Today, May 6th, we celebrate the birthday of Moshe Feldenkrais – an engineer-physicist, black belt in judo, and the founder of the Feldenkrais Method.
On this day, I want to tell you about this remarkable person and the ideas that formed the foundation of his work.
Moshe Feldenkrais was born on May 6, 1904, in the Russian Empire. Through his mother’s lineage, he was a descendant of a well-known Hasidic rabbi and received a Jewish education. At the age of fourteen, Moshe set out independently for Palestine.
In his youth, Feldenkrais moved to France. He worked in the laboratory of the renowned Frédéric Joliot-Curie and earned a degree from the Sorbonne.
From a young age, Moshe practiced martial arts, seriously studying judo and jiu-jitsu. He authored several books on judo, earned a black belt, and founded the first judo club in Europe.
During the war, he fled to England, where he conducted research on anti-submarine radar. At this time, an old knee injury began troubling him, prompting him to lay the foundation of his future method. He asked, “How does the way I organize my body affect the pain in my knee? Can I move differently?” In London, Feldenkrais met F. M. Alexander, a pioneer of somatics, and studied the works of G. I. Gurdjieff, W. Bates, and H. Jacoby.
In 1954, Feldenkrais moved to Israel and systematically developed his unique method. One of his students was David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first president.
Over time, Feldenkrais gained recognition beyond Israel. In 1975 and 1980, he taught his unique method in the United States. His final training, attended by 235 people, was left unfinished.
Moshe Feldenkrais passed away on July 1, 1984, in Tel Aviv. Today, the method has tens of thousands of practitioners and hundreds of thousands of enthusiasts and students on every continent.
Who Benefits from the Feldenkrais Method?
People seeking to resolve health issues: neck, back, and joint pain, musculoskeletal disorders, post-injury and post-surgery recovery, and movement stiffness.
Individuals with neurological issues: stroke recovery, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, autism, developmental delays, and various genetic disorders.
Dancers, athletes, actors, and anyone aiming for greater movement efficiency.
What Are the Benefits of the Feldenkrais Method?
Individuals gain a better understanding of their bodies and experience ease and freedom of movement, regardless of age or physical condition.
Dancers, athletes, martial artists, and movement practitioners achieve higher results by reducing unnecessary effort and improving body awareness. The boundaries of movement potential expand, whether in daily activities or elite sports.
Symptoms of premature aging related to restricted mobility and poor movement habits often diminish.
Exploring movement and discovering new ways to make the “impossible possible” often leads to expanded functionality in other life areas – learning to learn.
Recognizing movement patterns and paying attention to subtle body sensations often leads to self-acceptance. People start to love themselves more and become kinder to themselves and others.
Literature on the Feldenkrais Method
In Russian:
Awareness Through Movement: 12 Practical Lessons
The Art of Movement: The Master’s Lessons
Body Awareness as Healing Therapy: The Case of Nora
In English:
Body & Mature Behaviour (1949)
The Elusive Obvious (1981)
The Potent Self (1985)
The essence of the method is the development of human potential and the improvement of capabilities through awareness of body movements.
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