Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais, D.SC (1904-1984)…

the creative force and inspiration for the method, was born in what is now Ukraine. At 13 he left and traveled alone to Palestine. In his mid twenties he went to France where he earned degrees in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering from the Ecole Polytechnic and later his Doctor of Science in physics from the Sorbonne. In Paris he assisted Nobel Prize winner Joliot-Curie in early nuclear research. Here he also met Jigaro Kano the creator of modern judo and became one of Europe’s first black belts (1936). He continued to develop expertise in judo , was co-founder of the Judo Society of France and taught and wrote books on the subject.

He escaped from Paris to Great Britain in 1940 and worked for the British Admiralty in anti-submarine warfare. During this time he continued his studies in psychology, anatomy and the burgeoning field of neurophysiology.

Dr Feldenkrais applied his knowledge and understanding from these disciplines to himself to address his severe knee injuries from athletic injuries and recovered his ability to walk and function without pain.

In 1949 he returned to Israel where he continued his in depth explorations in these areas and his work with himself and others, eventually refining and integrated them. And so the Feldenkrais Method® was born. He began teaching his system to others in Israel in the late 1960s and then in San Francisco in 1975. Today there are over 6000 Feldenkrais Practitioners around the world.

His insights continue to contribute to the fields of education, the arts, athletics, psychology and child development as well as rehabilitation. Among his writings are: Judo; Higher Judo; Body and Mature Behavior; Awareness Through Movement; The Elusive Obvious; The Master Moves; Adventures in the Jungle of the Brain (The Case of Nora); and The Potent Self.