In 1987 I came to the San Franciso Bay Area from the U.K. to pursue cutting edge trainings in Bodywork/Somatics, and martial arts. I’ve always been a “mover” with an ability to move seamlessly between the worlds of martial arts and healing arts. In 1994 I completed a three-year long Somatic Educator training, which may have created the conditions for an eventual martial arts breakthrough. In the early 2000’s during my competitive martial arts practice, I realized [on a very deep level] that I was ALWAYS CONNECTED to my partners, — even when we were yards apart! In my boxing practice I became very hard to hit, and in Tai Chi Push Hands, it became very difficult for others to land much pressure on my body. A visiting teacher from Beijing remarked [in frustration], "James's listening is so good that I can't do anything to him!" 

Soon after this breakthrough, during my boxing practice, I discovered that I’d finally gained the elusive effortless punching power I’d long sought. However, due to my student’s complaints, I needed to tone that power down! What set the stage for this power to emerge was my four-year long Feldenkrais Practitioner training. Spending hundreds of hours on the floor doing slow, relaxed, Awareness through Movement lessons, profoundly integrated my body and nervous system, and improved my athletic ability. An added benefit was that sensing myself far more clearly enabled me to sense other people far more effectively.

Since then, two major life events have forced me to really “walk my talk!”. In 2015, a martial arts injury and osteoarthritis required me to have both hips replaced. Yet, within six-weeks of bi-lateral replacement, I’d resumed both coaching and active participation in my martial arts practice. Within four-months I was coaching boxing and doing full-speed sparring again. This “bounce-back”, would never have been possible without my access to Feldenkrais Awareness through Movement lessons! Then, In 2025 I suffered a serious spinal injury during a car crash. Against all the odds I made a full recovery and eventually returned to doing all of the things I’d done prior to the accident. I was told that my shattered and severely crushed L-4 vertebra will never rebuild itself. Yet great good fortune and creating better movement patterns restored all of my previous abilities. Again, by working directly with the brain and nervous system, the Feldenkrais Method enabled me to “go around” these roadblocks. I feel deeply grateful for my great good fortune! An interesting outcome to healing from my own “misfortunes” is that I’ve gained greater skill in helping others skillfully deal with arthritic conditions and chronic pain relief.

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

To reflect the path that led to my own breakthroughs,

I offer two separate and complementary classes;

one in Martial Arts: “Embodied Relating skills”,

and the other in Feldenkrais Movement Improvement: “Embodied Movement”.

My Embodied Movement [“Feel Great without Working Hard”] zoom class, helps students perfect their own self-use by creating new and better movement patterns in a nurturing and non-performatory environment. I also offer one on one clothed bodywork sessions [“Head to toe Freedom”], to anyone wishing to dive even deeper into self-improvement and/or or pain relief.

Embodied Relating Skills works to perfect both your own self-sensing. and effective responsiveness to others in martial arts and other relational activities.