The Work
Based on neuroscience and physiological research, this work is based on the teachings of Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais and further refined and developed by Mia Segal and Leora Gaster of Mind Body Studies MBS Academy.
The Mind Body Studies MBS work is centered around simple movement - thought exercises designed to help people create new mind-body connections and patterns that improve physical, cognitive and emotional wellness.
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In addition to the physical benefits, the approach enhances your thinking, emotional regulation and level of resilience.
By expanding your self-awareness and perception, you will become more aware of your behavioural habits and develop more refined ways of moving and being.
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While being able to move with freedom is wonderful, this work goes further than physical movement. One is able to apply the principles of this work in life. It is an ever-giving, ever-teaching fountain.
Mia Segal
Mia Segal was a pioneering figure in the development of the Feldenkrais Method, one of the most profound somatic practices in the world today. Mia’s work and deep partnership with Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais helped shape the Method in its early years.
As a gifted practitioner and a keen observer of human movement, Mia often acted as Moshe’s closest collaborator, providing insights and feedback that shaped the direction of the work.
Notably, she worked directly with Moshe for 16 years before the Method was taught in the United States, providing invaluable contributions to the evolution of the practice.
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​She had an intuitive understanding of the work, often delving deeper into the subtleties of movement and the mind-body connection, bringing a special sensitivity to her teaching.
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Her legacy is carried on by her daughter, Leora Gaster, and her dedicated students, who continue to teach in a way that stays true to Mia’s vision—pure and uncompromising.
How well do you know yourself?
When we understand how we are constructed, we can use it more efficiently and intelligently. We need to think of how we distribute the work throughout the system, so the structure, the function and the goal all match together.
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- Do you know how many joints do you have in each finger?
- How many ball and socket joints do you have in your body?
- Did you know that each foot has 26 bones and each hand has 27 bones?
Here is a video by Leora Gaster of MBS Academy, sharing the overview of the skeletal structure.
The Work Affects 8 Behavioral Components Simultaneously
Movement
Cognitive
Technique
Sensing
Enhancing and improving the movement of self and others
Experiential learning of our bodies is abilities and connections
Developing simultaneous attention on multiple levels
Understanding principles and patterns of thought and movement
Beliefs
Values
Self Image
Identity
Experientially re-examining existing beliefs about self and motivation
Revisiting culturally instilled goals and achievements
Checking subjective experiences in our environment
Connecting with innermost identity and center of self
“When you know what you do,
then you can do what you want.”
- Moshe Feldenkrais
About Us
Overview of MBS Academy’s History and Feldenkrais Qualifications
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Leora Gaster and Mia Segal created their Mind Body Studies (MBS) Academy in 1987 to pursue their promise to Moshe Feldenkrais to carry forward the full scope of their work with him to the public and to new generations of trainers and practitioners. Mia Segal and Leora Gaster had the most direct, extensive, and intensive trainings and experiences with Moshe, exploring all aspects and influences of their work and life together over 25 years. Mia Segal and Leora Gaster have the distinction of being fully qualified as Professional Trainers and Practitioners by Moshe Feldenkrais himself. Mia and Leora also studied connections to Judo with Moshe and then earned their black belts at the Kodokan in Tokyo. Altogether, the MBS Team strives to achieve the goal Moshe didn’t have time to reach himself: how to refine the work so that people are better able to take what they learn in a lesson out into their lives.
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Background
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In 1957, Moshe Feldenkrais selected Mia to be his only associate. In 1958, Moshe personally authorized Mia to practice with clients on her own. They worked side by side in the same studio on the same clients and Moshe handed over to Mia some of his most prized clients, such as the then Prime Minister of Israel, David Ben Gurion. Moshe authorized Mia as a Feldenkrais Trainer in the 1960s, to conduct trainings with him and on her own. Mia became more than Moshe’s first authorized Practitioner and Trainer — he chose Mia to introduce the method around the world. Thus, they launched trainings in Switzerland in early 1972, then in the Netherlands and finally in the USA in 1975. Moshe Feldenkrais asked Mia to continue the international trainings on her own.
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Leora Gaster was essentially the youngest student and beneficiary of Moshe Feldenkrais’s work. Leora, Mia’s daughter, grew up experimenting together with Moshe and Mia’s as they made discoveries and developed the work as part of family life in the Segal home, as well as in Moshe’s small studio and in the large Alexander Yanai classes. Leora was Moshe’s model in demonstrating the effectiveness of his method, connecting movement to awareness and to internal resilience as part of life. Interested in understanding the science behind this, Leora studied the interconnections between the brain and behavior at Stanford Unversity, earning her B.S. in Human Biology. With the invention of fMRI’s, she pursued advanced studies at Stanford in neuroscience, focusing on brain plasticity and its interconnection with movement and thought. Leora continued to develop her Feldenkrais teaching and qualified as an NLP trainer, enhancing the Feldenkrais work. She joined Mia in teaching internationally as a Qualified Feldenkrais Trainer in 1980.
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Meet The Team
The Trainers of this program were all directly trained by Mia Segal and are highly experienced Feldenkrais practitioners who have supported many students to become outstanding practitioners.
