April 2025

Who was Moshe Feldenkrais?

Who was Moshe Feldenkrais?

Moshe Feldenkrais was a man ahead of his time, pioneering in many areas of life from a very young age.

A great example of this is provided by the Judo history books, where Feldenkrais was given the honour of being one of the first western teachers of the artform. He had met the founder of Judo, Jiguro Kano, in Paris in the early 1930s, and subsequently studied closely with some of his top students, gaining a blackbelt in 1936. Moshe continued to study and teach Judo alongside his other pioneering activities that were being conducted as a research assistant under Frédéric Joliot-Curie at the Radium Institute while studying for his doctorate degree at the Sorbonne University.

These are just two of the fascinating parts of Moshe's early life that helped created the conditions for him to found a pioneering movement based learning process called the Feldenkrais Method.

In this edition of Senseability we explore the life and ideas of Moshe Feldenkrais to help our readers get a better understanding of the man behind the method.

We have gracefully received permission from Carol Kress to re-publish a short article written by her late husband Mark Reese, who was the author of the fantastic biography, Moshe Feldenkrais - A life in movement. The article provides an over view of some of the main highlights of Feldenkrais's life. And if you are interested in learning more, we have provided a link to Mark's book which is currently on sale at Feldenkrais Resources.

We also have a transcript of a talk given by Moshe Feldenkrais at the Copenhagen Congress of Functional Movement and Relaxation in the 1950s, compiled by Ilana Nevill. This transcript gives a wonderful and concise account of the ideas that formed the basis for the development of the Feldenkrais Method. These ideas provided a foundation to his method, which he continued to develop over the next 30 years until his passing in 1984.

Lastly we have an interview of Feldenkrais himself, conducted by a television show called the Medicine Man, in 1981. We think that it provides a lovely account of Moshe Feldenkrais, and shows the deep care he has for his work and the people that he worked with over his years as a teacher. 

Jane, Seth, Michelle and Joe

FGNA Communications team

Written by Mark Reese

Moshe Pinhas Feldenkrais was born on May 6, 1904, in Slavuta, in the present-day Ukrainian Republic. When he was a small boy his family moved to the nearby town of Korets. By 1912 his family moved to Baranovich in what is, today, Belarus. While Baranovich endured many World War I battles, Feldenkrais received his Bar Mitzvah, completed two years of high school, and received an education in the Hebrew language and Zionist philosophy. In 1918 Feldenkrais left by himself on a six-month journey to Palestine.

After arriving in 1919, Feldenkrais worked as a laborer until 1923 when he returned to high school to earn a diploma. While attending school he made a living by tutoring. After graduating in 1925, he worked for the British survey office as a cartographer. Feldenkrais was involved in Jewish self-defense groups, and after learning Jujitsu he devised his own self-defense techniques. He hurt his left knee in a soccer match in 1929.

Read the full article at the link below.

Two lectures delivered by Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais at the Copenhagen Congress of Functional Movement and Relaxation in the 1950s. 

Summary and relevant quotes by Ilana Nevill

Lecture I deals with the theoretical and scientific ideas behind the Feldenkrais Method^® of somatic education.

Lecture II with some of the main principles of the two “Techniques” which Feldenkrais presents as: “Individual Teaching” (later to be called “Functional Integration^® lessons”) and “Group Techniques” (“Awareness Through Movement^®” lessons).

Even though they document a relatively early stage in the development of the Method, these lectures seem to be of some relevance with regard to our first two questions:

“What is Moshe’s definition of awareness and how did he ‘teach’ it?” and “What environment nourishes awareness?”

Read the full transcript at the link below (external website).

An interview with Moshe Feldenkrais from 1981 - 'On his method for children with Cerebral Palsy'. 

Moshe Feldenkrais provides a first hand account of how the Feldenkrais Method can be effective in helping children with conditions like cerebral palsy. The interview is very much of it's time, but Feldenkrais's knowledge, clarity, character and ability are very much on display throughout.

He provides a demonstration of a Functional Integration lesson with Jonathan, a young boy of 4 years old with cerebral palsy. He also provides context for the lesson with the interviewer before starting and answers questions after the demonstration to elaborate on what he was doing and why it was effective. 

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