Lesson 1 of the BALANCE series is called "Cardinal Lines." This is an Awareness Through Movement® lesson adapted from Moshe Feldenkrais's Esalen #1 lesson. This lesson is for improving precise coordination in finding center for walking, running and stable balance.

The Balance series is based on learning to move with grace.
You'll learn to coordinate the center of yourself to move with refined agility, balance and strength. Find where the center is in your spine and through all positions in gravity. Balance is the key to health. Develop beautiful posture and overall graceful movement.

This series is excellent for anyone working on balance, posture, core power, mental and emotional neutrality and stability. Useful to improve ease and balance for walking, running, swimming, hiking, biking, dancing, yoga — any sport or hobby.

All these Balance lessons work with strengthening the sensation of core, essential for back health and agility. This lesson is part of the Sensing Vitality self-help kit to keep your body tuned up for health and mobility. These six collections of audio guided lessons address the most common areas needed for Optimal Vitality, Performance and Healing.

All audio files in these collections are in MP3 download format. Each entire lesson is 45-50 minutes with individual tracks (ranging from 4-10 minutes each) to break the lesson in smaller parts. You can choose to gradually go through a lesson in parts as a short break during your day or complete an entire lesson in one session.

Below is health and safety information as well as Annie Thoe's background about this method.
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Important Health and Safety Information
Be sure to follow these instructions to reduce risk of injury.

The movements in these lessons are intended to be done with minimum effort, even when using only your imagination. Nevertheless, always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health professional before starting a new exercise program, especially if you have unstable spinal alignment, existing medical or health conditions, are overweight or pregnant. This program is not intended to provide medical advice or make medical diagnoses. Do not delay seeking treatment or disregard medical advice due to information you may hear on this audio program.

Pay attention to how you feel and stop the lesson to consult your health practitioner if you feel sick, dizzy, faint, light-headed, or if you experience any pain or unusual discomfort.

Never force or strain. You are responsible for moving within your limits and seeking medical attention and advice as appropriate.

The creator of this program is not responsible for any injuries you may experience by participating in this program. By continuing with this program you are accepting that you have read, understood and agree to follow these basic instructions, and that you are participating at your own risk.

If you have any questions contact:
Annie Thoe, GCFP www.sensingvitality.com
Thank you for purchasing this Feldenkrais Lesson and many blessings as you use it.

On a more personal level, sincere thanks to my family and all my relations in the natural world, the teachings of Moshe Feldenkrais and the Feldenkrais community, Moon Dickson, Kathy Partch, Tom Masters, Paul Kikuchi, Neda Jankovic, Kay Diamond Baldwin, Wahhab Baldwin, Joanna Libonati, my friends at the Wilderness Awareness school, Anne Wardell, Rosie Kohlmeier, Kumudini Shoba, Nancy Haller, Barb Nichols, clients and the Whidbey community for all their love and support. A portion of the proceeds will go to nonprofits including wildernessawareness.org for future generations.

You can find more products on my website www.sensingvitality.com
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Annie Thoe, GCFP is a Feldenkrais Practitioner, Assistant Trainer in the Feldenkrais Method® and Nature Awareness Teacher. She has taught bodywork and self-awareness for over 30 years, including advanced kinesiology and clinical massage therapy. She leads nature retreats, writes and produces guided audio series and video lessons (Sensing Vitality Channel) to enhance vitality, self-awareness and ease in one’s body.

Her work combines sensory learning with nature awareness in a wide range of services: effective healing for chronic injuries, freedom from restrictive habits, and improving flow in one’s life.

She draws her inspiration from her experience and study in nature, movement, healing modalities, meditation, martial arts, music and play. She has served as the President of the Board of Trustees for the Wilderness Awareness School and completed their yearlong residential outdoor naturalist and tracking program and numerous naturalist/outdoor survival programs. She has a private practice in Woodinville and in Seattle.

“I believe nature is the greatest teacher and healer. I began studying the Feldenkrais Method® in 1984 to heal a chronic injury that limited my walking and many activities. The combination of Feldenkrais and Nature Awareness opened many doors to a vibrant way of life.

My work today is informed from my love of nature and the power of awareness to fully experience this moment. Everything needed for direction and healing is reflected in the messages from the sun, earth, wind, water, trees, birds, animals and the body.

As human beings, I feel we each have a unique gifts to share. My work is about guiding people in retreat or private lessons to access their gifts and connect deeply to their bodies’ wisdom, the intelligence in nature and the beauty around them. This whole-brain, whole-body experience moves people beyond “sensed” limitations toward growth, self-expression and freedom.”
– Annie Thoe, GCFP

What is the Feldenkrais Method®? How it Works
Annie Thoe, FeldenkraisI began studying the Feldenkrais Method® in 1984, after seeking every possible treatment (Osteopathic, Physical Therapy, Chiropractic, various Massage therapies, Rolfing, Cranial Sacral, Acupuncture, etc.) for chronic, debilitating knee pain. I couldn’t walk, hike, bike or swim without pain. In one lesson, I experienced a profound shift in the alignment and coordination of my legs with my entire body. While it took me a while to shift the pattern causing this pain, over the three decades in studying this Method, I continue to refine the ease in my movement and life. This was the beginning of my career in bodywork and awareness study. I use this method (along with Nature Awareness) to help expand awareness to move past obstacles in learning, healing, performance and problem-solving.

Moshe Feldenkrais and SkeletonThe Feldenkrais Method® named after its founder, Moshe Feldenkrais, is a sensory method of learning to refine one’s movement, improve function and expand awareness. Feldenkrais developed his method in the mid-1940s after suffering a crippling knee injury. He found he could teach himself (and others) to align, stabilize and move better based on the neuroplasticity of the brain for learning to function better. Through guided positions and movement with self-awareness, a student engages their senses to refine their ease in an activity. People develop expanded awareness to find better choices for movement, action and life.

Over my years of study, I find 3 major Principles in the Feldenkrais Method® that yield the magical results of ease in movement:

Tune into Your Bones: The bones are the most solid and stable support in the body. Once you can sense where the bones are and how they connect and stabilize to the ground or contact, the entire body responds to the sensation of support. Often relaxation and ease in movement occurs simply by this connection alone. However, to refine movement, sensing the position of one’s bones during movement and rest are used as the constant landmarks for guidance and alignment.

Focus on Ease & Well-Being: Awareness of one’s intentions and attention directs action in the body. Tuning into the quality of ease refines one’s movements to become smoother, better coordinated and more aligned. Train yourself to “search” for ease as a mindfulness practice.

Attention to Whole Self: Sense how bones and specific areas connect through the entire body during movement in various situations. Even during constraints, this attention to the whole helps balance oneself with the environment. Feldenkrais sessons continue to refine one’s abilities to sense parts of the body in greater detail and then integrate these parts to the whole. This maturation process of attention expands one’s vocabulary of movement to act with more choices, ease and mastery for self-expression.

For a short 5 minute demonstration on these three principles of the Feldenkrais Method, check my Youtube Sensing Vitality Channel

For more background on Moshe Feldenkrais and his method, you can read more on the National Feldenkrais Website.
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Testimonials:
“This work is an ongoing blessing in my life. I’ve lived with cerebral palsy and am on my last couple of weeks with the Expand Your Breathing Audio Series [1st Edition]…It’s been a phenomenal couple of months!…I can’t tell you when I’ve felt better, been more active, been in better spirits, learned more about myself – or had more fun (I’ve been also adapting the floor lessons to sitting.)”
-N. D., Pennsylvania

"These CDs by Annie Thoe are an immense value for me at a very attractive price.
A lifetime of learning to keep me and my clients healthy and vital."
- Tim Morley, Licensed Massage Practitioner

"I use these lessons from the CD for fifteen minutes during work and am amazed how much benefit I get."
Bobbie Mennella, Licensed Massage Practitioner

"These CDs guide me clearly. It’s just like being in class!"
Machala, Dance Instructor

“With all gratitude and respect for Annie Thoe. My guide for this Shapeshifting Retreat, and one of the most grounded teachers I’ve ever met in body work, wilderness awareness, guided meditation and more. Thank you, Thank you, Annie.”
– Cyndi L, from Shapeshifting Retreat 2015

“Annie Thoe is a gifted teacher. Her skillful weaving of Feldenkrais movement practices, nature awareness, and earth-based spiritual connection helped me dive into deep places in my body, heart, and spirit. After attending her “Walking In Balance” workshop, I came home feeling more balanced in my body and in my connections with nature and all of life. I will definitely be coming back to glean more wisdom from her and the wonderful community that are led to gather with her. (I’d also like to mention that the food at Mosswood Hollow Retreat Center is to-die-for.)”
– Linda Langford, LMP after Walking in Balance Retreat 2015

I cannot say enough about Annie Thoe as a teacher. She is an extrordinary practitioner and human being. I can safely say that your life, body and view of the world and your environment will change after attending one of her retreats or working with her in private lessons.
– Claire Gipson, Massage Practitioner

I highly recommend Annie for her skill and passion for her work, as well as her compassion not only for her clients but for all of nature that surrounds us. She has taught me how to ‘get out of my head’ and into my body.
– Tanja R., Architect

Annie is a truly gifted healthcare practitioner. She is always very aware of the physical and emotional needs of her clients and is highly intuitive and creative in her work. Annie is caring, has impeccable integrity, and is someone I have come to trust and admire greatly inhelping me deal with the shortcomings of my body’s structure and functionality.
– Alana N., Business Owner

I’ve had pain in every part of my hips and after your last Feldenkrais class with hips, my hips are pain free! I can’t believe how light on my feet I feel.
– J.W., Whidbey Island

Annie Thoe is an insightful teacher, knowledgable, empowering and positive. Her knowledge of the Feldenkrais Method® is both deep and wide; if you have the opportunity to work with her — take it.
– Meriah Kruse, Feldenkrais Practitioner, author and presenter

Annie Thoe was my introduction to the Feldenkrais Method back in 1998- after trying all the traditional western treatments, some more than once….making no progress. Within the first session I could see a way out of the debilitating chronic back pain I had been living with for years. Annie’s teaching was intuitive, insightful, and informed from a great deal of experience and education. I felt supported and cared about from a deep and gentle kindness. I have had the pleasure of taking multiple Feldenkrais professional education classes and retreats from her and she has an exceptional way of teaching and imparting her knowledge that draws you in.
– Mary Klueber, Feldenkrais Practitioner, Physical Therapy Assistant

There are only a few people I trust to work with me, and Annie is one of them. As a fellow professional, I know she possesses exceptional skills and a thorough knowledge of the Feldenkrais Method. As a recipient of her work, all I can say is YAHOO!!
– Michael Wolk, Feldenkrais Practitioner, Physical Therapist

Annie comprehends the difficult and makes it simple and functional. She meets each person where they enter the room and opens doors for greater attention to their potential. Annie is a practitioner of excellence. She is one of my all time favorites.
– Nancy Haller, Feldenkrais Practitioner, Author, Teacher

I highly recommend Annie’s work to anyone recovering from an injury or a surgical procedure, or just years of bad body habits. She is an expert on re-aligning and re-training the body into better function. In 2000, I was hit by a car and was on crutches for three months. After weeks of PT, I found my natural balance was so far gone, it felt like it would take me another year or longer to ever walk normal again. But after five visits (it’s usually six sessions, but travel plans cut it short), I felt a hundred times better! I could put weight on my injured leg much more easily, and I truly felt balance had been restored. I could feel my foot not as a lump at the end of my leg, but as a freely moving, functioning sensory aware appendage. All better!
– Michele Cacano-Green, LMP, Writer

Annie is a talented practitioner, teacher and mentor. She brings extensive knowledge and experience from different disciplines which she applies with creativity in her work. She gave me the confidence to be more creative in my own work and get out of my comfort zone in order to grow.
– Flaminia Cohen, Feldenkrais Practitioner, Psychotherapist