Review by Oksana Budnik, Moscow, 01/26/2020
The story began 6.5 years ago when, after severe stress, my jaw started to hurt. The jaw joints clicked, my mouth opened in a sinusoidal motion with difficulty and pain, the back of my head ached, and my neck felt as stiff as stone. Dentists diagnosed me with TMJ dysfunction. What followed was a long journey – composite overlays on teeth, mouthguards of all shapes and sizes, two years of braces, five MRIs, complete re-prosthetics of all lower jaw teeth, and much more. The joints stabilized, but the clicking persisted, and occasional flare-ups and deterioration still occurred.
At the beginning of the diagnosis, doctors closely examined my posture and noted that it was typical for such a problem: my back leaned forward, my neck was tilted backward, and my head was dropped and pushed forward. When I asked what had caused the issue, they suggested it was likely an initially incorrect bite compounded by poor prosthetics. Stress wasn’t the cause but served as a catalyst and triggered severe bruxism, which set off the dysfunction.
This summer, despite all the doctors’ efforts, my condition worsened again. The doctors were at a loss; they had clearly exhausted all their options. So, I started thinking that perhaps I needed to find my own solution—not by directly addressing the jaw but through improving my posture. This idea came to me when I remembered how carefully they had examined my posture (though they had given no recommendations about it) and because I had noticed that if I didn’t actively work on my back (I had been attending a physical therapy group, which had a summer break), my jaw issues would worsen over time.
By chance, in the fall, I received a link to a seminar called "Jaw Release Using the Feldenkrais Method."Unfortunately, I couldn’t attend the seminar, but I started researching the topic and looking for people who could teach me. That’s how I found Ekaterina.
The first session was probably the most incredible experience I’ve had in years! I must admit, I don’t have a great connection with my body—I don’t understand it well, nor why it reacts the way it does. Neither physical therapy nor osteopaths nor my attempts at yoga or qigong helped me develop this understanding. But during that first session, I suddenly felt how tight my pelvis was and how difficult it was for it to move. My left side, in particular, wasn’t engaged at all, as if it was asleep. When my pelvis suddenly started moving and even “breathing,” it was an unbelievable sensation—a feeling of freedom and lightness. Even my usual waddling “duck-like” gait began to change, becoming more flexible and springy.
Over the next few sessions, my shoulders were freed, but the most stunning change was the sensation of having a straight back. I had always slouched, for as long as I could remember. In my mind’s eye, I had always been hunched over since childhood. At school, I grew quickly and was always taller than everyone else. By tucking my head down and rounding my shoulders, I tried to make myself smaller. Unfortunately, this carried into adulthood. When I tried to straighten my back and shoulders by force, I could only maintain it for a few minutes before it became hard to breathe and I’d feel dizzy. But after one session with Ekaterina, my back and shoulders straightened naturally, without any effort, as if they had always been that way. I was so overjoyed I felt like crying.
One day at home, I noticed how my movements had changed while simply walking around the house. I caught myself moving as if I were dancing—a far cry from my usual rigid, jerky, even abrupt movements. Later, I read in Feldenkrais’s writings that with practice, all movements become graceful and smooth. I can completely confirm this. I also feel like I’ve grown taller, by at least 10 centimeters! Adjusting to this new height has been challenging, and I occasionally revert to slouching out of habit. But now I notice it because I feel discomfort when my back is bent. It’s now uncomfortable for me to slouch, rather than the other way around—a true miracle.
Currently, Ekaterina and I have just begun working directly with my jaw. In our last session, we discovered that my tense jaw is connected to tension in my throat and neck, which, in turn, are tied to “buried” emotions. Ekaterina, with her gentle manner, carefully guided me into this area. It’s a complex topic that can’t be resolved quickly, but I feel we’re on the right path. Things have already improved slightly, and I look forward to further progress.
I’d like to say a few words about Ekaterina herself. I attended the first session with a fair amount of skepticism. The miraculous transformations described in Thomas Hanna’s book seemed too good to be true. I didn’t believe that the body could change significantly in just one session. My initial impression of Ekaterina was that she was a very harmonious person. Her calm, fluid movements, warm smile, and gentle, patient hands were decisive for me, and I decided to continue the sessions.
My day now begins and ends with the exercises. They not only help keep my back straight but also teach me to listen to my body—a completely new experience for me. These exercises require minimal effort, are so comfortable, and take so little time that I would recommend them to absolutely everyone, though preferably under the supervision of a specialist, at least initially.