Frequently Asked Questions
Felden-what?
This is always the first question I get when I tell someone I'm a Feldenkrais Practitioner. Dr. Feldenkrais was a brilliant scientist but he didn't do us any favors by naming the method after himself. It’s pronounced: FELL_DEN_KRISE (ending rhymes with rice).
Moshe Feldenkrais (1904-1984) was an engineer, physicist, and judo master. Following a knee injury, he was unable to walk for several months. He refused the recommended surgery and instead sought to improve his own understanding of body mechanics. Over a forty year period, he developed and refined the processes Awareness Through Movement® and Functional Integration.® The Feldenkrais Method synthesizes principles from physics, body mechanics, neurology, martial arts, and psychology. These days I tend to say I teach Awareness Through Movement as I think it’s the clearest description and easiest to pronounce.
How is this different from pilates and yoga?
This is the second most common question. The skill we build in Awareness Through Movement is awareness. We do not build muscular strength and we do not stretch. Movements are smaller and much slower than in exercise classes. This is to give you the chance to feel clearly what you are doing and how you are doing it. The aim is to learn about your movement patterns and to change habits that don’t serve you.
How is the Feldenkrais Method different from Alexander Technique?
There are some similarities between the two methods—both are aimed at developing movement awareness, for example—but each have different pathways to get there. What I know of AT is that it is focused primarily on the relationship between the head and the neck, and the FM is focused on the relationship between all the parts of the body and how they work together. In my experience, people tend to gravitate toward one method or the other.
What exactly do you do in an Awareness Through Movement session?
This is the second most common question. The skill we build in Awareness Through Movement is awareness. We do not build muscular strength and we do not stretch. Movements are smaller and much slower than in exercise classes. This is to give you the chance to feel clearly what you are doing and how you are doing it. The aim is to learn about your movement patterns and to change habits that don’t serve you.
Who is this best suited for?
This work is for people who are looking to change how they feel in their bodies. Typically chronic pain or an injury is what brings people to the Feldenkrais Method. But dancers, musicians, and athletes who want to improve a specific skill also find the work very helpful. In my practice, I have worked with all kinds of people, ages 15-85. They have come for relief from back pain, plantar fasciitis, shoulder and neck pain, anxiety, and a desire for better posture. I have also worked with a lot of dancers and singers who have loads of training but they know they haven’t reached their full potential and they want to find out how.
My clients differ in their experience and needs, but there are qualities common to them all: they are curious and enjoy learning, they are patient with the process, knowing that it may not always be linear, and they explore the ideas we work on in a class or individual session outside of our time together.
If this sounds like you, I encourage you to get in touch. We’ll figure out if we’re a good fit for working together and the best way to get started.