à la carte spirit by ilona fried
Moshe Feldenkrais
Greatest Hits for Moshe Feldenkrais’ Birthday
Moshe Feldenkrais was born on May 6, 1904. To celebrate his extraordinary life, I’ve collected the “greatest hits” from the essays and articles I’ve written about him or the Feldenkrais Method of Somatic Education. My selection criteria? A combination of personal fondness, the popularity of the piece, and the emphasis of the article. Dig in, … Continue reading
Is Yoga My New Pork?!
When I found Feldenkrais nearly three years ago and stopped doing yoga, I thought I’d released yoga gracefully with a deep bow and a final namaste, as a good yogi would. Apparently not. A few weeks ago a friend showed me one of the yoga studios where she teaches. The beatific faces of the two men behind … Continue reading
What’s Crazy? Who’s Crazy? On Feldenkrais, Israel, Self-Image
How would you protect yourself if a crazy person attacked you with a knife? It’s a question many of us have never needed to consider. But it was a question Moshe Feldenkrais had to answer when, as an early settler in what was then Palestine, Arabs frequently attacked Jews, who were forbidden by the British Mandate from carrying weapons. … Continue reading
Feld-Zen-Krais: Doing and Not Doing
“Do it, and don’t do it.” Feldenkrais Trainer Aliza Stewart repeated this phrase, mantra like, as she directed us in a movement last week. Presiding at the front of the room, she reminded me of my compassionate and patient Zen teacher but with a compelling Israeli accent, a regal bearing and stylish red sandals. Perhaps I needed to hear “Do it, … Continue reading
Feldenkrais: Playing Footsie to Gain Footing
What does it really mean to stand on our own two feet? Until I sustained an injury walking El Camino de Santiago, I hadn’t given much attention to my feet, except to lament their rather large size. In our culture, we typically wrap our feet in shoes during autumn and winter and bare them, to various degrees, in … Continue reading
à la carte spirit by ilona fried 
Recent comments