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 roughly the first Sunday in the month:

Discovering Awareness Through Movement Workshops ~ Autumn/Winter

Move With Ease: Freeing Your Lower Back and Hips.   This workshop will feature Awareness Through Movement lessons designed to decrease tension and discomfort in the hip joints and the lumber spine, increasing your flexibility and greatly improving mobility in sitting, standing and walking. Sun 14th Dec

Balance and Core Mobility: Internal Reconnections.  This workshop will re-organise the muscles of the torso to access your natural strength, thus clarifying the lines of power and efficient functioning connecting your limbs, and revealing better balance, coordination and whole self awareness.  Sun 22nd Feb                                                          

Move With Ease: Freeing your Neck, Arms & Shoulders.This workshop will feature Awareness Through Movement lessons designed to decrease tension and discomfort in the arms, shoulders and neck, and increase flexibility and ease in the whole of the upper back area.  The day will be suitable for beginners and particularly helpful for those with upper back, neck or shoulder pain, or any symptoms of RSI.   Sun 18th Jan     

Moving with Lightness and Grace: Mobilise your whole self and discover the playfulness and vitality of youth - how many ways can we shift from lying to sitting to standing to moving around?  Particularly relevant to dancers, martial artists, performers of all kinds and anyone wishing to awaken the dancer within.   Date tba

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.