This article is part of the Legacy Feldenkrais Books Archive.

Intro

Awareness Through Movement is one of Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais’s most influential books, introducing readers to the core principles of the Feldenkrais Method® through practical movement lessons and thoughtful exploration of human learning.

Rather than focusing on rigid exercises or corrective techniques, Feldenkrais invites readers to explore movement with curiosity and attention. Through gentle, structured lessons, the book reveals how posture, breathing, coordination, and flexibility can improve naturally when we refine our awareness.

By connecting movement with sensation, thinking, and feeling, Awareness Through Movement shows that learning about the body is also learning about the self. The book remains a foundational text for students of somatic education, movement professionals, and anyone interested in improving how they move and live.

About the Book

Awareness Through Movement presents a clear and practical introduction to the Feldenkrais Method through twelve guided movement lessons. Each lesson is designed to help readers discover how their bodies move and how subtle changes in awareness can improve coordination, balance, posture, and breathing.

Feldenkrais begins by explaining the concept of self-image—the internal sense we have of how we move, think, and feel. According to Feldenkrais, the way we act in the world is shaped by this self-image. When the self-image becomes limited or distorted by habit, our movement and functioning also become limited.

The book combines theoretical discussion with practical exploration. The first part explains the principles of learning, movement, and development, while the second part provides the famous Awareness Through Movement® lessons that allow readers to experience these ideas directly.

Through slow, mindful movement, readers learn to notice differences in sensation and coordination. These discoveries allow the nervous system to reorganize itself naturally, leading to more efficient and comfortable movement.

Key Ideas in the Book

The Self-Image Shapes Action
Every action we take is guided by our internal self-image. Expanding this image expands what we can do.

Learning Through Awareness
Improvement happens not through force but through awareness of how we move.

Movement as the Basis of Learning
Movement connects sensation, feeling, and thought, making it the foundation of human learning.

Small Differences Create Big Changes
By noticing subtle differences in movement and effort, the nervous system discovers new possibilities.

Self-Education Instead of Correction
Rather than imposing correct posture or movement, Feldenkrais emphasizes learning and exploration.

Table of Contents

Part I: Understanding While Doing

Preface

The Self-Image

Strata of Development

Where to Begin and How

Structure and Function

The Direction of Progress

Part II: Doing to Understand: Twelve Practical Lessons

General Observations

Some Practical Hints

Lesson 1 – What Is Good Posture?

Lesson 2 – What Action Is Good?

Lesson 3 – Some Fundamental Properties of Movement

Lesson 4 – Differentiation of Parts and Functions in Breathing

Lesson 5 – Coordination of the Flexor Muscles and of the Extensors

Lesson 6 – Differentiation of Pelvic Movements by Means of an Imaginary Clock

Lesson 7 – The Carriage of the Head Affects the State of the Musculature

Lesson 8 – Perfecting the Self-Image

Lesson 9 – Spatial Relationships as a Means to Coordinated Action

Lesson 10 – The Movement of the Eyes Organizes the Movement of the Body

Lesson 11 – Becoming Aware of Parts of Which We Are Not Conscious

Lesson 12 – Thinking and Breathing

Postscript

Illustrations

Excerpt

From Chapter 1: The Self-Image – The Dynamics of Personal Action

Each one of us speaks, moves, thinks, and feels in a different way, according to the image of ourselves that we have built over the years.

To change the way we act, we must first change the image we carry of ourselves. Such change is not merely replacing one action with another. It involves transforming the underlying dynamics of our reactions.

Our self-image includes four components present in every action: movement, sensation, feeling, and thought. The proportion of these elements may vary, but each plays a role whenever we act.

When these elements work together harmoniously, movement becomes efficient, adaptable, and expressive.

Closing Reflection

Awareness Through Movement remains one of the clearest introductions to the Feldenkrais Method and its philosophy of learning through awareness.

Rather than teaching people what they should do, Feldenkrais teaches them how to discover what works best for themselves. Through curiosity and gentle exploration, readers develop a richer sense of their bodies and new possibilities for movement.

The book reminds us that lasting change comes not from forcing the body, but from refining the way we sense and organize ourselves in action.

Related Reading

About Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais
What is the Feldenkrais Method®
Research on the Feldenkrais Method®
Other books by Moshe Feldenkrais