"Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom" - Victor Frankl
Lauren D’Arsie is an experienced Physiotherapist, Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner and Certified Child'Space Method Practitioner. Her passion is working with babies/children and their parents. The journey as a mother and as a practitioner continues to be enriching and fulfilling.
She has a foundational background in women's health (pre and postnatal care), working with children with special needs and in neurological rehabilitation.
Lauren graduated from University of South Australia in 2000 with a Bachelor of Physiotherapy and worked mainly in Brain Injury and Stroke Rehabilitation. She became interested in working with children with special needs and in pre and post natal care of women and babies during her time in Sydney 02-05. After some years of working as a Physiotherapist she turned to the Feldenkrais Method for a shift in thinking, some inspiration and to follow a calling. The way in which the Feldenkrais Method has enriched her life both personally and professionally has truly been a great gift.
She was a graduate of the Perth 2 Feldenkrais Professional training program in 2009 and spent some time abroad in both Europe and the US furthering her quest for knowledge with various Advanced Trainings in Europe and a mentorship with Jeff Haller in Seattle and Chava Shelhav in Chicago.
It was in Chicago that she came across the Child'Space Method - developed by Dr Chava Shelhav - of working withparents and babies based on the Feldenkrais Method. It was in this work with parents and babies that she has found her life calling. She completed the Chicago 2 Child'Space Method Practitioner training program in 2012 with Dr Chava Shelhav who is her mentor.
Refine Movement is her Brisbane-based practice where she works with all people and in particular parents, babies and children utilising her Physiotherapy knowledge in combination with the Feldenkrais Method and Child'Space Method. Lauren offers a unique approach bringing with her an abundance of life experience, a depth of knowledge and a deepened understanding of the Feldenkrais Method® and its applications in helping others.
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Lauren D'Arsie - Refine Movement
My Journey....
I was fortunate enough to first experience the Feldenkrais Method® in my final year of Physiotherapy training at university in the form of a public workshop and it brought many things into the foreground for me. For years I had used and abused my body through over-training, over-studying and over-working. I was successful in my endeavors but it came at a personal price as I was frequently injured and carried a high level of stress. Over the years I tried many different modalities in the search for a solution (physiotherapy, pilates, massage, osteopathy, body work and trance). Usually I achieved temporary relief from the aches, pains and stress but the pattern continued to repeat itself.
The Feldenkrais Method® offered me a way of understanding myself more clearly – the habits, attitudes and compulsions that I had formed around my very interaction with myself and the world around me. I realized that I spent a lot of time being overly driven to do things. Whilst in the act of ‘doing’, I was mostly unaware of how I was using myself (physically, mentally and emotionally), such that I would find myself sore, exhausted or stressed after the event and absolutely miffed as to how that could be.
Through the Feldenkrais Method®, I became aware that I was simply bringing my own habitual organization of movement, thinking, sensing and feeling to one activity and situation after another whether it was running, swimming or situations like job interviews and interpersonal dynamics. I began a journey of self-discovery through movement using the Feldenkrais Method®, which has not only transformed my life but has added a huge depth to my work in the field of helping others.
In the physical sense it has been about learning how to listen to my body, to know effort from accuracy, to know when less is more and to know how to make distinctions about movement quality. I know how to take care of myself, I know what I can do as well as how to approach something new, unfamiliar or more challenging. I know what the state of anxiety feels like in my body and I can therefore find ways to diffuse and work around it.
I am constantly in a state of learning – whether it be the small things like learning to swim more efficiently in a particular moment, or learning to find support from the ground so that I can lift my son and be able to move easily in any direction without strain or imbalance. As I continue to make distinctions and ask the questions, I continue to find the answers within myself and to me, this is the true beauty of the work.
That is my own personal journey with the Feldenkrais Method® and it continues to be alive for me each and every day. Having found this in myself, it gives me great sensitivity, empathy and skill to be with my clients on their own journey of learning and discovery.