The Feldenkrais Method®

The Feldenkrais Method® is a gentle, respectful way for people to learn – through movement – how to live life in an easier and less painful way. I have been in health care for 40 years, and a Feldenkrais Practitioner® for over 28 years.

Feldenkrais? – How do you say it?

Let’s start by pronouncing it… Feldenkrais – Rhymes with Paradise!

The Feldenkrais Method® leads to a change in your actions, in how you think, and a huge change in how you feel. It is a remarkable learning experience.

Benefits of the Feldenkrais Method® include:

• Increased flexibility and agility.
• Improved posture, coordination, and balance.
• Ease of chronic pain.
• Reduction of emotional and physical stress.
• The ability to overcome and avoid injuries.
• Refinement of skills for athletes, musicians and dancers.
• Improved energy efficiency and breathing.
• Improved ability to learn.
• Increased self-confidence and quality of life.
• Attend to his/her whole self.
• Eliminate unnscessary, but familiar, holding and energy usage.

How does it work?

We learn to move by the time we are two. As children we are always moving, getting up, falling down. We play, we jump, we roll on the ground. We are curious and we are constantly trying new activities.

As we get older, actually in our teens, we stop experimenting with our movement and activities. We narrow our playing field. We play baseball, soccer, or we do ballet, or jazz. We start using one part of ourselves more than other parts. We develop habits, many good, and some, not so good. We forget certain movements that we used to do easily, and, then we forgot that we forgot.

The Feldenkrais Method® takes us back to the time when we played on the floor. We move in ways that we have not for years. Cutting edge research in a field known as Neuroplasticity tells us that the brain can change, no matter how old or how many diagnoses and aches and pains we have.

We harness this ability of the brain to change through movement. We move slowly so the brain pays attention. We move in novel ways, in ways that we don’t move on a daily basis. This helps us to pay attention which also brings a change to our brain. We do not move into or through pain. By focusing on these very basic concepts the brain forms new pathways and we learn to move without pain, easier, more upright, and more efficiently.

Moshe Feldenkrais, D.Sc., (1904-1984) – a physicist, engineer, martial artist, and educator developed the Method by studying the direct relationship between bodily movement and the ways we think, feel, learn, and act in the world. We improve our wellbeing when we learn to fully use ourselves. The Method is a gentle, respectful way for people to learn – through movement – how to function in a more efficient and less painful way. It is taught by two complementary modalities; group classes are called Awareness Through Movement®, and one to one, hands on, session unique to you, is called Functional Integration®.

© 2005 Rosalie O’Connor(www.rosalieoconnor.com) Used with permission of the Feldenkrais Guild® of North America.

Choose from two modalities

We practice this method in two ways, one-to-one learning sessions which involve gentle touch, and which we call Functional Integration®, and also Awareness Through Movement® classes for groups.

These two modalities help students experience and become aware of the details of how actions are performed. Participants have the opportunity to learn how to discover options that will improve and energize their lives.

I offer a consultation where we assess whether an Awareness Through Movement series or a series of individual, Functional Integration sessions will be best for you.