About
Maria Meindl M.A., Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner (2004)
Photograph by Mark Raynes Roberts
Standing up after my first Awareness Through Movement lesson in the mid-1980s, I was stunned by profound changes in the way I experienced the world around me. Everything looked sharper, my horizon was wider, and I felt like the floor was giving me a little lift with every step I took … all from following the teacher’s suggestion to “do less.” It was obvious that the room I was standing in had not changed; my way of moving had.
Diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 1997, I thought immediately of Feldenkrais, and discovered it was the only effective way I could find of managing the condition. These days, regular practice helps me think clearly, move with ease, and find energy for all the things I want to do.
I became a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner in 2004 and have been teaching regular classes ever since. I enjoy teaching group lessons because they’re so empowering. They help students take charge of their own well-being instead of looking to an external authority. They are also affordable.
I have a special interest in breathing and pelvic health, and how the two affect each other. To me, working in these areas can provide a kind of laboratory for becoming aware of what we previously thought was beyond the reach of consciousness, and of choice.
My M.A. is in education, and I am currently a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto. I’m also a writer, and organizer of literary events in the Leslieville neighbourhood. If you’d like to learn more about my writing, please click here.