Tag Archives: New York Times

Trying Feldenkrais for Chronic Pain

The New York Times has just published an article about the Feldenkrais Method®. After two hours of lessons, columnist Jane E. Brody describes herself as “walking on air,” freed from her chronic pain.

She acknowledges up front a reluctance to investigate Feldenkrais: “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!”

A row of people in Sphinx pose.

© International Feldenkrais® Federation Archive, Robert Golden

Brody began to understand how the method is effective:
“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.”

Read the whole article here.

If you’ve personally experienced the benefits of Feldenkrais already, and have a friend or family member who you think would also benefit, an article like this could be a great help in convincing them. If someone like that comes to mind, please share this article with them.

Big brains because we move

New research suggests that our brains attained their size because we move. There was an evolutionary advantage to being more agile, and humans with bigger brains could move more quickly.

if physical activity helped to mold the structure of our brains, then it most likely remains essential to brain health today, according to one of the researchers, John D. Polk.

Yet another reason to make Feldenkrais or other movement part of your regular routine.

If you’re interested, you’ll find the whole article here–it’s a NY Times science blog.