Feldenkrais Method for International Certificate

The Feldenkrais Method® was developed in Israel, and named after its inventor Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais (1904 -1984).

It revolves around a unique approach to learning through movement, based on Neurological, Physical, and Bio-Mechanical principles. These principles, accompanied by a deep understanding of what makes us – as human beings – develop and learn, is what makes the Feldenkrais Method® a revolutionary technique that merges both the physical, and the psychological needs of individuals.

As we go through this world, each of us develops our own unique habits when it comes to the way we move. These habits are acquired through life experience, and our own individual self-image. Some of these habits may be good, but there are others that can limit us – causing our bodies pain and physical damage, without us even being conscious of it happening.

By increasing our potential to move, we can free ourselves of damaging habits, and choose our movements in a way that best suits our day-to-day activities. People who have been treated using the Feldenkrais Method® notice an almost immediate change in their everyday lives. From straightforward things like improved posture, and easier breathing, to broader, overall sensations such as feeling more comfortable in their own skin, a feeling of lightness, and a general improvement to their emotional, physical, and mental well-being. Dr. Feldenkrais believed that our body and our spirit are integral to each other, and should be treated as a whole, and therefore, improving our movement is an essential tool in improving our psyche. What made Dr. Feldenkrais’ approach so unique, was his applied practical approach to teaching – which emphasized the learning process itself, rather than the final intended results.

Awareness Through Movement®

These are group lessons, that are built to improve our body’s ability to move.The practitioner gives verbal instructions to the group, guiding them through gentle and enjoyable motions.

The guided attention of each individual lesson utilizes precise and pleasant movement, to take the students on a “journey” through a particular pattern of action of movement. Each lesson begins with a “reference movement”, and ends with that same movement. Because of this comparison, the immense change and improvement is apparent to the student immediately

Dr. Feldenkrais developed Awareness Through Movement® as a means to re-involve our nervous system in the type of learning that we all experience naturally as babies, but abandon with time. The effects of these lessons on the student are deep and immediate, giving the student a greater sense of spontaneity, and a general sense of relief. A.T.M. Teaches us to function using minimal effort for maximum vitality and efficiency in our day-to-day movements. This of course, is the polar opposite of a regular exercise class – in which our movements are dictated and mechanical.

A typical lesson usually begins with neutralizing gravity’s impact on the body as much as possible. This is usual done by laying down on the floor, though lessons are taught using a variety of positions, including sitting in chairs or standing. Our nervous system’s reaction to the gravity field is a habit, and this habit must be neutralized in order for our bodies to assimilate new ways of moving.

The structure of the lessons creates an organic learning process where old habits can easily be replaced with new skills, and a new sense of awareness. Though each class focuses on a different reference movements, in essence – each class is based on the same principles: that by simple, pleasant actions, and the right type of instruction, our bodies and our general sense of well-being can be improved in ways we never thought possible.

Functional Integration®

In Functional Integration®, the practitioner works with a clien one-on-one. The lessons are delicate, sophisticated, and effective. Their purpose is to fulfill our individual need for an aesthetic, comfortable, and pain-free posture. 

FI lessson with Ruty Bar

The Feldenkrais Practitioner will use a hands-on method on the client, which is pain free, while he or she is fully clothed and laying comfortably on a special bed. The precise movements that the practitioner applies will have a direct effect on the clients muscular, skeletal, and nervous systems.

The F.I. Session is especially tailored to the client’s specific needs. It focuses on improving the client’s ability to function on a daily basis, while emphasizing self-empowerment and flexibility – both physically and emotionally. These sessions also improve the client’s posture without excessive muscle strain, treat chronic pain conditions, neurological disorders, and motor development disorders in children.

The Feldenkrais Method® doesn’t “repair” your body. Rather, you are taught how to listen to your body’s specific inner workings, and change your movement and thought patterns freely. The guiding principle of the method is to strengthen what is already in good working order, so that the body is not averse to the change, but rather goes along with it freely.

It’s an incredibly functional method to improve your body as a whole, and allow you to tap into your body’s natural ability to move simply and efficiently, thereby eliminating unnecessary strain.

Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais (1904-1984)

Moshe Feldenkrais (Doctor of Science, Sorbonne) was an engineer, physicist, inventor, martial artist and student of human development. Born in eastern Europe, he emigrated to Palestine as a young man. Later he studied at the Sorbonne and worked in the Joliot Curie laboratory in Paris during the 1930s. His interest in Ju Jitsu brought him into contact with Professor Kano who developed the sport of Judo. Dr. Feldenkrais was a founder of the Ju Jitsu Club of Paris and was one of the first Europeans to earn a black belt in Judo.

In developing his work Moshe Feldenkrais studied, among other things, anatomy, physiology, child development, movement science, evolution, psychology, a number of Eastern awareness practices and other somatic approaches. Escaping the Nazi advance he went to Britain and worked on anti-submarine research for the Admiralty. It was there in the 1940s that he began to develop his Method and wrote his first book on the subject. A knee injury, and uncertain prospects for surgery, began Feldenkrais on what was to become a life long exploration of the relationship between movement and consciousness. In the 1950′s, Dr. Feldenkrais returned to Israel where he lived and worked until he died in 1984 in Tel Aviv.

Dr. Feldenkrais authored a number of seminal books on movement, learning, human consciousness and somatic experience. He taught in Israel and many countries in Europe through the 1960s and 1970s and in North America through the 1970s and 1980s. He trained his first group of teachers in Tel Aviv in the early 1970s. This was followed by two groups in the USA – one group in San Francisco and another in Amherst NY.

In his life Dr. Feldenkrais worked with all kinds of people with an enormous range of learning needs – from many infants with Cerebral Palsy to leading performers such as the violinist, the late Yehudi Menuhin. He taught over a number of years for the dramatist Peter Brook and his Theatre Bouffes du Nord. He was a collaborator with thinkers such as anthropologist Margaret Mead, neuroscientist Karl Pribram and explorers of the psychophysical Jean Houston and Robert Masters.

The breadth, vitality and precision of Dr. Feldenkrais’ work has seen it applied in diverse fields including neurology, psychology, performing arts, sports and rehabilitation.