Opening Doors: Bringing Feldenkrais® In
An Interview with Stacy Barrows for In Touch Magazine
In Touch:
Stacy, like so many others, your business and practice have been affected by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Can you share how the shift in your business took you deeper into some of the basics of the method?
Stacy:
I had moved from my former office space to my current studio before the pandemic, so I was already experiencing shifts in myself that come with working in a different space. Also, I am working in an environment that brings me in closer contact and collaboration with others, and I am now teaching ATM® classes in two distinctly different locations (separate from my studio). Adapting to each of these changes opened me to new ways of discussing and sharing my work. Having to use language to describe my work has taken me deeper into Feldenkrais® principles, both as a growth process for myself and as a way to communicate with others clearly.
And then the pandemic happened. And so I have learned so much about teaching online and thinking about how to work remotely, in which we are more verbal and, of course, cannot rely on touch. I found that I could trust this work for even deeper student learning.
IT:
Can you say more about how those changes have impacted your work experience?
Stacy:
My new office is more conducive to a healing atmosphere, and it is quiet, so I enjoy streaming music before clients arrive. I have an open atrium that flows natural air as I open the door and I have an east directed large window that captures light and an amazing view that has made my plants happy. So this is part of what brings me into a different feeling about my work. The only things that I brought from my other space are the essentials such as my table, foam supports, Smartrollers, Pilates Tower, and artwork that my clients have created over the years.
And I am energized by working near others who have a different knowledge base but who bring a growth mindset to the environment, such as acupuncturists, psychotherapists, and holistic dieticians. I now teach an extension course at a university and in a popular yoga studio in Santa Monica, so I am exploring my own shifts in communication as I consider the backgrounds that new clients bring within those venues.
IT:
Will you share a specific example of a question that came up within yourself as you transitioned into new spaces with your work—and how the Feldenkrais way supported you?
Stacy:
My concern was whether I could stand alone as an integrative practitioner. But as I moved forward and redesigned my work environment, I found that both the space and my learning aligned perfectly with Feldenkrais teaching. As I clarified my intention, I found a higher level of confidence and passion about what I offer. I was doing the work in my own handwriting, and that has evolved to include a new website that lists Feldenkrais as my main modality. So I am allowing new ideas such as creating an “intention chalkboard” that I update regularly. And I like the new name SMART SOMATIC SOLUTIONS.
I like to think I am now working with what I call a Modern Apothecary that uses Movement as the Elixir, A Mindful Studio-
So I played with orientation, timing, and slower movements in a sense. I found a new sense of balance/counter balance within myself, and my clients found how to organize this as well.
IT:
What do you imagine are some of the concerns that are on the minds of newer practitioners at this time regarding opening their doors to new students?
Stacy:
I think there is so much going on in their own learning process, it can make you feel insecure to share with others what excited them to learn more about the Feldenkrais Method® of somatic education. And, we learn to trust this process more and more. What did Moshe pass on to us from Coue? “Every day and every way, I am getting better and better.”
IT:
What are some considerations that you think practitioners of any level of experience could consider from time to time if they want to continue growing while deepening in the Feldenkrais Method?
Stacy:
That life gives you lessons all the time, and the beauty of our work provides us with the tools to navigate through uncertainty and to grow through the process. I also believe that we can learn to value our prior experience and integrate it into how we bring it into the world.
For example, I have observed my sister during her recovery from a serious spinal injury. She has acted in accordance to a changing self-image. She is now dependent on a wheelchair and on others to do the most mundane tasks. But her former self surfaces regularly, and that gives her the agency to make amazing progress. Being a fan of the Feldenkrais Method, she also allowed me to take her back to the functional level she was in, pre-rolling. Through many explorations, this allows her to build on her learning process with her intention to walk again. So I think that every practitioner can find a prior experience to relate with that example.
IT:
Stacy, as you reflect on your almost 30 year career and your journey as a Feldenkrais practitioner thus far, can you share some thoughts about what you value the most about this work?
Stacy:
I value that I can use what I teach others for my own life. When I had to begin teaching in someone else’s studio, I had to ask myself, “What am I doing? How do I re-organize? I am a PT, Pilates, and Feldenkrais practitioner. How did I want to bring those bodies of knowledge and the inner changes I am experiencing into more integration? I have been able to use my Feldenkrais teaching to create this new way and it is still in process.
I also had a beautiful experience recently working with my sister. At one point in the lesson I saw an expression on her face. I asked if she was okay, and she said, “For a moment, I forgot that I was paralyzed.”
So I can work in a way that feels like a dream. I can say I am living an unavowed dream.
In closing, I read a recent interview of Dolly Parton. In her words through learning
and life shifting she said “I’m touched and honored that I’m still around and that I’m able to still be important to the business’ she says. I honestly feel like I’m just getting started. I know that sounds crazy but I really feel like I might have a big music career, record career. Who knows?”
And in Moshe’s words “There is no limit to learning and refinement. “
In closing, I would also like to add that this would not have been possible without the amazing support of my dear husband. He spent many days and nights configuring my space, knowing how I work, and to make it flow. This included the move in ‘ready feel’ it had the moment I opened my doors.
