Honouring Moshe Feldenkrais

Moshe Feldenkrais would be 110 this week if he were still with us!  His birth date is May 6, 1904.

International Feldenkrais® week, May 2-11 honours Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais.

Moshe Feldenkrais was sent away by his family at the age of 13 to escape pogroms against Jews in the Ukraine. He made his way to early Israel. He was a pioneer of the State of Israel and a warrior; later an engineer, martial arts master, husband and father but most importantly to us, a teacher par excellence.

The Feldenkrais community celebrates the founder of a unique method of movement education; a method that focuses on human development and that teaches people how they can realize their full potential, using movement as a vehicle for learning.

I never met him but the stories told by colleagues who had the good fortune to study with him describe a man of multiple layers who was smart, funny, multilingual, considerate and kind but at the same time did not suffer fools gladly.

His way of teaching was different than most, especially in his time. He taught gently and slowly, wanting his students to understand his teaching deep within their whole beings. Taking notes during his classes was frowned upon as he believed it distracted from understanding, feeling, sensing and thus learning. He answered questions with long talks that at first seemed to be off topic, but in his own way answered the question and then some.

Click here to to read Moshe Feldenkrais’ biography by the late Mark Reese.

To commemorate Feldenkrais’ birthday and Feldenkrais week, I will teach an extra FREE class on Tuesday May 6, 5:30-6:30pm, his actual birth date. Open to the first 8 people, current students as well as new students, who email me their interest. Sorry, no drop ins.

Spring classes
All regular classes continue this week and through June 26.

There is lots of room in our Monday 1 pm class if you want to try a class. Why not come with a friend and then go out for tea or coffee.

There is also space for drop ins to our class in Richmond, Mondays at 10:15 am (#1 and Chatham).

There are limited spaces for drop ins in our other classes in Vancouver. Please email first for availability. Special rate for new timers is $15, other drop ins $20.

Tuesday at 10:30 am
Wednesday at 7 pm
Thursday at 6 pm

Our last Spring Workshop is on Saturday, June 7 Workshops

Better Balance
Saturday June 7, 12-3 pm; $65
In this workshop we will do gentle movements to improve balance and coordination and self-confidence so that we can be as active as we want.

Please register early to ensure we can commit to running the workshop.

Weekend workshops will resume in the Fall.  Please take a moment to write and let us know which workshops you would like to see us offer.

Here is a list of recent workshops we offered:

• Change Your Age®
• Walking Wisely
• Stop “Shouldering” the Load
• Feldenkrais® Facial
• Shoulder and Neck Ease
• Better Balance
• Your Moving Back
• Happier Hamstrings

If there are other topics not on this list you would like to see us offer, please let us know.