The Feldenkrais Method® is expressed in two parallel forms: Awareness Through Movement® and Functional Integration®. Both forms are based on principles of physics, biomechanics and an empirical understanding of learning and human development.
Functional
Integration is the other form of expressing the Feldenkrais
Method. Just as Feldenkrais practitioners can guide people through
movement sequences verbally in Awareness
Through Movement, they also guide people through movement with
gentle, non-invasive touching in Functional
Integration.
Functional Integration is a
hands-on form of tactile, kinesthetic communication. The Feldenkrais
practitioner communicates to the student how he/she organizes his/her
body and hints, through gentle touching and movement, how to move in
more expanded functional motor patterns.
The Functional Integration
lesson should relate to a desire, intention, or need of the student.
The learning process is carried out without the use of any invasive or
forceful procedure. Through rapport and respect for the student's
abilities, qualities, and integrity, the practitioner/teacher creates
an environment in which the student can learn comfortably.
In Functional Integration,
- The practitioner/teacher develops a lesson for the student,
custom-tailored to the unique configuration of that particular person,
at that particular moment.
- The practitioner conveys the experience of comfort, pleasure, and
ease of movement while the student learns how to reorganize his/her
body and behavior in new and more effective manners.
- The practitioner/teacher's intention is instructive and
communicative.
Functional Integration is
usually performed with the student lying on a table designed
specifically for the work. It can also be done with the student in
sitting or standing positions. At times, various props are used in an
effort to support the person's body con-figuration or to facilitate
certain movements.
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