What does "Feldenkrais" mean?
Nothing. It's the surname of Moshe Feldenkrais who developed the method.
What kind of people take classes?
People like you!
Is it like yoga?
No. The Feldenkrais Method is closest to the Alexander Technique. While the philosophy and functional focus
of the two are very similar the form the practice of each takes is is quite different. It has nothing to do with bioenergy,
physical therapy or dance either. For some people it has a meditative quality.
What you will do in a class:
Gentle movements which are sometimes challenging in that you will never ahve done anything like that before,
but not in that they require strength or straining. In the group lessons you will follow verbal instructions to do the movements,
listening to how you move rather than achieving a result. One-to-one lessons are hands on and more passive. Both types of
class are done fully-dressed and mostly lying down.
The aim of the lessons:
To re-educate your body. To teach it more comfortable and healthier ways of moving it used to know but forgot
along the way. To eliminate habits and parasitic ways of thinking which hinder your movement and your life. Learning quality,
not worrying about quantity.
The Feldenkrais difference:
- It is effective on a neurological level as well as a conscious level.
- There are two types of class: group and one-to-one.
- Variety: there are over 1000 group lessons and every one-to-one lesson is tailored to the individual according
to his or her needs, not according to a fixed procedure.
- It is the antithesis of no pain, no gain. You should never do any movement that causes pain or strain.
- There is no pressure to do as well as everyone else. The more msitakes the better!
- It educates the muscular-skeletal and nervous systems.
- It can be of great benefit if you have a movement disabilty.
- People of any age can benefit.
How you might feel at the end of a lesson:
Lighter, heavier, taller, more relaxed, more alive as no two people are the same everyones experience of lesson
is different, as is what each person learns from it.
What people have said after lessons:
"I feel so relaxed....and I thought I was relaxed when I came!"
"It's like meditation"
"Before the lesson I would never have believed I could do those movements"
"I'd never realised that I keep tensing up my shoulder"
"Being able to learn something new by being nice to myself instead of straining was a really interesting experience"
"At the end of that lesson walking was effortless"
Why you may want to start lessons:
- You may be curious (I have one student who comes because shes intrigued and wants to know all the
movements)
- You may be tired of doing so much sitting (at breakfast, in your car, at your desk, in front of the TV).
- You may want to improve your yoga, tai chi, a sport you some other activity you do.
- You may have aches and pains which come from not leading a very active life.
- You may have aches and pains from getting a bit older and which arent enough to get you to a doctor but which
you would rather not have.
- You may be feeling out of touch with yourself.
- You may be feeling under stress and want to be nice to yourself.
- You may often strain yourself doing everyday things or doing a sport, or be hesitant to do certain
movements for fear of straining something.
- You may have tried everything and not got what you were looking for.
- You may want time to pass more slowly.
Where you can take classes:
I live and work in a village near Selçuk (which is 45 minutes from Izmir) and I travel to Istanbul to
work for one week each month.
