Frequently Asked Questions

The ones where movement is part of the problem. Where it hurts matters less than what makes it worse. If your back hurts more after sitting at a computer, standing at the sink, or walking the dog, the way you move may be putting unnecessary strain on it, and that is something you can learn to change. The same goes for knee pain on the stairs or a neck that stiffens when you drive. Sitting counts as a movement here. You can read about clients with back, knee, neck, and Achilles pain on the success stories page.

Yes. Most people come to me because of pain, but some come to get better at something they love, or for self-discovery. I’ve worked with musicians, horseback riders, and high school athletes who wanted to move better. And many people who come because of pain stay for the joy of discovery. They learn to be more aware, embodied, and confident within themselves. V. put it this way: “Probably, what was most surprising to me in this process, is that the Feldenkrais method helped me on a spiritual level…I have found so much appreciation and gratitude for my body.” Read V.’s story.

If there’s any sign the problem is medical rather than a movement pattern, then you should see a doctor. Feldenkrais doesn’t replace a diagnosis or medical treatment. Once a doctor has checked it, we can look at how you move, and see whether improving it will help you.

It shouldn’t. My work is as far away from the “no pain, no gain” philosophy as one can be. The process of learning to move with ease and comfort requires us to always be in ease and comfort. We start with movements you can do easily and build from there, and we never push past what’s comfortable. The table is low, and if lying down is hard for you, we can work sitting or standing.

This is not a fit for someone who wants a quick fix. Learning to move differently takes time and attention, the same way learning an instrument or a sport does. We can’t know in advance how long it will take to get the results you want. And if I don’t think I can help you, I’ll tell you at the consultation.

In a Feldenkrais lesson you work on how the whole of you takes part in the movement. I spent two years in physical therapy for my hamstrings. My glutes got stronger, and on the racquetball court I went on overusing my hamstrings anyway, because the habit hadn’t changed. I’d encourage you to do whatever you find helpful. In my experience, no single approach fixes everything. The people who do best find what helps them, e.g., exercise, meditation, or therapy, and do all of it. See Feldenkrais Therapy for more details.

There isn’t much research, and the trials are small. A recent independent review, done by Cochrane Australia for the Australian government in 2024, found 10 small trials, most with fewer than 55 people, and rated the evidence on pain and physical function as very uncertain. In my practice, I’ve seen clients get back to hiking, climbing stairs, and working full time, and some of them tell their stories on the success stories page. The free consultation is where you can find out for yourself. At the end, I’ll tell you whether I think I can help.

Yes. Many of my clients do both, and I’d encourage you to do PT if you find it helpful. Old movement habits run on autopilot, so they often show up inside the PT exercises themselves. Glute bridges are a common example. They are meant to strengthen the glutes, but people often push down through their heels so the quads do the lifting, and the glutes stay quiet. That’s hard to feel from the inside. My part is helping you notice it, so the exercise your physical therapist gave you can do what it’s meant to do. See Feldenkrais Therapy for more details.

No. In massage, the practitioner works on your soft tissue to relax the muscles. In a Feldenkrais lesson, I use touch to help you learn how you move. We’re wired to pay close attention to where and how we’re being touched, so my hands bring your awareness to what you’re doing. I’ll also move you in ways that let you feel where you’re holding, and sense movement patterns you didn’t know were there. You stay fully clothed the whole time.

It’s hard to describe in words, which is the main reason the free consultation is in person.

We start by talking about what you’d like to be able to do better and what you’ve tried so far, and I explain how I work. Then we spend 10 to 20 minutes on a low, padded table, so you get a taste of what a lesson is like. If we both think it’s a fit, we talk about scheduling and packages.

Most people feel something change for the better in the first session. Joan did: “After the first time there was already a change in the way I walked.” Some people take longer. Zeke, a runner, found his first few sessions frustrating, and says “it was only after session 5 or 6 that things started to click.”

Think of this as you would piano lessons or tennis lessons, except that we work on movements you learned so early they now feel instinctive, e.g., sitting, reaching, and walking. My goal is that you walk away from the first session knowing more and being able to use it. As with piano or tennis, it takes time before the new way of moving becomes your own. Read Joan’s and Zeke’s stories.

You’ll learn something about how you move in every lesson. There’s no fixed program or minimum commitment. Sessions are usually once a week, though we can adjust that to fit your schedule. Some people come in with one specific thing, like back pain or neck pain, and find that a package or two is enough. Others keep coming because they find that refining how they move keeps paying off. We’ll sort out what makes sense for you.

A private session is $200. A package of five sessions is $800, which works out to $160 a session. The consultation is free, and there’s no obligation to book anything afterward. See sessions and packages for details.

Usually not. Insurance is built around a diagnosed condition and a plan to treat it. Feldenkrais is movement education, not medical treatment, so most plans don’t cover it the way they cover physical therapy. If coverage matters to you, check with your plan before you book.

You’ll answer a few questions when you book, about what you’re dealing with and what you want to be able to do, so I can read them before you arrive. You’ll get a confirmation email with the address, a map link, and calendar links. If you need to change the time, use the Cancel/Reschedule link in that email or call me at 425-202-5685.

Please give me 24 hours’ notice if you need to cancel or reschedule. If you become ill, please cancel, take care of yourself, and we will reschedule.

My studio is in Kirkland, at 12810 NE 64th Street, across Lake Washington from Seattle. My clients drive from Seattle, Bellevue, Lynnwood, Redmond, and towns further out, some over an hour each way. They make the drive because the work is hands-on and only happens in person. If the distance is the thing giving you pause, start with the free consultation and decide afterward whether the trip is worth it to you. For directions and parking, see the contact page.

The studio is at 12810 NE 64th Street, Kirkland, WA 98033, just north of Bridle Trails State Park. NE 64th Street is a gravel road, and the studio is down the second driveway on the left. There’s free parking on the property. For directions, see the contact page.

No. The work is hands-on, so sessions are in person at my studio in Kirkland.

No. I teach private sessions only, so each lesson is built around what you want to do better. If you’d like to try Feldenkrais on your own first, the Feldenkrais exercises page has lessons you can do at home.

Something you can move and lie down in, e.g., what you’d wear to a gym or on a hike. Skip anything tight or formal, and leave off jewelry that digs in when you’re lying down. You stay fully clothed the whole time.

No. Most lessons can be done on a mat, a chair, or standing. A firm surface and enough room to lie down is all you need. If lying on the floor is hard for you, a bed or a padded surface works, and so does doing the whole lesson sitting.

A few minutes a day is more useful than an hour once a week. These are learning experiments, and learning happens through repeated small exposures rather than through a long session.

Dr. Moshé Feldenkrais (May 6, 1904 – July 1, 1984) developed his method drawing from his rich life experiences. As a young man, and again during World War II, Dr. Feldenkrais suffered serious knee injuries that the medical care available at that time could not fix. He had to find his own way to walk without pain.

Dr. Feldenkrais was born in Russia. At 14, he emigrated on his own to Palestine, where he was a student, laborer, tutor, and cartographer, and was involved in Jewish self-defense groups. In 1930, he went to Paris to further his education. He worked with Frédéric Joliot-Curie and studied physics at the Sorbonne. In 1936, he earned a black belt in judo. He fled to England in 1940 as the Nazis invaded France. During the war, he conducted anti-submarine research. When the war ended, he moved to London and published his first book on his method, Body and Mature Behavior. In 1951, he returned to Israel, where he went on to teach his method.

Dr. Feldenkrais published many books on the Feldenkrais Method and taught it internationally. For more, see Mark Reese’s biography of Moshé Feldenkrais.

Practitioners complete 160 days of training spread over at least three years. Graduates can then be certified by the Feldenkrais Guild of North America, and they keep that certification by meeting continuing education and practice requirements each year. That is what GCFP, Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner^CM, means after a practitioner’s name. I trained for four years and have been certified since 2012. My continuing education and teaching work are on the About page.

It’s pronounced FEL-den-krice, rhyming with “rice.” You’ll also hear FEL-den-krayz in other parts of the country. It’s spelled F-E-L-D-E-N-K-R-A-I-S.