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whatmakesyoumove?

Draft translation — the English texts are awaiting final approval.

What is Feldenkrais?

Feldenkrais is a somatic movement method — meaning: a method that works through conscious, gentle movement, not through force, stretching or correction. At its centre is not the question “Am I doing this correctly?” but “How does this feel — and could it be easier?”

The basic principle

Most movement offers want to improve something by practising, repeating, strengthening. Feldenkrais takes a different path: through very small, consciously perceived movements, your nervous system itself discovers new, easier ways of moving. Not through effort, but through attention.

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This sounds unfamiliar at first — most people expect “movement” to be something you train. Feldenkrais starts with learning instead: the body changes when the nervous system recognises a new possibility, not when an old movement pattern is repeated with force.

Two forms — ATM and FI

ATM (Awareness Through Movement): guided group or individual lessons with spoken instructions. You move yourself, slowly and attentively, while a voice leads you through a movement sequence. No demonstration, no “right or wrong” — only your own, changing perception.

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FI (Functional Integration): the most individual form — an individual lesson in which I work with my hands to help you sense new movement possibilities you have not yet found yourself. Gentle, never manipulative — more a dialogue through touch than a treatment.

Where the method comes from

The method was developed by Moshe Feldenkrais (1904–1984), a physicist and judoka who took his own knee injuries as a starting point to investigate how closely movement, perception and learning are connected. For decades the method has been passed on worldwide in recognised, multi-year training programmes — my own training follows this standard.

A different understanding of health

Health is often understood as the absence of illness. But many people who are medically considered “cured” still do not really return to their lives. A different, more helpful thought: health is the ability to lose your balance — through illness, through a diagnosis, through a life crisis — and to find a way back to your own equilibrium. Not the absence of upheaval, but the ability to deal with it.

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This is exactly where Feldenkrais begins: not with the question “What is missing?” but with the question “What can I still sense right now, and how do I find a way from there?”

Why it works

This is also the question that occupies me as a scientist: why does something change when you only perceive consciously, without training? That is precisely what I investigate in my research — currently among others with people with Parkinson's, where this very principle can achieve a great deal.

Who it is suitable for

Feldenkrais is suitable for almost any body and any age — precisely because nothing is forced. Common starting points: chronic pain, restricted movement, the feeling of being “stiff” or “no longer quite at home” in your own body, neurological conditions such as Parkinson's, or simply the wish to move more alert and more lightly.

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Frequently asked questions about the method

Is Feldenkrais a therapy?

No. Feldenkrais is a learning method, not a treatment. Nothing is corrected and nothing is treated — you make movement experiences yourself, from which your nervous system derives new possibilities. Anyone who needs medical treatment will find it with doctors and therapists. Feldenkrais can stand alongside it, not in its place. (Draft translation)

What is the difference between Feldenkrais and physiotherapy or yoga?

Physiotherapy works on a function that is to be restored. Yoga works with postures that are taken up and held. Feldenkrais works with attention: very small, slow movements, without a goal and without a model, until an easier way shows itself. Nothing is practised, something is learned. (Draft translation)

Do I have to be flexible or athletic?

No. Precisely because nothing is forced, the method suits almost any body and any age. You move at your own pace and within your own range, without comparison to others in the room. (Draft translation)

What is the difference between ATM and FI?

ATM (Awareness Through Movement) are guided lessons with spoken instructions — you move yourself. FI (Functional Integration) is an individual lesson in which hands are used to make movement possibilities perceptible that you have not yet found yourself. Current status: I offer ATM regularly, FI is still part of my training. (Draft translation)

What do I need for a lesson?

Comfortable, warm clothing and a mat. Nothing more. For online lessons additionally a space on the floor and a camera that can see you. (Draft translation)

How often do I have to come before something changes?

Many people notice a difference after a single lesson — usually not as a big change, but as ease in a place where there was effort before. Whether something lasting comes of it shows over several lessons. That is why there are block prices and no contracts. (Draft translation)