Testimonials
Read what people are saying about Fairbanks Feldenkrais®
“From the first class, when my ever-present pain had subsided, I knew Feldenkrais® could change my life. It is a softer, more subtle way for working with and discovering the body. Instead of performing endless reps, Feldenkrais® teaches one, through a series of movements, to notice and be curious about how the body responds. Under Russell’s thoughtful, expert guidance, it is a wonderfully eye-opening and enriching experience--a lifetime journey.”
“At 73 years of age, I was feeling limitations to my physical activity due to old downhill skiing injuries and lingering effects of sciatica. Participating in Awareness Through Movement® classes via zoom developed my awareness of the bad postural habits I had adopted and provided me an understanding of the options available of new patterns of movement that are small and easy. These movement patterns of ease and grace are reinforced in the individual hands-on sessions I schedule with Russell. I am now able to run again and am training for this fall’s marathon.”
“Russell’s Feldenkrais® classes are unlike anything I have experienced before. There are no reps, no urging to take it to the top or push harder. Rather, the mantra is to do less than you can do, gently and slowly, yielding a softer, more diffuse awareness of my body’s movement. Russell takes time to listen and work collaboratively with students so that the experience is personalized and pertinent.”
“I have to admit that when I was invited to participate in Russell Walker's Awareness Through Movement® class, I really didn't know what to expect. What I and the other students got was Russell's extensive knowledge, soothing instructional voice and enthusiasm for virtual Feldenkrais. It has become part of my weekly routine. I feel taller, walk with a lightness in my step and generally sense well-being in my body. My arthritic hip discomfort while bending or crouching has also decreased. You don't know what you are missing! Sign up for a class. You won't regret it!”
“I came for pain relief but found the pleasure of getting to know my body. After a lifetime of coercing my muscles to endure one more rep, it has been a revelation to work with Russell. His gentle, thoughtful insights and knowledge are helping me find a body that can move lightly and without pain.”
“I have been taking Awareness Through Movement® classes with Russell online through ZOOM for over 7 months, and feel it benefits me in a couple ways. In general, my awareness and enjoyment of movement and posture have increased. I am able to avoid careless twists, turns, and lifts which can lead to muscle strain and soreness. My long-term areas of pain and restricted range of motion have improved. I think the movement lessons helped me recover from an acute episode of lower back spasm back in March. After a lesson on a specific area, I feel improvement in the area. I appreciate Russell's excellent presentation skills, so much detail and patience!”
“Years of ignoring the pain of injuries and migraines brought me speculatively to Russell’s Awareness Through Movement® class in search of relief, and now, a year later, that speculation has turned to certainty that Feldenkrais® is a body work method that yields results. Russell is a remarkable practitioner with a deep knowledge of his craft and the ability to work patiently and collaboratively with his clients.”
“My initial interest in participating in Feldenkrais® classes began when I was seeking natural ways to relieve shoulder pain caused by bursitis. The benefits from the first session I attended greatly reduced the shoulder pain, and helped to improve the shoulder function and range of motion. Since that valuable first session, Feldenkrais® has been a journey of discovery, helping me to better observe and be more aware of ways of moving that promote balance and ease of motion. Having the Feldenkrais® classes available through Zoom sessions has been great, not only because of Covid issues, but also for the convenience of not having to drive to attend class!”
“At the suggestion of my massage therapist, I attended Russell’s Awareness Through Movement® class not really knowing what to expect, but hoping the class would alleviate my chronic migraine and muscle injury pain. If there is a mantra to the class, it’s to do less than you think you can do and do it gently. Being a product of the no pain, no gain school, I didn’t quite hear that the first few times. But I did notice a reduction in pain and a peaceful sense of connectedness with my body that was new--entirely new! Intrigued, I began attending the group classes regularly and signed up for private Functional Integration® sessions. In the ensuing year, Russell’s calm, reassuring approach and expertise has opened new insights for me. I will never be at the end of this path, and the journey is indeed wonderful.”
“Feldenkrais® classes have made me aware of the habitual tension I have long held in my body and how I can release that tension and move with much greater ease and comfort. Awareness through Movement® classes always leave me with a heightened sense of balance, well-being, calmness and improved flexibility/decreased discomfort. Russell is an excellent teacher—knowledgeable, gentle, non-judgmental, relaxed, and good humored. I highly recommend the Feldenkrais Method® and Russell as an instructor.”
“Russell’s wonderful gentleness, deep knowledge and skill as a practitioner allow him to understand what his client’s bodies are experiencing and to work collaboratively with them to find new, healthier movement patterns and increased body awareness.”
“The simplicity of the name Awareness Through Movement® doesn’t begin to hint at the potentially profound effects of this gentle method. The movement lessons prove that less is more. Less effort can indeed improve joint motion previously limited by pain or tension as well as enhance physical performance with greater efficiency and co-ordination. Anyone, whether athletic or arthritic, recovering from an injury or surgery, stressed out or simply interested in improving their well-being can benefit from Awareness Through Movement®.”
“Most of us have been plagued by pain at some point, and Russell has just the tonic for aching muscles--Feldenkrais®. I thought my ever-present aches and pains were mine for life, but classes and private sessions with Russell have given me more relief than I thought possible. Russell’s deep knowledge and gentle assured touch offer an alternative to usually prescribed methods of pain treatment.”
“Russell’s classes are unique, interesting and challenging. He is vested in helping all of us to develop a sense of how we’re moving and how that applies to daily life. The hours after a class or private session are, for me, filled with a physical and mental peace that I’ve not often experienced. And, as I drive home and look in the rear-view mirror, I smile as I adjust the mirror because my spine is now elongated and light. We’re indeed fortunate to have a teacher of Russell’s remarkable caliber in Fairbanks.”
“Routine attendance at Awareness Through Movement® sessions has significantly relieved a dystonia in my neck muscles which manifested as a chronically torqued neck. Now my spine is correctly aligned and I am pain-free!”
“Feldenkrais® lessons with Russell are the best present I’ve given myself in years. I am continually learning and discovering movements that allow me more pain-free, easy movements than I thought possible. The clarity of his Awareness Through Movement® classes and the gentle sensitivity of his Functional Integration® private sessions allows his teaching to flow and easily guide the student into playful explorations of alternative movement patterns. Russell has a wonderful ability to sense what’s happening in the student’s body and to work softly with it to allow new options to open up. He has indeed changed my life for the better.”
“Russell has brought Feldenkrais® to Fairbanks and has given us an alternative choice for pain treatment. His deep knowledge and gentle, assured touch allow him to understand what his client’s bodies are experiencing and to work collaboratively with them to find new healthier movement patterns and increased body awareness.”
“As I age and face thinning bone density, I am concerned about falling. I am convinced that participating in Awareness Through Movement® sessions has improved my balance considerably to the point that I have regained confidence to walk and move without fear.”
“Pain, a potent motivator, brought me to Feldenkrais® in the hope of solving seemingly ever-present headaches and body discomfort that haunted me. What has kept me returning is not just the wonderful absence of those, but the continual exploration into finding simpler, easier ways to move. Russell is a gifted, dedicated, and compassionate teacher who offers each of us the opportunity to explore, at our own pace, options for enhanced movement.”
“Most of us lead busy lives with lists dictating our choices and the clock ruling the lists. Feldenkrais® offers an opportunity to step back from that busyness and breathe energy into our life and ease into our movements. Russell’s gentle, assured guidance provides the perfect method for loosening habitual patterns and allowing new ones to emerge so that we may explore and enhance our ability to move as we are meant to.”
“I am proud to say that I finished the marathon in 9hr 22min 45sec to get my 12th marathon patch within the required 10hr limit. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of losing longtime bad habits has contributed to this accomplishment. Once a serious injury occurs, the body and mind treat the injured area in a different way. This results in a habit that produces the limps, twists, aches, and other symptoms. Useful until the body has repaired itself but a bad habit afterwards. In my case I was favoring my right leg in a major way for years. I would always use my left leg to support my weight while standing and felt my right leg was “weak” in all physical endeavors. This bad habit actually resulted in a weak right leg. Awareness Through Movement® and Russell’s instruction have allowed me to understand the issue and change my life! Initially a skeptic, I now enthusiastically endorse the Feldenkrais Method®. In particular I feel older folk will benefit from this because it does not require strenuous exercise and most of us have developed some bad habits over the years leading to more pain and strain.”
“Our world is so jam-packed with activities, lists, meetings and endless tasks that it is easy to lose sight of what we need to nourish ourselves. We are used to task-oriented, laser-focused days, but Feldenkrais® offers us the opportunity to step away from that endless treadmill and replenish ourselves. Either through the class-based Awareness Through Movement® lessons or private sessions, Functional Integration®, we are shown how to play and experiment in a relaxed atmosphere with movements that increase our awareness and ease. Feldenkrais® doesn’t impose methods or rules, but allows each participant to explore and find what feels best for them. Russell’s expert, knowledgeable and gentle guidance provides an experience that truly replenishes us.”