Common Questions

Common Questions

about Feldenkrais Lessons with Annie Thoe, GCFP

 

 

What does an individual session/lesson cost?

Currently, my rate is $110/lesson.

 

Session Length?

45-50 minutes

 

How many lessons will I need or is recommended?

This number of sessions depends on your condition and your goals.

A well-defined goal i.e., “I want to know how to pick up my dog without hurting my back,” may only take two or three lessons.  But if the person has a lot of difficulty just bending to begin with, then the lessons have to start with the function of bending before we can get to lifting. That might take anywhere between three and ten or twenty lessons depending on the difficulty. 

 

I recommend for clients to budget for three lessons initially.  You’ll feel results immediately in the first lesson, but the second and third will help solidify the learning and apply it into your life better. 

 

If you come in with a goal like, “I want to have better posture, I slump all the time.”  Again, the number of lessons depends on how ingrained the pattern has become.  Some clients with broader goals choose to come regularly on a weekly basis or once a month or quarter to keep learning how to improve and refine their movements and posture.

 

Depending on your situation, we can come up with a plan.

 

What do I wear?

Loose comfortable clothing that allows you to move without restriction.  Street/business attire is fine.  If you were a dress, bring sweats or shorts.  No tight jeans please.

 

Is it better to work out before or after?

Work out before.  If you must exercise afterward, be sure to wait a few hours and do a light workout.  Don’t lift heavy weights or do anything strenuous for at least a day or two after your lesson.

 

Do you work with Children?

Yes.  I work with kids with Cerebral Palsy, Hydrocephalis, Muscular Dystrophy, Brain Tumors, Head Injuries, and other developmental challenges.

 

What should I expect to feel after the lesson?

Of course this varies.  Most clients feel quite relaxed and much more mobile.  Sometimes people feel quite tired, while others may feel a surge of energy.  Typically, people feel a whole body difference in how they move and sense their environment.  Plan to give yourself a little buffer time after the lesson to integrate all the changes in alignment and coordination.  Be expecially careful driving.  Avoid going into a very social situation after a lesson so you can give yourself some time to explore moving and “being” different without having to resort to a habitual self-image and behaviors that are tied into old movement patterns.

 

How would I integrate this with chiropractic, massage, physical therapy or acupuncture?

I discourage clients from having another treatment such as chiropractic or massage immediately after their lesson on the same day.  There is a possibility of confusing the nervous system by re-adjusting the bones or manipulating the muscles after a Feldenkrais lesson.  A Feldenkrais lesson is much like a full-body adjustment.  All the bones and muscles reorganize.  I recommend waiting at least 24 hours for another bodywork treatment, and in some cases a couple days.  The only treatment I feel is very appropriate after a lesson is hydrotherapy such as an Epsom salt bath or some other kind of detoxifying soak.  If necessary to schedule appointments on the same day, have the other modality treatment before your Feldenkrais lesson.

 

How long do the results last?

Because this method uses sensory learning, the results are quite permanent.  The accessibility of what you learn will depend on how much you can integrate and use the learning of each lesson.  Some movements and skills you acquire may remain dormant until you have mastered other skills.  There are many invisible steps to learning new coordination.  Just like a child learning to walk or talk must take many steps to get to a level of proficiency, adults learn in a similar fashion.  Some situations require only one lesson, while other functions may involve dozens of lessons.  For example, the time it takes to learn to balance on one foot is a mystery that is unique to each individual’s nervous system.

 

How do we learn to move better?

Movement has often been taught in a demonstrative and repetitive manner, much like “Monkey see, Monkey do.”  However, learning to move simply by watching or imitating does not work for everyone, nor does it give us the higher quality results we need to have mastery.  Watching babies learn shows how humans explore and sense his or her way through development.  While there may be common milestones in development, the path is richly varied with each individual.  Because of our unique development in forming movement patterns, we need to use a method of learning that engages each individual to move within what is possible for them. 

 

The challenge in learning to refine how we move requires awareness of how do actually move.  No two people move the same and no two people learn to move the same.

What is the goal of Feldenkrais?

My goal is for my clients to become self-reliant so they are able to help themselves feel better, heal faster, problem-solve on their own on how to be more comfortable and safe in their activities.

 

How much training do you have?

I have a four years of Feldekrais training, plus at least an additional 1000 hours of extra Feldenkrais training and advanced training.  I have the title of Assistant Feldenkrais Trainer which is a higher classification that allows me to train people to become Feldenkrais Practitioners and give advanced trainings and mentor Feldenkrais Practitioners.  I have one year of massage, kinesiology, anatomy and phsyiology training to include clinical, sports and deep tissue massage as well as hydrotherapy.  I have taught massage, advanced clinical massage and kinesiology for several massage schools over a 10 year period.  I've studied numerous forms of bodywork over the past 22 years.

 

Other training I have:  13 years martial arts, 5 years yoga, qigong teacher training, many years of various psychotherapy modalities including 4 years of psychoanalysis, sports training-- college athlete in track and soccer, meditation and biofeedback, naturalist study, snowboard teacher training, horseback riding lessons, scuba diving, and many more...

 

BA, Philosophy from Macalester College:  Magna Cum Laude and Highest Honors

 

Does insurance cover Feldenkrais?

Few insurance plans cover Feldenkrais, however some will if they are billed under physical therapy or massage therapy.  I have a massage therapy license and can give receipts for clients to submit to their insurance company.  PIP claims often cover Feldenkrais lessons even without a massage or PT license.  Most of my clients pay cash or check at time of service.

 

Do you accept VISA? 

No, not at this time.