When people first discover the Feldenkrais Method® and the Anat Baniel Method® (ABM), they are often surprised by how gentle the lessons look and feel. Instead of stretching tight muscles by force or repeating mechanical exercises until you are tired, our lessons communicate directly with the central nervous system—the master control centre that organises every posture, breath, and movement you make.
How Sessions Are Delivered: Hands-On and Guided Movement Lessons
Both Dr Moshe Feldenkrais and Anat Baniel developed two complementary ways of helping the brain form new neural pathways:
1:1 Hands-On Lessons: Functional Integration® & Functional Synthesis®
In one-to-one hands-on sessions—called Functional Integration (FI) in the Feldenkrais Method and Functional Synthesis (FS) in the Anat Baniel Method—you lie or sit comfortably in everyday clothes on a wide, padded low table. Using gentle, non-invasive touch, we help your nervous system notice where it is holding unnecessary tension and discover easier, better-supported skeletal connections.
Guided Explorations: Awareness Through Movement® & Transformational Movement Lessons®
In verbally guided lessons—known as Awareness Through Movement (ATM) in Feldenkrais and Transformational Movement Lessons (TML) in the Anat Baniel Method—we guide you step by step through gentle, intriguing movement sequences. These can be done in person in Somerset or online via video across the UK.
What Does the Term “NeuroMovement” Mean?
Doreen Quinnell and Chris Norris trained directly with Anat Baniel and are certified Anat Baniel Method Practitioners and Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioners. In later years, Anat Baniel introduced the descriptive term NeuroMovement in her books (Move Into Life and Kids Beyond Limits) to describe how movement and the 9 Essentials wake up brain plasticity. Whether you know this work as Feldenkrais, the Anat Baniel Method, or the concept of NeuroMovement, its foundation is the same: helping the brain learn.
The 9 Essentials of Brain Plasticity
Drawing on decades of clinical practice and contemporary neuroscience research (such as the work of Dr Michael Merzenich on neuroplasticity), Anat Baniel distilled The 9 Essentials—nine everyday conditions that switch the human brain into high-level learning mode:
1. Movement with Attention
Automatic, absent-minded movement merely grooves existing habits. When you bring gentle, curious attention to what you feel as you move, the brain immediately begins building millions of new neural connections.
2. Slow
Fast movement forces the brain to fall back on whatever it already knows. Slowing down gives your nervous system the time it needs to sense habits and organise smoother, pain-free coordination.
3. Variation
Playful variation—rather than rigid repetition—gives the brain a rich palette of differences to choose from, helping adults and children break out of stuck muscular bracing.
4. Subtlety (Reducing Force)
By reducing muscular effort and force, sensory noise drops away. Your brain can suddenly perceive fine distinctions in how your pelvis, spine, ribs, and head support one another.
5. Enthusiasm
A quiet inner delight in noticing small, positive changes tells the brain that a discovery is important, amplifying neuroplastic learning without pressure or praise-seeking stress.
6. Flexible Goals
When we let go of forcing a fixed outcome on a rigid timetable, the nervous system relaxes its fear of failure and often reaches the goal far more naturally and safely.
7. The Learning Switch
At any moment the brain is either in a learning state—open, curious, and responsive—or shut down in stress and mechanical habit. Our first task in every lesson is gently turning the learning switch on.
8. Imagination & Dreams
Imagining a movement activates many of the same neural networks as performing it physically, allowing you to explore new possibilities without triggering protective pain or spasm.
9. Awareness
Becoming consciously aware of how you move, breathe, and orient yourself in space transforms automatic reflexes into lasting freedom and choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Functional Integration (FI) and Functional Synthesis (FS)?
Functional Integration is the name Dr Moshe Feldenkrais gave to one-to-one, hands-on lessons in the Feldenkrais Method. Functional Synthesis is the corresponding name Anat Baniel (who studied closely with Dr Feldenkrais for many years) gave to one-to-one hands-on lessons in the Anat Baniel Method. Because Doreen and Chris are certified in both methods, they draw seamlessly on both traditions in every session.
Are you certified Anat Baniel Method and Feldenkrais practitioners?
Yes. Doreen Quinnell and Chris Norris were the first two UK practitioners certified directly by Anat Baniel in the Anat Baniel Method (including specialist qualifications for Children, Vitality & Anti-Aging, and High Performers), both are Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioners, and both hold clear Enhanced DBS Disclosures independently verified via PeopleCheck.
How can I experience the 9 Essentials in practice?
We integrate the 9 Essentials into every 1:1 hands-on session and guided movement lesson at our peaceful village practice in Lympsham, Somerset (easy access from the M5, Bristol Airport, Bristol, and Bath), during multi-day residential intensives, and in online sessions across the UK.