How soon can I expect improvement?

You may experience significant differences in your first session, but don’t despair if you don’t. In ATM lessons, focus and awareness grow with practice. Sign up for one ATM class segment and see what comes of it. The same goes for Functional Integration. Most practitioners recommend at least 3-4 lessons.

Is it like massage or chiropractic?

In as far as it involves a practitioner touching a client on a table, yes. But while massage and chiropractic centers around structural issues—muscles, viscera, and joints, Feldenkrais emphasizes function. It indirectly affects structure through changes in the nervous system.

Is it like yoga, Taichi, or Pilates?

Yes. Like these, the Feldenkrais method seeks to connect mind, body, and spirit using natural movement patterns, with a particular emphasis on process. Many find that these lessons deepen their yoga or Taichi practice.

Is it like the Alexander Technique?

Yes, with a slightly different emphasis in focus. Both systems were developed to solve a particular physical problem. Alexander Technique, like the Feldenkrais Method, also deals with habit creation and change. Unlike Alexander, the FM provides group classes and a more unconventional tack. (Mavericks are particularly drawn to this method.)

Should I practice at home?

I often send clients away with “homework” based on elements of the lesson, but it’s not mandatory. After all, this method is about listening to yourself. Do what is interesting to you. And expect that you’ll get better at the process with time and practice.

What I highly recommend is that you take time to simply observe yourself in the hours and days following an ATM or FI. Before plunging into the demands of daily life, feel what’s different from usual about your breathing, standing, and internal sensation.

How can I find a practitioner in my area?

Search the Feldenkrais Guild of North America listings. Teachers must be certified by the FGNA in order to practice.

Where can I find out more about the work?

recommended reading and recordings

If you don’t live close to any Feldenkrais teachers, there are audio and videotapes of ATM’s available for purchase at feldenkrais-resources.com.

“This is the most sophisticated and effective method I have seen for the prevention and reversal of deterioration of function.”--Margaret Mead