The Feldenkrais Method: How it can help you

What is Feldenkrais? A summary. Despite the strange name it's not a new-age fad, nor is it a cult or religion. No, it's not Feldenchrist! When you pronounce it, it rhymes with rice - Feld/en/krice. What does it do? It helps you fine tune your body so you can move it and use it with minimum effort and maximum comfort. Ah! Bliss. No more aches and pains. Wouldn't that be nice? Yes! And it's certainly possible, with the Feldenkrais Method you can discover how to increase your flexibility, so you can sit, stand, walk, reach, bend, run, type or turn easily, without strain or pain. I know because in my 30s my body was stiff, tight and painful and I had constant neck ache and pain in my arms, and now in my 50s, after doing Feldenkrais, I am so much more flexible, and I feel younger. It is that powerful! How does it do this? You are probably imaging some kind of hard physical exercise, puffing and panting as you whip your body into shape. But it isn't like that at all. It is not some sort of athletic, cosmetic or body building method. In fact it can be really quite restful, which is amazing considering the results it gets. The secret ingredients in Feldenkrais are the unique sequence of movements it uses, the types of movements involved, and the way you do them. You won't find them anywhere else, not even in Pilates, Yoga or Tai Chi. Let's consider an example. Imagine you have jaw pain. If you come along for Feldenkrais you might do a collection of small but intriguing movements such as moving your jaw to the left whilst moving your eyes to the right, and do this very slowly with less and less effort and more and more smoothness ... only to discover that when you rest the pain in your jaw joint has gone. Now that's intelligent! That's smart! That's Feldenkrais! The Feldenkrais Method is based on principles taken from physics, the mechanics of movement, and research into the workings of the brain and nervous system. Developed by a scientist Moshe Feldenkrais, it doesn't make you stand or walk in one set, "right" posture. Rather it helps you use your body - whatever its condition - so you get the best out of it. You will discover how well the different parts of your body are working, both on their own and with all the other bits and pieces! And gosh! There are a lot of bits and pieces in your body, did you know you had over 200 bones, for a start? And over 650 muscles? No wonder it doesn't always do what you want it to. That's why the Feldenkrais Method can help. You can discover how to get all the components working together, in the best way possible. Now that's being body-smart - and that's Feldenkrais! You can do Feldenkrais by going to group classes, or having a 1-1 session with a Feldenkrais practitioner, or even by listening to CDs at home. Does it matter how old you are? No, anyone can do it. You don't have to be slim, trim or terrific. Any old (or young) body will do! And you don't even have to be in good shape either. Whether you're an 55 year old with neck ache, a young child with cerebral palsy, or a champion football player, it will help you move in the best way possible for you. By using the Feldenkrais Method you may become less stiff, be able to run faster, breathe more easily, sit with less discomfort, be able to walk gracefully, reach further ... or relate to people more easily. And that's just for entre!

"Without movement life is unthinkable." "Movement is life. Life is a process. Improve the quality of the process and you improve the quality of life itself." Moshe Feldenkrais

Would you like to see some real examples? Click to watch the Feldenkrais Method in action on this YouTube video.

Wondering if this is for you? Feldenkrais can help you: Increase your flexibility. Increase your feelings of relaxation and well-being. Increase your ease of movement and co-ordination. Visibly improve your posture. Let go of mental and physical tension. Improve your stability and balance. Enhance your performance in sport, dance, music and drama. Prevent injuries. Think more clearly. Move with less effort so life is easier. Release pressure on muscles and joints so that pain and stiffness ease. Gain greater energy and vitality. Let go of emotional pain and enhance your emotional well-being. Increase your range of movement. Enhance your rehabilitation following an accident or injury. Stop physical problems from recurring. Increase your alertness. Deepen your understanding of yourself. Take charge of your life. Help you realise your potential and be your best.

So how is this possible? There are many components to the Feldenkrais Method that all inter-relate to produce these results. To help simplify the process here are just 3 of the important aspects. Once you've tried it for yourself I'm sure you'll be able to work out many others. 1. The Feldenkrais Method focuses on your skeleton. The Feldenkrais Method considers your skeleton, i.e. your bones, to be very important. Rather than only focusing on muscles, as may occur in massage, for instance, it also considers how well your skeleton is working. This may sound a bit odd as you may never have thought about your skeleton before. However, it is there and it is very important. Imagine what you would look like trying to sit in a chair if you had no bones inside you! Imagine how difficult it would be if you had no bones in your hand! You'd wobble a lot, wouldn't you? Most of us are unaware of our skeletons unless we break or fracture a bone. However, it's the skeleton that holds us up when we stand or sit, that propels us when we walk, and that bears the brunt of our movements. It is the whole basis of our movement. Thus, a Feldenkrais practitioner may be asking how well is your skeleton supporting you? How well do your different bones move? And, is the movement being transfered through your skeleton efficiently or is one part of the skeleton doing more of the work than another? When one part works harder than another, it will wear out more quickly and be more likely to become stiff and sore. This can cause problems such as back ache, neck pain or shoulder stiffness. The Feldenkrais Method aims to help all of your skeleton work efficiently so your muscles don't have to tighten or overwork to hold you up, so that one part of your skeleton doesn't do more than its fair share of the work, and so that it supports you in the best way possible. Our emphasis on the skeleton is just one way in which the Feldenkrais method is unique and differs from other methods such as The Alexander Technique and Pilates. When the skeleton moves clearly the mind thinks clearly. When the skeleton moves easily, emotions move easily. When the skeleton moves with ease, life can seem a breeze!

2. The Feldenkrais Method focuses on the whole body. The Feldenkrais Method focuses on all of you and doesn't look at one part in isolation from the rest of you unlike more traditional physiotherapy or medical practice might, for example. It is based on the concept that you are a "whole" person and not just a random selection of bits and pieces. That one part of you is connected to another part, and that movement in one area is influenced by what happens elsewhere. After all, your neck is a part of you and attached to the rest of you! The Feldenkrais Method helps you achieve your full human potential. For example, you might have a pain in your wrist. If you went along to a traditional doctor he or she might examine the wrist and give treatment focused on your wrist. In contrast, a Feldenkrais practitioner might look at how the movement in your wrist relates to the movement in your elbow and how this relates to the movement in your shoulder and how this is affected by the movement in your upper spine. Why? Because they are all attached! Then the Feldenkrais practitioner may find that by increasing the range of movement in your upper spine, the shoulder moves easily, as does the arm and then so does your wrist! That's being body-smart. If it still makes no sense to you - try this (if you've got any neck problems please don't do this.) Sit in a chair facing forward. (See photograph 1 below.) Keeping your legs and hips/pelvis completely still, look round behind you and see how far you can go. Notice the spot on the wall you can see to comfortably. Do it three times to get the spot. Don't strain though - just go as far as is comfortable. (See photograph 2 below.) Now do the same thing but as you move round also let your chest, pelvis and legs help you move. This will mean your pelvis kind of tilts towards the way you're looking and you may push through one of your feet to help you. Do you go any further? (See photograph 3 below). Usually the movement is easier if there is more of you involved. Facing forward. Keep pelvis and legs still. When the pelvis also moves you can see further. 3. Self-insight is a key factor in the Feldenkrais Method. The Feldenkrais Method helps you build up your own knowledge into how you move, so that you are in charge. In fact one of the key formats it uses is group classes called "Awareness Through Movement Lessons." During the lessons the Feldenkrais Practitioner is constantly encouraging you to become aware, e.g. of how you move, how you feel, the parts of your body that aren't moving, where your attention is, what your intention is and very importantly how you can make the movement easier for yourself. Self-awareness is the lynch pin. This is not a Method where you are encouraged to become dependent on the "guru" or the "teacher". Rather you are encouraged to discover how you learn, what helps you to learn, and how to be able to learn for yourself. As people use the Feldenkrais Method they often become more able to act from choice and not routine or habit ... hence the chance to get out of any rut you may find yourself in.

"The aim is a body that is organised to move with minimum effort and maximum efficiency, not through muscular strength, but increased consciousness of how it works." Moshe Feldenkrais

A group class Even lions have to work out how to roll over easily A personalised session

So what exactly happens? What will you have to do? If you book into an "Awareness Through Movement" class you will find that the Feldenkrais practitioner running the class will verbally guide you through a sequence of movements. This is not like an aerobic class where you have to burn up a lot of energy and exercise yourself. These are likely to be quite small, gentle movements where awareness is the goal not calorie burn off. You also get lots of rests! (I like that bit!) Often you are encouraged to monitor your breathing and always to monitor how comfortable you are - comfort is considered the way to learn - pain is not needed in this Method. You may find yourself lying on the floor or sitting in a chair and doing a sequence of movements which are unusual for you, as the Method is designed to give you the best chance of learning and to discourage you from just repeating the same old way of doing something. You may find yourself doing activities such as rolling your head, or lifting a leg or even working out how to roll over easily! If you go to a Feldenkrais practitioner, for an individual Feldenkrais session (the jargon for which is an "FI" or "Functional Integration" session - but you don't have to know that!) then you generally lie down on a comfortable bench, fully clothed, while she or he guides your movements with her/his hands. Practitioners are trained to have very sensitive touch and to feel how your skeleton is reacting and moving, and what your muscles are doing. They can then guide your body to work out ways to move more easily. The pictures should give you more of an idea as to what happens. Describing this isn't easy - as the Method isn't verbal, it is mainly carried out in silence and it's kinesthetic - which means it's based on movement, sensations and touch. Hard to describe by a computer keyboard! So if it doesn't seem completely clear it's no surprise! Experiencing it is much easier.

Who was Moshe Feldenkrais? The person who developed the Method was an Israeli physicist called Moshe Feldenkrais - hence the name of the Method. (Some of us would have found it easier if he'd been called John Smith but he wasn't!) He lived from 1904 to 1984 and started becoming interested in how the body worked when he sustained serious injuries to his knees playing football. He was threatened with the possibility of not being able to walk again and so worked on himself to find a cure. He studied the body, how it developed throughout childhood, its make-up, structure, mechanisms, ... everything that he could study that would help him understand it. Over time he helped himself and he walked again. Others asked him for help, and he spent the next 40 years developing the Method, training others to be practitioners and helping people. He was still walking in his 80's. He was a fascinating man who was also one of the first people to bring Judo to the West - so you can sense a martial arts flavour in some of his work.

Feldenkrais Principles - How does the method help you in other aspects of your life? Moshe Feldenkrais was most interested in helping people to learn. Therefore, his principles are applicable to many parts of your life. The way that I apply the Feldenkrais Method in my work is different to the way that most practitioners work. All of my workshops have woven through them the fabric of the Feldenkrais Method, yet I seldom do any hands on work or have you doing physical movements. I mainly do what I call "Verbal Feldenkrais". How can this be? What I do is apply some of his key principles to the areas of confidence, communication and emotional intelligence.

How can Feldenkrais help you build your confidence? My confidence has blossomed throughout my Feldenkrais work. How can this happen? Here are just three of the many ways Feldenkrais can help this happen: As I became clearer about who I was, my confidence grew. As my posture improved, so did my confidence. As my old habits were released my confidence increased. When you practice the Feldenkrais Method you are developing ways to use your body and whole self more efficiently. As part of this process you let go of tense muscles, inhibitions and fears that have held you back or held you down. As a consequence of this you can feel more relaxed and confident. For example, the stomach muscles are very important in the way that people stand, sit and walk; AND in how they feel about themselves. I used to have very tight muscles in my stomach but as I went through a series of Feldenkrais lessons gradually these muscles relaxed. As this happened I felt stronger in myself and a greater sense of personal power. The Feldenkrais Method helps you develop a more refined sense of yourself and stops conflicting messages (or what Feldenkrais calls crossed-motivations). Low self-esteem and a lack of confidence are fuelled by negative thoughts and self-doubt and mixed-up messages that we send ourselves. By developing a greater level of self-awareness you are able to separate out this kind of destructive thinking and replace it with more effective thinking. Your confidence is released. The Feldenkrais Method can alter your posture. How you sit and stand can affect how you feel about yourself. For example, sit now in a way that would make you feel miserable. You probably have collapsed a little, and sunk a little in your chest and hung your head down low, have you? Now sit in a way that makes you feel brighter and more confident. Are you now sitting straighter and with your head up? Simply how you sit can affect how confident you feel. Thus, working on your body can help you feel better and feel more confident. It can stop perfectionism destroying your confidence. Many people I meet with low self-esteem and low confidence set very high standards for themselves. Perfectionism, trying too hard and struggling to meet high expectations can all destroy confidence. Feldenkrais can teach you to let go of these behaviours and instead move in approximations towards your goals, so that you enjoy each achievement you make. Confidence then blossoms.

How can Feldenkrais help your communication? Communication requires awareness and insight to be successsful. Self-awareness is a key skill that the Feldenkrais Method can help you develop. It can help you monitor the flow of your communication, monitor the impact your communication is having on someone else, and recognise what you are saying and how you are saying it.<be> Communicating by habit can destroy communication success. Communicating with awareness and insight can facilitate connection and communication. What is your intention?" We communicate for a reason. Yet sometimes what we say or how we say it does not acheive what we wanted. The Feldenkrais Method can help you clarify the intention of your communication and how to achieve it so that you don't just blurt out whatever comes into your head only to find it leads you into conflict. Core questions you learn to ask through Feldenkrais are "What is my intention? Is this helping me achieve it? Is there an easier way?" Reversibility. Have you ever dug yourself into a hole? You konw - you have started saying something, realised it wasn't very good, and then the next thing you've said makes it even worse? Feldenkrais can help you apply the principle of reversibility to your communication so this doesn't happen. This means you develop the skill of being able to stop yourself when you have said the wrong thing and repair your communication so you return to neutral. Phew! It can save a lot of conflict! Now that's smart! That's Feldenkrais!

"If you know what you are doing, you can do what you want."	Moshe Feldenkrais

How can Feldenkrais help you boost your emotional intelligence? Your body, emotions and mind are all connected and influence each other. So, if your body works more efficiently your mind may well do the same. Similarly your feelings, moods and emotions may change as your body changes. Your whole reaction to the world may change. You may feel less anxious, feel more stable and become less vulnerable to emotional swings. Life may no longer seem to take so much effort. Self-awareness is also a crucial component of Emotional Intelligence. One of the key components on emotional intelligence assessment is emotional self-awareness. Feldenkrais can help you to differentiate between one emotion and another How useful is that when you are trying to understand yourself and express how you feel? Very! As breathing gets easier so too can emotional well being. Breathing more fully, more easily, more regularly can all be outcomes of Feldenkrais. Breathing can also be seriously impaired in probelms such as panic attacks, high anxiety and stage right. You can hear me one the "Confidence for women in public speaking" CDs using Feldenkrais breathing methods with one of the women to help her overcome her anxiety when public speaking - and you hear it worked! It could work for you too! And there's still more! Some people even find that they make spiritual shifts. They make comments such as, "I feel more connected to the earth than before," or "I have a clearer sense of who I am spiritually."

"Every thought and emotion finds its expression in movement. By changing the way we move, we can change the way we feel." Moshe Feldenkrais

How can you choose a practitioner? Qualified Feldenkrais practitioners in Australia have studied up to 4 years part-time in a professional training programme. I qualified in 1991 - having completed my studies in Melbourne and receiving my accreditation from La Trobe University. The difference between this and many other professional training programmes is that it is intensely experiential. This means practitioners have done hundreds of awareness-through-movement lessons themselves and received individual Functional Integration sessions from some of the world's top Feldenkrais trainers. It means they've spent up to 4 years working on their own bodies and selves and not just reading about it in books. It was the hardest and most personally challenging training I have ever done. However, it was the best thing I've ever done and I still continue to have regular individual Feldenkrais lessons. If you want to learn using the Feldenkrais Method - make sure you go to a qualified practitioner, not someone who's only read about it, just done a weekend course or two in it, or listened to some tapes. Ask to see their qualifications.

Discover the benefits for yourself by working with a Feldenkrais practitioner. The Feldenkrais Method can help you get the most out of your life - gain the benefits now! There are Feldenkrais practitioners throughout Australia and the rest of the world - go to our Links section for more details. Or if in Australia call 1800 001 550 to find out your nearest practitioner. Or contact me if you want to develop your confidence, communication or emotional intelligence.

Want to build your confidence, communication or emotional intelligence? Here is your wonderful opportunity to apply the powerful principles of Feldenkrais to your confidence, communication and emotional intelligence. Contact me now: Call: +61 8 9390 1188 E-mail: Let me BRING OUT THE BEST IN YOU.

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Updated 22-Feb-2009