Work with Adults
Zahava uses a variety of methods in her work, primarily the Feldenkrais Method and Anat Baniel/Neuromovement. She has also studied Myofascial Release, Craniosacral Therapy, Jones Strain/Counterstrain, and draws on these methods as well as traditional physical therapy techniques according to what she deems useful. The Feldenkrais method, which utilizes the the brain’s innate capacity to change and to reorganize itself, was developed over decades by a German physicist and engineer named Moshe Feldenkrais. Anat Baniel was one of his students who further developed his work and eventually created her own method.
There are certain “essentials” that the brain requires, in order to learn. During a session, Zahava will most likely use hands-on to provide subtly guided movements, or at times verbally guided movements, to elicit “learning” in the brain. She may provide exercises and activities for you to do at home.
Zahava’s work can benefit a variety of people, including:
- People with chronic or acute pain
- People who have been physically injured
- Infants and children with neurological injury, genetic conditions or other undiagnosed conditions
- Athletes, musicians or others with repetitive motion and overuse injuries
- People with arthritis or other with joint disorders
- People with post-operative pain or dysfunction
- Anyone who wants greater ease of movement, fluidity and higher physical functioning
Zahava’s Approach (from a client’s perspective)
Zahava’s 30 years experience as a physical therapist informs everything she does as a Feldenkrais practitioner. She has a deep understanding of the physical mechanics of the body, [a background in neurology, biology, pathophysiology etc] which complements her hands-on work. First, Zahava observes how a person moves and holds himself or herself. Like an artist, she takes in every detail of her patient’s self organization. After the visual body-scan, Zahava uses her hands to gently scan the body, feeling for tension or stress. Her hands are like sensors – they feel what’s going on under the skin. Armed with this information, she intelligently and innately creates a movement ‘lesson’ to share with her patients, sometimes called ‘students.’ Zahava’s goal is to tune-in to a person in order to convey information to their system that will enable positive changes in their brains and bodies. When working with a client, Zahava often closes her eyes to focus entirely on what she’s feeling with her hands. The result is a deep, intuitive and usually spot-on sense of what will best heal and help her clients.