The Feldenkrais Method

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The Feldenkrais Method

• Rinat Chervin M.Sc.
• Tel-Aviv-Rehovot-Tokyo
• 2004

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The Feldenkrais Method

• Making the impossible possible
• The possible-easy, and the easy, elegant

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Dr. Feldenkrais The inventor of the method
Moshe Feldenkrais, D.Sc., was born in Russia. In
1933 he left Israel for France. There he earned
his doctorate from the Sorbonee in engineering
and physics. He worked with the Nobel Prize
winner Joiliot Curie. There he met Jigaro Kano,
the creator of modern Judo, and was one of the
first Europeans to earn a Black Belt in Judo
(1936) and to introduce Judo in the Western
world. He wrote several books on the subject.  A
severe knee injury inspired him to use his own
body and combine his scientific knowledge with
his deep curiosity about human movement. He
taught himself to walk again and developed an
extraordinary way for approaching to the power of
the central nervous system to improve human
functioning. In 1949 he returned to Israel where
he continued to integrate his ideas into the
Feldenkrais Method. During the 1970s Dr.
Feldenkrais spent most of his time in the United
States. He worked with the famous anthropologist
Margaret Mead as well as the great basket ball
player, Julius Irving Dr. J., with violinist
Yehudi Menuhin and director actor Peter Brook.
Dr. Feldenkrais personally trained a small
number of practitioners to continue his work and
today there are nearly 5,000 certified
Feldenkrais Teachers around the globe over
Europe, Israel, North America, Japan and
Australia. Dr Moshe Feldenkrais died peacefully
at the age of 80, in Tel-Aviv, Israel.
Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais' method will be of great
benefit to all of Humanity. From my own
experience I know the remarkable results
achieved." David Ben Gurion, First Prime Minister
of Israel
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Dr. Feldenkrais Activities

• What is the Feldenkrais Method?
• Two ways to learn it
• Who are his students?
• The effect of his method on your life
• His followers

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What is the Feldenkrais Method?

• A learning process-Actualizing your potential
  through awareness.
• New possibilities of movement-choice.
• Our interest is in your comfort and ease.
• Maximum efficiency - minimum effort.
• Development of human nervous system.
• Respecting your curiosity to learn.

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A learning process-Actualizing your potential
through awareness

• The development process of a child-exploration
  and discovery.
• Ability to notice differences.
• Sensing, thinking and movingAwareness.
• Emphasizing the process, not the Goal.
• Completing the image which come before the
  movement.

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New possibilities of movement-choice

• Capability to control the movement
• New ways to function in Daily life
• Alternatives Vs. correction-options

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Our interest is in your comfort and ease

• Commitment to feel comfortable during the lesson
  and life.
• Fun and grace, playing games,acting.
• Small and easy movements.
• "What I'm after isn't flexible
• bodies, but flexible brains
  - Moshe Feldenkrais

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Maximum efficiency - minimum effort

• Models, axioms their
• interpretations.
• Use your skeleton in an
• efficient way-as a support
• Appropriate muscle tonus.
• Ready for action without
• preliminary adjustment

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Development of human nerves system(1)

• The brain cells are inherited, no use of them
  cause Atrophy.
• The brain is dynamic in two-ways.
• Changing the size of the representation areas in
  your brain by activating them- Homunculus
• Using the reserve.

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Development of human nerves system (2)

• Creating excitation of nerves which reactivates
  a damaged functions
• No importance for the quantity of the neurons
  but to the connections between them
• Cortical learning-upper level of the
  brain-exploring, asking questions,
• comparing things.

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Two forms of the Method

• ATM - Awareness Through Movement- Group
• FI - Functional Integration- Private

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The Feldenkrais method - improvements in your
quality of life

• Better organization of body-efficiency
• More control in your movement breathing
• Reducing tense, stress, fatigue.
• Increasing flexibility, coordination, balance.
• Elevation of your mood and self-image.
• Injury prevention, pain management, recovery
  from surgery, communication.

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Who benefits from the Feldenkrais Method?

• Anyone-young or old
• Professionals people who benefits
• Those experiencing chronic or acute pain of
  their shoulder, back, neck, knee, hip,
  neurological condition stroke, MS,CP.
• Healthy persons who wish to improve their self-
  expression,extend their ability like Artists,
  dancers, singers, athletes,Martial artists,
  actors, musicians, computer operators, office
  managers, dentists.