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Frequently Asked Questions About FlexAware®
- How is FlexAware different from yoga, Pilates, and Tai Chi?
- Yoga and Tai Chi are often described as "mind-body" exercises. Does FlexAware have that aspect as well?
- Does FlexAware involve stretching?
- What about strength-training? Does FlexAware accomplish that?
- Does FlexAware increase cardiovascular fitness and aerobic capacity?
- Can I really get the benefits of stretching, strength training, and cardiovascular fitness at the same time? How is that possible?
- What about balance? Does FlexAware do anything to improve that? Can it help seniors reduce the fear of falling?
- Can FlexAware help me improve my golf, tennis, dancing, skiing, and other activities? Can it help professional athletes?
- How does FlexAware help people relieve back pain, arthritis, and other musculoskeletal problem conditions?
- How quickly can I expect benefits?
- What about stress and emotional pain? Can FlexAware help me with that?
- Do the exercises use any machines or other equipment? Will I have to buy anything?
- What should I wear or bring to class?
- I'm interested in becoming a FlexAware teacher. What does that involve?
1. How is FlexAware different from yoga, Pilates, and Tai Chi?
There are many differences, most of which relate to the fact that FlexAware is based on the way very young children learn and move naturally. Young children don't do any such formal, specific, structured exercises; they play, and FlexAware is somewhat playful and spontaneous.
In FlexAware classes:
- You move at your own pace, fast or slow, coordinating with your breathing.
- You move within your range of comfort, small or large, while gently expanding that range.
- There's no imitating the teacher or anyone else.
- We never seek to achieve any specific posture or other goal.
- We never hold any fixed position and rarely count repetitions.
More generally and fundamentally, the primary intention is to increase comfort and awareness, learning to move more easily, efficiently, and effectively in your everyday activities. The exercises are secondary.
FlexAware can be slow and continuous, like Tai Chi and some types of yoga; can be discrete exercises, like Pilates and other types of yoga; and can even be aerobic.
If you do yoga, etc., you'll probably enjoy FlexAware. And if you make FlexAware a regular part of your exercise routine, or at least do it occasionally, you'll get more enjoyment and benefit from yoga and other practices.
Yes. FlexAware is mind-body exercise, fundamentally, because of the emphasis on awareness. The exercises help you become more aware, more "mindful." With FlexAware, moreover, awareness is not an abstract idea, not just a psychological or spiritual concept. You become more aware of the concrete facts of gravity, your skeleton, and how you are breathing. Awareness is an immediate sensory-kinesthetic experience.
Some people use yoga and Tai Chi as meditation, and FlexAware can also be a form of meditation; we sometimes conclude our classes with FlexAware walking as a meditation. FlexAware can also be combined with other meditation or spiritual practices.
3. Does FlexAware involve stretching?
Conventional stretching exercises focus on the specific muscle or muscles that are being stretched, often holding the stretched position for some time.
We don't do that with FlexAware, neither focusing on specific muscles nor holding specific positions. Instead, you learn to move more easily and efficiently, with muscles longer and more relaxed. That's more pleasant than just stretching. And the benefits are more lasting.
4. What about strength-training? Does FlexAware accomplish that?
FlexAware definitely increases strength, because the exercises improve efficiency and coordination of muscles throughout the body.
Strength-training that focuses on specific muscles - using weights, machines, and such - can leave muscles overly contracted. When muscles are habitually contracted, when they're hard or tight, they're actually weak, not strong. Truly strong muscles have to be able to contract fully and lengthen fully, and that's only possible when opposite and nearby muscles are coordinating and working efficiently. That's what we achieve with FlexAware.
5. Does FlexAware increase cardiovascular fitness and aerobic capacity?
Yes, though not in the usual way.
FlexAware exercises increase the strength, flexibility, and coordination of muscles throughout the trunk, including the diaphragm. They also increase the range of motion of the ribs, breastbone, and vertebrae. Increasing that strength, flexibility, coordination, and range of motion means easier, deeper breathing. It also means breathing more freely, fully, and easily more of the time, spontaneously.
For a healthy heart and lungs, FlexAware may be more beneficial than the conditioning that occurs with using a treadmill, stationary bike, or other machine, or taking aerobics classes. In addition, the benefits of FlexAware seem to transfer more readily to running, swimming, dancing, and sports.
Plus, FlexAware can be aerobic. We encourage that in advanced classes, but only in advanced classes, after participants know how to move comfortably and harmoniously.
And there are FlexAware ways to use treadmills and other machines. If there's some machine or piece of equipment you use, FlexAware variations can help you get more benefit and enjoyment from that exercise.
Yes you can. All that and more.
Think about young children. They are, for their size and weight, much stronger than adults. They're also much, much more flexible. They have much greater stamina. And they recover much more quickly and completely from stress, illnesses, and injuries.
Young children don't do any specific exercises to stretch or strengthen muscles or increase their cardiovascular fitness. They don't have to. Their muscles are strong and relaxed because they move efficiently, with muscles working harmoniously. They spontaneously breathe easily, even during extended periods of vigorous activity, and breathing easily is the source of their stamina.
FlexAware exercises teach you to move more like a healthy young child. The teaching is inherent in the exercises, the way they coordinate muscles throughout the body. It's also explicit; during classes the teacher instructs you in what it means to move easily and efficiently.
Yes. Definitely and profoundly.
Standing FlexAware exercises are designed to improve balance, while also increasing strength, flexibility, coordination, and awareness. There are also walking exercises.
For seniors, the standing and walking exercises are excellent for relieving the fear of falling, reducing the number of falls, minimizing injuries if someone does fall, and teaching people how to get up after any fall that might occur. Seniors who do FlexAware regularly have been able to stop using canes and walkers.
Standing and walking FlexAware exercises are also excellent for people who have pain or other problems with their feet, ankles, knees, and hip joints. That includes people who've had knee- or hip-replacement surgery, or hope to avoid surgery.
The standing and walking exercises also help prevent arthritis and other problems, and improve skills at dancing, skiing, running, martial arts, and more.
Absolutely.
Great athletes, people often say, "make it look easy." It looks easy because they've learned to do it easily, efficiently, with minimal effort. Learning to move more easily and efficiently is the essence of all FlexAware exercises, which simultaneously enhance strength, flexibility, coordination, balance, aerobic capacity, and awareness. Those skills lead directly and immediately to better performance in any sport. And to more enjoyment.
It's quite simple. When you move more easily and efficiently, muscles relax. Circulation improves. Nerve activity is enhanced. Cartilage and other tissues are nourished and lubricated. Internal organs function better. Healing happens.
10. How quickly can I expect benefits?
Most people experience benefits from the first class or individual session.
After just one class or session, moreover, the benefits can be lasting. You'll learn ways to move more comfortably and easily in your everyday activities, breathing, sitting, and walking. Moving more easily feels better. It's self-reinforcing. It can soon become spontaneous. That's how FlexAware helps you outgrow old habits and replace them with new comfort and skill.
11. What about stress and emotional pain? Can FlexAware help me with that?
Yes. Think about it: What is stress? What is emotional pain? When people are stressed, depressed, anxious, angry, heartbroken, and so on, what are they actually doing and experiencing?
To make these questions and ideas more meaningful, recall a time or situation when you experienced some particular stress or emotional pain. Where were you? What happened? Now recall - or, because you were probably not aware of it, imagine or guess - how you were breathing and moving. Were you breathing freely? Were you moving comfortably?
Every experience of stress and every emotion involves changes in breathing. Some changes are obvious, holding the breath, for example, or hyperventilating; most are rather subtle. There are also changes in the movement and muscle tone in the upper chest, shoulders, neck, and face.
While doing FlexAware you are breathing easily and moving comfortably. That makes the exercises an excellent way to recover from stress. They also help you learn how to breathe easily and move comfortably in situations that might be stressful or used to be stressful.
12. Do the exercises use any machines or other equipment? Will I have to buy anything?
The only thing you need for FlexAware is a bit of space on the floor. You might want to use some type of exercise mat, though a bare floor or carpet is fine. There are many exercises you can do in a fairly limited space, even on a bed. Standing exercises require no extra space, only room to bend and perhaps swing your arms.
In advanced classes and individual sessions, we sometimes use weights, elastic straps, and other devices to make the exercises more demanding.
Is there some machine or piece of equipment you use and like? There are ways to combine FlexAware exercises with most types of equipment to enhance the benefits.
13. What should I wear or bring to class?
Ordinary street clothes are fine, if they're not too tight.
You might want to bring your own mat or towel to lie on. (Many places provide mats, so that may not be necessary.)
All you really need is a sense of curiosity, a readiness to learn, discover, and enjoy.
14. I'm interested in becoming a FlexAware teacher. What does that involve?
The basic Teacher Education Program is just 100 hours, with Steven Shafarman personally teaching at least 60 hours. Class size is limited.
Teaching FlexAware is inherently creative and enjoyable, and can be easily combined with teaching and coaching other fitness, exercise, and sports activities, and with massage and movement therapies. The Teacher Education Program also facilitates personal transformation.
For more information, see the Classes page.
FlexAware® is a registered trademark of FlexAware Learning Corporation.