We carry in our bodies the record of old injuries, bad habits, occupational hazards and emotional stress. Juggling phones and answering e-mail at the same time has become common, everyday practice. We do it unconsciously, even though we know that holding certain positions and moving in a repetitive pattern can lead to physical pain and injury. These habits are hard to break and can interfere with performance in sports, dance and everyday life. By becoming aware of how we hold our necks, cinch our shoulders or clench our teeth, we can learn to change and eliminate unnecessary strain and tension.

The growing interest in learning how to break negative habits through a "movement re-education" process known as the Feldenkrais Method®, is gaining converts, including members of the medical profession, slowly but surely-similar to the pace set in this unique system of exercise. "Feldenkrais improves coordination, flexibility, agility and awareness of how one moves one's body," said Erica Goode, M.D., an internist at the Institute for Health & Healing at the California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, California. "I refer patients that have limited physical mobility so they can learn a physical sense of themselves, moving in natural ways that promotes overall health and well-being."

The Feldenkrais Method® is popular among athletes, musicians and dancers, says local Guild Certified instructor Naomi Saunders, referring to notable Feldenkrais clientele such as Martina Navratilova, Madonna, players for the San Francisco Giants, as well as members of the San Francisco Symphony. "This process-oriented system is able to correct basic, inefficient patterns that are unaffected by more conventional exercise," she said.

Additionally, "it is especially useful in preventing injuries and post-injury, to teach the body ways of reducing stress on already weakened areas."

David Taylor, M.D., a family doctor in Tucson, Arizona, who is also a Feldenkrais practitioner, was excited about the possibilities the method offered his patients from a "whole body" treatment perspective. "I was frustrated with the lack of a solution for treatment of the whole person, instead of "parts" of the person. I have discovered tremendous results for my patients with broken bones, sprains and general malaise. Feldenkrais completes a part of the puzzle that is missing from traditional medicine."

Saunders calls the system of gradual, organized movements "a body-brain Workout" that takes mental performance training beyond focus as students learn to pay attention in a relaxed manner. The key, Saunders said, is that it is an educational process involving the brain and interplay between the nervous and muscular systems of the body.

The Method was developed by physicist and engineer, Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais, to repair his own serious soccer-related knee injury. A judo master and soccer player with degrees in both mechanical and electrical engineering, Dr. Feldenkrais applied his engineering mind to the mechanics of body and brain to improve functioning.

"The effectiveness of the Feldenkrais Method® spans people with handicaps such as multiple sclerosis to athletes who want the mental training and everyone in between," Saunders said. It can be performed sifting, standing or lying down. "it doesn't replace strength and cardiovascular conditioning," she noted, but once mastered, the positive results of Feldenkrais movement can be maintained in as little as one hour a week.

"It depends on your goal," she explained. "Are you recovering from an injury? Is it an adjunct to your fitness regimen? Are you an athlete who wants to eliminate habits that are nonproductive for your sport? Do you need the mental conditioning to maximize performance?

"Whatever your goal, like any exercise, it needs to become a routine part of your life," said Saunders. "Most people learn to remind /their neuromuscular system of the best way to move by either taking a class or from one-on-one individual instruction." That the Feldenkrais Method is actually pleasurable is an added bonus. "People always feel refreshed and energized after a Feldenkrais session," said Saunders. "The work is mostly slow and easy as students develop the physical self awareness that is the key to improvement."

Saunders also does "house calls," individually training people through hands-on instruction. "Individual instruction is more intensive," she said, noting that it is excellent for people with serious injuries or chronic conditions unaffected by other forms of exercise or treatment.

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