The Feldenkrais Method is an educational system that uses movement to teach body and self awareness and improve function.
The Method enables people to include in their functioning movements and parts of the body forgotten or excluded from their habitual actions or images of actions. By allowing a person to learn how the whole body cooperates in any movement, the Feldenkrais Method, assists people to live their lives more fully, efficiently and comfortably.
Learning through movement is the essence of the Feldenkrais method. Gentle movement and directed attention, lead to sensory motor learning.
The method is particularly effective in cases of restricted movement, chronic pain and tension, as well as neurological and developmental difficulties.
The feldenkrais method is taught either in group classes called ATM (Awareness Through Movement) or in individual sessions called FI (Functional Integration).
Awareness Through Movement classes
Awareness Through Movement consists of verbally directed movement sequences presented primarily to groups. A lesson generally lasts from forty five to sixty minutes.
During ATM people engaged into a precisely structured movement explorations that involves sensing, thinking, moving and imagining.
Functional Integration Lessons
In FI the practitioner through gentle touching and movement is guiding the student into sensing unknown areas of their body and the comfort and ease with which these movements can be done. After the session, the student has more areas of their body available and learns to reorganize their movement pattern in a more graceful and efficient manner.
The FI is usually performed with the student lying on a table specifically designed for this work.
In FI the practitioner develops a lesson that is well thought and custom-tailored to the unique configuration of the particular person, at that particular moment.
