Discoveries of the FELDENKRAIS Method®

In 1943, Moshe Feldenkrais (1904-1984) began to develop a method of somatic education to which he devoted himself until he died. Doctor of mechanical engineering and physical science, researcher in nuclear physics and the first European to earn a Black Belt in Judo, he developed his method based on his thorough understanding of martial arts and following a serious knee injury that forced him to become involved in his rehabilitation through slow and painstaking work that allowed him to make the following discoveries.
- Reduction and equalization of latent muscular tone, together with the integration of awareness of the skeleton permit the skeleton to fulfill its structural function in the field of gravitation.
- Organization of movement and its quality is a reflection of the overall functioning of the nervous system.
- Self-image, constructed haphazardly during our lives and the result of a combination of our experiences and our biological inheritance, cannot be modified without a prior change in the motor region of the cerebral cortex.
- The person, like any other living system, is an entity whose parts cannot be dissociated since skeleton, muscle, brain, sensation and thought form a functional whole.
- Each individual has his own way of moving, for learning is founded on individual experience.
- Each person, therefore, has the ability to discover by means of his/her sensations and awareness what he/she can best do for him/herself.
- The best measure of success in a learning situation is never to think of the finished product but rather to become involved in the process.
- As soon as we know what we are doing, we can do what we like.

The teaching of Feldenkrais uses body movement to improve the quality and effectiveness of the functioning of the individual. Using movement, this approach proposes that we become more aware of our habits of movement and increase our repertory of actions by learning to:
- reduce effort and speed;
- look for ease and comfort;
- pay attention to fine sensory differences;
- create variations;
- experiment without judging;
- explore situations of movement that are unfamiliar;
- move from the simple to the more complex;
- adapt learning to different configurations;
- transfer learning to more complex life situations.

The teaching of the Feldenkrais Method® uses two modalities: Awareness through Movement® and Functional Integration®.
Awareness through Movement® consists of group lessons. The teacher guides the participants by means of oral directives to explore movements that involve thinking, feeling, moving and imagining. The accent is placed on the learning of movements best adapted to a better use of gravity: seated on a chair, standing, in different configurations on the ground … The goal is to promote a minimal expenditure of effort, a maximum perception of kinetic feeling and an efficiency of action within the environment.
Functional Integration® consists of individual lessons. The teacher guides learning through a sequence of movements using both speech and touch. A specific lesson is constructed to respond to the needs of the student. Through manual contact, the teacher suggests new alternatives that will allow for improved self-organization in movement and in overall behaviour.

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