Feldenkrais Exercises Are Learning Experiments
Feldenkrais movement exercises are sequences of subtle, mindful movements designed to enhance your posture, flexibility, balance, coordination, and overall ease of movement. They present an opportunity to learn how to move better. When we move better, we feel better. We have less pain, more joy, and an increased sense of well-being.
They are not your typical fitness exercises, such as weight training, Pilates, or yoga. They are learning experiments. Because the focus is on learning, Feldenkrais exercises are often referred to as lessons.
These lessons value awareness, curiosity, and comfort over strain, effort, and repetition. Your body is not a machine to be pushed to its limits; it’s an intelligent system capable of learning and adapting. As Moshé Feldenkrais, the founder of the method, put it:
“The aim is to move with minimum effort and maximum efficiency, not through muscular strength, but through increased consciousness of how movement works.”
So, how do we increase our consciousness of how movement works? By bringing curiosity, awareness, and presence to your movements. As you move with heightened awareness, you can identify which of your movements are strained, inefficient, or irritating. Then, you can locate those strains and pinpoint when the strain begins. Once you’ve identified these points, you can explore more efficient movement alternatives.
Feldenkrais Techniques And Exercises
Feldenkrais techniques and exercises differ from traditional exercises in mindset, focus, and goals:
- Mindset: Mindful Curiosity
They emphasize mindful curiosity over repetitive strain or maximal effort. Feldenkrais lessons stand in stark contrast to the “no pain, no gain” mindset prevalent with traditional exercise. - Focus: Integrated Movement
Feldenkrais integrates whole-body movement rather than focusing on specific muscles. - Goals: Coordination and Fluidity
Rather than building brute strength, the aim is smooth, efficient movement.
Book A Free Consultation
In your free 60-minute consultation with your Feldenkrais practitioner, you will explore your goals and challenges, and identify specific movement patterns that are causing you problems. You will discover how we can work together to improve your movement so that you put less stress, wear and tear on your body.
A Feldenkrais Exercise Example: Lifting Your Arm
A Feldenkrais Exercise & Techniques: Lifting Your Arm
Imagine you are lying on your side with both your arms straight in front of you. Now lift your top arm toward the ceiling and then behind you. In a gym or yoga studio, this movement is done as a stretch that aims to twist your spine and open your chest as much as possible.
But let’s approach this differently—through the lens of Feldenkrais. As a Feldenkrais practitioner, I’m not interested in how far your arm moves or what end position you can reach. Instead, my goal is to use this movement to help you learn to lift your arm easily and lightly—with the same perceived effort you need to lift your pinky finger.
How can we improve the way you lift your arm? By exploring how you currently do it and considering what other options exist. For example, we might delve into what happens at the very beginning—when the top hand first lifts and loses contact with the lower hand. We might explore questions like:
- Did you glue your shoulder blade to your ribcage or did your shoulder blade counterbalance the weight of the arm?
- Did you hold your chest still or did you allow your sternum to turn toward the ceiling?
- Was your breathing regular or did you hold your breath?
- Did your lower leg engage with the floor or was it uninvolved in the movement?
Each question reveals new options. As you discover more options, you have more choice. And with more choice comes more freedom.
Getting Started With Feldenkrais Movement Lessons
You can begin practicing at home using recorded sessions available online. However, working one-on-one with a certified practitioner is recommended when starting out. A practitioner can identify the specific movement patterns causing you trouble and then bring to your attention subtle, important details that occur when you do that movement.
The easiest way to begin is to schedule a free, introductory consultation. During the consultation, we will discuss your goals, and identify your challenges. You will discover how to improve your movement to put less stress, wear, and tear on your body. Schedule now.
Feldenkrais Exercises Result in Profound Learning
While you develop your basic movement skills in childhood, Feldenkrais exercises in Seattle offer you the chance to continue improving your motor abilities and finding more graceful ways of moving. For example, Jeanie described her experience:
I learned to allow my skeleton (my bones) to support my weight and movement, instead of my exhausted, tense muscles — as it was designed to do. I was able to attain significant changes in my sitting and walking posture, affording me noticeable relief from back pain.
Kate explains how she learned to walk without pain:
– I learned how to employ the larger muscles in my torso so that the smaller muscles in my legs and ankles are not strained. When my hips, spine, sternum, and shoulders are all involved in walking, the pain goes away.
Feldenkrais Balance Exercises
Regain your stability and confidence with Feldenkrais balance exercises.
Many people struggle with balance as they age, after injury, or due to habitual movement patterns. These lessons for balance are designed to gently retrain your body’s sense of stability using slow, mindful movements.
What Makes Feldenkrais Balance Exercises Unique?
Instead of simply strengthening your legs or core, these exercises help your entire body coordinate for better balance. You’ll explore how your feet, hips, spine, and even your eyes and breath contribute to steady, effortless movement.
Sample Feldenkrais Balance Exercise:
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
- Slowly shift your weight from one foot to the other, noticing how your pelvis, spine, and head respond.
- Try closing your eyes or turning your head slightly as you shift—how does your balance change?
- The goal isn’t to challenge yourself to the limit, but to notice subtle differences and discover easier, more stable ways to stand and move.
Regular practice can help reduce falls, improve posture, and make walking or standing feel more secure.
Feldenkrais Shoulder Exercises
Find freedom and comfort in your shoulders.
Shoulder tension and discomfort are common, whether from daily stress, working at a computer, or past injuries. Feldenkrais shoulder exercises focus on gentle, exploratory movements that release tension and restore natural mobility.
How do Feldenkrais shoulder exercises work?
Rather than forcing a stretch or pushing through pain, you’ll learn to sense how your shoulders, neck, and chest work together. This approach often leads to surprising improvements—not just in shoulder comfort, but in how you move your entire upper body.
Sample Feldenkrais Shoulder Exercise:
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- Sit or stand comfortably.
- Gently roll one shoulder forward and back, paying attention to your breath and any tension in your neck or jaw.
- Now, try lifting your shoulder toward your ear and then letting it drop.
- Notice if you can make the movement smaller and easier each time.
Over time, these exercises can help you move your arms and shoulders with less effort and more ease, whether you’re reaching, lifting, or simply relaxing.