Frequently Asked Questions

What does The Feldenkrais Method improve?
Feldenkrais is not intended to cure disease or disabilities, but it is a highly effective way to improve physical difficulties. The Feldenkrais Method provides relief for many ailments caused by various neurological or physical disorders; it enhances the quality of living. Who is it for?

Why haven’t I heard about the Feldenkrais Method until now?
Feldenkrais is relatively new. It has only been in existence for 60 years, since Moshe Feldenkrais originated the method. He first trained a group of students in Israel and then after coming to the USA in the 70s he held the first formal training program in San Francisco graduating practitioners 1977. Margaret McIntyre graduated from the 3rd Feldenkrais Professional Training Program in the USA in southern California in 1986. There are now Feldenkrais Professional Training programs all over the world and an international body of practitioners.

What can I expect from a Feldenkrais practitioner?
Awareness Through Movement® lessons are typically taught in group format, the lessons are approximately an hour. Functional Integration® is a one-on-one, usually hands-on approach where a practitioner gives personalized and specific attention to the individual. Most often the client will be lying or sitting on a low padded Feldenkrais table and these sessions will be 45 minutes to an hour. At all the times the client is fully clothed and treated with gentleness and respect.

What is a certified Feldenkrais practitioner?
A certified Feldenkrais practitioner is one who has successfully completed a 4-year intensive professional training program approved by the Feldenkrais Guild and who maintains current certification status by following the criteria laid out by the Feldenkrais Guild.

How do I find a certified Feldenkrais practitioner?
Contact the Feldenkrais Guild of North America at 800 775-2118 or visit the web site.

Why is the Feldenkrais Method® different than medicine?
It is vital to understand that the Feldenkrais Method comes from science but it is not medicine. It is another paradigm or model and therefore will be misunderstood if looked at through the “lens” of medicine. A simple distinction between medicine and Feldenkrais is that the medical model identifies problems and seeks solutions to particular issues, whereas Feldenkrais looks at the possibilities and ideals of human functioning and through a process of exploration and learning, facilitates better use of self. When the whole person finds improvement and more efficient ways to move and act, the specific difficulties become less of an issue and significant therapeutic benefits can occur.

How can this help me?
Anyone who has the desire to improve his or her quality of life can do so. Every person has the capacity to improve and learn and become more skilful, making the most of what they have throughout the course of their life. It is liberating to understand that you need not be trapped in old habits, pain or social expectations but instead discovering ways to maximize efficiency and ease of movement, through understanding and awareness. This work teaches self-reliance and self-knowledge.

How is this different than yoga and Pilates?
Feldenkrais focuses on function versus form and does not have a goal of attaining an ideal body type. The learning comes from within rather than fitting some external ideal model. It is intended to improve awareness and quality of movement through one’s own body feedback rather than teaching predefined or static forms. Most people have difficulty feeling their body and try to move better without improving their sensory skills. Enhancing sensory feedback brings unconscious habits to the surface where they can be looked at and understood, creating the basis for change and the formation of newer, more useful habits. Feldenkrais does not have a goal to achieve “correct” positions but rather seeks to develop a more dexterous, painless and efficient body in motion. It is dynamic learning derived from personal experience.

How do I “keep” “it”?
The “it” referred to is a new and improved way of movement and sense of being which is a typical response after participating in a Feldenkrais lesson. You cannot “keep” anything as such and the funny thing is the harder you try, the more elusive it can become! BUT if you take the time to listen and sense yourself in this new way of being, this new improved learning becomes more imbedded and part of your actions. You now begin to have choice in your activities. You don’t lose “it”, you discover how to recreate it and tap into it through sensing. The ideal situation is when new and improved learning spontaneously becomes the choice of action appropriate for the given moment.

What proof do I have that this is valid work?
Many eminent scientists and scholars have given credibility to the Feldenkrais Method®. To name a few:

Margaret Mead, anthopologist
Karl Pibram M.D., Ph.D., neuropsychologist
Jean Houston, Ph.D., psychologist, educator, philosopher
Robert Masters, Ph.D., founder of the Masters Method of Psychophysical Reeducation
Archibald Keverall McIntyre, MBBS, D.Sc., FAA, neurophysiologist
Also see published research papers.

Who is attracted to this work?
From those seeking excellence with a curiosity and zest for life to those who have tried everything else to alleviate their difficulties and pain. These two opposing ends of the spectrum come together in the same place of learning and self-discovery. Each person regulates their own pace in the process and finds self-reliance and confidence.

Why bother?
Bottom line — it works!