The Power of Play
The Power of Play
The Power of Play
by Shari Lee, M.S., Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner®
Originally Published August 10, 2020
We played to learn. We learned through play; not only how to have fun, but to develop our sense of self, our relationship to others and the world around us. Playfulness stimulated our sense of curiosity, our development of strategies to access what caught our attention and interest and cultivated a sense of value within us for ourselves and others. Our interactions with and connection to our playmates and caregivers created a mirror reflecting back to us our value through our actions, our responses and interactions. The more playful and joyful, the more positive and stimulating our experience and the greater the likelihood of branching out and expanding our repertoire of new experiences, our self confidence, skills and abilities.
Like play,
Feldenkrais® lessons stimulate our sense of curiosity and encourage venturing into the unknown. Gentle, playful non-judgmental movement explorations improve our ability to move and feel better. Many of the movements resemble how we moved as infants and young children to explore our new world. Freedom, gentleness, and curiosity are encouraged through Feldenkrais lessons to remind us of deeply familiar, but often forgotten, internal processes that naturally emerged during our earliest interactions, explorations and discoveries which led us to learn and create possibilities.
A playful approach to Feldenkrais lessons, not only stimulates natural learning, but improves how you move and feel. Rediscovering your own ability to access ever increasing possibilities, goes a long way toward reclaiming self esteem, self confidence and your own self image as a fully functioning human being.
Through injury, particularly when it becomes chronic and life altering, perhaps more painful and equally debilitating, is the loss of one's sense of self and the joyful pursuit of living life to the fullest. Facing the sometimes limited progress toward full recovery from injury afforded by conventional methods, the life we've known and loved can come to a screeching halt.
With a teaching background in outdoor recreational skills, I knew the value and importance of getting out of pain to reclaim one's ability to participate in activities for play, to resurrect one's sense of self worth, re-open avenues for interacting with others and the development of relationships. So much of one's self esteem, sense of value as a person, outlook and ability to interact with others is linked to, and dependent on one's own ability to move, to feel something other than pain, to participate fully in life and to enjoy the reward that accompanies the exhilaration of joyful movement. This is an essential human need.
To help others bridge that gap between simply recovering from pain, injury and limitation to re-building their confidence to pursue activities, adventures, new experiences, and to truly find their passion again and experience life to the fullest,
I decided to create Feldenkrais-in-Action Retreats and Eco-Adventures for people who had undoubtedly experienced aspects of uncertainty, fragility and loss resulting from pain and injury. These Movement Options Feldenkrais Retreats create opportunities that offer adventure and new experiences, with the reassurance that guests will be fully immersed in a supportive environment congruent with the nonjudgmental nature of Feldenkrais Method. Providing these opportunities outside of one’s habitual environment creates a window for change that is supported by gentle, reassuring acceptance and encouragement. We explore playful possibilities through Feldenkrais lessons, accompanied by enjoyable activities and interactions.
Making adventurous activities more achievable, skillful and satisfying through the reassurance, ease and confidence that comes through the gently guided discovery process involved in Feldenkrais lessons offers a unique opportunity to flourish in the retreat environment. It is inspiring to experience the development of new levels of relationships within the group and enhanced regard for self and others, as people grow and extend so many aspects of themselves while learning and exploring new places, people and activities, along with new aspects of themselves and their own capabilities, interactions, ability to change and grow while having fun in the process!
Join Shari Lee's conference presentation, Feldenkrais® Strategies to Make it Possible, Easy and Fun to Get Out and Play!
Learn to play more freely, fully, and confidently using some of the same principles we all naturally engaged in during our earliest years. Clarify your image of action and the accompanying movement patterns to develop and improve balance, power, proportionally efficient effort, whole body fluidity, overall enjoyment and enhanced self-reliance in your recreational pursuits.
Feldenkrais®, Feldenkrais Method®, Awareness Through Movement® and Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner® are registered service marks of the Feldenkrais Guild of North America®.
