Feldenkrais and Movement Coaching with Ray Sylvester, Guild Certified…
August 2023 update: I’m currently offering in-person Functional Integration lessons at my home studio in Northampton, MA. To learn more and book a lesson, contact me at 413-225-2050 or ray@moveintuitive.com.
Experience yourself in a profoundly new way.
Feldenkrais®-Based Movement Coaching with Ray Sylvester, GCFP
Has it been a while since you moved without pain?
Are you looking for more mobility, flexibility, agility, and ease?
Are you a movement veteran who’s plateaued in your current practice?
Are you frustrated by a nagging injury, one that “healed” a while ago but that’s still holding you back?
Are you looking for that missing piece?
The aim is a person that is organized to move with minimum effort and maximum efficiency, not through muscular strength, but through increased consciousness of how movement works.
—Moshé Feldenkrais
I offer in-person and online movement education based fundamentally on the Feldenkrais Method®.
In each setting, my aim is to meet you where you are and create a space of safety, wholeness, and possibility.
Here’s everything you need to know about what I offer and how to get started.
- Private Coaching: Functional Integration®
- Group Classes: Awareness Through Movement®
- Online Movement Coaching
- Getting Started
Private Coaching: Functional Integration® Lessons
I work one-on-one with clients at my home studio in Northampton, MA, in Feldenkrais Functional Integration® (FI) sessions.
An FI lesson or session is a highly personalized learning experience geared around your needs and curiosity. This form of movement education can shine a light on your habitual patterns of movement and present possibilities for new patterns that serve you better.
“I can say hands down that Ray is one of the best.”
In July of 2017 I had a chance to connect with Ray Sylvester. I had heard of Feldenkrais in some of my studies but I didn’t realize how amazing and powerful a tool it could be in my post-operative rehab efforts. Ray is a very down to earth person and this is what initially drew me to checking out what he had to offer.
Coming from a background of feeling like I had to add hundreds of pounds on a bar to get an “effective” workout or to show that I was doing an exercise right was totally redefined for the better after being exposed to Feldenkrais. It involves very mindful, deliberate, articulation and movement of the body that connects your mind to your muscle, which is so important to creating quality, healthy, functional movement patterns.
I would really recommend trying it out to anyone. After working with many professionals in the health and fitness industry I can say hands down that Ray is one of the best. He is considerate, able to work around your individual needs, and is very attentive. I am so glad I have had the opportunity to work with Ray and continue to look forward to working with him in helping to refine my movement in the future.
—Kevan Fagan, Multi-Sport Athlete
The goal of each FI session is to help you learn to move as an integrated whole, guiding you to greater awareness of yourself and providing a safe context for exploring more functional movement pathways.
In each session, I’ll use verbal direction and gentle, noninvasive touch to direct your attention and help you see and notice how you move. This gentle touch is also used to suggest new movement options that serve you better.
We’ll work together to quickly and powerfully improve the way you move and operate in the world.
FI lessons are typically done with the student lying comfortably on a table, but you may also be seated on a chair, in standing, or moving between different positions depending on the function(s) we’re trying to improve.
By being fully present with you, I’ll listen to and observe, using all of my senses, the state of your nervous system. I’ll help you:
- Sense more clearly where your body is in space and in self-movement (also known as proprioception or kinaesthesia).
- Feel where you may be holding excess muscular tension, so your brain and nervous system can more easily let go of it.
- Learn how to harness the powerful support of your skeleton to feel more grounded and integrated.
- Experience what it’s like to enter unfamiliar movement territory in a way that feels safe and enjoyable.
Together, we’ll create an environment where you can learn and explore what’s easy for you and gently expand the boundaries of what’s possible.
“After one session, I went on my first 30-minute walk in 18 years.”
Because of a sports injury in my teens, I now live with chronic hip pain from advanced degenerative arthritis. The only exercise my body can handle is walking for 15 minutes a day because of the impact on my joints.
Working with Ray has made me aware of the unnecessary tension I hold in my body, and after one session, I went on my first 30-minute walk in 18 years.
Through continued sessions with Ray, I’ve learned how to manage my pain and rely less on medication. Even though my condition is irreversible, I have more mobility today than in a long time. I’m grateful for his patience, and for giving me the tools to live a freer, more relaxed life.”
—Panayiotis Karabetis, Co-Active Coach and UX Designer
You’ll also leave each session with customized tools and movement ideas to continue learning and improving on your own.
Over time, many people report increased flexibility, mobility, and coordination, greater body awareness, reduced pain, and quicker recovery from injury.
While you may experience remarkable shifts and insights in just one FI session, each lesson builds on the one that came before—and gives me a chance to get to know you better. If you’re new to FI or the Feldenkrais Method, I strongly recommend committing to at least 5 lessons after your initial one. For those dealing with pain or significant limitations, it may be a good idea to schedule these sessions in a short period of time (no longer than 2.5 to 3 weeks), so improvements can accrue more quickly.
After that, many clients choose to continue on a maintenance schedule of regular FI “tune-ups,” usually on a weekly, biweekly, or monthly basis.
“Ray is a gifted practitioner who truly has the hands of a healer.”
I was fortunate to have recently had a Feldenkrais Functional Integration lesson from Ray Sylvester. I was unfamiliar with Feldenkrais, and I’d heard good things about it and about Ray himself.
I was struck by the gentleness of the method, on one hand, and the profound improvement it made on my posture, on the other.
Ray is a gifted practitioner who truly has the hands of a healer. Contact Ray now and schedule your session with him. You owe it to yourself to enjoy living in your body.
—Ron Matthews, Certified Energy Medicine Practitioner
Group Classes: Awareness Through Movement®
Note: I’m not currently offering in-person or online ATM classes, but that may change in the near future. Join my email list to stay updated.
In Awareness Through Movement (ATM®) group classes, the same principles found in FI enter a different context. In this setting, with my guidance, the student takes on a little more responsibility for the quality of care and attention they bring to themselves in movement.
What’s unchanged between FI and ATM? The ample potential for learning and improving.
In an ATM class, I’ll guide you verbally through a series of gentle movements, usually around a specific theme.
Lessons are usually done lying on the floor to counteract the effects of gravity, though they may also involve sitting on the floor or in a chair, or standing.
The movements themselves typically start with a simple idea, then build on that idea, almost like a piece of classical music, adding variations and constraints as we proceed. Along the way, you’ll get to ask your brain new questions and begin to slowly open it to new possibilities.
Throughout the lesson, you’ll be invited to notice what you’re doing at each moment and to create your own conditions for learning and improving.
An ATM is an experience in radical self-care. During the lesson, the onus is on you to move in ways that are easy, comfortable, and safe, with minimal effort, your breathing unimpeded, and your curiosity engaged.
Throughout the lesson, I’ll cue you to move with exceptional ease and awareness, inviting you to do less and move more slowly than you think you can. I’ll ask you to tune in to various parts of your “self image”—your picture of your body in movement and in space—noticing how different parts of you are participating in a given movement. Opportunities to rest will be amply offered and strongly encouraged whenever you feel the need.
Each ATM lesson is an opportunity to soak up the experience of simply being and moving in your body: a simple thing, done luxuriously.
Online Movement Coaching
I also work with clients one-on-one via online coaching sessions. These involve a combination of conversation and movement lessons based on principles of Awareness Through Movement and other approaches to unfold your movement potential.
During an online coaching session, we’ll meet over a platform such as Skype or Zoom. As we explore your movement curiosities and concerns, I’ll be able to observe you in movement, guide you to a better understanding of your movement habits, and shed light on what’s possible for you. You’ll leave each session with new movement options and perspective shifts you can incorporate into your everyday life, sport, or movement practice.
I’ll also provide a recording of each session, as a resource to revisit the movements and ideas we explore together.
If you’d like to learn more about online coaching, call or text me at 413-225-2050 or email me at ray@moveintuitive.com.
Getting Started
Private FI sessions, group ATM classes, and online coaching are all great ways to start you on your path to better movement. If you’re unsure which option (or combination) makes the most sense for you right now, we’ll cover that in your free 30-minute discovery call.
The chart below will also help you better understand how each option might fit into the picture for you. 🤷
One-on-One FI Sessions
- You’re in significant pain and/or have limited mobility
- You want to improve quickly
- You’re a dancer, musician, artist, or bodyworker who wants individualized guidance to refine your craft
ATM Group Classes
- You prefer to learn in a self-directed way
- You have no immediate or significant pain or movement concerns
- You’d like a lower-cost way to improve your movement skills and build self-awareness
Online Coaching
- You live outside the western Massachusetts area and/or can’t travel
- You want a personalized coaching experience you can refer to after each session
Ready to take the first step toward greater ease?
If you’re ready to schedule:
- Your 30-minute discovery call
- Your initial exploratory FI session (after the discovery call)
- An ongoing FI session or discounted session pack (after the exploratory FI session)
- A spot in an upcoming ATM class or series of classes
If you have questions or want to learn more about Feldenkrais and how we can work together to expand your range of possibility, contact me at 413-225-2050 or ray@moveintuitive.com. You can also find me on Facebook and Instagram. I’d love to hear from you.