Hand Series.

"Kant called the hand the human outer brain, and psychologist Revesz thought the hand is frequently more intelligent than the head. Our hands are often the first point of contact with our environments, and movement with our hands a primary way of communicating." -Ashley Montagu, Touching: The Human Significance of the Skin

A key idea that Feldenkrais used in his work is understanding that the primary motor cortex is responsible for controlling voluntary movements of the body, including the fingers and hands (approximately 40% of the primary motor cortex is devoted to the use of the hands and fingers!). And he understood through experimentation that his hand movement sessions could have a deep effect on the motor cortex.

That's why I took several of the hand sessions that I have created over the last years and put them on this page with some explanatory videos. These sessions not only eliminate strain and pain in your hands, but they also help keep your entire nervous system supple and relaxed.

How?

By using gentle, developmental movements of your hands and finger to relax your motor cortex. Falling asleep can be a welcome side effect of doing these sessions. These sessions are primarily done while lying on a Yoga mat or other padded surface. You can do them in bed in the morning or at night. And after you do the sessions several times, you can experiment with

Your Dominant Hand (can be life-changing!)


This is a session you could just do the first 15 minutes of it and get great benefit from it.

It involves some very gentle and very unique movements of the hands and fingers. So unique, that as you do them, the relaxation tends to cascade through your body. AND - as many of us have years of typing on computers and tablets and smartphones and such, we have a great deal of stress and strain in the muscles of our hands. Strain that will likely start to melt away as you do this session. Give it a try?

Surgeon's Hands (31-minutes) - Sitting in a Chair


Do you have any strain or pain in your hands and fingers? Or perhaps you feel that too much time on your cell phone or computer has done something "weird" to your hand movement?

We rarely give enough attention to helping those delicate muscles in our hands and fingers. The session below, called "Surgeon's Hands," that will help your hands and fingers move easier and with more comfort.

It is a 31-minute, sensual, and gentle session that you can do sitting in a chair.

*Try to do this one sitting in front of a desk where you can rest your elbows from time-to-time. Near the end of the session, I will ask you to touch your hand to your eyelids. You may want to wash your hands first, or just skip that part if you would rather not touch your face

Bell Hand ONE - shortest - 26 minutes


This is a shorter version of a classic and important Feldenkrais session below called, "The Bell Hand." It can be deeply and profoundly relaxing deep into your motor cortex. Suitable for everyone.

Bell Hand Two "Classic" - on your stomach and side (34-minutes)

A favorite of many Feldenkrais students and practitioners.

Rhythmic Tapping

This session is one that can be very calming. It involves lying down and doing some "tapping movements," with both your hands and fingers, thus the name, "Rhythmic Tapping."

Back, Shoulder & Bell Hand (newest)

It is 39 minutes and starts lying on the left side.

If you are reading this page, you have likey been here for a while and have done other bell-hand sessions. If so, some of the movements in this session will not be new. But the ensemble and intention will be.

Take your time and feel free to just do a few minutes of this one if you want to try something different...

Download: Back Goes Back With A Little Bell Hand

And here is the pdf of the transcript.