I am often asked if Feldenkrais is similar to Yoga. Since there are so many different ways to practice yoga, it’s hard to give an exact answer. Recently I came across a quote about Yoga practice that is in resonance with my understanding of the Feldenkrais method.
“The pose is what you are doing. Yoga is how you are being in the pose. […] Doing a yoga pose while attached to a specific result is not the practice of yoga, it is the practice of attachment. Attachment focuses on the results and pulls our attention away from the process and opportunities for positive outcomes that present themselves as a moment unfolds.” —Rolf Gates
In a Feldenkrais lesson, by moving slower and smaller you naturally become aware of how you are being. As you become more aware, you state of being shifts, because your nervous system makes changes on your behalf: unnecessary tension is released, movement becomes easier, and you feel more balanced physically and emotionally, without you having to focus on achieving these results through the effort of will.