Feldenkrais Method

Introductory Handouts

• Benefits of Feldenkrais
• "New hope for aching, creaky yuppie bodies," by Norman Doidge, MD
• "The Feldenkrais Method for People with Chronic Pain," by Marek Wyszynski, PT, GCFP 
• Awareness Through Movement: Keys for Success
• "Learn to Learn: A manual to help you get the best results from the Awareness Through Movement® lessons," by Moshé Feldenkrais, DSc

Online Awareness Through Movement (ATM) Lessons

• Alex's Patreon - Listen to Alex's ATM lessons on Patreon. Several lessons are available for free and you can subscribe for access to more.
• Feldenkrais Access Lesson Library - 17 free ATM lessons taught by David Zemach-Bersin
• The Feldenkrais Project - Donor-supported online lessons with Nick Strauss-Klein. No paywall.
• Free ATMs from Movement and Creativity
• openATM.org - Free, downloadable recordings of ATM lessons

​More Articles

• "Eleven Principles of the Feldenkrais Method" from The Brain's Way of Healing,​ by Norman Doidge, MD
• "She will dance at her wedding": Healing the girl born without part of her brain (excerpt from The Brain's Way of Healing), by Norman Doidge, MD
• ​"On Health" by Moshe Feldenkrais - "A healthy person is one who can live fully his unavowed dreams."
• ​"A Concise Biography of Moshe Feldenkrais," by Mark Reese
• "Helping, Fixing, or Serving" by Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen - Healing happens when we approach others with a sense of humility and an appreciation for that which we may not know.

Videos
​Future Life Now - YouTube videos about Feldenkrais, including interviews from the Feldenkrais Awareness Summit

Press Articles

• "A different way to relieve years of back pain" (The Washington Post, Sep. 2018)
• "Trying the Feldenkrais Method for Chronic Pain" (The New York Times, Oct. 2017)
• "His Methods May Seem Bizarre, but Thousands Swear by Mind-Body Guru Moshe Feldenkrais" (People Magazine​, Sep. 1981)
• "Teaching the body how to program the brain is Moshe’s ‘miracle’" (Smithsonian Magazine, Jan. 1981)

Neuroscience & Trauma Researchers:

• Norman Doidge, MD, author of New York Times bestsellers The Brain's Way of Healing and The Brain That Changes Itself
• Bessel van der Kolk, MD, author of The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma
• Stephen Porges, PhD, developer of polyvagal theory, Distinguished University Scientist at the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University Bloomington, and researcher on healing trauma

​Books by (or about) Moshe Feldenkrais

• Embodied Wisdom: The Collected Papers of Moshe Feldenkrais
• Awareness Through Movement: Health Exercises for Personal Growth - Feldenkrais's most popular book, written an an introduction to his method for the layman.​
• Body Awareness as Healing Therapy: The Case of Nora - Moshe's case study of helping a client regain functioning after a stroke--fascinating, and much easier to read than his more theoretical books.
• Moshe Feldenkrais: A Life in Movement, by Mark Reese - A fascinating, comprehensive, and extensively researched biography of Moshe, including in-depth discussions of his theories and their influences.​
• Making Connections: Roots and Resonance in the Life and Teachings of Moshe Feldenkrais by David Kaetz
• Body and Mature Behavior: A Study of Anxiety, Sex, Gravitation, and Learning by Moshe Feldenkrais
  
• The Potent Self: A Study of Spontaneity and Compulsion by Moshe Feldenkrais

Books about (or related to) the Feldenkrais Method

• The Brain’s Way of Healing: Remarkable Discoveries and Recoveries from the Frontiers of Neuroplasticity, by Norman Doidge, MD - Doidge's second book and a personal favorite of mine. It includes a chapter on the Feldenkrais Method and a chapter on David Webber's use of the Feldenkrais Method to heal his vision. It's long but an easy read and absolutely fascinating.
• Crooked: Outwitting the Back Pain Industry and Getting On the Road to Recovery by Cathryn Jakobson Ramin - "Details the nature and results of virtually every current approach to treating back pain." - Jane Brody, NY Times. Includes a section on Feldenkrais​
• The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D.
• ​The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science​, by Norman Doidge, MD - Doidge's look at the burgeoning theory of neuroplasticity and how people have been able to rewire their brains with almost miraculous results.
• Hare Brain, Tortoise Mind: Why Intelligence Increases When You Think Less​, by Guy Claxton
  

Vision Improvement

• ​​"Seeing Clearly" article by David Webber, Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner (GCFP)
• Take Off Your Glasses and See: A Mind/Body Approach to Expanding Your Eyesight and Insight, by Jacob Liberman, OD, PhD
• Seeing Clearly (CD set) by David Webber, GCFP

If you are working on reducing the strength of your glasses, inexpensive glasses are available without a prescription from Zenni Optical.

The Embodied Life School
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For Musicians

• ​“Creating Optimal Learning Conditions: A Practical Application of the Feldenkrais Method® in Music" by Alex Toenniges
• Easy Hands and Arms (ATM CD) by Cliff Smyth
• ​In Tune with Yourself: Feldenkrais for Musicians (CD set), by Jerry Karzen
• ​​Optimal Moves: Effortless Use of the Arms and Hands (CD set), by Mary Spire
• ​​Singing with Your Whole Self: The Feldenkrais Method and Voice (book), by Samuel Nelson & Elizabeth Blades-Zeller​ ​
• Audition Success by Don Greene

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More resources for a healthy, embodied life

• Brené Brown, PhD, LMSW, research professor at University of Houston studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathyThe Gifts of Imperfection, Daring Greatly, Rising Strong
  • ​The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are
  • Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead
  • Rising Strong: How the Ability to Reset Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead
• The Gottman Institute (Drs. John & Julie Gottman), a research-based approach to relationships
  • The Seven Principles of Making Marriage Work: A Practical Guide from the Country's Foremost Relationship Expert
  • The Science of Trust: Emotional Attunement for Couples​
  • Eight Dates: Essential Conversations for a Lifetime of Love
• Center for Healthy Minds at University of Wisconsin-Madison (Richard Davidson, PhD, founder), studying the science of emotions, contemplative practices, resilience, kindness, compassion, gratitude and empathy
• Kristin Neff, PhD & Chris Germer, PhD
  • The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook
• Marshall Rosenberg, PhD
  • Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life
• Stuart Brown, PhD, founder of the National Institute for Play
  • ​Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul

Food, Nutrition, Herbalism & Permaculture

• Sandor Katz:
  • Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods
  • The Art of Fermentation: An In-Depth Exploration of Essential Concepts and Processes from around the World
• Michael Pollan
  • ​Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation (book and Netflix documentary series)
  • How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence by Michael Pollan
• Paul Stamets: Fungi Perfecti
  • Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World
• Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats, by Sally Fallon
• Full Moon Feast: Food and the Hunger for Connection, by Jessica Prentice
• The Vegetarian Myth: Food, Justice, and Sustainability, by Lierre Keith
• Essence of Permaculture: A summary of permaculture concepts and principles taken from 'Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability', by David Holmgren
• Zen in the Art of Permaculture Design, by Stefan Geyer
• Healing Wise by Susun S. Weed
• Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants by Douglas W. Tallamy
• The Wild Wisdom of Weeds: 13 Essential Plants for Human Survival by Katrina Blair​​

• Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype, by Clarissa Pinkola Estés
• The Language of Emotions: What Your Feelings Are Trying to Tell You, by Karla McLaren
• The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by don Miguel Ruiz
• Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When the Stakes Are High, by Patterson, Grenny, McMillan, and Switzler
• Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
• Night by Elie Wiesel
• ​The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
• Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu (translated by Stephen Mitchell)
  
• ​10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works by Dan Harris​
• ​Headspace: Meditation and Mindfulness Made Simple (phone app)

Nature Connection and Community-Building

• Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit by Daniel Quinn
• Grandfather: A Native American's Lifelong Search for Truth and Harmony with Nature, by Tom Brown Jr.
• Coyote's Guide to Connecting with Nature, by Jon Young, Ellen Haas, Evan McGown
• ​Reclaiming Our Natural Connections (audio CD), by Jon Young​​
• ​Wilderness Awareness School (Duvall, WA)
• 8 Shields: Creating Nature-Connected Communities, World-Wide
• ​512 Project: The stories from our past weave a vision for our future

Fitness, Environmental Conditioning, & Ancestral Movement

• The Way of the Life Athlete, by Peter Shmock - "A must-read for all who are alive and have a body." (also check out The Life Athlete podcast)
• What Doesn't Kill Us: How Freezing Water, Extreme Altitude, and Environmental Conditioning Will Renew Our Lost Evolutionary Strength, by Scott Carney
  • The Wim Hof Method
• Nutritious Movement with Katy Bowman
  • ​Move Your DNA: Restore Your Health Through Natural Movement
• Arthur Haines
• The Happy Body with Aniela and Jerzy Gregorek - (I am wary of their nutrition recommendations. As the partner of an eating disorder psychologist, I don't recommend restrictive eating. Listen to your body and eat in a way that nourishes you. Check out some of the books above for a better guide to food.)
• Barefoot/Minimalist Footwear Brands: 
  • Xeroshoes
  • ​Vivobarefoot
  • Lems Shoes

Menstrual, Sexual, and Environmental Health

• ​Her Blood Is Gold: Awakening to the Wisdom of Menstruation, by Lara Owen
• A New View of a Woman's Body, by The Federation of Women's Health Centers
• Our Bodies, Ourselves, by The Boston Women's Health Collective
• Taking Charge of Your Fertility: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control, Pregnancy Achievement, and Reproductive Health, by Toni Weschler, MPH
• Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom: Creating Physical and Emotional Health and Healing by Christiane Northrup, M.D.
• The Fifth Vital Sign: Master Your Cycles and Optimize Your Fertility by Lisa Hendrickson-Jack
• The Period Repair Manual, Natural Treatment for Better Hormones and Better Periods, by Lara Briden
• An Electronic Silent Spring: Facing the Dangers and Creating Safe Limits, by Katie Singer
• Women's Anatomy of Arousal: Secret Maps to Buried Pleasure, by Sheri Winston​​
• Healthy Parents, Better Babies: A Couple's Guide to Natural Preconception Health Care by Francesca Naish and Janette Roberts
• ​Grace of the Moon - Sarah Bly: Sexual Health and Fertility Awareness Education (Ashland, OR)
• Ashley Hartman Annis: Certified Fertility Awareness Educator (Madison, WI)
• The Elemental Self - Sarah Byrden: MogaDao Sacred Daoist Sexuality Teacher (Ashland, OR)
• Association of Fertility Awareness Professionals​​