A genius came along
of the name Moshe Feldenkrais.
He lived from 1904-1984
and when he was 14 walked from what is now Poland
to what was then Palestine
to discover life on his own terms.
He tutored and went to night school
as was a laborer
and thought about how martial arts
could be smarter and more effective
and end up being the first European black belt in judo,
and getting a PhD in Science (physics and engineering his specialties)
and discovering a radical method of
human improvement
based on what he considered central to the difference between humans
and all other animals:
our ability to learn.
I have a longer essay about him
way back the third essay in this blog:
WHO WAS MOSHE FELDENKRAIS?
It's a first class essay,
if I may say so myself.
Here's Moshe, working with a special needs child:
And here's Anat:
of the name Moshe Feldenkrais.
He lived from 1904-1984
and when he was 14 walked from what is now Poland
to what was then Palestine
to discover life on his own terms.
He tutored and went to night school
as was a laborer
and thought about how martial arts
could be smarter and more effective
and end up being the first European black belt in judo,
and getting a PhD in Science (physics and engineering his specialties)
and discovering a radical method of
human improvement
based on what he considered central to the difference between humans
and all other animals:
our ability to learn.
I have a longer essay about him
way back the third essay in this blog:
WHO WAS MOSHE FELDENKRAIS?
It's a first class essay,
if I may say so myself.
Here's Moshe, working with a special needs child:
Anat Baniel,
an Israeli American innovator, dancer,
psychologist, and writer
studied with Moshe Feldenrkais for 11 years,
often privy to
his most powerful teachings.
For the public at large,
her book,
MOVE INTO LIFE
shows how to go about:
1. remaining young at heart mind and body
2. transforming your practice in music, yoga, tai chi, football , weightlifting,
golf, writing,
relationship
3. healing special needs children
4. eliminating the unnecessary aches and pains in life
Her principles of Vitality
which could as well be principles of
the Feldenkrais Method
are
One: Movement with Awareness
Wake Up to Life
Two: Turning on the Learning Switch
Bring in the New
Three: Subtlety
Experiencing the Power of Gentleness
Four: Variation
Enjoy Abundant Possibilities
Five: Slow
Luxuriate in the Richness of Feeling
Six: Loose attachment to goals
Make the impossible possible
Seven: Enthusiasm
Turn the small into the Great
Eight: Dreams and Imagination
Create amazing possibilities
Nine: Awareness in the Moment
Thrive in Reality
And who is this miracle man
Moshe Feldenkrais,
on whose work
Anat's work is based.
Well, glad you asked:
an Israeli American innovator, dancer,
psychologist, and writer
studied with Moshe Feldenrkais for 11 years,
often privy to
his most powerful teachings.
For the public at large,
her book,
MOVE INTO LIFE
shows how to go about:
1. remaining young at heart mind and body
2. transforming your practice in music, yoga, tai chi, football , weightlifting,
golf, writing,
relationship
3. healing special needs children
4. eliminating the unnecessary aches and pains in life
Her principles of Vitality
which could as well be principles of
the Feldenkrais Method
are
One: Movement with Awareness
Wake Up to Life
Two: Turning on the Learning Switch
Bring in the New
Three: Subtlety
Experiencing the Power of Gentleness
Four: Variation
Enjoy Abundant Possibilities
Five: Slow
Luxuriate in the Richness of Feeling
Six: Loose attachment to goals
Make the impossible possible
Seven: Enthusiasm
Turn the small into the Great
Eight: Dreams and Imagination
Create amazing possibilities
Nine: Awareness in the Moment
Thrive in Reality
And who is this miracle man
Moshe Feldenkrais,
on whose work
Anat's work is based.
Well, glad you asked:
In March of 2007, I wrote a grand little blog
on this, Called, What is the Feldenkrais Method®?
It had exploration/ explanations from 1 word to 5 words
and 1 sentence to 5 sentences.
It's pretty good, if you want to read it.
And hey: we can cover the same sweet ground again:
the FeldenkraisMethod® is a system of education and transformation,
invented by a man who was an expert in
Physics
Engineering
Judo
Childhood Development (his wife was a pediatrician)
He wanted to heal himself of injuries from soccer.
He thought that thinking that didn't produce changes
for the better wasn't real thinking.
He invented a way to still do judo again in his 70's,
with structurally wrecked knees.
His system is a way of thinking
and problem solving
and improving
and discovering
and enjoying life more
outside of and beneath the level of words.
invented by a man who was an expert in
Physics
Engineering
Judo
Childhood Development (his wife was a pediatrician)
He wanted to heal himself of injuries from soccer.
He thought that thinking that didn't produce changes
for the better wasn't real thinking.
He invented a way to still do judo again in his 70's,
with structurally wrecked knees.
His system is a way of thinking
and problem solving
and improving
and discovering
and enjoying life more
outside of and beneath the level of words.
The Feldenkrais Guild,
of which I was a certified Practitioner
has it's own wonderful website, Feldenkrais.com
And it's own defintion, included in:
