Moshe Feldenkrais

The Feldenkrais Method® was originated by Moshe Feldenkrais, a Doctor of Science, a pioneer in movement science and neuroplasticity (this refers to the ability of our brain to change and make new connections, to re-wire itself and even grow new brain cells, as a result of experience). 

From a young age, Moshe displayed a curiosity and independence of mind. Born in present day Ukraine in 1904, at the age of 14 he escaped persecution by walking on foot across Russia in the winter of 1918-19. He was headed for Palestine and as he walked, other children began to join him. En route they joined a circus where he began his love of human movement. 

In Palestine one of Moshe’s first jobs was as a tutor where he helped people to overcome blocks in the learning process. He began his studies of self-defence — including Ju-Jitsu — and developed a method of self-defence which supported the nervous system’s natural tendency to protect itself. He wrote many books on unarmed combat one of which became the first self-defence manual used to train armed forces in early Israel.

In 1930 Feldenkrais moved to Paris where he attained a degree in engineering. In Paris he also earned his doctorate in physics at the Sorbonne, where he assisted Nobel Prize Laureate Frederic Joliot-Curie at the Curie Institute. During his university years, Moshe met Kano, the founder of Judo, and became one of the first Europeans to receive a black belt in Judo. He became a well known Judo teacher, and co-founded the Judo Club of France with Kano.

In his thirties Feldenkrais aggravated an old knee injury that would keep him bed ridden for weeks. When suddenly his good knee became hurt Feldenkrais found that his old injured knee became better and put this down to the brain switching off the newly injured knee’s motor cortex. Rather than have his knee operated on (with only a 50% chance of success) Feldenkrais began to experiment with different ways to use and move his injured knee and found that by changing his habitual movement patterns that he could walk on the old injured knee without pain.

Moshe also noticed that his knee got worse when he was under mental stress, especially in the beginnings of World War Two, revealing to him more of the of the mind-body connection. Moshe escaped Paris by car and then on foot to board the last boat leaving France for Britain. There he worked in anti-submarine research, trained paratroopers in self-defence techniques, and authored books on Judo. 

After World War Two, Feldenkrais settled in Israel where he gave up his work as an engineer and researcher and dedicated himself to helping people, creating his unique educational system the Feldenkrais Method®.  

The method comprising Functional Integration and Awareness Through Movement was based on core principles.  

In the 1950s Moshe gave lessons to David Ben-Gurion, the then-Prime Minister of Israel, freeing him of back pain. For the next thirty years and into the 1980s, Moshe presented his Method across Europe and North America. He began to train teachers so they in turn could teach others in the Method, first in Tel Aviv and then in San Francisco.
Dr Feldenkrais was highly experienced in working with performing artists of many disciplines including Peter Brook (theatre director), Anna Halprin (dancer/choreographer), Yehudi Menuhin (violinist) and Yo Yo Ma (cellist).

Dr Feldenkrais wrote many books that show his thinking and development of the Feldenkrais Method - Awareness Through Movement: Health Exercises for Personal Growth, Body and Mature Behavior: A Study of Anxiety, Sex, Gravitation and Learning, The Case of Nora: Body Awareness as Healing Therapy, The Elusive Obvious, Embodied Wisdom: The Collected Papers of Moshe Feldenkrais. The Master Moves, and The Potent Self.