The Feldenkrais Method®

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The Feldenkrais Method

When asked to describe his method in one sentence, Feldenkrais said : “know thyself”. This method is about changing habits and improving movement organisation, but it’s also about the mental and emotional self-awareness this process brings about.

Movement, thought, sensation, and emotion are intricately connected, forming the core components of who we are and everything we do. So improve the way you move and you’ll change the way you feel, the way you think, and the way you sense or perceive the world and yourself.

How do you improve the way you move? Feldenkrais lessons use all sorts of strategies: guiding our attention to different sensory aspects of a movement; exploring coordination, timing and relationships between different body parts; utilizing small and slow movements to enhance our sensitivity and processing of sensory information; systematically varying the orientation in which we do a movement; challenging our balance to create better balance; active imagination & visualization; and many more strategies.

Awareness through movement lessons

In awareness through movement lessons, you’re guided verbally through a structured sequence of movements, aimed at suggesting new ways of moving that are more efficient and pleasant. These lessons usually last between 20 and 60 minutes.

Lessons take place in lying on the floor, standing or sitting on a chair, and you are invited to explore easy, varied, unusual movements. They allow participants to improve both the range and quality of movement.

The lessons exist in an extraordinary varied repertoire, but essentially are governed by two fundamental principles.

First of all, you move within your comfort zone, prioritising intelligence and efficiency over effort and strength.

Second, you should only follow the instructions as long as you can pay careful attention to what you are doing, and how you are doing it. If the mind begins to wander, and the movements become mechanical or automatic, you stop.

Functional Integration

Functional Integration sessions are individualized hands-on lessons, tailored and designed to meet the specific needs of each person.

The Feldenkrais practitioner, using his a soft and non-invasive touch, guides the student in exploring new patterns of movement, or helps him to refine pre-existing movements.

The student can lie comfortably on a table, sitting or standing. Supports, such as cushions, rollers, mats, foams can be used to facilitate the learning process.

The handling of the Feldenkrais practitioner reflect to the student the way he organizes his body and his actions. Practitioners are trained to detect tiny resistances in your movement patterns that often reflect emotional, psychological and physical limitations.

Through touch and movement, the practitioner can bring out a range of possibilities and suggest new patterns of movements that are more comfortable, more effective and adapted to your daily activities and your life.

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12 Domains of the Feldenkrais Method

Practitioners around the world use the strategies of the method in a wide array of professional contexts… working with babies and infants with special needs; improving performance for actors, musicians, dancers and athletes; helping people who suffer from chronic pain; prevention or reeducation after an illness or injury; and many more domains.

The Feldenkrais Method offers benefits across a wide range of domains because movement is central to all human activity. Over the years we have attempted to categorise its applications in a finite list of disciplines - we call them : the 12 domains.

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Reeducation

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Chronic pain

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Aging well

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Performing arts

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Babies & Children

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Personal Development

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Psychological challenges

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Sports & Martial Arts

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Work environment

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Learning & creativity

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Neurological issues

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Animals

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Who is Moshe Feldenkrais ?

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Biography

In the 30s, Moshe Feldenkrais studied electrical and mechanical engineering at the Sorbonne in Paris. In parallel, he became a Judo black belt (one of Europe’s first), and co-founded the first Jiu-Jitsu club in France.

One day, his knee decided to rewrite his story. Faced with a recurring knee injury and a surgery thought to have a 50% success rate… He refused the operation. Instead, he dove into the study of anatomy, kinesiology, physiology, (and how to not hurt when I walk.) This research, combined with his knowledge of engineering and martial arts, inspired his method - a new field of education based on the wild concept of… paying attention to how we move.

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The Feldenkrais Platform Move Better, Live Better

Improve your abilities and go beyond physical and cognitive limitations. Learn from experienced Feldenkrais teachers that will guide you in moving with ease and pleasure and tap into the brain’s inate capacity for adaptation and healing.

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