Teaching the Body to Program the Brain

Albert Rosenfeld,  recipient of many major science writing awards, wrote a fascinating article about the work of Dr. Feldenkrais in 1981 for the Smithsonian magazine.
The article starts with our watching a young boy and his mother approaching Dr. Feldenkrais. The boy has cerebral palsy. We listen to the conversation, and then watch how Dr. Feldenkrais works with the child. Then Dr. Feldenkrais says, 
"See how much easier it is to have your knees open? To close them requires work. To keep them open, you don't have to do anything at all." The boy moves his legs in and out, in apparent disbelief, then bursts into a peal o[ delighted laughter. 
Rosenfeld goes on to describe how he became interested in the work -- with none other than Jean Houston. He summarizes his understanding: 

... we can, with the conscious brain, instruct the body to move in ways that will in turn instruct the brain to permit the body (and hence itself) to function at a level much closer to its full human potential. Through awareness, [Dr. Feldenkrais] believes, we can learn to move with astonishing lightness and freedom - at almost any age-and thereby improve our living circumstances not only physically (he says we may even find ourselves an inch or two taller) but also emotionally, intellectually and spiritually. 

Click to read the full article.

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