The Feldenkrais Method® is a unique approach to mind and body which has helped thousands of people to be more flexible, comfortable and functional in their bodies. Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais, founder of this method of somatic education, taught himself to walk again, without pain, after a crippling knee injury.

He achieved this by combining his multifaceted background in engineering, physics and Judo, along with his curiosity about linguistics, biology, prenatal development and athletics. In the late 1940's he further developed his method and today there are hundreds of authorized practitioners in this country applying this method in educational systems, performing arts, sports training and the healing arts.

By listening to your body, you can free its potential. The Feldenkrais Method® can assist in this transformation by helping you to reconnect with your natural ability to move. Using the exploratory process of learning, which is seen in small children, you learn to free yourself from restrictive habitual patterns that constrain you. You can feel better in your body and enjoy a more graceful, comfortable life. This method integrates normal daily movements with thinking, feeling, and sensing. Using this process can expand your potential in all areas of your life, enhancing your creativity and improving your problem solving skills.

There are two approaches that the Feldenkrais practitioner uses to reestablish a freer, more flowing way to move. These approaches can affect all aspects of the person, not only physically, but also mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

Awareness Through Movement® (ATM)~
"Make the impossible easy, and the easy elegant"
~Moshe Feldenkrais

We can improve our self-image and well being when we learn to use ourselves more fully. Awareness Through Movement® classes teach us to move with minimum effort and maximum efficiency. not through muscular strength but through becoming more aware of how our bodies work. Ordinarily, most people learn just enough to function. For example, we learn to use our hands well enough to eat, our legs well enough to walk. However, our ability to function with a greater range of ease and skill can be more fully developed. Awareness Through Movement teaches us, through gentle movements and focused, non-judgmental awareness, that we can improve our capacity to function more comfortably and freely in our daily lives.

These verbally given lessons guide the student through specific movement sequences while lying on the floor, sitting or standing. The emphasis here is on learning. using focused attention and the exploration of developmental movement sequences. Students of ATM® learn to notice the quality of their movements as they attend to the subtle differences felt within their bodies before, during and after the lesson is complete.

Students learn to relax as they abandon inefficient habitual patterns and develop new alternatives. This process brings a greater sense of personal awareness, flexibility and coordination. These lessons are usually held in groups, but the movements are non-competitive and based on a functional theme. After a lesson, which last between 30 to 60 minutes, the student often feels taller, finds that it is easier to breathe and that discomforts have been eased. These new ways of functioning can stay with you and become a part of your everyday life, as you learn to take better care of yourself and listen deeply to your body's innate wisdom.

On-going Awareness Through Movement classes are available. Current class schedule. Each lesson lasts approx. 1 hour and costs $10 per person.

Functional Integration® "When you know what you are doing, you can do what you want."

A more direct way of experiencing results with the Feldenkrais Method® is through a one-on-one learning process. Here your learning is communicated through slow, gentle touch. Comfortably clothed and lying, or sitting on a low padded table, you are manually guided through a series of precise movements to relax tense areas. The explored movements alter habitual patterns and provide new information directly to the neuromuscular system. Functional Integration is especially useful for people with re-occurring difficulties, who want to learn to overcome limitations brought on by stress, misuse, accident or illness. It is equally beneficial to anyone who wants to perform and feel better, physically and mentally, or for the person who feels physically challenged.

Functional Integration Session (1 hour)...................$60.00

Frequently Asked Questions about The Feldenkrais Method®

Q: What is Feldenkrais®? A: The Feldenkrais Method® is a method of movement re-education named after the man who developed it.Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais, a Russian born physicist, judo expert, mechanical engineer and educator. This method uses gentle touch, verbal guidance and directed attention to improve movement and enhance human functioning. Through Feldenkrais lessons/sessions, you can increase your ease and range of motion, improve your flexibility and coordination, and rediscover your innate capacity for graceful, efficient movement. These improvements will often generalize to enhance functioning in other aspects of your life. Q: Who can benefit from the Feldenkrais® Method? A: Anyone--young or old, physically challenged or physically fit--can benefit from the Method. People who are experiencing some kind of limitation that is interfering with daily life or obstructing their progress, growth or performance can benefit. Feldenkrais is also beneficial for those experiencing chronic or acute pain of the back, neck, shoulder, hip, legs or knee, as well as for healthy individuals who wish to enhance their self-image. The Method has been very helpful in dealing with central nervous system conditions such as multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, and stroke. Musicians, actors and artists can extend their abilities and enhance creativity. Many senior citizens enjoy using it to retain or regain their ability to move without strain or discomfort and experience better balance and stability. Q: How soon will I benefit The Feldenkrais Method? A: Each session/lesson introduces new movement patterns and options from the habitual ones, which can often cause us pain. Although you can begin integrating a lesson into your life immediately, changing your unconscious, inefficient habit patterns is a process that often takes some time. A minimum of 6 to 8 lessons is recommended.