“Everyone moves, feels, thinks, speaks in the way that is entirely his own, according to the image he has formed of himself in the course of his life. To change the way he does things, he must change the image of himself that he carries within himself.” Moshe Feldenkrais
Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais (1904-1984), a physicist, was the founder of Feldenkrais Bodywork. He combined his knowledge of Far Eastern martial arts (judo, jiu-jitsu) with his knowledge of physics, mechanics and electrical engineering, as well as anatomy and behavioral physiology. Feldenkrais had recognized early on that a person’s inner experience is the measure of his actions. “We act according to the image we form of ourselves”. The concept of self-image here encompasses the four dimensions of sensing, feeling, thinking, and moving.
The Feldenkrais Concept
The Feldenkrais Concept is based on the assumption that most people, even as young adults, unconsciously use the same movement patterns over and over again in certain situations. An example: fold your hands as if in prayer and observe which thumb is in front, which of the two little fingers is behind? Unfold your hands again and fold them the other way around: If the left thumb was in front and the right little finger behind the first time, it must be the other way around now. Most people feel irritated by this exercise because folding the hands “the wrong way around” is unfamiliar to them. Often, however, a movement once acquired is not useful at all, because the same goal – for example: lifting a beverage crate – could be achieved by a different, “more intelligent” movement sequence with far less effort. According to Feldenkrais’ theory, a person’s movements also express his or her mood and state of mind. Here, too, the careful dissolving of ingrained movement patterns helps to recognize and change behavior patterns that cause illness in the long term.
For whom are Feldenkrais courses suitable?
Feldenkrais bodywork is designed to help recognize and gradually change ingrained movement patterns. Through the Feldenkrais Method, one learns to become more physically, mentally and spiritually flexible. It is suitable for everyone – regardless of age, previous knowledge or physical constitution. The exercises are especially suitable for those who suffer from muscle tension, back and joint pain, or tension headaches, for example, and would like to relax through bodywork. They improve balance in patients with multiple sclerosis and are generally suitable for reducing stress. But people who want to learn new movement sequences can also benefit from a Feldenkrais course. Through mindfully perceived movement sequences, people learn to direct their own learning, refine their body awareness, and thus achieve greater well-being and mobility.
The Feldenkrais exercises
Feldenkrais can be practiced in a group (“Awareness through Movement”) or is done as individual work (“Functional Integration”).
- “Functional integration” here refers to individual work. In each case, the exercises are individually tailored to the participants. Teachers guide and provide assistance, but do not show how to do the exercise “correctly”. The assistance is intended to lead to an improvement in movement patterns. Individual therapy is especially good for people with severe health problems (accident victims, pain patients, and spastic paralyzed people). Since the teacher gives the instructions wordlessly, the procedure is also very suitable for speech- or hearing-impaired people.
- “Awareness through movement”: in group work, verbal instructions are given for movement sequences in different positions, e.g. lying down, sitting, standing. Many Feldenkrais lessons are based on children’s movement development, e.g. rolling, crawling, sitting up, standing up, walking, running. So there are more than 15 positions, from lying to standing, even headstand, and include all conceivable movement patterns.
What does the Feldenkrais work?
- Reduction of tension and pain
- Improvement of self-confidence and self-acceptance
- Increase in autonomy and sense of responsibility
- Better learning in all areas (learning to learn).
- Learning of previously inaccessible patterns of perception and action.
- Recognize and establish connections
- Increase in performance, endurance, well-being and vitality.
- Increased flexibility physically, mentally and spiritually
- Better economy of movement and quality of movement
What diseases can it specifically help with?
- For all stress diseases
- With tension of the neck and back muscles
- For multiple sclerosis
- For back pain
