What to expect at a FELDENKRAIS® class or lesson with Marci Spiegler
There are two ways to learn the Feldenkrais Method®. Both applications are compelling and versatile, harnessing the nervous system's ability to self-organize towards more effective and intelligent action.
Awareness Through Movement® (ATM) lessons are taught to groups or individuals. The teacher verbally guides you through a sequence of gentle movements. Usually you will begin by lying on the floor, but some ATM lessons may take place sitting on the floor or in a chair, or standing. Try to avoid eating heavily before your lesson (light snacks are fine), and dress comfortably for movement.
Functional Integration® (FI) lessons are taught to individuals. Dress comfortably for movement. Your lessons may begin with you sitting or lying on a special low, padded table. The Feldenkrais® teacher guides you by communicating through a gentle, listening touch and movement, as well as with words. (Only Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioners(cm) are authorized to teach Functional Integration lessons.)
In both ATM and FI lessons, you will become more aware of how you move in habitual ways. Each lesson helps you to explore alternatives that you might not have thought of otherwise. Through increased awareness, you learn to move with minimal effort and maximum efficiency. As Moshe Feldenkrais said, “We can. . .make the impossible, possible; the possible, easy; and the easy, elegant.”
What can the Feldenkrais Method® do for me?
- Experience greater ease and grace in everyday movements
- Experience more awareness of self and others
- Improve breath and overall coordination
- Reduce mental and physical stresses
- Enjoy life while "aging gracefully"
- Improve performance in music, dance, acting, athletics, creativity
- Experience alternatives in habitual actions
- Improve posture and outlook
- Improve self image
Want to know more? Click here to find an idex of articles about specific applications of the Feldenkrais Method®.
The Feldenkrais Guild® of North America is dedicated to increasing public awareness of the Feldenkrais Method of somatic education, the certification and continuing education of practitioners, the protection of the quality of the Feldenkrais Method, and research in the Method's effectiveness. Our member practitioners work in a variety of settings, including clinics, universities, fitness centers, and private practice.
The Feldenkrais Method is a dynamic and fluid educational system based on self-organization and self-regulation in learning. By allowing persons to learn how their whole body cooperates in any movement, the Feldenkrais Method assists people to live their lives more fully, efficiently and comfortably.
Feldenkrais®, Feldenkrais Method®, Awareness Through Movement®, Functional Integration®, are registered service marks of the Feldenkrais Guild® of North America. Feldenkrais Method® photos by Rosalie O'Connor. Other photos used by permission.
Moshe Feldenkrais
Moshe Feldenkrais (1904-1984) was educated at the Sorbonne in Paris as a mechanical engineer. As a semi-professional soccer player and the first European black belt in judo, he was an active person who was intensely engaged with his environment. Sport-related injuries to his knees led him to a comprehensive self-study to see if improvement was possible. The Feldenkrais Method, which he subsequently developed, is a method of LEARNING, which uses simple, gentle body movements as the means of developing self-awareness. Widely used by musicians, singers, actors, dancers, and athletes, the Feldenkrais Method has been shown to have therapeutic benefits and may function as a complement to medical care.
Photo Courtesy Feldenkrais Institute, Tel Aviv, Israel