Feldenkrais Method® in Kirkland, WA
Moving hurts.
It used to be fun and easy.It can be again.
Maybe you’ve tried physical therapy, exercise, or surgery. Perhaps the attention went to the part that hurts, and nobody helped you feel the parts of you that aren’t doing their share. I can teach you ways of moving that spread the work, so the part that’s been overworking does less, and usually hurts less.
- If you want to enjoy walking, hiking, gardening, and other activities, but your body isn’t cooperating.
- I’m Laura Yedwab, a Guild Certified Feldenkrais PractitionerCM (GCFP) since 2012.
- I teach private Feldenkrais® lessons in a quiet Kirkland studio.
- Lessons are hands-on. You stay fully clothed.
55 minutes, in person in Kirkland. I’ll tell you whether I can help. No obligation.
Six real clients, and what changed
Some names changed at their request.
Broke her back three times
She stretched daily and went to the gym. Ten minutes of sitting still locked up her back and hips.
A year of being told to change her shoes
Every step brought excruciating pain in her ankles and Achilles tendons. She was afraid she’d have to give up hiking.
She thought nothing would help
A nurse who’d had back pain for years. Sitting at a computer made it worse, and it wore on her mood.
She called it the wobble walk
Ten years after knee surgery, stairs were difficult. She wanted an alternative to a knee replacement.
Chronic neck pain during cancer recovery
Years of neck pain from old sports injuries, and then surgery and radiation for breast cancer. Going back to work felt out of reach.
X-rays, an MRI, and no explanation
A 24-year-old musician, running with friends until his right knee stopped him. He wanted to run a half marathon.
Book a free consultation
Fifty-five minutes, in person at my Kirkland studio. We’ll talk about what hurts and what you’ve stopped doing, and I’ll watch how you move. We’ll do some work together, and you’ll feel the difference yourself.
At the end I’ll tell you whether I think I can help. Sometimes the answer is no, and I’ll say so.
Free, and there’s no obligation to book anything afterward.
If the calendar doesn’t load, use the booking page or email me at info@kineticinquiry.com.
About Laura Yedwab, GCFP
Over 4,000 private lessons since 2012
Racquetball strained my hamstrings until even walking hurt. Two years of physical therapy made my glutes stronger, but on the court I kept overusing my hamstrings. Then I tried Feldenkrais and learned to use my glutes while I played. My hamstrings no longer had to overwork, and they recovered. At times the lessons felt magical, and I wanted to know how Feldenkrais worked. So I trained to become a practitioner, and I have been teaching private lessons ever since.
“I am a physician and so skeptical of most ‘alternative’ treatments, but Laura’s approach to body mechanics, movement, and injury seemed very reasonable so I opted to try working with her. … Our work relieved my back pain while sitting and improved my posture. … I feel taller, more self-confident, stronger, and more able to meet whatever is happening at the moment.”
Mary Bolton
What is the Feldenkrais Method®?
The lessons are designed to improve ability, that is, to expand the boundaries of the possible: to turn the impossible into the possible, the difficult into the easy, and the easy into the pleasant.
— Moshé Feldenkrais, Awareness Through Movement
The Feldenkrais Method® of movement education is about learning.
Our brains are amazing. Each of us is making the very best decisions we can at every moment given our history, background, genetics, environment, and the information we have. Movements like standing, walking, and reaching are repeated all day long. They were learned, which means they can be improved. In the lingo of neuroscience, that is called neuroplasticity. I think of it simply as our innate ability to learn.
Unfortunately, learning takes effort. Before I found Feldenkrais, I (like many) just wanted a quick fix: give me a pill, an operation, or an exercise I can do without thinking. Learning is harder, and it runs against the “no pain, no gain” idea most of us grew up with.
To learn, we need to become intimately aware of what we are doing, see where our own habitual patterns are limiting us, and find new options. This is what I help my clients do.
Questions people ask before booking
Can I do Feldenkrais alongside physical therapy?
Yes. Many of my clients do both, and I’d encourage you to do whatever you find most helpful. Old movement habits run on autopilot, so they often show up inside the PT exercises themselves. Glute bridges are a common example. They are meant to strengthen the glutes, but people often push down through their heels so the quads do the lifting, and the glutes stay quiet. That’s hard to feel from the inside. My part is helping you notice it, so the exercise your physical therapist gave you can do what it’s meant to do.
Is this like massage?
No. In massage, the practitioner works on your soft tissue to relax the muscles. In a Feldenkrais lesson, I use touch to help you learn how you move. We’re wired to pay close attention to where and how we’re being touched, so my hands bring your awareness to what you’re doing. I’ll also move you in ways that let you feel where you’re holding, and sense movement patterns you didn’t know were there. You stay fully clothed the whole time.
It’s hard to describe in words, which is the main reason the free consultation is in person.
What happens in the free consultation?
We start by talking about what brought you in, and I explain how I work. Then we spend 10 to 20 minutes on a low, padded table, so you get a taste of what a session is like. People are often surprised that in that short time they get off the table feeling better and noticing a significant difference in how they move. If it feels like a fit, we talk about scheduling and packages.
Is Feldenkrais right for me, or should I see a doctor first?
Feldenkrais is a fit when your pain comes from how you move, which, in the people I see, it often does. But if there’s any sign the problem is medical rather than a movement pattern, see a doctor first. Once a doctor has ruled out a medical cause, we can look at how you move.
How long are sessions, and how many will I need?
A private session is 55 minutes. Sessions are usually once a week, though we can adjust that to fit your schedule. You’ll learn something about how you move in every session. There’s no fixed program or minimum commitment. Some people come in with one specific thing, like back pain or a stiff shoulder, and find that a package or two is enough. Others keep coming because they find that refining how they move keeps paying off. We’ll sort out what makes sense for you.
Does insurance cover Feldenkrais?
Usually not. Feldenkrais is movement education, not medical treatment, so most plans don’t cover it the way they cover physical therapy. If coverage matters to you, check with your plan before you book.
What should I wear?
Wear anything that lets you move easily and lie down comfortably, e.g., gym clothes, dance clothes, or what you’d wear on a hike. Avoid anything formal or tight. You stay fully clothed the whole time.
You can read about this all day and still not know what it feels like. That is what the free consultation is for.
Book a free consultation55 minutes, in person in Kirkland. I’ll tell you whether I can help. No obligation.