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FELDENKRAIS METHOD
Feldenkrais method develops a functional awareness of the self in the environment. The method works on expanding the person’s movement it also enhances awareness, improves function and enables people to express themselves more fully. The method is expressed in two parallel forms: Awareness Through Movement® and Functional Integration®.
Awareness Through Movement consists of verbally directed movement sequences presented primarily to groups. There are several hundred hours of Awareness Through Movement lessons. A lesson generally lasts from thirty to sixty minutes. Each lesson is usually organized around a particular function. Awareness Through Movement lessons, people engage in precisely structured movement explorations that involve thinking, sensing, moving, and imagining. Many are based on developmental movements and ordinary functional activities. Some are based on more abstract explorations of joint, muscle, and postural relationships. There are hundreds of Awareness Through Movement lessons contained in the Feldenkrais Method that vary, for all levels of movement ability, from simple in structure and physical demand to more difficult lessons.
Feldenkrais practitioners also guide people through movement with gentle, non-invasive touching in Functional Integration. It is a hands-on form of tactile, kinesthetic communication. The Method is based on principles of physics, biomechanics and an empirical understanding of learning and human development.
DR. MOSHE FELDENKRAIS
Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais, D.Sc., (1904-1984) was a distinguished scientist, physicist and engineer. He was also a respected Judo instructor and author of several books on the subject. Feldenkrais' insights contributed to the development of the new field of somatic education and continue to influence disciplines such as physical medicine, gerontology, the arts, education and psychology.