Have you ever tried to improve your physical and mental health without intense workouts, invasive procedures, or potentially harmful medication? If you have and your efforts have been unsuccessful, maybe it’s time to start considering other approaches to improving your overall health.
The Feldenkrais Method offers a gentle, mindful approach to enhancing overall health. It’s based on the idea that you can unlock your body’s full potential by becoming more aware of how you move. This method focuses on reconnecting you with your natural abilities, helping you move, think, and feel better.
This method can help you locate a deeper sense of self-awareness and ease in your body through guided, gentle movements. This holistic approach could help you ease chronic pain, improve your mobility, or find a better balance in life step by step.
“It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles.”
– Gautama Buddha
Join us as we walk through this method, which allows you to “conquer” yourself and work towards being your best self without sacrificing your wellness.
A Closer Look At the Feldenkrais Method
This method was first developed in the 20th century by Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais. He believed it was based on the idea that humans have the potential to learn how to learn. He then created a process where individuals or groups are guided through a series of movements and sensations.
The goal of this method is to practice feeling the difference between two or more ways of moving to complete a task. From there, you can then decide which one feels easier and requires less effort. It’s based on choosing movements that feel good, easy, and effortless, avoiding those that cause pain, strain, or discomfort.
Individuals are also encouraged to try different ways of moving to find the best solutions and make improvements. This process of intention, action, feedback, decision-making, and adaptation can teach the body awareness.
These movements help you become more aware of how your body functions, enabling you to move more efficiently and with less pain. It’s like learning to move all over again but in a natural and easy way.
What Are the Core Concepts?
The Feldenkrais Method is based on a few key ideas that differentiate it from other ways to improve physical and mental well-being. These concepts focus on gentle movements, self-awareness, and the body’s natural ability to learn and adapt.
Now, let’s touch on these core concepts in simpler terms:
- Awareness Through Movement
“Awareness Through Movement” is at the heart of the Feldenkrais Method. It involves doing small, gentle movements while paying close attention to how your body feels. By noticing these sensations, you become more aware of how you move and can find ways to move more easily and comfortably.
Because let’s face it, no one knows your body better than you! This awareness helps reduce strain and prevents injuries.
- Functional Integration
Functional Integration is the hands-on part of the Feldenkrais Method. In these one-on-one sessions, a trained practitioner guides your movements with gentle touch and verbal instructions. They can help you explore varied ways of moving.
They likely provide immediate feedback, showing you how to move with less effort and more ease. With this personalized approach, you will have your specific needs and any challenges addressed.
- Learning Through Exploration
The Feldenkrais Method encourages learning through exploration rather than repetitive exercises. You try different ways of moving to find the ones that feel best and work best for you. If doing an exercise one way feels awkward, then you can make the needed changes. This process of experimenting helps you become more flexible and adaptable, allowing you to develop a more responsive and agile body.
- Paying Attention to How You Feel
Another large part of the Feldenkrais Method is paying attention to how movements feel. By noticing what feels good and what doesn’t, you can choose movements that reduce pain and increase comfort. Over time, this awareness improves coordination and balance, allowing you to move more smoothly and confidently.
- Whole-Body Approach
This method considers movement to involve the whole body and mind. It recognizes that the way you move affects your physical health, your emotional and mental well-being. When thinking about the connection between your body and mind, this method promotes a more balanced and harmonious way of living.
- Moving with Ease
One of the main ideas in the Feldenkrais Method is to move with ease and minimal effort. Instead of pushing your body hard, you learn to move in light, smooth, and natural ways. This approach helps prevent injuries and promotes relaxation and well-being. When focusing on comfort, you create positive habits that support healthy movement.
Are There Benefits Of This Method Over Other Therapies?
As with other holistic methods, the Feldenkrais Method can offer individuals the following benefits:
Pain Relief and Improved Mobility
The gentle movements in this method can help relieve chronic pain and improve your flexibility and mobility. When you learn to move more efficiently, you can reduce strain on your body. This means, you will likely feel more comfortable in your daily activities.
Enhanced Self-Awareness
The Feldenkrais Method helps you become more aware of your body by focusing on how you move. This increased self-awareness can help you identify and change harmful habits. With that in mind, you will experience better posture and movement patterns.
Reduced Stress and Anxiety
The mindful movements and focus on relaxation in the Feldenkrais Method can help lower stress and anxiety levels. You may feel calmer and more centered as you become more attuned to your body and learn to move easily.
Improved Balance and Coordination
The method’s emphasis on exploring different ways of moving can improve your balance and coordination. This can help you move more confidently and prevent falls or injuries, especially as you age.
Better Mental Clarity and Focus
The Feldenkrais Method benefits your body and enhances your mental state as well. Mindful movement can improve concentration and mental clarity, helping you feel more focused and alert.
Enhanced Overall Well-Being
This method boosts general well-being by incorporating movement’s physical and mental aspects. You may find that you feel more in tune with your body, experience less discomfort, and enjoy a greater sense of ease in both mind and body.
Other Holistic Approaches to Better Well-Being
Holistic approaches to well-being focus on treating the whole person—mind, body, and spirit—rather than just addressing isolated symptoms. Are you interested in integrating various practices that nurture and balance all aspects of health through holistic methods?
This avenue promotes overall harmony and self-healing. In addition to the Feldenkrais Method, several other holistic approaches can significantly enhance one’s well-being and support a balanced, healthier lifestyle.
- Yoga: This practice combines physical postures, breathing exercises, and meditation to improve flexibility, strength, and mental clarity. It helps reduce stress, improve physical health, and promote a sense of inner peace.
- Meditation and Mindfulness: Meditation and mindfulness teach you to focus on the present moment. These practices can reduce stress and enhance emotional resilience. They can also improve mental clarity, reduce anxiety, and foster a sense of calm.
- Primal TrustTM’s RegulateTM Course: RegulateTM is a holistic program that combines brain retraining, body-based somatic practices, vagus nerve toning, polyvagal theory, and trauma processing into a unified approach to well-being. Our Level 1 program addresses a wide spectrum of chronic stress-related conditions, including anxiety, depression, immune issues, mood disorders, chronic pain, digestive problems, allergies, and trauma.
- Acupuncture: Acupuncture involves inserting thin needles into specific points on the body to balance the flow of energy (Qi). It relieves pain, reduces stress, and improves overall health and well-being.
- Herbal Medicine: Herbal medicine uses natural herbs and plant-based remedies to support the body’s natural healing processes. It can help address a variety of health issues and promote overall wellness.
- Massage Therapy: Massage therapy involves manipulating the body’s muscles and soft tissues to relieve tension, reduce pain, and promote relaxation. It can enhance physical and emotional well-being by reducing stress and improving circulation.
Take the time to look into these holistic approaches and find the one that suits you best. If your goals are to achieve a balanced or healthier lifestyle, some of the methods mentioned above can help.
How Does Our Course Go Hand In Hand With the Feldenkrais Method?
The Level 1 Regulate™ program integrates with some of the principles of the Feldenkrais Method. We offer a comprehensive approach to resetting your brain and balancing your nervous system. Over the course of 2-3 months, you’ll participate in weekly lessons, designed to complement and enhance the Feldenkrais-inspired somatic tools we use.
Here’s what you will learn:
- Rewire Your Brain: Explore techniques to reshape your limbic system and improve how you handle emotions.
- Balance Your Nervous System: Discover somatic movements and vagus nerve toning to regulate your autonomic nervous system.
- Understand Polyvagal Theory: Learn how polyvagal theory can boost your self-awareness.
- Heal from Trauma: Get tools to face and heal from past traumas.
This program is perfect for anyone struggling with the following:
- Mental Health Issues: Anxiety, panic attacks, depression, insomnia.
- Immune System Problems: Lyme disease, chronic fatigue, long-haul COVID, autoimmune conditions.
- Emotional Challenges: Mood swings, stress in relationships.
- Physical Health Concerns: Chronic pain, digestive troubles, hormone imbalances.
- Allergies and Sensitivities: Reactions to food, chemicals, mold, or EMFs.
- Trauma: Codependency, fawning, PTSD.
As touched on briefly above, this introduction course uses the teachings and exercises of Thomas Hanna, a Feldenkrais mentee, to help people recognize and release unconscious trauma stored in their bodies.
He taught that we are “somas,” meaning our bodies are experienced from the inside. He stressed that each person, as a living being, has the ability to learn about themselves, take responsibility for their well-being, and make their own choices.
We have direct feedback from many of our members saying they find these somatic movement tools to be particularly effective for resetting and maintaining a healthy nervous system. This makes sense because using these techniques, individuals can often become more aware of and release deep-seated tensions and trauma in their bodies. Which is what this course is aiming to do. This helps bring balance and ease to their nervous system, which leads to better overall well-being.
Are You Ready To Move Forward To Improve Your Well-Being Through Holistic Practices?
If you want to learn more about holistic approaches to your wellness, Primal Trust™ can be a great tool when moving forward. When on your search for more self awareness and improved well-being, Level One of our program can help guide you in integrating self-awareness tools and building a personalized daily routine.
If this article speaks to you while searching for ways to live a slower life through holistic practices, we happily invite you to join our community at Primal Trust™.
References
- Hillier, S., & Worley, A. (2015). The effectiveness of the Feldenkrais Method: A systematic review of the evidence. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 9, 384. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2015.00384
- Feldenkrais Guild of North America. (n.d.). About the Feldenkrais method. The Feldenkrais Method. Retrieved August 1, 2024, from https://feldenkrais.com/about-the-feldenkrais-method/
- Feldenkrais Method. (n.d.). Moshe Feldenkrais. Retrieved August 1, 2024, from https://feldenkrais-method.org/archive/moshe-feldenkrais/
- Woodyard, C. (2011). Exploring the therapeutic effects of yoga and its ability to increase quality of life. National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved August 1, 2024, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3193654/
- Behnke, E. A. (1990). Friends passing: Thomas Hanna (1928-1990). Somatics. Retrieved from https://somatics.org/library/biblio/bea-passing.html
