Pilates is often associated with fitness and Feldenkrais® with body-mind integration. Pilates focuses more on muscle strength than Feldenkrais®, yet the real goal is to develop a leaner more balanced body. Feldenkrais® also increases strength, yet instead of an exercise routine it involves movement lessons that increase AWARENESS of how all the parts work together to create powerful action. Both Joseph Pilates and Moshe Feldenkrais believed man’s potential was vastly untapped and that most of us have settled for much less than we could accomplish.
What I enjoy with Pilates is the direct visceral challenge and satisfaction of feeling your muscles. This immediacy, and having a form to practice, makes Pilates easier to understand and accessible to students. To me Pilates provides an entry gate into feeling your body and can become a springboard into exploring deeper levels of awareness and Feldenkrais® movement principles.
I often lead students into movement explorations that eventually allow them to discover a Pilates exercise without actually having me demonstrate it. Once a student has an internal experience of the exercise they can concentrate on refining it without depending on a teacher or outside source of information. Students are much less likely to injure themselves if they are actually feeling what they are doing, rather than playing a tape in their head or imitating someone else. Like most things, it is how you do it that makes the difference. User Friendly Pilates + Feldenkrais® are a winning combination.
