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
Sitting with Ease on Chairs and Floors Whether at a desk or on the floor, healthy, happy sitting for long periods requires flexibility, mobility and efficient use of your spine, your lower back and your hip joints. This day will develop greater awareness of your natural balance in sitting, standing and walking and may be particularly useful for the relief of sciatica, and back, neck and shoulder pain. Sun 13th June 2010
Rolling with Ease: Free your Back As a Judo teacher of renown, Moshe Feldenkrais was deeply awareof the benefits of rolling through space to our postural organisation. Rediscover the pleasures of exploring the easy, fluid way small children interact with the floor, and creative possibilities to be enjoyed as we begin to remember how to learn through simply having fun! Sun 27th June 2010
Ease and Mobility in Hands, Shoulders and Upper Back This workshop will focus on releasing tension in your hands and improving mobility in forearms and shoulders in order to help you develop sensitive, flexible, responsive hands with a clear connection through your shoulders to your neck and spine. Our hands express many of our deepest habits and carry much of the stress of our daily work. This workshop will be helpful for anyone with pain or chronic tension in these areas. Sun 4th July 2010
Ease and Mobility in your Spine, Hips and Knees Our knees often signal long-standing problems with our posture and the mobility of our spine, and weakness and immobility in the knees can affect your whole system. In order to free the knees we need to explore these vital skeletal connections, and improvements to the knees often lead to benefits for the whole self. Sun 18th July 2010
Developing Lightness and Grace This day will continue to explore and develop the themes of Moving with Lightness and grace. Mobilise your whole self using movement ideas that are subtle and playful We will be moving from lying to sitting to traveling in any direction with an easy vitality, discovering the source of elegance. A great introduction to Feldenkrais for dancers, martial artists, acrobats, clowns and anyone wishing to 'dance with gravity'. Sun 8th August 2010
Ease and Mobility in Neck, Face and Jaw This workshop will feature lessons designed to decrease tension and discomfort in your neck, face, jaw, throat and tongue, improving mobility and increasing expressiveness. Release of chronic tension in these areas is highly effective for lowering your general stress levels. It will be particularly useful for anyone with jaw problems, including teeth grinding during sleep. Sun 22nd August 2010
Time 12.00pm - 6.00pm. £45 (Concessions £35)
I offer private lessons in the Centre on Thursday afternoons.
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
