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Saturday, December 30, 2017

Happy New Year!! Feldenkrais classes start Tues. Jan. 2, 2018.

Dear Friends and Students,

I hope you had a meaningful holiday and are looking forward to the New Year with optimism!

In the spirit of co-creating optimism and inner quiet, wellbeing and strength, please know that my Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement classes start on Jan. 2, at Noon, 250 Bell St., followed by Jan. 4 at the Reno Buddhist Center, 6 pm, and then Jan. 6 at 250 Bell St., 10 am. We will undertake this study of unlocking and releasing our possibilities together, once again. 

The first lesson of the new year is called "Tossing the Limbs" which explores the subtle and important ways that we move, lift and lower various parts of our bodies, and the effect of this on the rest of our body. It will be as subtle as or jarring as the state of your nervous system, meaning that slowing down and truly sensing bodily response can be a whole new journey in itself. It is a new lesson from the Alexander Yanai material that I have been studying each day with other Feldenkrais practitioners around the world at 8 am. 

The chance to observe and feel/sense the effects of moving in different ways is a perfect way to begin the new year -- with self-awareness and a truly new perspective on our habits. If we don't know what we do with ourselves habitually, how can we possibly work effectively in a new direction?  We cannot. We simply get caught in an aggravating, endless circle of dissatisfaction and discomfort; no amount of physical effort produces any change. Only by accessing ourselves through our awareness and sensation, learning about our habits -- physically, mentally and emotionally, will we find real growth and lasting change. 

If you have any questions about classes or individual Functional Integration lessons, please contact me using the blogger contact form to the right of this post.



Warmest wishes, 

Carole

Carole Bucher, BA, GCFP
Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner and Teacher 



Thursday, November 23, 2017

What are the Principles of the Feldenkrais Method?

Reaching your potential at every age means self-awareness, fitness, connecting brain and body. 

The following is from Andrew Gibbon's Body of Knowledge:

1) Good posture is the ability to move in any direction without hesitation or preparation, and it's based on the specific contact we find with the surfaces we’re on.* (Jeff Haller's addendum in italics).
2) Clear Skeletal Support: the bones below move to support the bones above. 
3) Evenly distributed muscular effort/tone (proportional work: the big muscles do the big work, small muscles small work)
4) Every movement is generated through an equal and opposite force delivered to/received from the ground. 
5) Force must travel up and through the skeleton (longitudinally), not across it. Avoid shearing forces.
6) Head and eyes are free in the activity.
7) Breathing is free in the activity.
8) Reversibility: the ability to organize for the action and it's suspension or reversal at any moment.



Sunday, November 19, 2017

No Feldenkrais Class at RBC on Thanksgiving Nov. 23, 2017

Just a reminder, I will not be teaching a Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement (ATM) class on Thanksgiving eve at the Reno Buddhist Center. Thursday classes will resume for 2 more weeks in 2017 before the holiday vacation which starts after Dec. 16. 
Tuesday and Saturday classes at 250 Bell St., continue next week and also for 2 more weeks as well, ending after Dec. 16.
All classes begin again in 2018 the week of Tuesday Jan 2, at 250 Bell St. and the Reno Buddhist Center. 
If you have any questions, use the contact form to the right on my web page and I'll get back to you quickly. 
See you on the floor soon!
Hope you have a great turkey or tofurkey day!
Carole


Wednesday, November 8, 2017

FUN lesson: Walking on all fours :-) | Feldenkrais with Alfons



An interesting example of a Feldenkrais lesson (Awareness Through Movement). Please do not try this if you have back, spine or hip issues, or do not have knowledge of the Feldenkrais Method of Movement. For information, please contact me via the form at the upper right of this website.

Monday, November 6, 2017

Holiday Schedule 2017 Feldenkrais Classes

2017 Feldenkrais classes will end for the year after class on Sat. Dec. 16; we will remain off track for 2 weeks and then start again on Jan. 2. 


Reno Buddhist Center, Thurs 6 pm
So get your classes NOW and let pain free and better physical, mental and creative organization and vitality carry you into the holidays. NOW is the right time. ♥.

Classes are at noon TUES and 10 am SAT at 250 Bell; THURS 6 pm at the Reno Buddhist Ctr. If you are coming to your first class, please contact me and plan to come 15 minutes early. Bring a blanket, a medium sized towel and water. Drop-in fee is $15. 

Over the 2 week holiday, I may offer a special Feldenkrais clinic/workshop, and will continue to see people privately for Functional Integration session. 

250 Bell St., Tues noon and Sat 10 am. 

Monday, October 30, 2017

The New York Times' Jane Brody describes the Feldenkrais Method.








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After two hourlong sessions focused first on body awareness and then on movement retraining at the Feldenkrais Institute of New York, I understood what it meant to experience an incredible lightness of being. Having, temporarily at least, released the muscle tension that aggravates my back and hip pain, I felt like I was walking on air.
I had long refrained from writing about this method of countering pain because I thought it was some sort of New Age gobbledygook with no scientific basis. Boy, was I wrong!
The Feldenkrais method is one of several increasingly popular movement techniques, similar to the Alexander technique, that attempt to better integrate the connections between mind and body. By becoming aware of how one’s body interacts with its surroundings and learning how to behave in less stressful ways, it becomes possible to relinquish habitual movement patterns that cause or contribute to chronic pain.
The method was developed by Moshe Feldenkrais, an Israeli physicist, mechanical engineer and expert in martial arts, after a knee injury threatened to leave him unable to walk. Relying on his expert knowledge of gravity and the mechanics of motion, he developed exercises to help teach the body easier, more efficient ways to move.
I went to the institute at the urging of Cathryn Jakobson Ramin, author of the recently published book “Crooked” that details the nature and results of virtually every current approach to treating back pain, a problem that has plagued me on and off (now mostly on) for decades. Having benefited from Feldenkrais lessons herself, Ms. Ramin had good reason to believe they would help me.
Continue reading the main story
In her book, she recounts the experience of Courtney King, who first experienced crippling back spasms in her late 20s. Ms. King was taking several dance classes a week and practicing yoga, and she thought the stress of these activities might be causing the pain in her tight, inflexible back. But after a number of Feldenkrais sessions, she told Ms. Ramin, “I realized that the pain had more to do with the way I carried myself every day.”
Even after just one session, I understood what she meant. When I make a point of walking upright and fluid, sitting straight, even cooking relaxed and unhurried, I have no pain. The slow, gentle, repetitive movements I practiced in a Feldenkrais group class helped foster an awareness of how I use my body in relation to my environment, and awareness is the first step to changing one’s behavior.
One common problem of which I’m often guilty is using small muscles to accomplish tasks meant for large, heavy-duty ones, resulting in undue fatigue and pain.
The group class, called Awareness Through Movement, was followed by an individual session called Functional Integration with a therapist that helped to free tight muscles and joints that were limiting my motion and increasing my discomfort. Using gentle manipulation and passive movements, the therapist individualized his approach to my particular needs.
The ultimate goal of both sessions is, in effect, to retrain the brain – to establish new neural pathways that result in easy, simple movements that are physiologically effective and comfortable. Although the Feldenkrais method was developed in the mid-20th century, neurophysiologists have since demonstrated the plasticity of the brain, its ability to form new cells, reorganize itself and, in effect, learn new ways to do things.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/30/well/trying-the-feldenkrais-method-for-chronic-pain.html


Saturday, October 21, 2017

Learning from Differences - a life-changing skill you can develop.

The ability to sense differences is a critical part of the Feldenkrais Method, in the journey to become more self-aware, stable, comfortable, efficient and happy in our movement and life.
Here is a beautiful demonstration of what learning from differences means: Leora Gaster (daughter of Mia Segal, one of Dr. Feldenkrais' first and most prominent students) and the MBS Academy.
If you find this interesting and empowering and would like to learn about Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement classes or Functional Integration in the Reno-Tahoe-Carson City region, please contact me using the form on the upper right hand side of this blog.


Monday, August 7, 2017

Beginners' Feldenkrais Opportunity, for new and long-time students




Feel your body in a completely new way, allow alignment to improve naturally.  This is an ageless experience.


Consciousness and connection develop from the inside, via the subtleties of body awareness, as you work with your attention and sensation. You will just feel better, more alert, more alive!

A new lesson this week that is as significant for beginners as it it for we who have done Feldenkrais for many years. If you've never done Awareness Thru Movement and want to, this is a marvelous way to begin. Noon Tues at 250 Bell St., 6 pm Thurs at the Reno Buddhist Ctr. 820 Plumas, and 10 am Sat at 250 Bell St. Please contact me for the class handout if you want to come, and plan on showing up 15 mins. early so we can meet before class. You will be glad to did! 


Hope you can join us! With best wishes, Carole

Thursday, August 3, 2017

Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement class this week at 250 Bell St., Reno

Relieving shoulder and rib pain by freeing the movement of your shoulders, ribs and spine, and balancing your pelvis and legs too. 


These are really fun photos of our Tuesday Noon Awareness Through Movement class at 250 Bell St. this week. 

The lesson is called Candle-holder arms (Chanukia) and has a wonderful, whole body effect. It literally reorganizes the chest around the shoulders, which permits the shoulders to move far more freely and to be much more comfortable.

Shoulder pain can come from so many different causes, directions, overuse. This lesson gives you tools to use to help feel yourself more sensitively and then to apply this knowledge in a second nature way to improve your alignment,  movement and comfort.

Please contact me using the form above in the upper right hand corner, if you want more information and would like to come to a class. You may start at any time but please contact me first and I will send you the class handout and answer questions you may have.  Looking forward to seeing you!
Carole


Sunday, July 2, 2017

4th of July Feldenkrais Class

Happy 4th of July Feldenkrais!!! 
On 4th of July, at 10 am, there will be a Feldenkrais class at 600. So. Center St. at Moran.

This will be the final Tuesday class at this location.  From July 11th on, our Tuesday class will be at NOON, at 250 Bell St., near 2nd St.  


If you have a question, please contact me for clarification. 


Thanks so much, Carole


Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Class locations - Tues and Sat Feldenkrais classes are moving to 250 Bell St., July 8.

CRITICAL FELDY CLASS NEWS -- Announcing the new Reno Feldenkrais class location for my Tues and Sat. classes, at 250 Bell St., Reno. This location is the home of Cathexes, a premier Reno architectural firm actively involved in community events in the Reno-Tahoe and northern Nevada area and in the renovation of downtown Reno.

Please note -- The new times for the Tues. and Sat. classes are as follows: 
(1) On Sat. July 8, my Sat. Feldenkrais class moves to 250 Bell St. The new Saturday class time is 10 am. 


(2) On Tues. July 11, my Tues. class moves to 250 Bell St. too. The new Tuesday class time is 12 noon.

(3) Please note: my Thursday 6 pm class at the Reno Buddhist Center (RBC), 820 Plumas -- IS NOT CHANGING.
An email announcement with more information will be coming. Just remember the new dates and times for the Tuesday and Saturday classes! 

Monday, May 29, 2017

Beginner's Feldenkrais Workshop, June 11, 1-3:30 pm, in Reno

At last! A Feldenkrais workshop for newbies, for people who have always wanted to take a Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement class -- but just haven't done it yet. 


Well, here's your chance and what you'll learn:


  1. The revolutionary Feldenkrais approach to using movement, self-sensing and self-awareness to improve flexibility, stability and comfort in standing, sitting and lying down. How this reconnects your brain and body, re-establishes your brain map and reduces pain.
  2. We will explore basic movement and balance issues and identify options for improvement.
  3. You will learn to begin to recognize and let go of tension and movement patterns that no longer work for you, that compromise your efficiency and comfort. To be playful about movement again!

  • The workshop will be 2 1/2 to 3 hrs long. 
  • Cost will be $35. 
  • Participants must sign up and pay in advance.
  • I will send you preliminary information and links. Please begin by watching the short videos on this website on the right hand sidebar if you haven't seen them yet.
  • The date has not been finalized; I will choose either a week day during the day, or a Sunday, depending on who signs up to attend. 
  • If you want to reserve a spot in this workshop, contact me ASAP and state your day/time preference.


I won't be giving this workshop on days or times that conflict with my existing classes: 
--Tuesday 10-11:30 am, 600 S. Center St.  
--Thursday 6-7:30 pm at the Reno Buddhist Center, 820 Plumas St. 
--Saturday 3-4:30 pm, 600 S. Center St.



Monday, May 22, 2017

Felden-WHAT?

By Lawrence Wm. Goldfarb, CFT, Ph.D.


It was about to happen; that moment, that dreaded moment. I was at my friend Marcello's birthday party, enjoying the Brazilian music when one of the other guests engaged me in a friendly conversation. We discussed the usual things, such as the weather and how we each knew the guest of honor. Peter had just finished telling me about his research in engineering when it happened:

“What do you do for a living?"

“I'm a Feldenkrais® teacher."

“Felden-what?"

“Feldenkrais. It is a method of movement re-education, named after the man who developed it, Moshe Feldenkrais."

“Felden-Christ?"

“Close, but not quite. It's Feldenkrais:
F — E — L — D — E — N — K — R — A — I — S. It rhymes with rice."


“Feldenkrais?"

“Exactly. The Feldenkrais Method® is a way to teach movement. I work with people who have physical limitations, such as chronic pain or neurological problems, or with people who want to improve their performance, like actors, musicians, or athletes. I also teach classes in the physical education program at the University."

“What do you teach?" 

“Usually students come to me because they are experiencing some kind of limitation, something that is interfering with their daily life or obstructing progress or performance. My job is to figure out how they are moving, how that relates to the problem they are experiencing, and how they could move differently enough so that the problem can't continue."

“Sounds interesting. Is it some kind of exercise? Or do you show people how to correct their posture?”

“Well, it's not that easy to answer, mostly because what I teach, and how I teach, is pretty different from exercise or posture. Both of these are based on similar assumptions: If you are weak, then you should exercise to strengthen your muscles. If, on the other hand you think bad posture causes your problem, then you should correct it and stand up straight. Both assume that the body is some-thing that must be molded, reshaped, put in its proper place. Neither gives you the chance to see that what you are doing might contribute to the problem you face. Neither approach looks at how you move and how that could relate to the problem you’re experiencing.”

“Are you saying that people shouldn't exercise?”

“No. I'm not saying that. I am saying that exercise alone isn't enough. The idea behind exercise is that you are not strong enough, that your muscles need to be in better condition. So an exercise program is designed to increase the ability of muscles to work. I think this is often a mistaken view, because the problems that I deal with—chronic pain, neurological difficulties, obstacles to performance—do not have to do with how strong the person is, they all have to do with the way someone moves. I guess you could say, I am interested in people moving smarter, not stronger.”

“Are you saying that movement can cause problems?”

“Yes, that’s close to what I am saying. The way you move can lead to problems. What's more interesting is that you can be unaware that the movement is at the root of the problem.”

“Oh, so people might think that their problems are caused by not being strong enough or by being damaged, when actually it is a result of how they are moving? And we are not aware of this?”

“Yes, most of us are unaware of how we move. We pay attention to where we’re going or what we are doing, not to how we move. For example, think about how you stand up from sitting. How do you do it? What happens? What moves when?”

Peter stands up and sits back down a few times, saying, "I see what you mean. It is more complex than I expected. Usually, I think of standing up and then, next thing I know, I am standing. I guess I have never thought much about it before.”

“That's what I mean. Most of us don't think about our bodies until we experience pain or some kind of problem. But that means that we could have been moving in an inefficient or dangerous way for a long time by the time we notice something is wrong. This is one place where the saying 'If it works, don't fix it' doesn't apply.”

“But why is that? Why don't we notice?”

“Because our movements become habitual, automatic. We repeat the same movements over and over, without thinking or noticing. When something happens repeatedly, it drops from our consciousness. This isn't necessarily bad, it is a part of the process of learning.” “Does that mean we learn to move in inefficient ways?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Well, because we move only as well as we've learned to move and that learning process is pretty haphazard. There are many things that influence how we move: childhood development, accommodations to previous injuries, and the requirements of specialized activities we engage in (such as sports, musical instruments, or work motions). Finally, since we don't really understand how our bodies move, we often move in ways that don't fit with the way we are put together.”

“Can you give me an example?”

“Sure. People think that the body hinges at the waist and they move as if that were so. Unfortunately, the lower back does not allow for that kind of motion; the design of hip joints is what allows the torso to bend forward and back. The muscles of the back are not designed for that movement. Interestingly enough, this is region where most people hurt their backs. ”

“I see. Moving as if your back were made to hinge at the waist can lead to back strain and pain.”

“That's it; you understand. But, anyway, I have taken enough of your time with this. Sorry, I can get carried away talking about my work.”

“Not at all, this is very interesting. It sure beats the normal party chatter. My mom has had chronic back pain for years, so I'm curious about your work. I was going to ask you what you could do for her.”

“It's not easy to say because I would have to see how she moves.”

“Can you say generally what you do when you start working with someone?”

“Yes, I can describe what would happen if your mom were to come to see me. I would begin by looking at her move, asking her to turn right and left, bend forward, back and to each side. I would put my hands on her to feel which muscles were working, which muscles weren't engaging, and which ones weren't letting go. I would look for some kind of habit or pattern that interferes with other movements.”

“You lost me there. What do you mean when you say a pattern that interferes with other movements?”

“I mean that it often seems as if people have gotten stuck doing a movement or holding themselves, unconsciously, in certain way. For instance, if you injure your leg, you change how you walk and you begin to limp. The limp may be appropriate immediately after an injury, but it can last much longer than the injury. If it continues longer than it's needed, it can lead directly to pain, stiffness, and other problems. But that's just one example; you can limp with your shoulder, your neck, or your back. Indeed, you don't have to injure yourself to develop this kind of movement. You can acquire a similar habit playing a musical instrument, repeating work movements day in and day out, playing certain sports, and so on. The key is that you develop a movement pattern you get stuck with, a pattern that underlies every movement and interferes with any activity that runs counter to it.”

“Go on.”

“For instance, I was recently working with a bus driver who had recurring back pain. When I looked at her movement, it became quite clear that the muscles of the lower trunk were chronically contracted and that her back was locked stiff. Even when she tried to stretch, she could not get her lower back to let go. It was as if she had lost control of those muscles. She thought her back was supposed to be straight, so after her first bout of back pain, many years earlier, she taught herself to keep her back flat. When she moved her trunk, she overused the muscles of her upper back, so they had begun to hurt constantly. Though the doctor could find no disease, the bus driver still thought something was wrong with her spine. I could help her see that it was her movement that was causing the problem.”

“Once she saw that, could she change what she was doing?”

“Not immediately. You see, over the years, she had lost touch with what those muscles were doing. It was as if she was on automatic pilot and she had forgotten how to regain manual control.”

“So what do you do about that? I think it would be incredibly frustrating to understand the cause of the problem and not be able to do anything about it.”

“That's where the method comes into play. There are two ways in which I work with people: in hands-on individual lessons and in group lessons. Both ways of working are based on the idea of teaching people to be aware of how they are moving, how they can move, and to increase their options and comfort. During the group lessons, I talk people through a sequence of gentle movements; during the individual lessons, I use my hands to move the student.”

“Does it hurt?”

“Not at all. Feldenkrais is gentle. The idea is that you will change most easily if the new movements are more comfortable than the old ones. I like to say that our motto is ‘No pain, MORE gain.’ ”

“Is this like massage or chiropractic?”

“No. The one similarity is that we touch people, but beyond that the Feldenkrais Method® is very different. In massage, the practitioner is working directly with the muscles, in chiropractic, with the bones. Feldenkrais is about working with your ability to regulate and coordinate your movement; that means that Feldenkrais is about working with the nervous system and the coordination of movement.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, remember the bus driver I mentioned. Her muscles were tight because her nervous system told them to contract. They didn't decide to tighten on their own, muscles don't think for themselves. The brain tells them what to do. So my job is to help my student learn to control her or his muscles again. I do that using very gentle guided movements, staying in the range of ease at all times.”

“Pretty amazing. You really think people can change without hurting?”

“Absolutely. That's one of the reasons I love what I do.”

“But wait, my mom has some kind of problem with her discs. Would Feldenkrais cure her?”

“Feldenkrais isn't about curing or fixing people. It isn't a medical treatment, it's an educational approach. It's about helping people get control back into their lives by understanding why they feel the way they do and by learning how to move differently so that they don't have to keep feeling that way. Even when people have an organic problem or disease, I can often help them deal with how they respond to the problem. For instance, when I work with people who have arthritis, my job isn't to get rid of the disease. In this case, my job is to help them move so that they don't stress the affected joints and so that they can find more comfortable, safer, ways to do what they want to do. Same thing applies to disc problems—even when there is a structural problem—the question is how can the person move in a better way, so that they increase their comfort and avoid or minimize future problems.”

“Oh, oh. They are lighting the candles. Can we talk more after the festivities . . . ”

Feldenkrais®, Feldenkrais Method®, Functional Integration®, and Awareness Through Movement® are registered service marks; and Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner® and Guild Certified Feldenkrais Teacher® are certification marks of The FELDENKRAIS GUILD of North America and many other Feldenkrais professional organizations around the world.

Sunday, April 30, 2017

Wake up your brain and get your body back!

How The Feldenkrais Method helps you change and improve your life:


1.     Movement with attention.  Our brains are organized through movement, movements we already know and do, and movements we have yet to learn. The more habitual our everyday movements, the less we are able to satisfy the brain’s need for growth.  When we introduce new patterns of movement, combined with attention, our brains begin making thousands, millions and even billions of new connections. This means clearer thinking, easier movement, pain that is reduced or eliminated, and actions that are more successful.

2.     Turn on your learning switch.  Learning occurs in the brain. During childhood, the learning switch is turned on a lot. As we grow and take on the responsibilities of adulthood, we tend to develop habitual patterns, a set way of doing things, rigidity and resistance to change.  Our learning switch turns off and learning slows down drastically.  We can learn to turn the switch back on; regardless of age, we can wake up our brains.

3.     Subtlety.  Your brain thrives on subtlety, on gentle, less-forceful, more refined input. [In Feldenkrais] we discover that subtlety generates incredible new possibilities that will even change how you speak to your loved ones, how you present an idea, how you cook and taste, how you move, and how you remain vital.  Attending to subtlety will reveal to you what turns your brain on AND what makes it check out (going back to autopilot), instilling your life with new excitement, zest for life, creativity and fun.

4.     Variation. A life filled with possibility must include the miraculous.  By exploring different ways of moving, thinking, feeling, and acting, you will become more resilient and healthy.  Experiment, play, make room for new elements in all areas of your life.

5.     Slow. Slow gets the brain’s attention and gives it time to distinguish and perceive small changes and form new connections.  With fast (when you are on auto-pilot), you can only do what you already know, so nothing new is happening.  Slow is learning at the level of the nervous system.

6.     Enthusiasm.  Enthusiasm can boost the energy of everything you do, think or feel.  We often think of enthusiasm as caused by an external event. However, it can be generated from within, becoming an intentional action for transforming virtually anything in our lives. Enthusiasm can take the seemingly small, dull, boring or unimportant and turn it into something new and magnificent.  Learn to strengthen the muscle of your enthusiasm and reclaim your energy and passion. 

7.     Flexible goals.  Goal setting is important for getting what we want from life.  But how we go about achieving our goals can create impediments, resistance to change, shutting us down, and even resulting in failure. Loss of vitality, being stuck or aging can often be traced to the way we approach our goals.  By learning to hold goals loosely, you will accomplish more, with less suffering, and open up to new possibilities. Vitality and health are fostered by a free, flexible, playful attitude toward goals; embrace mistakes, make room for miracles!

8.     Imagination and dreams.  Positive imagining and dreaming can transform your life. Dreams can guide you to create what has never been. While our capacity to be positive may be dampened from trauma, disappointment, or aging, you can reclaim and revive this rich and vital resource any time you choose.  Imagining a sequence and outcome makes things clearer in reality. Elite athletes and performers know this.

9.     Awareness.  Awareness – Sensing, knowing, and knowing that you know – is the opposite of automaticity and compulsion.  Awareness means that you are living in the present.  Awareness is a skill that we need to hone throughout life to enjoy freedom and choice.  With awareness, working toward presence, we can create a joyful and alert life.  Self-awareness as you work with attention in movement is life changing.


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Excerpted from:  The nine essentials for greater health, vitality, sensuality, flexibility, strength and creativity, throughout the full span of your life. Anat Baniel was a primary student of Dr. Feldenkrais, whose work came to be called the Anat Baniel Method. It is based fundamentally on Dr. Feldenkrais’ teachings.