My son was severely neurologically injured in an athletic accident. David was able to do what no one else could do. I have witnessed the benefits of the Feldenkrais Method and the results are amazing. I now have my healthy, normal child again.
— Myra Baltra, Parent
The Feldenkrais Method® is a remarkable approach to human movement, learning and change originally developed by Moshe Feldenkrais. The method is based on sound principles of physics, neurology and physiology, and the conditions under which the nervous system learns best. Feldenkrais (sometimes called Feldenkrais therapy) is recognized for the strategies it employs to improve posture, flexibility, coordination, athletic and artistic ability and to help those with restricted movement, chronic pain and tension (including back pain and other common ailments), as well as neurological, developmental and psychological problems.
The Feldenkrais Method explores the biological and cultural aspects of movement, posture and learning, and how our habits can constrain us to a small portion of our potential. Through our personal history, upbringing, culture, injuries, illness, etc., we each adopt patterns of physical and psychological behavior. These patterns are deeply embedded in our nervous system, and often become outmoded or dysfunctional, creating unnecessary physical, and psychological limitations. The Feldenkrais Method uses a process of organic learning, movement, and sensing to free you from habitual patterns and allow for new patterns of thinking, moving and feeling to emerge.
Feldenkrais is taught in two complimentary formats:
Functional Integration (FI) is a one-to-one approach. Learning, change and improvement are achieved through the use of specific skilled manipulation and passive movements, individualized for the client’s particular needs. Functional Integration is gentle, subtle, effective, and widely recognized for its ability to address both minor aches and pains, and serious muscular-skeletal and neurological problems, chronic tension, and the developmental problems of children.
In these structured movement lessons, students typically begin by lying on comfortable cotton mats (lessons are taught using a variety of positions, including sitting in chairs or standing). Using a combination of guided attention and pleasant, purposeful movement, each lesson guides you through the essential dynamic relationships in a particular pattern of movement and action. Unlike traditional exercise, where movements can become mechanical and the objective is to burn calories, stretch or train willpower for its own sake, Awareness Through Movement teaches you the secrets to reducing unnecessary muscular effort and improve your awareness of your whole self in action. This emphasis on sensory learning results in movement and vitality that are more flexible, pleasurable and free from aches and pains. The lessons are easy to do, of benefit to everyone, and the results can be extraordinary.
Awareness Through Movement was developed by Dr. Feldenkrais as a means to re-engage the nervous system in the kind of learning we all do as infants, but later usually abandon. The compositional structure of the lessons creates a conversation of sensing, feeling, resting and moving that engages your whole system in a process of organic learning where old habits can be replaced by new awareness and skill. Weekly class schedule.
The Feldenkrais Method was developed by Moshe Feldenkrais, D.Sc.,(1904-1984), who synthesized insights from physics, motor development, bio-mechanics, psychology, and martial arts to develop a powerful, effective, and practical application, that reconnects learning with human health and function.
Dr. Feldenkrais was a distinguished scientist, physicist and engineer. He earned his Doctorate of Science in physics from the Sorbonne and was a close associate of Nobel Prize Laureate Frederic Joliot-Curie at the Curie Institute in Paris, where they conducted research together. He was also a respected Judo instructor and author of many books on the subject. Living in England in the 1940’s, Feldenkrais found himself unable to walk after suffering a serious injury. He began an intense exploration into the relationship between bodily movement, and healing, feeling, thinking, and learning. As a result, he restored his ability to walk and made revolutionary discoveries, culminating in the development of the method that now bears his name.
Before he passed away in 1984, in Tel-Aviv, Israel, Feldenkrais personally trained a small group of practitioners to continue his work. Today there are over 6,000 Feldenkrais Practitioners around the globe. His insights contributed to the development of the new field of somatic education and continue to influence disciplines such as the arts, education, psychology, child development, physical and occupational therapy, sports enhancement, and gerontology.
Click HERE for up-to-date details and teacher substitutions (if any) and to register in advance for any class.
**Weekly community classes at 3:00 pm on Wednesdays and 5:30 pm on Saturdays are pay-what-you-can, with a suggested fee of $10.00.
***Bones for Life classes are 90 minutes long and require a separate registration fee. Ask at the front desk. For more information on Bones for Life, click here.
For your first class, please arrive at least 10 minutes prior to the scheduled class start time.
We recommend loose, comfortable clothing.
Mats, pads are provided.
All classes are drop-in. Get your first two classes for the price of one!
Drop-in for $25
6 class card for $125
12 class card for $250
Members receive FREE unlimited classes and one FREE Functional Integration session every month
Call (212) 727-1014
Bones for Life
– Mondays (ongoing)
– Wednesday, June 8
Understanding and Improving Posture: a Feldenkrais Education Workshop
– Tuesday, June 14
Your Neck and Shoulders
– Saturday, June 18
The Heart of the Matter
– Saturday, June 18
Feldenkrais starts your whole life moving in new directions, with new choices on every level of your life. You must experience it. Feldenkrais has had a tremendous impact on my life. It has taught me to really listen to myself. I now know I need not stay stuck in pain. It has helped me see that I have choices, that my patterns of movement, my patterns of emotional "sludge" can change.
- Janie Cutliff, client
The most direct way to benefit from Feldenkrais is to work privately with one of our highly skilled practitioners. In Functional Integration lessons, the work is tailored specifically to your needs, the touch is gentle and communicative, and your comfort is respected. Call 212-727-1014 for an appointment.
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The Feldenkrais Method for People with Chronic Pain
I have long been intrigued by this subtle form of retraining the nervous system, which I currently recommend to patients whose movement has been restricted by injury, cerebral palsy, stroke, fibromyalgia, or chronic pain. I find it to be much more useful than standard physical therapy. I also believe that the Feldenkrais Method can help older people achieve greater range of motion, flexibility, and help us all feel more comfortable in our bodies.
- Andrew Weil, MD, www.drweil.com