FeldenKrais
A unique and innovative approach to movement education
What is the The Feldenkrais Method™?
” The Feldenkrais Method is not just pushing muscles around, but really changing things in the brain.”
Dr. Karl Pribram – Neuroscientist, Stanford University
The Feldenkrais Method is a unique and innovative approach to movement education. It is based on the knowledge that our brains have the ability to learn and change through-out life and that we are constantly responding and adapting to our environment. Therefore, new and improved movement “habits” can be learned. This can be experienced through a private session called “Functional Integration” or a movement lesson called “Awareness Through Movement” or “ATM”.
When movement patterns become inefficient we often start feeling the effects such as joints and muscles that hurt or normal movements such as bending or reaching becoming harder to do. Changing “bad” habits can not be done by explanation, but rather by experiencing and feeling differences between the “bad” movement habit and the “good” movement habit. The brain as a result detects and adapts to what it finds more pleasurable. This is called neuroplasticity. The idea of neuroplasticity was being explored by Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais long before it entered popular literature.
Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais (1904-1984) an engineer, physicist and martial artist. A pioneer in somatic education, Feldenkrais was ahead of his time when he developed The Method in the 1950s. It was a severe knee injury from playing soccer that began his experimentation in movement and self healing. Rehabilitating his knee lead him to explore how the brain changes and relearns movement. He authored many books on somatic education, learning and human behaviour. His first official practitioner training was in the 1970s in Tel Aviv, followed by 2 trainings in the USA.
Dr. Feldenkrais worked with many people and with a wide variety of physical problems such as children with Cerebral Palsy to dancers and musicians. The accompanying video shows Dr. Feldenkrais talking about how we can best take care of ourselves.
The following are service marks or certification marks of the Feldenkrais Guild of North America: Feldenkrais®, Feldenkrais Method™, Functional Integration®, Awareness Through Movement®, ATM™, FI™, Guild Certified Feldenkrais Teacher™ , and Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner™.
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