The Feldenkrais Method uses gentle movement and awareness to update the brain about greater possibilities of function and movement. It can be taught in a class format, called Awareness Through Movement, or delivered as a handson therapy in private sessions, called Functional Integration. “I am more flexible and agile at age 40 than I was at age 25,” says one practitioner. “Because of Feldenkrais Method, my performance ability as a dancer is stronger than ever.”

Andrew Weil, M.D., director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, supports this assessment. “I find it to be much more useful than standard physical therapy,” he says. “I also believe that the Feldenkrais Method can help older people achieve greater range of motion, flexibility and help us all feel more comfortable in our bodies.”

Classes normally involve lying on a mat on the floor while being guided through a pattern of movements that help the nervous system find full skeletal support for a given action. Private sessions are fully clothed and use gentle movement tailored to the client’s individual structural alignment.

Some applications include recovering from surgery, stroke or injury, fine-tuning athletic performance and improving function for people with movement challenges resulting from cerebral palsy or other ailments.

Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner Tammy Rosen Wilbur can be reached at 520-305-5393 or TucsonFeldenkrais.com.