The Feldenkrais Method: Teaching By Handling – Yochanan Rywerant

The Feldenkrais Method: Teaching By Handling is a presentation of the system of Functional Integration® devised by the Israeli scientist Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais. The Feldenkrais system is a way of handling the body by communicating specific sensations to the central nervous system in order to improve the functions of the motor-system.

Functional Integration is unique in that it evokes changes in the human brain at a level heretofore thought unachievable by any known educational technique: muscular tonicity – even spasticity – is actually modified, the range of movement is enhanced, movement becomes more coordinated, and the overall efficiency and comfort of muscular functioning is increased.

Yochanan Rywerant (1922-2010) first met Moshe Feldenkrais in 1952 when Moshe started giving his ATM lessons. He faithfully attended these lessons for 15 years until the first practitioners’ course was opened.

Before the end of the course Yochanan was invited to work as Moshe’s close assistant. He fulfilled this role until Moshe’s death in 1984. Among his other tasks he assisted Moshe in all three of Moshe’s practitioners’ courses in the U.S

Yochanan was famous for his extremely precise work; his efficacy and the full attention he devoted to each and every movement. Whatever Moshe demonstrated together with Yochanan’s explanations enabled the ‘use of movement in order to change awareness’ and their basic idea that it is possible’ to use awareness in order to change movement’.