Maggy Burrowes
The Feldenkrais Method and VocalDynamix Holistic Voice work
The Feldenkrais Method came as an exciting discovery for me in 1986 in my home town of Brighton. Years of dance classes had left me with sciatica - intermittent leg pain from a trapped nerve - and I had taken up Tai Chi instead, a much safer discipline for someone with my youthful lack of body awareness. Regular practise of the form had made great improvements to my posture and stamina, but sciatica was still a regular problem, usually leaving me limping for a week or so. I was amazed and delighted when a sciatic attack that came on the night before my first Feldenkrais workshop had completely cleared up by the end of the day. I realised that this was the method I was looking for to help me develop my own holistic vocal training process and thus make jazz singing more viable as a career. Once I embarked on the four year training I realised I had found a life's work as rich and satisfying as singing.
This method stimulates our nervous system's natural ability to organise itself more efficiently, freeing us from the chronic muscular tensions that are a major cause of pain and poor posture, and the unhealthy physical habits that perpetuate these problems. We spend our first few years entirely immersed in the wonderful world of sensory awareness, acquiring new abilities daily, but by adulthood we are often simply getting by, delighted by the grace and skill we see in dancers and athletes, with little idea of how much more we could be enjoying moving ourselves with the greater awareness Feldenkrais work can bring.
Awareness Through Movement (A. T. M.) lessons are most usually taught as weekly classes and themed workshops; they provide a great introduction to the method and are an effective way to achieve all the benefits it can provide, including greater mobility, flexibility, grace and agility, fuller breathing, relief from tension and pain, improved performance in sport, dance, music and drama, and reconnecting with a younger self. Functional Integration (F. I.) lessons are hands-on individual sessions and are more suitable for those with injuries, chronic pain anywhere in the body, problems with long-term use like R. S. I., or more serious problems such as M. S., Parkinson's Disease, or brain damage of various kinds, including Stroke and Cerebral Palsy.
A.T.M. lessons take familiar movement patterns - e.g. rolling out of bed, getting up off the floor, twisting to look behind you, reaching upwards etc. - and break those patterns up into smaller sequences that stimulate new learning in your sensory motor system. Improvements are usually noticeable by the end of your first lesson. F. I. lessons tailor this process very precisely to your individual needs. You are learning a new way to be, there is no quick fix for these kinds of problems and permanent improvement only comes with regular practise and a clear commitment to change, however new students can usually tell very quickly if the method is working for them. Most lessons take place on the floor, so you need to wear loose, comfortable clothing and bring something to lie on.
I have applied the method to state-of-the-art vocal training techniques developed by Jo Estill and Alison Bagnall and designed VocalDynamix, a comprehensive vocal awareness system suitable both for professional performers and for anyone who would like to experience full pleasure from their voice. For more information see my website - www.vocaldynamix.com
I am running introductory courses at The Sunflower Centre on Sundays:
Discovering Awareness Through Movement® Workshops Time 12.00pm - 6.00pm. £50 (Concessions £40)
Fully Functioning Core Muscles: Accessing Inner Strength In this workshop we will stimulate and re-educate the deeper muscles of the torso, connecting your limbs to your natural power source and encouraging greater internal stability without loss of elasticity. You will experience better balance, more fluid coordination, improved stamina and increasing postural self-awareness. This is a great day for anyone concerned with loss of vitality, physical energy or posture issues. Sunday 19th February
Flexible Spine, Younger Posture This workshop will feature lessons designed to increase mobility and decrease tension and discomfort in your whole spine, increasing your flexibility from your neck to your lumbar spine and greatly improving both your stamina and your mobility in sitting, standing and walking. Discover how better walking can be used to improve your general spine health and relieve chronic back pain conditions like sciatica. Sunday 4th March
Ease & Mobility Neck, Shoulders & Upper Back This workshop will feature lessons designed to increase flexibility and encourage more fluid movement in your upper spine, neck, shoulders and rib cage. We will use rotation, flexion and extension to reawaken your natural elegance and poise. This day will be very useful indeed for the relief of neck pain and possibly even chronic headaches. Sun March 18th
Freeing Your Lower Back and Hips This workshop will feature lessons designed to decrease tension and discomfort in the hip joints and the lumbar spine, increasing flexibility in the whole of your spine and greatly improving both stamina and mobility in sitting, standing and walking. Discover how more functional walking can be used to improve your general spine health and chronic back pain conditions like sciatica. Sun April 1st
I also offer private lessons in the Centre.
Please call me directly to book for the workshops, to discuss private lessons, or just to chat about the methods - 07976 640737. You could also email me at maggy@thesunflowercentre.co.uk
