I've been thinking a lot about how to interest people in Awareness Through Movement classes.  I've had better results with my themed workshops-- holding a series of classes around a single topic, like "back pain" or "hip flexibility" and yet I find this to be limiting.  I don't believe people should only take an Awareness Through Movement class when they're in pain and need relief.  I believe Awareness Through Movement has benefits that go beyond moving out of pain. So why would you choose an Awareness Through Movement class as your activity?  What benefits does it hold beyond the theme of the lesson?

Remove Outside Authority from your Inner Life
Awareness Through Movement asks you to listen to your whole self-- you become skilled and feeling where there is unnecessary tension or restriction.  And the more you listen to the feedback your body provides, the better you will be able to to follow your body's lead in all activities in your life.  You may find you don't want to push as hard as you usually do in yoga class, or you may find you feel more confident to "go for it" on your run.  The important thing is that you will know the answer for yourself, without relying on a teacher or trainer to make a decision for you. Moshe Feldenkrais said "The object of this learning is to remove outside authority from your inner life."  This is an enormous gift you can give yourself by taking Awareness Through Movement class.

Reduce the Noise in Your System
Awareness Through Movement releases chronic contractions that don't serve your movement.  Feldenkrais called it "parasitic action".  Like any parasite, it takes a toll on you.  It may not be causing you direct pain, but it's a noise in your system.  It keeps your movement from being fully functional or clean.  We all have them in all parts of our movement.  My focus recently has been to allow my tongue to be soft in my mouth.  Apparently, It thinks it should work hard, pressing itself to the roof of my mouth at all times.  The first time I released this contraction was in an Awareness Through Movement class here in Tucson with Bonnie Angelie.  As my tongue relaxed it felt so thick in my mouth that I felt I would choke!  Now, more and more often when I am able to let it rest and be easy I have the feeling of "home".   Of "this is the real me".  Not the one that is striving hard to be something else, but the true, authentic me.  And that, to me,  is an enormous gift.   As you release the "noise" in your system, you will find yourself more grounded, less stressed or anxious and more at home in your body. 
 

Last week I traveled up to Phoenix to teach a workshop for a group of dance majors at Grand Canyon University.  It was an excellent learning opportunity for me-- I'd forgotten how, like these enthustiastic movers, I used to be impatient with slow body awareness exercises too.  I could've gone in with a big movement theme (like headstands, for example)-- something to challenge them and keep their interest, but instead I opted for making ankle/knee/hip connections.  It turned out to be a hard sell.   I found I needed to explain a lot about WHY we were doing what we were doing, to keep it a bit more goal oriented. 
What I hope they discovered was that their attention to their movement does matter.  Simple awareness can make huge differences.