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THE FELDENKRAIS LESSONS

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The Feldenkrais Method® is taught in two ways: Awareness Through Movement® and Functional Integration® lessons.

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Awareness Through Movement® (ATM) lessons are usually taught to groups.  The practitioner verbally guides students through a sequence of gentle movements.  These movements are often based on early childhood development (such as rolling or crawling) or from everyday functional activities (such as reaching or looking behind oneself). 

 

ATM lessons are a form of reeducation,

where the student learns again how to learn. 

In this way, students are able to:

• gain awareness of habitual neuromuscular patterns.

• expand their movement repertoire.

• improve their effectiveness and efficiency in moving.

• increase their sensitivity and ability to attend to the whole self.

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Attention is drawn to the process of each movement, so students can learn to observe and feel how they do the movement, what parts could be more involved and how they may be hindering the movement. 

 

There are several hundred ATM lessons for all levels of movement ability, each lasting generally between thirty and sixty minutes, though in Gemany it is quite common for classes to last as long as 90 minutes.

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Functional Integration® (FI) is a gentle hands-on approach, where the practitioner guides an individual student through a series of movements with a non-invasive touch in order to communicate with the student's nervous system for improved motor function.

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The FI lesson will address a desire or need of the student, but usually in an indirect way to the particular issue because this is how the nervous system best learns and reorganizes the body for greater efficiency.  The lesson is tailored to the students unique configuration in the moment and the practitioner at all times respects the students abilities and comfort.

Functional Integration® is performed

with the student comfortably clothed

and usually lying on a table

designed specifically for the work. 

It can also be done with the student in sitting

or standing positions.  At times, various props

are used in an effort to support the person's body configuration or to facilitate certain movements.