Testimonials
During a series of 5 private lessons-
”My 7 year old son is jumping from one foot to the other for the first time – really skipping. His shoulders and arms, which are usually stiff, are much freer. Riding home after one of the lessons, he said, “Hey! That sign has half my name- the A and Y- and he’s never noticed any signs before. That’s huge! This morning, he was skipping really fast, and I remarked on how light his shoulders felt, and he said, “Yeah and I’m going a lot faster!” I could hardly keep up with him. He’s more excited about going out to the park- he just has this great big yes for everything in life, now.”
- Carol Keefe, Anat Baniel Method Practitioner
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I credit Lauren McLeod with having prevented my having 2 surgeries, one
for bone spurs in my neck which were causing excruciating, radiating
pain down my arm and a knee surgery, both recommended by top experts in
their fields. I am now mostly pain free, and when I do have pain it is
at a much lower level than before and I am able to work with myself to
alleviate the pain fairly quickly. I came to get out of pain; I have
continued because I am learning to move with a new level of ease, even
as an overweight, middle aged person.
-a second testimonial
"I never thought your work could get any better . . . you are certainly
able to elicit more profound change with an even subtler approach than
I remember from a year ago."
-Mariah Breeding, PhD, social worker and life coach, San Francisco, CA
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"Lauren is an exceptional practitioner. She has extensive knowledge of the human body and movement, and is able to put this knowledge into practice for effective problem solving. Lauren's work with the clients (at Institute on Aging) has resulted in significant improvements in their functional mobility, attitude and overall quality of life. Lauren has helped them decrease pain and improve their state of mind by helping them realize they can have an effect on their own body and on their lives.In addition to exceptional technical skills, Lauren demonstrates great understanding and sensitivity to her clients; she is able to consistently listen and really hear what her clients need and feel.
Lauren is respected and valued by those who work with her, and, in many ways, is one of the finest practitioners I have worked with in this setting."
-Helen Lhim, Physical Therapist, Head of Rehabilitation, Institute on Aging, San Francisco
"After experiencing problems following a foot operation, I finally tried Feldenkrais (after trying both physical therapy and chiropractics, with little relief.) The word that best describes Feldenkrais for me is "amazing". That's what I say after each session with Lauren, my practitioner. It is a gentle phenomenon that helps my body stand, move, and walk in a whole new way. All the parts finally fit together, and my body feels like a more integrated unit. Pain that I experienced in my foot, knee, and lower back for months began to disappear after the very first session. After many sessions the results just continue to amaze me. "
-Michele Seville, artist, community coordinator and grandmother, from Richmond, CA
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"I
move in a more coordinated way and have less back pain, even while I'm
working- heavy lifting, getting into tight spaces. I'm no longer
worried about the disc problem I had."
-Jim Hillis, heating and air
conditioning installer, grandfather, from Pinole, CA
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-Gretchen Kucserka, occupational therapist, Feldenkrais Practitioner, Anat Baniel Metod Practitioner
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Certified Practitioner
Originally from Georgia, Lauren is in private practice in Pt. Richmond and Berkeley, California. She teaches and works with people- guiding them to realize their potential for overcoming pain and increasing vitality, and helping special needs children have the greatest opportunity for independence.
I have 15 years experience as a Feldenkrais and Anat Baniel Method Practitioner. My passion is teaching people how to use this work to help themselves. So I consider myself a guide for my students as they discover their own inner teacher.
I work with infants, children, teens and adults, with conditions ranging from neck, back, knee, hip, etc. pain to M.S. and Cerebral Palsy and learning difficulties. I also work with performing artists and athletes interested in reaching higher levels of excellence.
I started teaching group lessons in 1995, and began my private practice in Point Richmond, California in 1997, after graduating from the 4 year training with Anat Baniel in California. In 2000, I completed a special training with Anat Baniel for working with infants and children. I now assist in Anat Baniel's training of new practitioners.I am one of five Americans to have also graduated from Mia Segal's 3 year foundations course in The Netherlands. After finishing this training in 2003, I continued with her mastery trainings in Europe and the U.S. Mia Segal was Dr. Feldenkrais' first and only student for 15 years during the early development of his method.
For 6 years, I worked, a few hours each week, at The Cerebral Palsy Center in Oakland, CA, giving lessons to adults with Cerebral Palsy. Prior to this project, started by Kathryn Goldman-Schuyler, the participants of CPC were not expected to improve. We have seen "the impossible made possible" in our work with those who were available to have lessons. It is my dream that every child born with C.P. can have these lessons as early as possible, so they can overcome many more limitations than they would otherwise.
For 5 years, I spent one day each week at The Institute on Aging in San Fransisco, giving lessons to seniors. The lessons have made a great difference for them, helping those who had stroke regain more function than they had with traditional P.T. or O.T. Others have been helped with decreased stiffness, pain, or dizziness, and improved balance, coordination and walking. Again, I have seen how so much suffering could be prevented or at least greatly decreased, and our "golden years" can more likely be golden.
I also worked with 4 teenaged boys with autism, twice each week for one year, at The California Autism Foundation in Richmond, California. Initially, I wondered if my work could help these young men to make more sense of their world, especially since they had lived with the condition for so long. But, within a short time, I and many of the staff started noticing positive changes. Again, I hope that more children with this diagnosis can get early intervention with this method, and enjoy their lives as much as possible.
I enjoy facilitating this process for others and have received personal benefit. When I began studying Feldenkrais, I had been in pain for several years due to a scoliosis and several injuries. Fifteen years later, I am pain free; I move better and enjoy my life more fully, than ever.
In our world today there are so many approaches for "fixing what is wrong with us". The Feldenkrais Method empowers us to access our potential to learn and heal ourselves. We find very few instances where fixing is necessary, and that in many cases we just need help to develop new ways of moving which includes thinking about and sensing ourselves in new ways. I have helped people with all kinds of problems discover that by moving differently, their pain goes away, they don't need surgery, and they get to enjoy activities that had previously been painful, difficult or not possible.
I am happy to speak with you if you have more questions. Please feel free to call me at (510) 237-0935 or e-mail me through the contact page on this site.
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The Anat Baniel Method &
The Feldenkrais Method
www.anatbanielmethod.com www.Feldenkrais.com
www.freechildrensclinic.org
www.mbsacadamy.com (about Mia Segal)
www.mbscenter.net (also from Mia & Leora Gastor Segal)
www.feldenkrais.com
There is also a large collection of video footage about The Ant Baniel Method & The Feldenkrais Method on you tube.
Nutrition
www.westonaprice.org(international)
www.threestonehearth.com (San Francisco east bay community kitchen)
Meditation
www.springwatercenter.org (a center for meditative inquiry started by Toni Packer, in Sprinwater, NY)
