The Feldenkrais® Edge™

The Feldenkrais Method®, developed by Moshe Feldenkrais (fel-den-krais), has been used for over 60 years by professional athletes, Olympic medalists, artists and performers to shake out of their performance limitations, and to ‘take their game up a notch’.

“Tennis is becoming more and more a game of movement.”

Roger Federer, Swiss Pro Tennis Player
Winner of 17 Grand Slam Championships
Australian Tennis Open 2013

Feldenkrais® benefits athletes of all levels and all sports including:

Data compiled by L.Smith 2013, © Movement Max, 2013 All Rights Reserved.
*Martina Navratilova, Czech-American Tennis Player (18 Grand Slam, and 10 Wimbledon Titles.)
*Pat Cash, Australian Tennis Player (1987 Wimbeldon Men’s Singles Winner, World #4 Ranking 1988.)
*Chris Dudley, U.S. Basketball Pro (New York Knicks, 886 lifetime games with 5 NBA teams.)
*Chris Boyd, U.S. Track (1992 U.S. Track National Champion 5,000 meters)
*Duffy Waldorf, US PGA Tour Golfer (8 Pro wins from 1995-2000)
*Rick Acton, U.S. Golfer (5-time NE PGA Champion, PGA Hall of Famer, 15 major championship wins.)

“I can’t say enough good things about the Feldenkrais Method®. I believe its made the difference between continuing my competitive running career and retiring prematurely.”

Chris Boyd
1992 US Track National Champion (5,000 meters)

Feldenkrais®, Sports & Martina Navratilova

Naomi herself became passionate about the Feldenkrais Method® after her functionally shorter left leg was resolved in her very first session. Her experience is very similar to the experience of tennis legend Martina Navratilova.

Pauline Sugine, co-owner of the Center for Physical Health in Los Angeles, describes working with Martina Navratilova:

I showed her that as the result of an injury to the right ankle, when she moved her head to the right, even just her eyes, she stopped breathing,” says Sugine. “In tennis, if you look in one direction and a part of your body freezes, even subconsciously, then you lose the connection. It’s sort of like driving with a flat tire. Not only is your tire flat, but if you keep driving, more things go wrong.

Through [a Feldenkrais] Functional Integration, [lesson] Sugine kinesthetically reminded Navratilova how to look right and breathe at the same time, getting her whole body, including the ankle, in top form again.
 The beauty of Feldenkrais®is, you don’t have to understand it intellectually. “Whether you get it on a conscious level or not, your nervous system is picking it up,” says Sugine. “It’s like we’re smuggling the information in.”

Posted by Body Equilibrium on Jun 14, 2011; The Feldenkrais Method® Emphasizes Knowledge of the Body and Safer, Efficient Movement 
by Liz Brody 
From the LA Times 1998

Adding Ease and Flow

The Feldenkrais® group classes are called Awareness Through Movement®.   A key aspect of the Feldenkrais® Awareness Through Movement® class is to direct the student’s awareness inward to observe, with mental focus, the inter-connected patterns making up a movement.

This attention leads to new awareness (an ‘Ah Ha’) of how ‘the ankle bone is connected to the shin bone’ — or how a simple stretch engages the body from the feet to the eyes.   The Ah-Ha’s open and reinforce new neural pathways in the brain, release endorphins, create new memories and add to one’s ‘library of movement’ for later use.

By consciously feeling the chain of movement (using the mind with concentration and focus) via gentle motions, the student develops a deeper body awareness, which leads to better motion quality and control.

“… the Feldenkrais Method®® and its unique approach to mind and body has helped me immeasurably, not only in the way I play golf, but also the way I teach the game.”

Rick Acton
5-time NE PGA Champion

Scheduling Sessions with Naomi

  • Naomi is available for individual, group and team consultations.
  • Her sessions can be scheduled at your location as she travels extensively.
  • Please contact her directly to learn of upcoming sessions and locations.
  • She can be reached at naomi@movementmax.com or (415) 624-6442