Movement is life.
Life is a process.
Improve the quality of the process
and you improve the quality of life itself.
— Moshe Feldenkrais
For the longest time, I’ve been curious about the ways we present the Feldenkrais Method to the public. How do we talk about our work so folks understand what we have to offer and why it matters? So that they get interested in learning more about what we do?
When I began traveling and teaching internationally, I would sometimes be introduced to Feldenkrais teachers at casual social gatherings. Back then, since I was relatively unknown, I could ask, sincerely and curiously, “The Feldenkrais method for?”
My query didn’t receive an immediate response, only a puzzled look. Occasionally, the person would ask, “What do you mean?”
Either way, I’d continue by saying, ”Well, there’s the Evelyn Wood speedreading technique, the Stanislavski approach to becoming a better actor, and the Heimlich maneuver for saving someone from choking to death. What’s this Feldenkrais Method good for?”
Usually, the person would hem and haw for a while before saying something about who Moshe Feldenkrais was, relating how they teach classes and work hands-on with individuals, or start talking about awareness and movement. Not once did anyone provide a smooth, instantaneous, and compelling reply. This repeated inability to articulate the core value of our somatic approach only confirmed my sense that we had a long way to go in developing an articulate, engaging way to talk about our work.
In September, our esteemed colleagues (Pia Appelquist, Yvo Mentens, Nikos Appelquist Dalton, Betzabel Falfan, Mattis Appelquist Dalton, Zsòfi Fekete, and Eve Kolinski) from the Feldenkrais Education group produced Feldenkrais in the Field. This documentary showcases the successful real-world application of Moshe’s methodology with athletes, special needs children, people on the job, etc.
Using footage from their twelve-week online program, the film shows how our approach meaningfully enhances coordination and well-being across twelve contexts, convincingly proving its practical relevance. The movie offers the kind of answers I was looking for when I conducted that impromptu survey way back when. To give you a sense of the astonishing breadth of what the method does, here’s a list of topics along with time codes marking when they appear:
- 0:01:48 Rehabilitation
- 0:05:25 Children with special needs
- 0:12:22 Sports & Martial Arts
- 0:20:24 Creativity
- 0:23:31 Theatre & Dance
- 0:33:35 Chronic Pain & Discomfort
- 0:35:32 Voice & Singing
- 0:44:27 Psychological & social issues
- 0:49:52 At the workplace
The documentary is available for free on YouTube in French and English. If you haven’t seen it yet, I encourage you to watch it soon. Please share it with your friends, colleagues, and students. Then ask them to share the link(s) with associates, neighbors, and family members so they can help spread awareness of and appreciation for the Feldenkrais Method.
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Responses:
karin -December 07, 2025
Hear! hear! for Feldenkrais Education and the amazing set of 12 videos they produced for their free online programme earlier this year plus all the lessons! I decided to join their Learning Platform to watch them again. I’ve now watched the videos with friends and colleagues (some more than once), just as you describe, and we’ve had some great discussions. Most of the people knew little or nothing about Feldenkrais beforehand and some of them are now exploring further. I could watch these videos again and again partly for the content but just as much, I realise, for the presence of the people in them – their openness and approach to learning. One thing I find special about the Feldenkrais Method is that the people who participate are usually so open to learning and sharing the learning. I haven’t seen the shorter film Feldenkrais in the Field yet, but your post has reminded me to put it on the list for our ongoing Curiosity sessions next year! The people who didn’t have the stamina or free time for the whole 12 sessions or missed some, will possibly find the shorter film easier to watch.
Hello Karin - Yes, our Belgian colleagues at Feldenkrais Education did a beautiful job. Top-notch production values and amazingly valuable content - a great combination. It's so cool that watching the videos with friends and colleagues proved to be such a valuable way to introduce the method to them. Onward. Together, Larry -
Robert Mitchener -December 05, 2025
Darn I thought you were gonna give me a succinct answer to "what's it good for"! Gotta watch an hour long documentary? Thats one long elevator ride...
Hello Robert - I'm sorry to have disappointed you. (And I apologize for my delayed reply. I actually wrote this immediately after you responded to my blog . . . and then didn't publish it. ) If you missed the index of topics included in the "Feldenkrais in the Field" documentary, please take another look. You'll find short sections about 12 different applications. They may not meet your "elevator talk" criterion, but they are short, inspiring, and relevant. Just like Feldenkrais classes and individual lessons are crafted and customized for students, I think it best to modify your description of the method to address the interests, concerns, and questions of the person you're talking to at the moment. There is no pithy, catchy, one-size-fits-all, prefabricated answer outside academic settings. During teacher training programs, I usually have the participants develop, refine, and practice the answers to keep "in their back pockets." 1) One description for family, friends, colleagues, neighbors, etc. 2) Another for whatever professional setting in which the work. 3) A third for people who intimidate or uneve them. I'm curious: What's your go-to description of the FM? -
Michael Landau -December 06, 2025
Only when I started teaching online and diving into the alien world of marketing, I understood some things about how to talk about what I do. Especially when talking to a potential client, the question "What do you do" should be translated in my mind to "what's in it for me" rather than "tell me about Feldenkrais". It changes quite a bit how I answer.
Hello Michael - Excellent insight. Thanks for sharing it. I wrote this response last year! Unfortunately, I forgot to publish. Sorry for my delayed response.) Some people believe that WIIFM (What's in it for me) is the self-centered way we all respond to anything we hear. When it comes to the method, there is no "one size fits all" way to describe it, so it IS best to tailor your answer to the person you're talking to at the moment. Of course, this means you need to ask the person about what they do and what matters to them. And then to LISTEN. -
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