Gravity and Grace

a collective platform for somatic learning

by certified teachers and student teachers of Feldenkrais

About Us;

Gravity and Grace was created by its founder Nigel Atkinson in April 2023 just before he graduated from the Feldenkrais training with Garet Newell in Sussex, UK.

It is a creative learning platform for platform for teachers and students exploring the exciting challenges of Feldenkrais lessons and connecting them to movement in our daily lives and specifically with practices such as Yoga, Qigong, Tai Chi, Dance, Art, Drawing, Writing and of course Music.

Awareness through Movement

Awareness Through Movement (ATM) lessons,

Feldenkrais Method, are guided, slow, mindful sequences of gentle movements (often on the floor) that teach you to pay attention to your internal sensations, revealing inefficient movement patterns, releasing tension, and developing new, easier ways to move, improving posture, balance, coordination, and overall comfort by using your brain's ability to change (neuroplasticity).

How they work:

Guided Exploration: A teacher verbally guides you through unusual or familiar movements, encouraging curiosity about how you feel, rather than focusing on performance.
Focus on Sensation: You learn to notice connections between different parts of your body and differentiate between parts that feel stuck, promoting smoother integration.
Rest & Reorganize: Short rests are built in, allowing the nervous system to process the new information and reorganize for more efficient movement.
Mindful & Gentle: Lessons emphasize moving within a comfortable range, making them suitable for all ages and abilities, and creating a meditative quality.

What you gain:

Increased self-awareness and sensory feedback.
Reduced chronic tension and pain.
Better posture, balance, coordination, and flexibility.
Greater ease and freedom in daily activities like walking, sitting, and lifting. Functional Integration - One on One sessions

Functional Integration - One on One sessions

For those of you who haven't experienced one-on-one sessions here is a short summary, however the best way to know it is to experience it first hand.

Feldenkrais Functional Integration is a hands-on method to improve movement, flexibility, and awareness. In a one-on-one session, a practitioner gently moves and guides you, helping you discover easier and more efficient ways to move.

Rather than focusing on exercise or stretching, the practitioner moves different parts of your body in subtle ways.

The goal is to help you learn new patterns of movement, which can reduce pain, improve posture, and enhance your overall well-being. It’s a gentle and mindful approach to reconnecting with yourself.

These sessions are personalized, adapting to your specific needs, whether you’re dealing with pain, stiffness, or simply wanting to move more freely. It’s a calm, non-invasive way of learning to be more effective and present. It’s especially helpful for people dealing with chronic pain, stiffness, or recovering from injuries. Athletes, dancers, and performers also use it to improve flexibility, coordination, and performance.

It’s not just for those with physical issues—people of all ages and fitness levels can benefit by learning how to move more efficiently, by improving posture and reducing tension.

Meet the team:

Nigel Atkinson, textile artist, Feldenkrais practitioner and founder of Gravity and Grace learning platform.

I am approaching my 3rd year since graduating in 2023 as a Feldenkrais practioner. initially I was slightly daunted by how I would juggle my various creative and professional activities and take on this new hat but as I evolve in my teaching I realise how they feed one another. I bring my background of the working in the creative arts and my love of human interaction and communication to both the group lessons and one on one sessions and my teaching and learning feeds my art, awareness of spontaneity and connecting with that marvelous state of flow, intense concentration and embodiment in movement and the act of creative making.

Part of the excitement for me is in collaboration, always learning and making connections that bring people together and also help people to find greater self awareness and realise their potenitial for feeling better about themselves and their capacity for pleasure.

Meet the team:

Eleanor Ward

Eleanor has spent two decades working in performance and the creative arts.

A 2023 graduate of the Feldenkrais Method under Garet Newell in Sussex, she uses movement to cultivate a more authentic, connected sense of self.

Alongside this, Eleanor is a communication coach who helps business and private clients speak and present with greater self-belief and confidence.

“The first time I heard Eleanor teach it was Alexander Yanai lesson about the mouth, I was very struck by her profound gift for communication” Nigel Atkinson

Sabine Aichner

Sabine has worked with great passion for her subject for over 30 years as a Feldenkrais Practitioner, she has a large following of regular students in Carinthia in the south of Austria.

She is very generous in her sharing of knowledge and helping us to find the best versions of ourselves.

Sabine:

“I live in the mountains in the south of Austria, where the landscape gently shapes both my life and my work. I have always felt deeply connected to nature, and I find that mountain hikes and long walks through the forest bring clarity, balance and renewed energy — qualities that also inform my teaching.

I first encountered the Feldenkrais Method during my studies in sports science. I was immediately drawn to its intelligence, subtlety and profound respect for the individual. From 1994 to 1998, I completed my professional training in Rome. For over thirty years now, I have been practicing the Feldenkrais Method in group classes and individual sessions

It is very important to me to share the depth of my experience with my clients and students. I am continually inspired by supporting people as they discover greater ease, freedom of movement and a more refined awareness of themselves” Sabine Aichner