One of my one-to-one clients, a musician and martial artist, told me recently he thought Feldenkrais was the “key” to many different activities and that its real benefit was in teaching you adaptability.

Feldenkrais himself said that health was the ability to move in any direction without preparation or hesitation. He meant this both physically and mentally. The Method is itself highly adaptable. It can mould itself around many different goals because it uses the basic building blocks of organic learning: moving, sensing and adjusting in response to new information.

Learning means sensing differences

How much sophistication this requires depends on what you’re doing. In a highly refined activity such as playing the violin, the differences between one way of doing something and another may be very subtle. Feeling, seeing, hearing or knowing those differences is how we learn anything, whether it’s a new language, an instrument or another pursuit.

Stand for a moment. Feel the weight on your feet.

Now step quickly to the left. Can you? Or do you need to shift your weight first? What about stepping backwards, or in another direction?

It seems very basic, but many of us need to prepare before we can move. We have to shift our weight or make some other adjustment first. When we’re better balanced, more directions are immediately available to us. 

Balance is the ability to adjust, recover and reorganise.

It isn’t only the ability to remain upright, but to find the sweet spot between mobility and stability. Too much of either makes it harder to respond easily.

We can all learn to move with greater adaptability. And, as with any skill, that takes time and regular practice. A Feldenkrais practice, whether an hour-long class each week or shorter lessons more often, gradually gives us more opportunities to notice, adjust and find other possibilities.