Our Little Dips explore a theme of Feldenkrais learning, then illustrate it with one or more lessons. They always include at least one free lesson. Little Dips are first published in our newsletter.
“How do I become more aware of my patterns – of thought, of movement, of being – and how can that awareness lead to change?”
A note from Nick:
As you may know, July afforded me and my wife Jen an amazing opportunity to rest from our usual routines and study together. In the whirlwind of transitions from that magical month, to vacation with extended family, to these last summer days, in all their unstructured glory with kids (“Dad, I’m boooored…”), I haven’t yet had a moment to share what I learned on sabbatical.
Luckily my wife has! She wrote the following bulletin article for our synagogue, where she is a Cantor. I think you’ll enjoy her perspective and insights about what the Feldenkrais Method is, as she explained it to the congregation. I value how she touches on broader applications of the Method than the ones we think of most often.
In this unusual context, a reminder: the Feldenkrais Method is a system of somatic education created by a secular scientist. It has no direct religious basis or purpose. However, like any study of embodiment, it can powerfully connect us to ourselves in ways that may become part of spiritual understanding. Moshe Feldenkrais was not himself a religious man, but he was steeped in the culture of his Hasidic ancestors, and valued their insights. For the curious, David Kaetz’s fascinating book, Making Connections: Hasidic Roots and Resonance in the Teachings of Moshe Feldenkrais, was a primary resource in our sabbatical studies.
And now I am positively tickled to turn this Feldenkrais Project post over to my lovely wife!
– Nick Strauss-Klein
Our sabbatical, according to Jen
A bulletin article for our synagogue
I recently returned from a deeply enriching sabbatical that I had the privilege of sharing with my husband, Nick. Together we spent a month studying the intersection of two transformative practices: Mussar and the Feldenkrais Method. Nick has been a Feldenkrais Practitioner since 2006, and we have been fascinated by the connections between Feldenkrais and Mussar since I became a facilitator over a decade ago. What began as a shared personal and professional curiosity—albeit one we never had time to delve into fully—evolved through our sabbatical into an experience that deepened our understanding of body, mind, and soul.
Mussar is a Jewish ethical tradition with 1,000-year-old roots that offers practical tools for personal growth and character refinement. The Feldenkrais Method is a system of somatic education that uses gentle movement and directed attention to improve physical and mental function through increased self-awareness. Nick and I always felt, in our informal conversations about our work with Mussar and Feldenkrais, that there were profound connections between the two disciplines, and as we studied and practiced them side by side, it became clear just how connected they are. Both Mussar and Feldenkrais ask the same essential question: How do I become more aware of my patterns—of thought, of movement, of being—and how can that awareness lead to change? In both, this process is intended as a path towards greater maturity and achieving one’s highest potential.
In Mussar, we work with middot (soul traits like patience, humility, and gratitude), bringing mindfulness to how these traits show up in our daily lives. In Feldenkrais, we do something similar through movement: we become aware of habitual patterns and explore new, more integrated ways of being in our bodies. Throughout our sabbatical, we engaged in daily meditation and the study of Mussar texts and writings of Moshe Feldenkrais, followed by Feldenkrais lessons that invited us to move slowly, attentively, and with curiosity. What emerged was a deeper appreciation for each method’s focus on attention and self-awareness—the kind that makes room for personal growth, not through force or willpower, but through curiosity, compassion, and presence.
This time away was both restorative and illuminating, and sharing it with Nick added a layer of partnership and reflection that we will always cherish!
– Cantor Jennifer Strauss-Klein
Featured Free Lesson
In Feldenkrais lessons, as in Mussar study, gently guided attention cultivates sensitivity, curiosity, and compassion for the embodied self, creating the conditions for change.
Side Clock: Shoulders
Starts as a “Feldenkrais basics” shoulders-and-hips lesson, then uses the image of a clock face to explore precise coordination, developing freedom and skill in the shoulders, chest, neck, and more.
See the public comments below the audio player and lesson notes for wonderful advice from students, like this:
I found it a bit challenging at first. Then I decided to soften everything, slow it down to snail pace and make the movements tiny. With that, it all started to become so interesting and relaxing and much easier. Wow, I feel so relaxed in the shoulders now, thank you.
– Shelley
Patron Lessons
Side-Bending with Listening Hands, Connecting Legs and Head
Using your own soft, listening hands to help integrate your head, hips, and legs with an increased awareness and suppleness of your ribs.
Effortless Legs and Hips
“The sensation of effort is the subjective feeling of wasted movement,” wrote Moshe Feldenkrais, admitting that at first this idea sounds “utterly preposterous”. This side-lying lesson probes his assertion by developing large movements of one foot sweeping along the floor while making precise distinctions between necessary muscular contractions and “effort.” If you can resist trying hard, you’ll find an esthetically pleasing dance of your whole self with benefits for uprightness, expansiveness, gait, and perhaps even the way you meet difficulty in regular life.
This whole lesson was an ease bomb!
– Zoom student