At the heart of the Feldenkrais Method is the scope for each of us to reach toward our individual potential. For some people that may mean setting records in a sporting arena, or excelling in music, art or performance. For others this may mean gaining some independence and the ability to reach, to bathe, to dress ourselves or to sit comfortably.
While we view an activity as out of reach or impossible, we limit ourselves with negative self-talk or simply by not taking on the challenge. And if we have not previously experienced the activity, we have nothing to contradict our belief that it is impossible. Unless we become interested in making change, we might accept that some things are beyond our grasp.
We all anxiously held our breath until Harry Potter conjured a patronus to defeat the dementors in JK Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (if you haven’t, go read it!)… He waited for someone to save him – until he realised that he had seen himself do it before, giving him the confidence that he could.
What if we could gain Harry’s confidence in our abilities? Would we be able to expand our horizons?
It is this confidence in our ability to act in a certain way that the Feldenkrais Method expands. By giving us an experience of a new action, we start to understand that it is in fact possible.
The Feldenkrais Method harnesses your own brain, central nervous system, and the wonders of neuroplasticity to help you access new or long forgotten ways of moving. Long gone are the days of “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks!”
To open his book Awareness Through Movement, Moshe Feldenkrais wrote:
We act in accordance with our self-image.
We place upon ourselves limitations – we put ourselves down; accept labels placed on us by other people or society, or even by ourselves; we follow rules we were told as children – like “sit up straight”. We tell ourselves we’re too old, too lazy, too big, too small, too inflexible or just that is is too late to change. Or we tell ourselves we have to keep going at light speed to keep pace with someone else. We give up and accept the box in which we’ve placed ourselves.
What if we no longer want to accept being stuck in the box? What if it just isn’t working for us anymore?
The Feldenkrais Method is how you can take back some control. You can change and expand your self-image. You can expand what is possible and many movements previously thought impossible don’t have to remain that way.
…make the impossible possible, the possible easy, the easy elegant.
Why is this business called Elegant Moves? Firstly, as a reminder that the aspiration is to reach for elegance – effortless, graceful movement. Secondly, it is necessary to take action to move toward that aspiration. Nothing comes to us purely by wishing it were so. We need to make moves and act. The Feldenkrais Method helps us make change through the medium of movement. So we head toward better movement by moving. Simple!
It is important to recognise that there is no “right” way to move. We are all unique, with our own physiology, history and lifestyle. However, there are ways to move that will cause us harm and damage – so having different choices is key!
What Feldenkrais understood is that for each of us, learning to move in such a way that it could be effortless lowers the cost of aging on our systems, and keep us healthier longer. Imagine a future of greater comfort and freedom, with a higher level of independence and dignity. Movement is not just about movement… Quality of life depends on quality movement.
Feldenkrais wrote:
Movement is life. Life is a process. Improve the quality of the process and you improve the quality of life itself.
And the best thing about the Feldenkrais Method – it’s fun! It involves playing, experimenting and unleashing your curiosity. Who doesn’t want to feel the freedom of childlike exploration?
There are two modalities to enjoy – Functional Integration ® and Awareness Through Movement ®.