Developed by Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais (1904-1984), the Feldenkrais Method of Somatic Education consists of gentle movements that stimulate your curiosity and your awareness, providing a learning experience that can change the way you move in a positive, freeing way. The Method is something that can be learned by anyone to improve awareness and quality of everday activities. Learning awareness of how you move opens up options for tuning in to how you are performing an activity, providing you an opportunity to change your movement patterns so that they are more congruent with healthier action.
When you attend a Feldenkrais class or visit with a practitioner/teacher, you learn how to move in a variety of ways. Anyone can benefit from the method to improve everyday activity. For example, a person suffering an injury from a car accident, a work-related injury, a sports injury, or experiencing chronic pain can become pain-free or learn to manage their pain more effectively.
The Method can be beneficial for anyone by enhancing quality of movement, improving posture and balance, regardless of whether or not there has been an injury. This is beneficial for athletic activity, improving sound quality while playing an instrument or singing, feeling comfortable sitting at a computer or desk, or simply doing everyday tasks or hobbies.
Neuroplasticity has become an increasingly understood phenomenon in current scientific studies of the brain. Dr. Feldenkrais was well aware of the brain’s ability to expand its functioning to compensate for areas where function had been decreased or lost. He knew that the right brain could learn from the left brain, the right side of the body from the left side of the body, and vice versa. There have been studies where a learning system such as the Feldenkrais Method can promote healing and regeneration of function with practice of the movement techniques.
There are two ways to experience the Method: One-on-one with a Guild-Certified Practitioner, called a Functional Integration® lesson, or in a group class setting where you are verbally guided through movement sequences. The group classes are called Awareness Through Movement®. Many people seek out both, attending group classes along with receiving hands-on work.
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The following are service marks, trademarks, collective, or certification marks of the Feldenkrais Guild® of North America in the US: Feldenkrais Guild®, Feldenkrais®, Feldenkrais Method®, Functional Integration®, Awareness Through Movement®, Guild Certified Feldenkrais Teacher®, GCFT(CM), Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner(CM), GCFP(CM)