Integrated Movement: The Feldenkrais Method with Margaret McIntyre: Moshe Feldenkrais

Feldenkrais with Margaret Mcintyre. No Pain, All Gain!

Moshe Feldenkrais D.Sc. 1904 -1984

The Feldenkrais Method® is named after its originator, Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais, who was born in Russia in 1904 and spent over forty years developing this method of neuromuscular re-education. He moved to Palestine at the age of thirteen and worked his way through school as a laborer before winning a scholarship to Paris. He received a doctorate in Physics from the Sorbonne and for many years he was a close associate and colleague of French Nobel laureate physicist Frederic Joliet-Curie. Together they conducted some of the very first experiments in atomic research. Feldenkrais was acknowledged as being the first European to receive a black belt in the Japanese martial art of judo and has written five books on its technique and theory.

In 1942 Feldenkrais faced one of the most critical challenges of his life. He had suffered a series of sports related knee injuries, I believe the cruciate ligaments were involved, and at that time the shortcomings of conventional treatment gave him the disheartening prognosis of only a fifty percent chance of reasonable recovery. The doctors also warned him that if the surgery failed, it could drastically reduce his chances of ever being able to walk again. Feldenkrais decided against the surgery and embarked on his lifetime study of the structure and function of the nervous system and the relationship between human development, learning and movement. Specifically he applied his brilliant scientific mind to study anatomy, physiology, neurology, biomechanics, cybernetics and human movement development. It has been said that if he had had medical training he would never have been able to bring his particular fresh perspective to the whole idea of ideal human functioning. On the personal level he knew that in order to walk again, he would have to find a way to create new neurological connections between his nervous system and his muscles. After two years of research and experimentation, Feldenkrais succeeded in completely restoring his ability to walk and he also continued to practice Judo at black belt level until he was sixty-eight years old!

Inspired by his personal success, Feldenkrais continued to explore the profound link between the brain and the body and developed thousands of unique movement lessons designed to access the motor learning centers of the brain. Feldenkrais tested his new ideas with his friends and colleagues. He treated their aches and pains, muscle and joint problems and even debilitating neurological conditions with remarkable success, their symptoms disappeared or were greatly reduced. It became obvious that Feldenkrais had discovered an extraordinary new approach to physical improvement. Read more.