During Book Week this year, I was invited to talk to Class 2 children at Waikato Waldorf School about people who are not mentioned too often when we talk about books: translators. My previous professional identity is just that: I did a lot of translation. What does it mean for you when you come to see me now as a Feldenkrais® practitioner and pain educator?

Recently I had to reflect on my journey to where I am and what I do and be reminded of my why's as your Feldenkrais® practitioner. I got together with Carla Sargent from Healing Birth to talk about my birthing journey and choices, eventful initiation to motherhood and what it took to heal from it.

When Fleur made her first appointment with me following her midwife’s recommendation, she was only 8 weeks pregnant. One and half years prior to that, though, she had had a big ovarian cyst removed surgically, followed by diastasis recti, stress incontinence and pain.

Before the festive season madness starts whirling around at full speed, I wanted to remind you that more effort is not necessarily useful. And these were the words I found …

“The pain was a nuisance. It didn’t stop me from doing anything, but it hurt. When I was going to sleep, it really hurt and I couldn’t sleep because it was painful. … I got quite close to being burnt out about 2 years ago. And coming back from that, I had to look at different things to do so that this doesn’t happen again. …

I definitely feel a lot better. I get 90% less pain than before. I can have occasional pain, but it’s nothing noticeable. I have more techniques to use. Experimenting with moving it in different ways really helped. My mental health has improved.”

Imagine yourself being a toddler who figured out how to move through space independently while staying vertical – as soon as you can take yourself fast enough to spaces you want to explore, there is no real need to refine your walking so you accept what you learned as a good way and that’s how you will know walking. Of course, you will continue learning and adjusting to some extent, but sooner or later you will reach your “good enough”.

Helen is a young woman who has a sedentary job and loves horse riding. Years ago, her riding instructor recommended Helen come to a Feldenkrais® class because it complements and informs the horse-riding practice so well. But it was not until Helen had a serious knee injury (torn cartilage that ultimately required surgery) that she started working with a Feldenkrais® practitioner individually and in a class.

March is Endometriosis Awareness Month. And it is nearly a year that I’ve been supporting women living with endo and trying to get the best information I can.

This is the list of my favourite resources at the moment – something I watched, listened to or read myself and selected as "recommended" without a doubt.

Tere sat in my room and I was hearing the words “insomnia”, “fibromyalgia” and “chronic fatigue syndrome”. But the most frequent word was “PAIN”. The pain was dominating her and governing about 60% of her life. She was taken care of by her doctors and taking a handful of medications that she didn’t always appreciate the side effects of.

Every time I tend to my garden, I think about how gardening can be made easier, and how the principles of the Feldenkrais Method® can be applied to this. So, I thought I’d share.