Although this is the beginning of my fourteenth year of teaching the Feldenkrais Method^®, I still find it difficult to describe. One of my students in the Fall Quarter helped me to understand why it is difficult. Ron said, "The Feldenkrais Method isn’t about any specific movement. It’s about the principles that underlie movements." I found this remark insightful because it explains the internal unity beneath external variety.

     One of our central principles is the importance of variability. I have chosen a mountain goat to help me convey this theme. The mountain goat walks on surfaces that are different with each step. Under these conditions, he has to always pay attention to where he and where he is stepping next. And the irregularity of the mountain slopes means that all the joints in his body shift with each step. These two factors keep mind and body alert. And, presumably, up there on the peaks, his emotions are awake, too!

     In our modern life, we humans have done our best to remove variability from our environment. We walk on flat surfaces, and usually in shoes that allow us to ignore changes in the environment. That is—when we walk! Because usually we drive, sitting; go to work, and sit; come home, and sit. With such restricted experience, brain and body fall asleep.

     The Feldenkrais Method is a remedy to modern life. During our classes, both group and individual, we reintroduce variety of movement. We take familiar actions, such as rolling, reaching, and walking, and open up their many possibilities. In this way, without having to travel to distant mountains, you can have the experience of being challenged and of making discoveries. With new vistas opening for brain and body, the emotions, too, feel invigorated.