What the New York Times has to say about Feldenkrais

In her excellent article, the New York Times Health Columnist Jane E. Brody wrote about her experience after attending a Feldenkrais group lesson followed by a Feldenkrais individual treatment at the Feldenkrais Institute of New York. Mrs. Brody, herself a sufferer of long-term back pain, was initially somewhat skeptical of the Feldenkrais method as she was not aware of what science, if any, it was based on. After just two hour long sessions however, she felt herself “walking on air”.
More interesting to her though was the discovery that the “slow and repetitive movements practiced in a Feldenkrais group class, helped foster an awareness of how to use my body in relation to my environment”, and that “the calming effect of the slow and gentle exercises counter the stress that results in contracted muscles, tightness and pain”. Moreover, she attested that the practice of Feldenkrais can help discover those habits that are actually harmful for us and assist us in discovering new possibilities of movement which are easier to execute and thus help reduce even long-term tension and pain. This insight is based on one of the fundamental principles of the method, finding ways to better use and rely on our bones and the entire skeleton for holding us upright rather than
(mis-)using our musculature unnecessarily to do this. The function of the muscles is to help us execute movement and not be mis-used for bearing our weight.
Jane E. Brody was the Personal Health Columnist for The New York Times from 1976 until 2022. She has appeared on numerous radio and television shows over the years and holds 5 honorary doctorate degrees from renowned universities, the University of Princeton, being one among them.
Brody, J.E. (2017, October 30). Trying the Feldenkrais method for chronic pain. The New York Times.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/30/well/trying-the-feldenkrais-method-for-chronic-pain.html