During a Functional Integration I work one-on-one with you privately. We may work on a table, on the floor, or in a chair. I use a combination of verbal guidance and occasional gentle touch to guide you through a lesson relevant to what you want to explore; however, touch is entirely optional and need not happen at all. Lessons can incorporate standing, sitting, or any movement or positions relevant to the theme being explored.

For example, if you are looking for help with a specific yoga posture or a dance move, or for that matter help with how to get around in your kitchen without falling, we can build the entire lesson around what you are trying to do.

I'm a strong believer in "where the rubber hits the road," meaning that I may give you homework and practical applications for putting the lesson into use in in everyday life. I start from the assumption that you are willing to put some time and attention into this and that you will help yourself function better with the information I give you.

I say this because sometimes it isn't completely clear to us just how much we have to do on our own in order to get better. For example, there are times when I've been asked if I could give someone a lesson that would help them hike 500 miles, or something similar, when the person hadn't exercised in years! Obviously, while I could take a look at how someone walks and make suggestions, they would need to get in shape, and also have to spend a lot of time hiking--there's no magic work around for such things. Feldenkrais is a very practical process, grounded in reality.

The process of a lesson is very gentle and safety is a priority. As this is educational and not therapeutic, there is no need to get undressed or use special equipment. A lesson lasts around an hour.

The cost of a one on one Functional Integration session is $80.00. Sliding scale fees of $60-$75 are available for those in need. Call me at (512) 470-4268 to make an appointment. I work in south central Austin. Hours are by appointment and flexible to suit your needs.

This legislation was written so broadly that it could theoretically apply to yoga teachers, dance teachers, Pilates instructors, fitness instructors, personal trainers, babysitters, the guy who draws your blood at the blood bank, the woman who helps care for your grandmother or your neighbor, the herbalist who takes your pulse, and a whole lot of other folks who touch as part of their profession. This law threatens the existence and provision of all kinds of fitness and health services, along with the jobs of thousands of Texans who work every day to help others.

I am not a bodyworker or massage therapist or medical person. I am an educator and a guide in a movement-based learning process. As such, there is no Texas license that exists for what I do. The Texas State Department of Human Services was given the authority to issue licenses for practitioners and teachers who don't (and don't intend to) practice massage. However, DSHS decided not to do this and not to pursue injunctive relief against practitioners due to a lack of funding to implement such changes. In addition, it has since been clarified that movement instructors of all kinds were not intended to be included under the scope of the legislation.

My clients know that they are coming to me for education and not for any kind of bodywork or medical procedure. They know that if they need such things, I will make a referral to a competent and caring professional whom I trust and have personal experience with. I have a wide network of both traditional and alternative practitioners that I refer to whose judgment and skills I trust.

I consider the right of a human being to be touched in an ethical and caring way to be a fundamental human right. Attempting to regulate touch seems to me to be akin to attempting to regulate love and caring for other human beings. (What's next--needing a license to hug a kid? I hope not!) In a culture where people are already as starved for kindness, love, and communication as our own, this seems like a shame, a step in the wrong direction. I think that we all need touch in order to be healthy and happy!

The Texas DSHS issued its own study in 2001 showing that Feldenkrais and other modalities were safe and therefore no harm to current or future public health. Feldenkrais practitioners have been doing the same thing in this country since 1982. We have hundreds of hours more training than Texas massage therapists, even under the new regulations. We have national standards of practice that are available on the Feldenkrais Guild website at www.feldenkrais.com. If you have any questions about this, please do go to the website and review our SOP.

Yours in learning and joy,