoing weekly classes at the St. Paul JCC!

Functional Integration testimonials and information

A student who came to me for FI lessonswith symptoms of chronic pain and fatigue recently wrote this about our work together:

“Why FI sessions? Taking time to listen to my body regularly is good all by itself – but the real benefits go on and on. More flexibility. More energy. Fewer headaches (and neckaches, and shoulder aches, and more.) The easiest fall allergy (and asthma) season I’ve had in 15 years. More than anything, more awareness of how I spend my attention and focus, so I can do more of what I want, and do it in ways that best reach toward my dreams and my goals.

“Why Nick? A wonderful balance of conversation and silence, a willingness to explore, but also to suggest. An external perspective who not only notices what he sees – but also what he hears and feels, and what that says about the body and response. I look forward to my sessions, no matter what else happens in the week, as a chance to stop and breathe and focus on just one thing: listening to what’s good for my body.” — Jane, 34, librarian.

From Paul, a realtor: “I have experienced sciatic nerve pain for over 3 years along with arthritic joint pain in my knees.  I was not familiar with the Feldenkrais Method and was skeptical that a treatment so simple and easy could make a difference.  Since meeting with Nick I have been virtually pain free in both areas and notice my posture and movement has improved dramatically.  I wholeheartedly will and do recommend Feldenkrais to everyone I know.”

And while I can’t guarantee this immediate and enormous improvement for everyone, some students respond like Sandra did: “My physician son suggested I see a neurologist because of constant pain down the front of my leg for 6-8 weeks.  However I decided to try Nick and Feldenkrais that a friend suggested before seeing the neurologist.  I don’t understand how it all works but I have no pain after one session with him!  It is amazing to me.  I gained awareness of how I move and carry pain and tension in my body so I’m continuing to see him  to work on other areas that cause me difficulty.”

David, a neuropsychologist, wrote: “I enjoyed your gentle manner, your attentive eyes, and your knowledgeable way of guiding me to discover my own solutions for helping me improve my comfort.  What a beautiful model for personal empowerment and the discovery of internal resources of which I was unaware.”

And my student C.R. simply wrote: “I am soooooooo excited about what Feldenkrais is doing for me. Thank you Nick!”

My popular introductory package for individual study continues.  If you haven’t experienced Functional Integration yet, please come enjoy the potent benefits of three one-hour individual hands-on FI lessons for $150, total ($165 after 1/1/12). There is no better way to address your pain reduction and self-improvement goals than the neuromuscular reorganization possible through hands-on Feldenkrais. For continued individual study after your introductory three lessons, I use a set-your-own-fee sliding scale, from $50-90 per lesson (changing to $60-$100 on 1/1/12). To schedule lessons or learn more, contact me at nick@twincitiesfeldenkrais.com, or 651-252-4094.

Sliding scale for Functional Integration: $50-$90 set-your-own fee (until 1/1/12; thereafter $60-$100)

I recognize that my students’ wellness goals and financial circumstances vary. To ensure that you are able to come for lessons often enough and long enough to achieve lasting improvement, I use a sliding scale.  I am committed to a lower fee, higher volume health care model that will be more beneficial for more people. These days health care as a whole is deeply divided along class lines; I teach using a sliding scale so that my practice isn’t.

• All current and new students (after their introductory three lessons for $150, total) are asked to set their own fee, between $50 and $90 per lesson.
• At the request of some students who asked for guidance in choosing their fee I have created a sliding scale explanation and recommendations page which I now give to all my students.  This sheet answers most of the common questions about this unusual and liberal fee structure, and I hope you’ll read it.  Please contact me if you have further questions.
• If you are unable to find a comfortable place for yourself within my sliding scale, please speak with me. I have a limited number of teaching hours available in my schedule at a further reduced “financial hardship” rate.  I ask for your flexibility and sometimes use short notice in scheduling these lessons, but often I am able to accommodate students in this situation.
• New students receive their first three one-on-one, hands-on, one-hour Functional Integration lessons for $150 total ($165 after 1/1/12).

Feldenkrais for children

What is the Feldenkrais Method?

Feldenkrais is a system of movement education with applications similar to physical therapy, but more holistic. When someone wants to reduce pain, recover from an injury, or improve an aspect of themselves (anything movement, balance, posture, or performance related), a Feldenkrais lesson addresses the whole person – not just the symptom – by eliciting changes in the nervous system. Scientists call this process “neuroplasticity” – the brain’s extraordinary ability to acquire more efficient patterns of movement and action if given the right environment. Nothing creates that environment like the Feldenkrais Method. Lessons are pleasant and effortless, and done fully clothed. For the one-to-one Feldenkrais modality, called Functional Integration (FI), lessons are done lying on a low, comfortable table, with the practitioner using a gentle, non-invasive touch. Students describe lessons as pleasurable and relaxing, and you will find reduction in pain, specific improvements to how you function in your day-to-day life, and tools for continuing to improve yourself.

The following short video is an introduction to the group modality of the Feldenkrais Method, classes called Awareness Through Movement, as they are taught in wellness centers and fitness clubs.

The Feldenkrais Method uses gentle movement and directed attention to improve movement, enhance human functioning, and relieve chronic or acute pain. With this method, you can increase your range of motion, improve your flexibility and coordination, and rediscover your innate capacity for graceful, efficient movement. By expanding the self-image through movement sequences, the method enables you to include more of yourself in your movements. Students become aware of their habitual neuromuscular patterns and rigidities, and learn to move in new ways.

You can learn more about the Feldenkrais Method, including answers to frequently asked questions, testimonials, and research here.

The Practitioner

Nicholas Strauss-Klein, Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practionercm, is a graduate of the New York Feldenkrais Method Professional Training Program and has studied the method over the last decade in New York City, Baltimore, and Israel. He brings to his Feldenkrais practice the unique background of an advanced Master of Music Pedagogy degree from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, and 15 years of individual and class teaching experience. He currently teaches Feldenkrais to students pursuing all types of improvement: people searching for relief from chronic pain, tension, and anxiety, people who are interested in making their day-to-day activities more effective and pleasant, people seeking to enhance their fitness training and athletic performance, musicians, dancers, and performing artists, people recovering from injuries or living with disease or disabilities, and children growing up facing developmental challenges. E-mail nick@twincitiesfeldenkrais.com, or call 651-252-4094 for more information about the method or to schedule a lesson.

Nick, Jen, Henry, and Aryeh Strauss-Klein

Lessons and Class Schedule

I teach one-to-one Functional Integration lessons by appointment in my sunroom studio at our home in Eagan, Minnesota, south of St. Paul, convenient to I-35E and I-494. Lessons are about one hour, by appointment, available Tuesdays 11-5, Wednesdays 10-5, Thursdays 9-5, and Sundays 9-1. We will try to schedule your three introductory FI lessons ($150 total, $165 after 1/1/12) over the shortest time possible to maximize the benefits. Please call 651-252-4094 or e-mail nick@twincitiesfeldenkrais.com with questions or to make appointments.

Awareness Through Movement classes:

Group Feldenkrais ATM classes are ongoing at the St. Paul JCC.  See above!

Feldenkrais®, Feldenkrais Method®, Awareness Through Movement®, and Functional Integration® are registered service marks of the Feldenkrais Guild® of North America.

“What I’m after isn’t flexible bodies but flexible brains. What I’m after is to restore each person to their human dignity.”

– Moshe Feldenkrais, D. Sci., 1904-1984

Some photos by Rosalie O’Connor www.rosalieoconnor.com