Feldenkrais Method: Becoming Aware Of Our Own Body

Modern life tends to lead us towards very sedentary habits. If you are like most people in the West, even though it may seem like you are responding to the demands of everyday life on many battlefields (work, family, community, etc.), the truth is that, at most, the practice, your body is tending to get used to the same movements and the same postures Let’s consider, for example, how many hours a day we spend sitting, and what posture our trunk adopts when we do so. Monotony and passivity are constants in the lives of most of our muscle groups, and this is something that takes its toll on our quality of life.

Fortunately, There are ways to reactivate our body so that it is the versatile and reliable machine that for millennia has been shaped by evolution. Both in the world of fitness and in that of health and medicine, it is becoming increasingly important to expand the possibilities of movement that a sedentary lifestyle has been shortening since our childhood.

He Feldenkrais method is one of these calls to action.

What is the Feldenkrais method?

He Feldenkrais method proposes a way of learning (or re-learning) the functioning of one’s own body based on movement patterns and the generation of certain mental states In his sessions, an expert indicates how to perform certain movements at the same time that the practitioner performs them and concentrates his attention on them. The objective of this is for the brain to register well the associations between the movements, the muscles that are activated and the sensations that this produces, so that these movements become part of the habitual repertoire and are performed automatically, without the need to concentrate on it.

The main objectives of the Feldenkrais method are improving posture, range of motion, coordination and flexibility, in addition to optimizing efficiency in the use of muscle groups

In short, the Feldenkrais method is a somatic education system that raises the need to make the most of the possibilities of movement and strength of one’s body, to be able to function in any situation without unnecessary effort and tension.

How it is performed?

There are two basic modalities in which the Feldenkrais method can be followed: group and individually. However, both set the same objectives and both also propose exercises focused on movement and directed attention.

The sessions consist of the repetition of series of movements that are easy to execute. The practitioner usually performs this while lying on a mat, although some series are done standing. During the sessions it is necessary to follow instructions that refer to both the observable movements and the mental states of the person practicing it, with the basic objective that attention is totally focused on the movements so that in the future they can be performed automatically in all types of situations that require it. The movements used in the Feldenkrais method do not involve any effort or pain, since the joints and tendons are not suddenly forced.

The fact that the physical aspect (movement) and the psychological aspect (attention) are emphasized is an example of the philosophy of mind from which the Feldenkrais method is based: it assumes a physical and a mental component that must work harmoniously so that the entire system (the person) works as it should. It is a dualistic approach mind-body in which the particularities of each of the two components must be recognized so that both can be well integrated.

Criticisms from science

The Feldenkrais method focuses on interesting objectives from the point of view of fitness and health, taking into account that Many times we understand that good physical shape consists of having a lot of strength and little fat and we ignore issues such as flexibility or energy efficiency a of our movements and postures.

However, and even though Feldenkrais began his studies on the subject decades ago, It is considered that there is not enough empirical evidence to substantiate its principles with the support of science and that, in any case, more studies are needed to verify its effectiveness. Adding to this the fact that the Feldenkrais method does not raise the need to achieve externally measurable objectives but rather places progress in the subjectivity of the patient (since it is a personal process), it often tends to be associated with pseudosciences. and New Age culture.

On the other hand, many of the benefits that the Feldenkrais method is said to have have nothing to do with the functional aspects of strength and movement, since they are rather cognitive aspects, such as the ability to find new solutions, and even subjective, such as improved self-esteem. These are assumptions that for the moment are based more on theory than on empirical evidence, and that nor do they emerge from a consolidated theoretical framework

This does not mean, however, that practicing the exercises proposed in the Feldenkrais method does not provide any type of benefit. On the one hand, it can be understood that beyond improving or not the range of motion and postural habits, following this system can lead to an increase in satisfaction or provide other positive aspects associated with the Placebo effect. On the other hand, too It is possible that it also somewhat improves functional and measurable aspects of the human body, and that the lack of independent and well-designed studies on the subject is hiding these advantages. We will only know this as more research is done on the Feldenkrais method.