Feldenkrais and the Brain: about the Coordination Cascade.
Roger Russell’s new course, “Feldenkrais and the Brain” starts Saturday, April 26 on Feldenkrais First.
Here Jeff & Roger discuss the importance of understanding the "coordination cascade" and its implications and applications for improving coordination with the Feldenrkais Method.
Main Themes:
Bridging the Gap Between Experience and Explanation—The conversation centers around the challenge of articulating the profound effects of the Feldenkrais Method, moving beyond vague metaphors, and grounding the method in a scientific understanding, specifically neuroscience.
The "Confusion Cloud":—Roger introduces the concept of a "confusion cloud" that surrounds Feldenkrais, stemming from the mismatch between the powerful experiences within a lesson and the readily available explanations (often relying on energy metaphors or simplified biomechanics). The course aims to provide clearer explanations.
Neuroscience as a Framework for Understanding—The course uses a neuroscience perspective to understand how Feldenkrais lessons work and why the body of work is coherent. It emphasizes that Moshe Feldenkrais himself was interested in neuroscience during his lifetime.
Experience-Based Learning and Curiosity—The course is structured around experiential learning, using ATM (Awareness Through Movement) lessons as a starting point to explore related neuroscience concepts. The goal is to ignite curiosity and invite participants to delve deeper into the underlying mechanisms.
The Coordination Cascade—Russell introduces the "Coordination Cascade," a visual model representing the hierarchical organization of the nervous system involved in movement, from intention to muscle activation and sensory feedback.
The Relevance of Sensory Feedback—The conversation highlights the critical role of sensory feedback, especially kinesthetic feedback, in the Feldenkrais Method. It suggests that increased clarity of sensory information allows for the creation of new and more efficient movement patterns.
Self-Image and Movement—The discussion touches upon the influence of self-image on movement and how Feldenkrais lessons can help reorder the self-image, leading to changes in muscle tension and movement patterns.
Integration of Various Perspectives—The course aims to weave together different perspectives (biomechanical, psychological, spiritual) with a scientific perspective in order to create a richer understanding of what it means to be a person, a client or a patient
Application to Practice—The course offers a new perspective on the practice and application of Feldenkrais to both ATM lessons and functional integration.
Key Ideas:
Complexity of Feldenkrais— "There's several layers of phenomena coordinated across your biological being from your cultural psychological sense of yourself all the way down to the way the muscles work and the spinal cord guides them and things like that." This emphasizes the multifaceted nature of the method.
The Interlaced Hands Example—This example illustrates how a seemingly simple movement can trigger subtle changes in the entire system, including breathing, balance, and even eye orientation. "As soon as I change from the habitual I sense that with myself I breathe more clearly in my right lung...my eyes are focused to the left and slightly upward right."
Evolution of the Brain—The evolution of the brain is a key component of understanding Feldenkrais, and will be in the first session of the course.
Neuroplasticity and Learning—The conversation implicitly touches on the concept of neuroplasticity—the brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections—as the basis for learning and change within the Feldenkrais Method.
The Role of Attention—"Our conscious paying attention and our decision to pay attention to something changes the functioning of our nervous system." This highlights the critical role of attention and conscious awareness in facilitating change.
Timing of Nervous System Activity—"The nervous system operates in the milliseconds to hundreds of a second changes." This emphasizes the rapid and dynamic nature of neural processes underlying movement and learning.
Muscles as Starting Point—Starting with muscles makes the principles of neuroscience more accessible. Learning Prioritizes Behavior—Learning, which is a neurological information process, should be considered as having priority over behavior.
Curriculum for the Course—The course contains a framework for a scientific examination of the Feldenkrais method that includes the following: The values behind Dr. Feldenkrais' work, biological creatures with evolutionary history, anatomy and biomechanics, sensory motor development, sensory motor development over a lifespan and pedagogy.
Fascia—Robert Schip found that fascia contains sensory organs