Review by Olga Vyshegorodtseva, Moscow, 07/30/2020

Review of Katya Zilbershteyn's Course "Opening the Chest and Straightening the Shoulders".

 

This course was my first practical introduction to somatics, and I approached it with a mix of trepidation and anticipation—not of a miracle, but of something extraordinary. Just a couple of weeks before the course, I had come across Thomas Hanna's text about the red light reflex and sensorimotor amnesia. It became a turning point in my long struggle with chronic headaches and tension in my neck and shoulders.

For two months, almost from the start of the quarantine, I suffered from continuous headaches and severe neck and shoulder tension. I attributed this to psychosomatics, expecting the pain to naturally subside—but it didn’t. I tried rehabilitation massages, which had previously helped, but this time they were ineffective. My neck would return to its habitual state of tension. Specialized yoga for the neck and shoulders also provided only temporary relief. I then realized that my muscles were reverting to a familiar tone, and my body was holding onto a deeply ingrained pattern. It turned out to be an ancient reflex of fear.

Inspired by the idea of retraining the body, I began private lessons in the Feldenkrais method. Witnessing the miraculous healing effects, I wanted to solidify and expand upon them. Alongside my desire for healing, I was driven by a keen interest in Hanna's method, particularly as the course on the chest and shoulders directly addressed my problem area.

This three-week course involved two one-hour sessions per week. Each session (45–50 minutes of exercises and 10–15 minutes of feedback) felt fairly intense for my body, despite somatics' guiding principle of ease and absence of tension in movements. Mastering this ease and the pleasantness of effortless motion has been one of the key skills I gained from the course. Naturally, this skill requires continued practice on a regular basis.

Another invaluable takeaway from the course was developing greater attentiveness to my body, along with a gradually refined ability to sense it in its entirety—both in motion and at rest. I particularly enjoyed noticing how movement in one part of the body would initiate movement throughout the rest. Body scanning on the mat before exercises became a habit and deepened my formal sitting meditation practice on a different level. The course subtly and naturally instills foundational skills of bodily awareness.

I regularly practiced using the recorded lessons between sessions. Some lessons felt more challenging, while others came more easily. Overall, though, I can say that the effects of improved posture, easier breathing, greater body stability, and a more unified sense of the spine were noticeable immediately after each session. This consistently filled me with wonder and amazement.

The course prepared me for a challenging two-day cycling trip (105 km over two days). This was possible only because my entire back had relaxed. Cycling posture typically puts stress on the neck and shoulder area, and now, after the trip, the course exercises are helping me rehabilitate my body from the strain, which turned out to be excessive after all.

I am deeply grateful to Katya for this course. I see all six recorded sessions as a precious resource I can always return to. Even though I have memorized some lessons, Katya’s gentle guidance is far better than self-reliance because it provides alignment and ensures I don’t skip the pauses—those moments when the brain’s retraining and the integration of new ways of moving and using the body actually occur. I continue to practice the exercises and believe I have further discoveries ahead as my attention and body sensitivity deepen.

Olga Vyshegorodtseva,
July 30, 2020, Moscow