Awareness Through Movement

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Awareness Through Movement (ATM) is the verbally directed aspect of the Feldenkrais Method. This involves following directions for movement patterns usually over a 40 minute period or so. Most of these lessons are conducted in a group setting although it is possible to do them privately with a CD or MP3 prepared by a qualified Feldenkrais Practitioner.

These exercises are designed to help you re-organize your body around a function. In other words you learn to move in a more free, coordinated and integrated manner. These lessons then add qualities of movement to your function such as greater balance, dexterity, speed, balance, power and so forth depending on the function you are dealing with and your area of application.

Feldenkrais Exercises

These exercises (or lessons as we call them) are usually done lying down while wearing loose comfortable clothing.

This enables the Awareness Through Movement exercise to be more effective by releasing any habitualised holding patterns which we normally have upright in the field of gravity. Any particular lesson can involve intricate positions and ways of moving the body.

This is often designed to prevent some parts of the body being involved in the movement so you can learn to involve other parts that would be better suited to the function. So often our function involves inefficient and parasytic movement.

A well designed Awareness Through Movement lesson can provide a way of cleaning these patterns up.

Individual Benefits

I tend to find that each person brings their own organisation to the movement and get what they need individually out of each lesson.

For this reason there is no 'right' way to do the movements - as in maintain the correct position or line. In fact often if a person is confused with a direction within the lesson it can reveal they are vague in their use of that part of their body.

It is better for the student to discover their own particular way of doing the movement than following someone else or the 'prescribed' format.

While there isn't a 'right' way to do these exercises there are some guidelines that should be followed to gain maximum benefit from them.

The article on 'Awareness Through Movement Guidelines' may be of benefit with this.

The main strategy with any Awareness Through Movement exercise is to do them slowly, that is slow repetitive movements with awareness.

At times put your mind inside your body and sense how it is moving through space.

Moshe Feldenkrais

An important philosophical point is that Moshe Feldenkrais termed this part of the Feldenkrais Method: Awareness Through Movement, not Awareness Of Movement. You will probably notice that your capacity for flexibility and adaptability in life improves as you embrace this Method - not just your improvement in your capacity to move well.

There is more to this Method than movement and posture and physical function. In the Feldenkrais Method we believe that this system works through the nervous system, not just the musculature.

In short, you are building a better brain. That has to be good.

With some of the above principles in mind you may understand how there is no 'use by date' with Awareness Through Movement exercises.

You can continue to gain benefit and insight with the same exercises for decades.

You just bring a higher order of yourself to a particular lesson each time. I have for 21 years now.

Each time is as fresh as the first time I ever laid on the floor for my first Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement lesson. May you discover similar benefits for yourself from here on.

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