Our time

When I was at the farmers market, Sam, one of the merchants whom I chatted with so many times that we’re now on a first-name basis, asked me what I did for a living.

Not surprisingly, I replied, “I’m a Feldenkrais teacher.” He said, “Oh yeah, I’ve heard of that. What is it, exactly?”

To which I responded, “It’s a somatic approach. I work with people who have challenges with how they move and folks who want to improve their abilities.”

Then Sam stated, “That’s cool. The life of the body is so important. I’m glad that it’s getting recognized finally.”

The phrase that popped instantly into my head?

“You’ve come a long way, baby.”

When I graduated from Feldenkrais’ final teacher training program in 1983, no one recognized the name of the method he’d developed. It would be a few more years before the philosopher and graduate of Moshe’s previous teacher training, Thomas Hanna, published the book Somatics.

Are you tempted to dismiss my experience because I live in California? If so, perhaps the following will help you to reconsider: Earlier this year, the research firm Coherent Marketing Insights published a report estimating that the Somatic Therapy market was worth just over $4 billion globally as of 2025. That’s billion, with a B!

If you’re wondering what somatic therapy entails, the report outlines the practices of bodywork, breathwork, movement therapy, and sensorimotor psychotherapy. It states that these methodologies address mental health, physical health, post-traumatic stress, trauma recovery, and pain management in clinics, hospitals, private practices, rehabilitation centers, and wellness centers.

Furthermore, the report predicts that the global market value will reach $12,400,000,000 by 2032 ($12.4 billion), which works out to a compound annual growth rate of 17%.

It looks like it may finally be our time.