Man vs Dog: Chess battle of the ages
(Looking for ‘just the facts’? Click here)
Like most people, I have difficulty neatly defining my life in 100 words or less. Probably you do too.
Let’s face it – we’re all more than the sum of our parts. It’s hard to encapsulate an entire life into a nice, neat soundbite.
However, here are some ‘parts’ – perhaps they will help you form an idea of the ‘whole’.
I’ve been involved with the Feldenkrais Method since 1999. I was introduced to it accidentally . In truth, I stumbled into the wrong classroom one day during a massage course. I distinctly remember thinking ‘hey…why didn’t you folks show me this at the start? This looks much more interesting than that other stuff!’.
It wasn’t until a few years later that I undertook Awareness Through Movement (ATM) classes. Again - coincidence: As part of my health science diploma, students were required to undertake 12 weeks of outside electives. After 6 weeks of Pilates, I was at a loss as to how to fill the requirement. By some magic, I received a flier in the mail for Feldenkrais classes (ATM). I took a 6 week course and…hated it.
Despite the gentle, easy pace, the classes were confusing to me and I kept hurting myself. It took a while to understand that these were less ‘exercise’ classes and more ‘here’s the scenario, how do you play with it?’ classes. Once I grokked that, things really took off.
(By the way, I promise that if you attend one of my classes, I’ll do my utmost to help you ‘get it’ quicker than I did. Really, the Feldenkrais method isn’t so mysterious once you understand to basic premise: it’s about the interplay between your perception of a situation, the feelings that arise thereof and the actions you take. The combination of these factors leads to an outcome, one way or another. And I mean that not in some abstract, cognitive or woo-woo way but concretely and physically, here and now)
After several years of regular classes (ATM) and hands on work (FI), I decided to undertake Professional Feldenkrais training in 2006. Again – luck: just as I am trying to decide what to do, a local training is announced. With all excuses dashed, I begin a long (a Feldenkrais training is done over 4 years), intense, crazy-making but ultimately wow-rewarding process. For extra ‘fun’, I concurrently complete a degree in Exercise and Sports Science and begin working my way towards a Masters in Exercise Rehabilitation.
Because of my experiences, I have a real interest in making abstract ideas concrete, in novel ways that make sense to you. What does this mean? If you’ve ever had someone tell you ‘Your back pain will go away if you just bend your knees and switch on your core’ (huh? what? where?) – I’m the guy that will teach you how, in a way that has meaning for *you*. Maybe that involves sitting, laying down or standing on your head – it’s something we’ll discover together.
As you can tell, I’m passionate about educating people in how they *can* do things. Not by beating their head against the wall (and hoping to crash through), but by finding ways over, under and around. I like to call this radical approach…’using your brain’. I work best with people who actively participate in the process rather than passively expect a miracle (Remember: Feldenkrais is a two way, educational process with therapeutic benefits). When we work together, 1+1 can equal 3.
When I’m not working you can find me in alternating states of action and repose. I enjoy intelligent, meaningful exercise (and – as an exercise scientist – I can sometimes really chase my own tail debating psychology versus physiology. In other words, what ‘works’ versus ‘what will I actually do and enjoy’). For the last twenty years, this has meant an on-again / off-again love affair with martial arts. If you can name it, I’ve probably tried it, loved it and had it break my heart. To date, I’ve been studying Judo (LINK) for almost eleven years. I expect to stop tripping over my own feet sometime soon.
I love watching documentaries, intelligent tv (probably an oxymoron), sci-fi and British programs. More often than not, these categories coalesce.
Two can play at that...
I volunteer – and have done so since my late teens. I’ve worked in soup kitchens, health clinics and cerebral palsy centers, with people from all walks of life. No, I’m not a saint. Corny as it sounds, I figure I’ve had a very fortunate life and as a way of expressing thanks, try to give something back.
As you can see from my photos, I play chess – poorly (LINK) . Feel free to join me for a game. Yes, I am (in vain) trying to teach that cute little mutt to play. She shows promise – we’re at the stage now where she eats only *some* of the pieces (usually mine).
Hi.
My name is Bob Strahinjevich. I’m a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner (FPTP II) & Exercise Scientist, practicing in Perth, Western Australia.
Academically speaking, that means I have completed a 4 year Feldenkrais training. I also have an undergraduate degree in Exercise and Sports Science and am on my way towards completing an Msc in Exercise Rehabilitation – that is, the use of exercise in the treatment and prevention of chronic disease. The latter is to much chagrin from my parents (‘you’re still in school?’). I have also completed previous studies in Health Science and Occupational Therapy assisting.
I’m a member of Sports Medicine Australia, the Australian Association of Exercise and Sports Science and the Australian Feldenkrais Guild.
