What is FELDENKRAIS®?


The Feldenkrais Method® isn't really exercise -- it's a process that uses movement to improve function. The students develop new body awareness that changes their overall posture and the way they move in general. It also improves their physical and psychological performance.

Russian-born Israeli physicist Moshe Feldenkrais (1904-1984) developed his Method after a series of accidents left him barely able to walk. He postulated that if he could understand how his nervous system learned to walk in the first place, he might be able to find something in that information that would help him relearn to walk. Armed with a broad understanding of movement based on his background as a physicist and his longtime study of Judo, he devoted himself to studying how body movement develops in humans which led  to his innovative contribution in showing how, through movement, the body influences the mental process. How limitations, created by habits or beliefs, can be overcome by exploring unhabitual movements. Ultimately, he designed a Method made up of thousands of lessons. His widely read books include: Body and Mature Behavior,  Awareness Through Movement, The Case of Nora  and The Potent Self.


Today, the popularity of Feldenkrais  is on the rise -- athletes, actors  and musicians are using it to correct problems in how they hold themselves... people with arthritis are turning to it to facilitate freer, more flexible movement and to improve their balance ... and just regular folks are converts for the way it teaches them relaxation, focus and overall enhanced movement.


Feldenkrais lessons teach you the means to take charge of your own improvement and are offered in two ways, enabling you to discover which learning style is most appropriate for your needs. 


In Awareness Through Movement® lessons, the teacher verbally guides you through a sequence of gentle movements intended to help you develop a greater awareness of how you move.  These lessons occur in a group setting. - Scheduled classes are listed below.





Functional Integration® lessons are designed to meet your personal needs.  Communicating through touch and movement in addition to words, the teacher guides you in your one-on-one process of self-discovery.  These lessons are by appointment only.

Regardless of which learning style you choose, the Feldenkrais Method can help you overcome limitations brought on by stress, trauma, misuse, accident, or illness.

To watch a 9 minute video about the Feldenkrais Method, please go to:

             http://www.altmd.com/Specialists/Cornelia-Sachs

Awareness Through Movement® classes and Functional Integration® lessons with Cornelia Sachs:

ExplorMotion in Body, Mind and Self

Our sensing of how we touch the world around us, and how we are touched by it, how we respond to this touch and where our boundaries are, lead to awareness of ourselves.  We can find ways to relax, release stress and pain, to become more comfortable even in uncomfortable situations, and ‘come back home’ into our body. In exploring this touch, we can relate with awareness for our self and for the world around us.

When we engage in these movement experiments, we come to experience more of our self. With growing understanding for our body and observing our reactions, we develop a new relationship with our self. Based on our bodily experiences, we can find our own measure for life and the internal freedom to live up to it and develop the courage for our own creative expression.

Body Awareness and Self Awareness are not the goal of this exploration, instead we are looking for more choices and ways to live in our world, how to be with myself, -  and with others.  - Only after I found myself will I be able to share my self without losing myself.

8 Weeks: Saturdays,  December 5 till January 23: 11:30 - 12:30
Location: A Time to Relax, 11603 Menaul NE.

Cost: $ 80 Early bird, paid by Dec. 1, $ 95 after 12/1.
Single class: $ 15.00
Please send your check to: Cornelia Sachs, P.O. Box 195, Tijeras, NM 87059.

Private Functional Integration® Lessons $ 65 - by appointment only.

For more information, please call 286-2930
or e-mail cornelia@nmia.com

I WILL BE OUT OF TOWN NOV. 5 - 26th. Contact me either before I leave or after my return. - Thanks.
Testimonials:

I really liked Cornelia’s voice and the suggestions on how to do a movement differently. I now feel less ache and pain when awakening in the morning, have more stamina.                                                     Florence Hendren, quilter, grandmother

I learned to move  more gracefully and sit much better  at my computer without getting aches and pains. I get up from sitting much easier and walk more gracefully.                                                                                             B.W., retired biochemist

I enjoyed Cornelia’s undivided attention, caring attitude, knowledge and experience in Feldenkrais. I have no more back pain, minimal knee discomfort after sitting for extended periods of time. I can get up and walk, not “hobble”.
Marie Atwell, addiction therapist

I discovered Cornelia and the Feldenkrais Method® after my second surgery for a brain tumor which left me with a weak ankle and I was wearing a brace. In the lessons with Cornelia, I became aware of my body, balance and how I move. Therefore when I tax my body, I am able to realize that I have tools now to make corrections. Through the use of Feldenkrais, I have been able to give up my brace and to maneuver more smoothly.                            
Bernard Franz, sculptor, painter

I don’t know how to explain it, but I can now garden extensively without my back even hurting at all. 
                          Regine DuBay

Cornelia is able and willing to adapt the lessons to fit my concerns and the moods of the moment. I experienced joy and giggles during the lessons. My head position now feels slightly more at ease.           
Sue Newcomb, acupuncture student, LMT
The terms  FELDENKRAIS METHOD®, FUNCTIONAL  INTEGRATION®, AWARENESS THROUGH MOVEMENT®  are registered service marks of The FELDENKRAIS GUILD® of North America.