Several times recently I’ve been asked, “is a private lesson like a group Feldenkrais class?”
Group classes—Awareness Through Movement® (ATM)—and what we call Functional Integration (FI), private lessons, are both based on the techniques Moshe Feldenkrais developed. The basis of both is learning about your physical self, becoming aware of how you move and expanding movement choices.
In an ATM class, each student takes responsibility for personalizing the lesson. I lead you through the movement sequences, direct your attention, and sometimes offer other options for a movement. I choose the particular lesson with all the students in mind.
In contrast, in FI, you set the goal for each lesson, or the series of lessons we plan together. We spend an hour or so during each FI exploring your goal. I create a lesson based on how you are, at the time that we are working together, and what we discover. For example, you might arrive with the goal of holding yourself more erect as you stand and walk. As we explore your habitual way of moving, we might discover that your preference is to keep your pelvis still. So I spend time showing you, with gentle touch and sometimes with direction for movements you initiate, the difference between a fixed pelvis and a mobile one, and how that affects your posture—how the rest of you moves, or doesn’t.
Here’s an FI demo by one of my trainers, David Zemach-Bersin. Not exactly a private lesson! But you’ll get a better sense of what this one-on-one work is like.
Please let me know if you’d like to discuss how a series of private lessons can benefit you. I currently offer FIs Tuesdays and Fridays. My rates are $65 for the first lesson, $50 for lessons following. After Labor Day, these increase to $75 and $60.