The Feldenkrais Method®
The Feldenkrais Method® is a movement-based practice designed to improve how you move and function by engaging your body and brain together. Through slow, mindful movements, it helps you become more aware of your movement patterns, teaching your body new, more efficient ways of moving. This process taps into the brain's ability to change, known as neuroplasticity, allowing you to "relearn" movement and overcome limitations from pain, injury, or habitual tension. The method helps increase flexibility, reduce strain, and improve coordination, making daily activities easier and more comfortable.
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© International Feldenkrais® Federation Produced by Marcela Bretschneider. All rights reserved
Two Ways to Experience the Feldenkrais Method®
Functional Integration®
Functional Integration® is a personalized, hands-on session where you lie comfortably on a treatment table. Using gentle touch and subtle movements, the practitioner guides you to explore more efficient and comfortable ways of moving. Through this process, you'll gain a deeper understanding of your habitual movement patterns and how to improve them.
In these one-on-one sessions, the Feldenkrais practitioner uses slow, intentional movements to interact with your nervous system, helping you discover easier and more effective ways of moving. This hands-on approach creates an opportunity for your body and mind to "relearn" how to move, often resulting in noticeable improvements by the end of the session.
Many people find that Functional Integration® sessions not only improve their movement but also leave them feeling deeply relaxed and revitalized. Movements stay within a comfortable range, making the experience gentle yet transformative.
Awareness Through Movement®
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Awareness Through Movement® (ATM) lessons are guided group sessions where a Feldenkrais practitioner leads you through gentle, mindful movement sequences. These lessons help you uncover natural movement patterns and tap into your full potential for flexibility, coordination, and ease.
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Through a combination of sensing, thinking, moving, and imagining, you'll gain a deeper awareness of how your body moves. By breaking away from habitual patterns, you’ll discover new ways of moving that feel more fluid and effortless.
It's essential to follow the instructions while staying fully present. If your attention drifts or the movements become automatic, pause and re-engage with the process. This focus on mindfulness is key to making lasting improvements in your movement.
In ATM lessons, the emphasis is on working within your comfort zone, prioritizing awareness over effort. The teacher will guide you to focus on sensations, which are crucial for improving how you move, both during and after class. By paying attention to these sensations, you’ll notice immediate changes in how you move, and with regular practice, you can refine and integrate these improvements into your daily life.
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Among the benefits
Improved coordination, balance, and flexibility
Enhanced attention & focus
Fuller & easier breathing
Shift from being in your head to reconnecting with your body
Relief from muscular tension and pain
A greater capacity for self-care
The brain behind the method
The Feldenkrais Method, developed by Moshe Feldenkrais, a physicist, engineer, judo master, and student of human development. From the 1940s to the 1970s, Feldenkrais delved into the relationships among the body, mind, environment, and personal growth.
Moshe Feldenkrais was ahead of his time, understanding the brain's lifelong adaptability and its role in overcoming limitations and pain. He recognized that movement and awareness are key for transformative change.
In our early years, we learn to integrate our body's movements with our environment, using our senses to navigate and explore. For many, once basic movement skills are mastered, this learning process stagnates, resulting in automatic execution and limited physical potential, often leading to unnecessary strain and mind-body disconnection. What if we maintained our curiosity and continued to learn?
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Join my Feldenkrais sessions- structured playgrounds for self- exploration!
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