Feldenkrais Method Applications

The applications of the Feldenkrais Method are many and varied. It can make a contribution to how you move, acquire new skills (physical and otherwise), how you think, refining your skills, improving health and well being, improving capacity with physical disabilities, physical qualities such as balance and much more. Feldenkrais is extremely versatile.

If the body and mind are involved than the Feldenkrais Method probably can help in some way. It is primarily known as a system of movement and improving how we organise ourselves in movement. It is also a philosophy of learning and it is this aspect that makes it so versatile. You could adapt the model to learning how to play chess for example as much as improving a capacity to run fast or recover from an injury.

To utilize the this as a learning philosophy takes a more comprehensive understanding than most people get to. The good news is if all you want is to improve your physical movement then all you need to do is the guided Awareness Through Movement exercises, as per the guidelines, or receive the hands-on version Functional Integration.

Among the people I have worked with are sports people - elite athletes to keen amateurs, dancers, actors, singers, people with physical disabilities and people just wanting to add something more to their lives. I have worked with the visually impaired - balance and fluidity in walking were hugely important here especially for self confidence. It is amazing to see the effect the Feldenkrais Method has on people with just one Awareness Through Movement lesson per week. It can be profound, not just in their movement but also their confidence and sense of self esteem.

I have adapted the philosophies of learning to assist students with study skills, my own NLP students and trainers and included them in just about every training I have ever facilitated.

Among the sports I have applied the Feldenkrais Method to are

• football
• running
• high jumping
• martial arts - many styles
• dance
• table tennis
• golf
• cricket
• hockey
• swimming

and more I guess if I was to focus my mind more on that list. I find, in this area, I am usually helping with aspects like improving balance, speed, power, timing, rhythm, refining technique, releasing tension, developing a more integrated use of the body with technique, regaining balance after knocks and falls, soft vision, holding balance in bustling situations, how to stay fresh and alert throughout a game - at your best and more. How you adapt to these more particular outcomes is always interesting.

Each of the above aspects could do with their own article and we will cover them in time. It is very exciting applying the prniciples in these areas of applications. It is a very creative endeavor. There are some key aspects to posture, organization of movement and key areas of the body that seem to make a huge difference that separates the elite from the other levels that are worth knowing.

With creative use and integrating it with a system such as Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), it is possible to set up these physical aspects so they become instinctive and automatic.

We build awareness of the components of movement, of the components of technique application, context application (during the game), to effortless 'no mind' (in the zone). There are other philosophies and strategies involved in this but it wouldn't be possible without the Feldenkrais Method.

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