What is Feldenkrais Method®?
The Feldenkrais Method was developed by Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais (1904-1984). The method is an educational system that you interact with your brain using movements to learn self-awareness and improve function. Anyone can benefit from the method, for young to old, with or without pain, from athletic or non-athletic.
There are two types of lessons;
- Group lesson; Awareness Through Movement® (ATM)
- Private lesson; Functional Integration® (FI)
To explain what the method is and how it works, it’s not an easiest thing, so I will try in my way to explain about the method.
Change the way you move
Mental or physical problems occurs as a result of your behavior, the way you use (move) yourself unless there was an external factor such as car accident. Therefore, in order to overcome the problem, you will have to change the way you move.
Now I want to explain how to change the way you move. Think of a company with many employees and many different departments. The company was managing a business in certain fashion. But since there were too many errors and that was making loss to the company, the company has to change something. If one specific department is causing most of the error, they will have to inspect that department and take any action they need to take. But, by inspecting the department, they might realise that the problem could be somewhere else. Or they might realise that they just need more people in the department. However, without deep observation and inspection, you cannot reach the solution. With a good suitable solution, the company will immediately show the difference with less error.
It is the same for human body. Physical or mental problems are some kind of error that the body is letting you know. For some cases, like a cold or broken bone, resting and waiting til it heals might be the best solution. But for things like chronic pain, resting might help you for short term but if you start moving the same way again, you’ll be the same. In order to overcome truly from the problem, there is no other way than change the way you move.
How do you do that? – neuro plasticity
Like the company I used as an example, before you start changing things and mixing things up, you need to see what is happening and what is not happening. And then, you’ll explore different ways of making the same movement. By trying out different ways, you might find better ways.
These can only happen through your nervous system. You are the one who feels and senses. Lessons (ATM) or practitioners hands will only guide you so that you can make clearer distinctions. And when the nervous system is enjoying the new way of moving the body, reprogramming, neuro plasticity in the brain will happen. That’s what we call Learning.
Movement matters!
Of course, the method will help to reduce physical or mental problems. But it can also help you to improve the performance. The method is often practiced by professional dancers, athletes, and musicians. And not to forget, as long as we are born with a body, Movement matters!
“Movement is life. Life is a process. Improve the quality of the process and you improve the quality of life itself.” Moshe Feldenkrais
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