Fit: Busting A Move

WHEN SANDY BEBER walked into the FlexAware studio in Adams Morgan last week, her twisted ankle demanded she hobble with the help of a cane. Just 75 minutes later, she was standing and walking on her own.

Her cure? Rolling around on the ground like a three-month-old. "FlexAware is a combination of movement and exercise based on how young children learn to move. They have the ease and flexibility we've lost," says creator Steven Shafarman, who likens it to "Western scientific yoga" because of his studies of anatomy and neuroscience.

For decades, Shafarman taught the Feldenkrais Method, a form of movement based on examining the way the body works. Over the past few years, he has created his own technique to expand on this philosophy. Instead of just developing consciousness as Feldenkrais does, FlexAware also promotes fitness by incorporating more vigorous exercises.

Throughout any movement, participants must be mindful of "balloon breathing." He instructs students to think of their midsections as balloons inflating or sponges filling with water as they inhale. When they breathe out, they must deflate the balloon or squeeze the sponge.

Moves include lying on one side and wrapping the opposite arm around the head. Then, on the exhale, one lifts the head up. Another exercise starts on one's back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor, fingers interlaced and hands behind the head. As one sits up and squeezes the sponge, the elbows fold toward the knees. Casual observers might mistake these for sit-ups, but Shafarman says, "flex-ups, in anatomical terms, are a healthier version of sit-ups." And instead of push-ups, FlexAware students do "extend-ups." These involve lying flat on one's stomach with palms flat on the floor and elbows up in the air. Then, as one exhales, one straightens the arms and reaches upward with one's head.

Beyond breathing and moving, FlexAware is also about feeling comfortable. So, there's no one right way. "In yoga, they're always correcting me, which implies I'm doing something wrong," says Igor Heyman, 38, who recently sampled his first FlexAware session. He compares the experience to playing jazz piano: "It's like a set of chord changes. Try various combinations and you'll find the movements that work for you."

That idea extends to the speed of the class. Shafarman sometimes encourages students to perform exercises very slowly, and at other times urges them to pick up the pace, since that works muscles differently. But it's up to the individual how fast or languidly to move.

For Fred Simpich, who's been doing FlexAware for three years, it's that freedom that's so appealing. "He doesn't aim for poses, targets, reps," says Simpich, who credits FlexAware for curing his arthritis, improving his muscle tone and boosting his energy. "I turn 76 next month, and I feel like I'm 45." Meanwhile, his wife, Patricia, has seen a marked increase in her agility. "I can crawl around to pick something up; I can get up from the floor," she says.

Standing is important, too, because although classes typically start on yoga mats or blankets, the last 15 minutes of each session is done in an upright position. Twisting one's spine and folding forward and backward at the waist have a specific purpose near the conclusion of class. "It helps you retain ease when you get out on the street," Shafarman says. "I want to help people be more aware all of the time, not just in the gym."

Beber, her twisted ankle feeling fine, tries to keep all of what she learned in mind as she steps out onto Columbia Road. "If I forget, I'll end up back here tomorrow," she says.

Photo by Lawrence Luk for Express