Embodied Wisdom: The Collected Papers of Moshe Feldenkrais

242 Pages·2011·13.89 MB·English

by  Moshe Feldenkrais

EMBODIED
WISDOM
The Collected Papers of
MOSHE FELDENKRAIS
Foreword by David Zemach-Bersin
Edited by Elizabeth Beringer
"Moshe Feldenkrais was one of the twentieth century's most original thinkers. This
volume presents Feldenkrais's most concise and cohesive statements on the theory
behind his work .... I hope the publication of this important and long overdue book
will help bring his ideas the recognition and the critical analysis they so deserve. I
believe the Feldendrais Method® has the potential to help millions of people."
-from the Foreword by DAVID ZEMACH-BERSIN,
cofounder of the Feldenkrais Institute of New York
More than fifty years ago, Moshe Feldenkrais began developing the extraor
dinary movement-based learning method that bears his name. Embodied
Wisdom is the first collection of Feldenkrais's articles and interviews published in
English, and includes some of the most accessible examples of Feldenkrais's writing.
Taken together, the writings form a diverse and textured whole, offering many dif
ferent points of entry for those unfamiliar with Feldenkrais's ideas and at the same
time providing long-time students of the method new territory for in-depth study.
"This is the most sophisticated and effective method I have seen for the prevention
and reversal of deterioration of function."
-Anthropologist MARGARET MEAD on the Feldenkrais Method
"The Feldenkrais exercises are ingenious."
- SIR YEHUDI MENUHIN, KBE, renowned violinist
"Feldenkrais has studied the body in movement with a precision that I have found
nowhere else."
- PETER BROOK, aBE, theater and film director
"Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais's method will be of great benefit to all of humanity. From
my own experience I know the remarkable results achieved."
- DAVID BEN-GURiaN, first Prime Minister of Israel
"Feldenkrais's work is innovative, gentle, and often strikingly effective .... I recom
mend the Feldenkrais Method to patients whose movement has been restricted by
injury, cerebral palsy, stroke, fibromyalgia, and chronic pain. I also believe that
the Feldenkrais Method can help all of us feel more comfortable in our bodies."
- ANDREW WElL, MD
Somatic Resources
Berkeley, California
www.feldenkraisresources.com
US $17.95 / $21.50 CAN
ISBN 978-1-55643-906-3
Health/Bodywork
795
jii;)
'-J North Atlantic Books
Berkeley, California
www.northatlanticbooks.com
9
Also by MOSHE FELDENKRAIS
Body and Mature Behavior:
A Study ofA nxiety, Sex, Gravitation, and Learning
The Potent Self: A Study ofS pontaneity and Compulsion
Awareness Through Movement
Body Awareness as Healing Therapy: The Case ofN ora
The Elusive Obvious
The Master Moves
Practical Unarmed Combat
Judo: The Art ofD efense and Attack
Higher Judo: Groundwork
EMBODIED
WISDOM
The Collected Papers of
MOSHE FELDENKRAIS
Moshe Feldenkrais
Foreword by David Zemach-Bersin
Edited by Elizabeth Beringer
Somatic Resources
Berkeley, California
North Atlantic Books
Berkeley, California
Copyright © 20 lO by Somatic Resources and the Feldenkrais Estate. All rights reserved. No portion of
this book, except for brief review, may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any
form or by any means--electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise-without the
written permission of the publisher. For information contact North Atlantic Books.
Published by and
Somatic Resources North Atlantic Books
830 Bancroft Way P.O. Box 12327
Berkeley, California 94710 Berkeley, California 94712
Cover photo by Lionel Delevingne Photos © 2010. See page 221-222 for photo credits.
Cover and book design by Suzanne Albertson Photos on 36, 40, 61, and 65 are used with
Printed in the United States of America permission from the International Feldenkrais
Federation.
Photographs © by Michael Wolgensinger appear courtesy of the Wolgensinger archive,
[email protected].
"Bodily Expression:' Somatics, Vol. 6, No.4, Spring/Summer 1988. Translated from the French by
Thomas Hanna. "Bodily Expression (Conclusion):' Somatics, Vol. 7, No.1, Autumn/Winter 1988-89.
"On the Primacy of Hearing:' Soma tics, Vol. 1, No.1, Autumn 1976. "Man and the World," Somatics,
Vol. 2, No.2, Spring 1979. Reprinted by permission of somatics magazine.
Feldenkrais, Moshe. Edited and translated by Kelly Morris, "Image, Movement, and Actor:
Restoration of Potentiality:' TDR: The Drama Review volume lO: number 3, T31, Spring, 1966.
Reprinted by permission of the publisher. Rotte, Joanne. "Feldenkrais Revisited: Tension, Talent, and
the Legacy of Childhood." Courtesy of Joanne Rotte.
Embodied Wisdom: The Collected Papers of Moshe Feldenkrais is sponsored by the Society for the Study
of Native Arts and Sciences, a nonprofit educational corporation whose goals are to develop an educa
tional and cross-cultural perspective linking various scientific, social, and artistic fields; to nurture a
holistic view of arts, sciences, humanities, and healing; and to publish and distribute literature on the
relationship of mind, body, and nature.
North Atlantic Books' publications are available through most bookstores. For further information,
visit our Web site at www.northatlanticbooks.com or call 800-733-3000.
Feldenkrais®, Feldenkrais Method®, Functional Integration®, Awareness Through Movement®, and Guild
Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner® are service marks of the Feldenkrais GUILD® of North America.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Feldenkrais, Moshe, 1904-1984.
Embodied wisdom: the collected papers of Moshe Freldenkrais / Moshe Feldenkrais ; edited by
Elizabeth Beringer.
p.;cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-1-55643-906-3
1. Feldenkrais method. l. Beringer, Elizabeth. II. Title. [DNLM: 1. Feldenkrais, Moshe, 1904-1984.
2. Psychophysiology-Collected Works. 3. Psychophysiology-Interview. 4. Body Image--Collected
Works. 5. Body Image-Interview. 6. Motor Activity-Collected Works. 7. Motor Activity
Interview. 8. Self Concept-Collected Works. 9. Self Concept-Interview. WL lO3 F312e 2010]
RC489.F44F44232010
616.80092'2----dc22
2010020233
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 UNITED 15 14 13 12 11 lO
Dedicated to all the Feldenkrais practitioners worldwide
who are putting Moshe Feldenkrais's ideas into action.
MEDICAL DISCLAIMER: The following information is intended for general information purposes
only. Individuals should always see their health care provider before administering any suggestions made
in this book. Any application of the material set forth in the following pages is at the reader's discretion
and is his or her sole responsibility.
Moshe Feldenkrais 1 904-1984
Contents
Foreword xi
Editor's Introduction XXI
PART 1: Articles 1
1. Bodily Expressions, translated from the French
by Thomas Hanna 3
2. Mind and Body 27
3. On the Primacy of Hearing 45
4. On Health 53
5. Man and the World 59
6. Awareness Through Movement 69
7. Self-Fulfillment Through Organic Learning,
edited by Mark Reese 77
PART 2: Interviews 91
8. Image, Movement, and Actor: Restoration of Potentiality,
interview with Richard Schechner and Helen Schechner,
translated and edited by Kelly Morris 93
9. Feldenkrais Revisited: Tension, Talent, and the Legacy of
Childhood, interview with Joanna Rotte 113
10. The Extraordinary Story of How Moshe Feldenkrais
Came to Study Judo, interview with Dennis Leri 127
11. Moshe Feldenkrais Discusses Awareness and Consciousness
with Aharon Katzir, edited and with an introduction by
Carl Ginsburg 161
12. Movement and the Mind, interview with Will Schutz 179
13. The Forebrain: Sleep, Consciousness, Awareness, and
Learning, interview with Edward Rosenfeld 191
14. An Interview with Moshe Feldenkrais, The New Sun 203
Notes 215
Photograph Credits 221
Embodied Wisdom
A Biography of Moshe Feldenkrais 223
About Elizabeth Beringer 227
About David Zemach-Bersin 227
Resources 229
x