Felden—what?
The Feldenkrais Method® of somatic (soma = body in Greek) education is named for its founder, Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais. The method is recognized worldwide for its extraordinary ability to improve human functioning through movement.
What do you mean by “somatic education”?
Dr. Feldenkrais believed that most people go through life using habitual patterns of movement that may be limited or inefficient. They may have developed these patterns to compensate for past injuries or learned them in their daily activities, (for example: by performing repetitive motions or sitting for long periods of time).
Few people, however, really pay attention to how their bodies move until something hurts or deteriorates. The key to improvement and healing, according to Feldenkrais, is learning to be aware of these habitual patterns of movement and replacing them with more comfortable, efficient ones. This process is called somatic education.
How is this method taught?
There are two ways to teach the Feldenkrais Method: Awareness Through Movement® and Functional Integration®. Both applications are structured to evoke the nervous system’s innate ability to learn, adapt and change. This “neuroplasticity” of the brain has been documented in a wide range of scientific research and is proving that we’re never too old to learn. |
