The Feldenkrais Method

The Feldenkrais Method is about playing and experimenting on ourselves using movement as a means to get to know ourselves better.

Our body image is a map of the terrain that we are consciously aware of. It is often very distorted and incomplete.

Moshe Feldenkrais developed movement lessons that he termed Awareness Through Movement to expand and fill out our body image.

They are small, slow playful movements that  take us on a journey of awareness and show us where we are “stuck”. Often we cannot at first do the movements demanded of us and think them to be impossible, but with repetition and exploring soon they become easy to perform and we end up being able to do them in a fluid and graceful manner.

At first this method appears to be counter intuitive; we imagine that we have to forcefully stretch to gain flexibility, but the reality is that the muscle tonus that restricts our range of motion is controlled by our brain and we can teach it to let go without stretching.

If you have never heard of the Feldenkrais Method and would like to try out some of these mysterious movement lessons developed by Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais you can visit a website that has many lessons recorded on MP3 and available for download so that you can do them at home.

You should remember to do these is a slow non strenuous manner and not try and go as far as you can. If after doing a few of these you find that you are getting benefit from them, then I advise you to attend a live class given by a Feldenkrais practitioner near you as you will be in an environment where the Feldenkrais practitioner will be observing all the students and will be able to tailor the class to the group’s needs.

The resource called Open ATM was created to allow people to experience Feldenkrais movement lessons even if they do not have access to a Feldenkrais practitioner. They have been put at the disposal of the general public in the spirit of the open source moevment, hence the name of the site Open ATM.