Feldenkrais Method

Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais, D.Sc. (1904-1984), a Russian born physicist, combined his knowledge of the sciences he studied with his insight into the martial- arts, psychology and human development and helped himself recover from a bad knee injury. This led to the development of his method for physical improvement. He began helping people suffering from various injuries, and others who strived to maintain their state of excellence, such as performers in the arts and athletics.

We all have more experience of movement, and more capacity for it than of feeling or thought. Movement reflects the state of the nervous system and is the basis of awareness. Our breathing is movement too and reflects every emotional or physical effort and every disturbance. The Feldenkrais method exists of a great variety of movements, designed to include the entire human system: neurological, skeletal, muscular and cognitive.

What is the Feldenkrais Method?
Each one of us speaks moves, thinks and feels in a different way, each according to the image of himself that he has built up over the years. This self-image consists of four components that are involved in every action: movement, sensation, feeling and thought. It changes from action to action, but these changes gradually become habits; that is, the actions take on a fixed, unchanging character.
By expanding oneself through movement sequences, you become more aware of rigidities and habitual posture that may cause pain or discomfort. Discovering options for new ways of moving, improves your flexibility and coordination. The execution of an action by no means proves that we know, even superficially what we are doing or how we are doing it. We soon discover that the most common of actions, for example getting out of a chair, is a mystery and that we have no idea how it is done; which muscles contract first or does the body tilt forward first, what about the position of the head? This means that in order to learn we must improve our sensing, and if we do most things by sheer force, we shall achieve precisely the opposite of what we need. So, to understand movement we must feel, not strain.

Benefits:
• Movements for increased vitality and energy
• Greater bodily awareness leading to healthier function
• Better posture, breathing and flexibility
• Clearer and more creative thinking
• Encourage the mind and body to work together
• Physiological complaints
• Cerebral palsy
• Autism
• MS
• Breakdowns of the brain's learning patterns
• Improving performance and overcoming injury
• Orthopaedic and neurological disorders