Celebrating Queer Embodiment and Restoring Human Dignity: How the Feldenkrais Method™ Can Benefit Queer and Trans Students
- Kale
- Aug 25
- 4 min read
Everyone seeks out the Feldenkrais Method™ of Somatic Education for different reasons. Some students are searching for ways to manage their chronic pain. Others want to decrease their anxiety. Whatever the reason, the Feldenkrais Method™ offers all of its students the same thing: a place where they can be themselves.
In a world where queer and trans people continue to face systemic discrimination, Feldenkrais® lessons can offer a safe space for students to express themselves authentically without fear of judgement.
As Moshe Feldenkrais explained, “What I’m after isn’t flexible bodies, but flexible brains. What I’m after is to restore each person to their human dignity.”
Validating 2SLGBTQIA+ Experiences
Queer and trans people sometimes develop certain movement habits in response to cis-heteronormative societal expectations. If someone is told that “men don’t talk with their hands” or “women don’t sit like that,” they may alter their movements or posture so they don’t draw unwanted scrutiny.
Queer and trans people are taught that they have to move in certain ways to be accepted and to stay safe. While altering one’s movements can be a useful strategy in certain situations, these societally imposed restrictions can feel suffocating. In some instances, people may even develop movement habits that lead to muscular tension, heightened anxiety, and decreased range of motion.
In the Feldenkrais Method™, there is no correct way to move. During Feldenkrais® lessons, teachers guide their students through different variations of a movement. None of these variations are the “right” or “wrong” way of doing the movement. They are simply possibilities. It is up to individual students to determine what feels best for their nervous systems.
Having different movement options allows students to better respond to their circumstances. Someone may choose to sit in a particular way to avoid drawing unwanted attention in one setting. In another, they may choose to move in ways that feel more comfortable and authentic to them. Having options prevents them from becoming stuck in any one way of moving and developing habits that lead to discomfort or anxiety.
Exploring authentic movement in a judgement-free environment can be very affirming for queer and trans people. Feldenkrais® teachers don’t correct their students. They encourage them to approach movements with curiosity. When a student finds a movement challenging, they are prompted to find ways of moving that are comfortable for them. Students learn not to judge themselves or their abilities during a lesson. They are encouraged to develop their self-awareness and to understand their sensations as a source of knowledge.
The goal of Feldenkrais® lessons is not to mimic someone else’s movements. It is to help students discover ways of moving that feel authentic and pleasurable to them. In a world where queer and trans people are often told they can’t be themselves, this can be validating for students. It can boost their self-confidence and help them to accept themselves.
What about trans students?
Trans people can uniquely benefit from the Feldenkrais Method™. For folks who bind, Feldenkrais® lessons can be a great way to help maintain healthy breathing function and reduce discomfort while binding. Binding can restrict movement in the ribcage and impact the wearer’s ability to breathe fully and comfortably.
By working with their ribs and diaphragm, students can learn to help prevent these side effects. Feldenkrais lessons can also help decrease muscular tension that can cause discomfort or pain. Check out our free program Binder Breaks: Feldenkrais® Lessons For Folks Who Bind on this page for some simple practices to get started.
Feldenkrais® lessons can also provide students with strategies to help manage dysphoria. By using mindfulness techniques and developing self-awareness, the Feldenkrais Method™ deepens students’ connection to themselves. Students can explore ways of being in their bodies even when parts of themselves are causing them distress.
Feldenkrais® encourages students to focus on what feels good to them and to move in ways that are comfortable. Lessons are designed to activate the parasympathetic nervous system to help reduce stress. This can help students focus on the parts of themselves that don’t cause them discomfort and help to calm their nervous systems to manage feelings of dysphoria.
For trans folks who pursue gender-affirming surgeries, Feldenkrais® lessons can be a great way to regain mobility post-operatively. Traditional exercises often only focus on stretching and building muscle. Feldenkrais® lessons use an understanding of biomechanics to help improve mobility and increase range of motion.
This approach reduces the amount of muscular effort required to complete a task and emphasizes functional movement over strength building. When students learn to move efficiently, they can get back to their regular routines more quickly without having to wait to rebuild muscle mass.
Whether you are experiencing dysphoria, recovering from gender-affirming surgery, or feeling pressure of the cis hetero patriarchy weighing on you, you may benefit from the Feldenkrais Method™.