What happens in a Functional Integration session?

Functional Integration is the name given to one-on-one Feldenkrais lessons. As a Feldenkrais practitioner I use a combination of verbal instructions, touch, and gentle manipulation.

When you come for a session, wear comfortable clothing and bring your curiosity. Before we start I'm interested in your reason for wanting the session. My aim is to help you address any aspect of the way you move that may be hindering you.

Almost all our actions are actions of the whole body. Balance, for instance, isn't something done by just one part of you, it involves every part. So in the session I look for how all of you is involved.

The session itself is a kind of conversation between practitioner and client - a conversation carried out mostly by touch. I'll ask you to lie on a low table, fully clothed, or sometimes to sit. Together we explore your movement patterns, find where you can move easily and ways in which you tighten yourself. We bring to light aspects you may not have been aware of.

My touch doesn't oppose you but goes with you. As the session progresses, I may redirect your own power in directions that can be useful and effective. The process bypasses the thinking part of the brain and relies on the feeling of the movement. You absorb new movement patterns through experiencing them from the inside, through your senses. The effect is both gentle and intense.

Afterwards most people feel freer and breathe easier, with improved posture and a general sense of well-being. You can read here what people have said after a session.

What is your experience of Functional Integration? Please leave a comment.