THREE, TWO, ONE.....

We have liftoff!

The new and ever exciting Options for Ease website is open and ready for viewing.  Check it out for articles, research, reviews, lessons, schedule updates and much much more....

www.optionsforease.com


See you at the new site!

Cheers,
Julie

Class Schedule Change

There will be no class on Tuesday, May 1st.  Have a happy Earth Day!

Are you Lucky?

There are lucky people and those who seem to have a dark cloud over their heads no matter where they go.  What makes the lucky ones so lucky?  Or, perhaps the better question is "what makes the unlucky, unlucky"?

Here's a link to an article that says "luck" can be learned.  And pretty simply at that.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/3304496/Be-lucky-its-an-easy-skill-to-learn.html

CLARUS Center THIS Saturday

The monthly Clarus Center FELDENKRAIS workshop is this Saturday from 9:00 to Noon.  Cost is $45.

To sign up or for questions, send me a heads up at jhfrancis01@yahoo.com.

Cheers,
Julie

THAT Wednesday Class

Wednesdays at 1:00 are off again.  If you had plans to attend, please contact me about other options.

All other classes are on as scheduled:

Tuesday 9:30 am
Wednesday 7:15 pm
Thursday 10:30 am

Hope to see you there!
Julie

"Change Your Body, Change Your Brain"

Research is showing that what you do with your body has a significant impact on what's going on in your brain.  A recent study on handedness made it clear that preferences can be determined by the dominant hand.  For more information, here's a link to a short article....

http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/bodies-influence-decisions-223400296.html

UPDATE: Wednesdays @ 1:00 Return

After a brief hiatus, the Wednesday afternoon ATM class returns beginning Wednesday, March 14th.

Class is from 1:00 - 2:00.  Bring a mat and a towel.

Drop-ins are welcome.  Or, use your class pass to receive special pricing (Pay for 5, get your 6th class free).

Location:

Life Options
526 Crescent Blvd. Suite 202
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137

More Clarus Center Dates ADDED

Feldenkrais at the Clarus Center kicked off the year with great gusto.  Attendees are asking for more so we've booked additional dates.  Here's a rundown of the upcoming schedule...

Saturday Morning Workshops  - 9:00 am - Noon  Cost $45 per workshop

March 17th, April 14th, May 26th, June 16th


Can't make it on Saturday mornings? Then how about Wednesday evening?



NEW Wednesday Evening Workshop - 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm  Cost $25

March 28th

Space on the floor is limited so get your registration in early.  To sign up, send a check (made out to Julie Francis) along with your name, address, e-mail and workshop date to:

Julie Francis
Life Options
526 Crescent Blvd. Suite 202
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137

Checks will be held until the day of the program.

Questions????  Contact me via e-mail  at JHFrancis01@yahoo.com

Looking forward to seeing you on the floor.

Watch This Space

For years clients have been asking me to tape lessons so they can hear my voice as they recreate their in class experience at home.  For years I've been promising to make good on threats to do just that.  Now, at long last, plans are firmly in place to make mini-lessons at home a reality.

Working with the ever talented Kim LeClaire, this site and its contents are in the process of a major re-working.  Lessons will be easier to find. Notices will be separate and accessible.  AND there will be videos and audios of mini-lessons targeted to the particular needs of clients.

We begin filming in mid-April.  Watch this space for an evolving presence that's focused on you.

A Revolution in Education??

The new book, "The Talent Code", is all the buzz in the Feldenkrais community.  Seems Moshe was on to something. True learning takes more than sitting in a classroom or mimicking an instructor.  It takes engagement - full engagement.

From the author's blog, excellence happens when results are:

1. Replicable - can the action be repeated?  In the Feldenkrais world, we speak of reversibility - the ability to stop a movement at any point and reverse it by following the same path back to the starting point.  It's learning what it is you do and how you do it.

2.  Controllable - do you bring awareness to your actions so you can begin to choose at finer and smaller levels what it is you do?

3.  Connective - forget the big result and focus on the foundations.  "Are you breathing" for instance.  How does a movement well up from intention into action?  What are the basic elements and how do they connect?

This, in essence, is Awareness Through Movement.  Those simple little movements we do with intention and awareness lead to greater connection and greater ease.

Though not written by a Feldenkrais practitioner, or even written in sensory language, the book has a number of insights that might make your time on the floor even more intriguing.

To see a bit of what the book is about check out author Daniel Coyle's link: http://thetalentcode.com/

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Lesson 12: Instant Ease

It's been a tough day.  You're feeling run ragged and that nagging sense of dis-ease is creeping in.  Quell that anxiety with this little awareness lesson.

To Begin:

Sit comfortably on a firm chair with the soles of your feet on the floor.  Interlace your fingers and place your hands behind your head.  Bring your elbows to face forward.  Without pulling on your head, round your back and direct your elbows toward your thighs.  Remain in this position.

To Do:

Staying in this rounded position, breath while focusing on the exhale.
Gently pull in your belly as you breathe out/exhale.
Each time you breathe out see if you can lengthen your exhale letting out a little more air.
Repeat several times until you begin to feel a sense of calm.

Notice:

The rounding of your back restricts your ability to breathe into your chest and belly. Notice how you compensate.  Where do you feel yourself expanding when you breathe in?

When you are finished with this lesson, come to standing and notice if you feel more upright, present, grounded.

ATM at the Clarus Center

If you've not been to the beautiful Clarus Center you're in for a treat.  Step inside its doors and you enter an oasis of calm.  The group room has a wall of windows that open onto a magnificent prairie.  Not a building in sight.  It's hard to believe you're just moments from downtown Naperville.

 Last month, I looked up from my teaching to see a lone coyote trotting across the frozen grasses.  Add to that the glow of the fireplace and it just doesn't get much better.

The date for the February ATM (that's Awareness Through Movement) workshop is Saturday, February 18 from 9:00 am - noon.  The cost is $45.  To sign up:

Mail your check made out to Julie Francis to:  Life Options 526 Crescent Blvd. Suite 202, Glen Ellyn, IL 60137.  Checks will be held until the day of the event.

Participants - please bring a mat and small towel.

Looking forward to seeing you on the floor.

Cheers,
Julie

Wednesday Class Schedule Change

The 1:00 pm Wednesday class is being temporarily suspended.  Check back for updates.

The evening class is NOT affected by this change.

See you "on the floor".

Cheers,
Julie

NEW!!! Newsletter - Sign up here

Add your name to the mailing list for the new Life Options newsletter your source for lessons, links and info on all things FELDENKRAIS, movement and Life Options.

It's easy -- just click here (or cut and paste this link into your address bar)

http://eepurl.com/idXHY