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"...make the impossible possible,

the possible easy,

and the easy elegant."

"Learn to move with ease and grace -

it is more important than you think."

-Moshe Feldenkrais

the feldenkrais method®

Learn to move with ease and grace. As you do so, you’ll see that pain melts away, it’s easier to concentrate, you can see with greater clarity how to live well. Improve the quality of your movement and you improve your quality of life.

The Feldenkrais Method is a unique, movement-based system of education.
It was developed by Moshe Feldenkrais (1904-1984), and it draws from his
experience as a mechanical engineer, a physicist, and one of the first
Western practitioners of Judo.

Feldenkrais chose to work with movement, an external and observable aspect of human behavior, but he was actually concerned with improving every aspect of life - including movement, thinking, feeling, and sensation - for each individual.

Everyone – from a small child with cerebral palsy to a master musician - has the potential to change and improve. Feldenkrais lessons challenge students to notice old habits and explore new ways of moving and perceiving themselves. Unlike many Western methods of education, the Feldenkrais Method does not judge students against a pre-conceived ideal or teach them “right” and “wrong” ways of moving. Instead, it gives them a greater awareness of who they are and more options for who they can be. Unlike many types of bodywork, a Feldenkrais lesson is not a passive experience for the student. The practitioner acts as a facilitator, creating an environment in which the student actively learns. Learning takes place at both intellectual and sensory levels, much as it does for an athlete or musician.

There are two types of Feldenkrais lessons, Awareness Through Movement and Functional Integration.

awareness through movement®

In an Awareness Through Movement lesson, the teacher verbally guides students through a series of movements while lying, sitting, or standing. An average Awareness Through Movement lesson lasts about forty-five minutes. Moshe Feldenkrais developed hundreds of these lessons, and they vary greatly. Some isolate a particular type of movement such as twisting or folding forward, and explore it in depth through a series of variations. Some use visualization or attention to breathing. All lessons do what their name describes – use movement to increase self-awareness. See the short sample lesson below.

functional integration®

In a Functional Integration lesson, the teacher guides an individual student through movements similar to those in Awareness Through Movement lessons, using gentle touch. A Functional Integration lesson is essentially a conversation between the practitioner and the student, in which the practitioner explores the student’s present ways of moving and demonstrates new possibilities. Unlike Awareness Through Movement lessons, which usually follow a formal sequence of movements, Functional Integration is more fluid and tailored to the individual.

For a more detailed description of the Feldenkrais Method, visit the Feldenkrais Guild's website or Dennis Leri's Semiophysics site. However, the easiest way to understand the Feldenkrais Method is to experience it! See the workshops & classes listed below.

In this lesson, please observe the following guidelines:

1
Read each paragraph in full before doing the movement it describes.
2
Move easily, within your range of comfort. If you feel any strain or even a stretch, make the movement smaller.
3
Move slowly, so that at any time during the movement you can stop or change direction.
4
Rest whenever you feel the need.
5
Breathe easily.

To begin, sit easily at the edge of your chair, with your feet flat on the floor. Close your eyes and turn to look to your left as far as you can comfortably. Open your eyes and notice how far you have turned.

Turn your head as far as you did before, stay there, and close your eyes. Leaving your head where it is, move your eyes gently to the left as far as is comfortable. Do this movement of the eyes several times, then bring your head back to the middle, keeping your eyes closed. Rest for a moment, then turn your head again to the left as far as is comfortable. Open your eyes. Are you looking a little further to the left? Rest again.

Again with your eyes closed, turn your head to the left several times, noticing what participates in this movement. Are your shoulders moving? Try bringing the right shoulder forward and the left shoulder back as you look to the left. Repeat this movement several times, then stop and rest for a moment.

Turn your head and shoulders to the left again several times. This time, as you turn to the left, also bring your right knee forward and the left knee back slightly. Notice that this movement of the knees is reflected in your hips and pelvis. Let your legs and feet be easy, and notice any excess tension or effort that you can let go of. Once you have done this movement several times, rest again in sitting.

Once more, with your eyes closed, turn to the left. Think now about what is participating in this movement - your hips, shoulders, ribs, and spine are all moving. Think of growing taller as you turn to the left. When you have done this movement several times, turn as far as you comfortably can, and open your eyes. Notice how far you have turned now. Is this different than the beginning of the lesson?

Rest comfortably with your head in the middle. Notice how you feel, comparing your right side to your left. Compare the feeling around your right eye to your left eye. Notice if your weight is more over your left sitting bone than your right. If you wish, you may repeat this lesson turning to the right.
variations for flutists

By appointment, $50-75
Special introductory rate for musicians

awareness through movement classes

San Francisco, workshops for musicians | September 21 & 28, 10am-1pm
Start the season well! please email for details

Feldenkrais®, Feldenkrais Method®, Awareness Through Movement®, and Functional Integration®

are registered service marks of FELDENKRAIS GUILD® of North America.

flute | feldenkrais | bridges | home

Stacey Pelinka | info @ staceypelinka.com | 415.751.5613 | san francisco