Tux Posted September 1, 2011 Does anybody know about this? What are your thoughts on it? I find it to be very useful in recovering from injury but I get frustrated at the hugeness of resources...I'd like to find a few movements that are really effective for common troubles. Anyone have any good websites or books they would recommend? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ralis Posted September 2, 2011 Does anybody know about this? What are your thoughts on it? I find it to be very useful in recovering from injury but I get frustrated at the hugeness of resources...I'd like to find a few movements that are really effective for common troubles. Anyone have any good websites or books they would recommend? Â Go to the Feldenkrais Guild home page and you can find a list of practitioners and there may be one in your area. Teachers offer ongoing classes as well as Functional Integration hands on work. Also if you can find copies of Thomas Hanna's videos and book, that would be most useful. There are some videos of him on YouTube. Hanna was a student of Moshe Feldenkrais. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mattimo Posted September 2, 2011 Does anybody know about this? What are your thoughts on it? I find it to be very useful in recovering from injury but I get frustrated at the hugeness of resources...I'd like to find a few movements that are really effective for common troubles. Anyone have any good websites or books they would recommend? Â I have taken half of a Feldenkrais Teacher Training Program and will share some of experiences/opinions/thoughts for your benefit... Â The so-called Feldenkrais method is one of the most profound concepts/methodologies/practices I have ever encountered. Literally, Feldenkrais is Tai-Chi, perhaps presented in a manner that is more easily consumable for the Western mind. Feldenkrais is based on experiential learning through movement, the refinement/ease/quality of movement and the relationship and awareness that is present between mental intention and action. Below are some fundamental concepts: Â -The human skeleton is designed to absolutely and perfectly counter-act the force of gravity so as to ideally provide one with the feeling of being weightless at all times. -Through slow movements, primarily taking place on the ground so as to minimize the impact of gravity, it is possible to "feed" more sensory information into one's brain and achieve higher motor-functioning and beyond. -There is no limit to the ability to refine the quality of one's movement -Working with movement is tangible and not abstract; moreover, it is primal to life. Due to the relationships between the motor centre of the brain relative to other brain centres that include speech, emotion, etc. through movement it is possible to completely transform one's self. ----Movement is so absolutely profound and applicable to all aspects of life in that ***if one cultivates the FREEDOM/CHOICE to move in any direction with grace, strength, no-strain, etc. than that freedom directly and proportionately impacts freedom of thought, freedom of emotion and in other words totality and/or personal stability--- Â Moshe Feldenkrais, the "originator" of the method clearly stated that it is YOUR method. The method is a means for personal transformation. Although there are so-called lessons that are structured, through verbal guidance, to attempt to make one aware of certain anatomical facts...the principle is slow movement...the principle is greater skeletal awareness, the principals is the interaction that comprise YOU and the quintessential relationship YOU have with movement...and on and on and on. Â For example, how can you arrange yourself on the ground so as to feel stable and secure and then perform a simple action such as dragging your arm, as you please, slowly across the carpet. Can you allow yourself to perceive this movement; can you allow yourself to discover a more relaxed (and yet paradoxically more potent) manner in which to arrange yourself to perform this movement... Â I can go on forever... Â Hope this has been helpful, Â Matt 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mattimo Posted September 2, 2011 I would like to add... Â In my opinion, Feldenkrais lessons are akin to tai-chi form; they are both road-signs to a greater concept/awareness/knowledge. Please, if you have a genuine interest in this method, I implore you to read and re-read what I am trying to say... Â Yet another HIGHLY IMPORTANT point I forgot to make was/is: Do not force yourself. Do not perform movements in a physically OR mentally straining fashion because a lesson instructed you to do so. If you do not want to do it, do not have any delusion that a lesson will magically transform you. Only YOU can transform YOU. Perhaps what I write seems nonsensical, but I believe it to be critical. Â Get down on the ground and explore movement; this is the method. If you are not curious and/or feel enjoyment, be with yourself and try to perceive why this may be so. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gendao Posted September 2, 2011 (edited) ^^ Interesting! Are there any particularly good YouTube vids that offer a good example of or primer for the Feldenkrais Method? Edited September 2, 2011 by vortex Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mattimo Posted September 3, 2011 Yes... Â I encourage everyone to watch both videos and try to bare the poor quality. The first video is a scientific introduction. The second video is an example of an application of the Feldenkrais method labeled: Functional Integration: Â http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIml2vDC_OY Â http://www.veoh.com/watch/v15811338hqwqGxg9?h1=Moshe+Feldenkrais+in+CERN Â Enjoy, Â Matt Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mattimo Posted September 3, 2011 Not to ramble but... Â In my opinion, Functional Integration, is an extraordinarily profound and effective "activity" That makes other so-called medical/health therapies or practices meaningless, by comparison. The idea is that the practitioner possess a level of internal knowledge gained from experiencing and/or practising individual lessons labeled: Awareness Through Movement (ATM), which I have essentially explained above. Through subtle touch and hands-on guidance, a practitioner may be able to directly communicate with a patient's nervous system. Through this delicate communication, a practitioner may guide a patient through patterns and/or expressions of movement that are more natural and/or easy. Through this guidance a client may be able to directly perceive and let-go of parasitic muscular tension and necessarily codependent mental tension. The patient surrenders control, through the support of a competent practitioner and awareness (from the patient) may gradually increase as she/he begins to be increasingly intrigued by the novelty and ease/freedom of movement that is all-the-while requiring no personal effort. In fact, it is this lack of effort that is the gateway to optimum independent and potent functioning. Â I get the impression that not a lot of fellow-bums know about this so-called method. Indeed, "method" is the wrong word to use: ***Feldenkrais is a scientific framework that attempts to describe a methodology and ensuing practices that have the potential to ultimately spiritually transform a person***Feldenkrais is 21st century Yoga. However, Feldenkrais is not necessarily "better" or "worse" than other methodologies i.e. tai-chi, dance, etc; rather, it is another way to the same truth. Â -Matt Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GreytoWhite Posted September 4, 2011 http://openatm.org/ Â Here is a good resource for those looking to explore the Feldenkrais stuff a little more. Following these lessons helped me with stroke recovery quite a bit. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mattimo Posted September 4, 2011 I sincerely wish to hear other people's comments or perspectives on what I have attempted to outline or describe about the method... Â Anyone? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
idquest Posted September 5, 2011 I've been doing Feldenkraise for a couple of months and find it very interesting. Two lessons that I have integrated in my day-to-day life immediately after having learned them were Standing up from sitting position and Walking. It is amazing how these simple things might change one's basic movements. Who could think that walking right is art? In a sense I find F more effective than taiji in learning how to move. Â Currently I'm using the Open ATM resource, there is lots of good stuff there. But the same way as OP I'm a bit confused with the number of different lessons there. I could be a bit slow in pickng up general concepts though. I tried to find Hanna's videos and couldn't. Â Overlall very positive experience. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tux Posted September 5, 2011 Some good stuff here too:  http://www.flowingbody.com/pastlow.htm  Also the book "Mindful Spontaneity" by Ruthy Alon, and "The Busy Person's Guide to Easier Movement" by Frank Wildman are useful.  I've been toying around with Feldenkrais for about two years, and I think it's pretty crazy how much it can help you recover from injury. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ralis Posted September 5, 2011 Thomas Hanna's YouTube links. Â Â http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=thomas+hanna+somatics&aq=f Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
johndoe2012 Posted November 19, 2011 More resources:  free ATMs  http://www.kinesophics.ca/  overview of ATMs and discussion, helpful for the lessons on openatm.org  http://feldynotebook.wikispaces.com/  I'm doing both Eliminate Back Pain Now and Eliminate TMJ Pain Now from  http://www.utahfeldenkrais.org/feldenkraismp3.html  Eliminate Back Pain has lessons from Moshe's ATM book and Hanna's Somatics. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tsunami_MAPUA Posted October 25, 2013 I heard NLP folks compare Feldenkrais as the NLP counterpart of health and fitness, a meta-discipline of sort. Â So if your main art is dancing, you can use Feldenkrais to improve your dancing. I wonder if any people here have learned Feldenkrais aside from the internal arts. Â How did your study of Feldenkrais benefit you, especially with respect to Tai Chi and Qigong? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
