My Story

Hi, I am Judy Hoffman.  

I grew up in Ohio but have called Los Alamos, New Mexico home for over 30 years.  During my career, I held various jobs, but I started as a preschool teacher and ended as a first-grade teacher. Teaching is my true passion.

I discovered the Feldenkrais Method when I had sciatica pain.  I went to the chiropractor, got massages, got acupuncture but still had pain.  Someone suggested that I attend a Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement (ATM) class.  So, I did.  Eventually, I was told about Functional Integration (FI) lessons.  I received a few lessons.  Between the ATMs and FI lessons my sciatica pain went away – and is still gone six years later.  What I loved most is that I did not experience more pain to get rid of the pain.  My Feldenkrais training program consisted of eight segments over four years.  Each segment was four weeks long, 32 hours a week. I graduated in September 2021.  While my initital goal was to eliminate my sciatic pain, I discovered other benefits from doing the Feldenkrais Method.  For example, my reach is much further now.  Ever drop the remote off the couch or easy chair, and it is just out of reach, so you have to get out of the chair to get it.  Now, my reach is further so that I can just lean over and get the remote without getting out of the chair.  Another example, after a day of gardening in the Spring, I have sore muscles. Now, I know how to do small movements, so the soreness goes away faster.  The biggest benefit of Feldenkrais for me: learning how to fall so that I didn’t hurt myself.  Twice in one winter, I stepped on snow covered iced and lost my footing.  I went down hard both times but escaped with only a bruised ego.  Another thing that I noticed was all my trainers (and people who have done Feldenkrais for years) were graceful in their walking.  I have also learned that my correct posture and movement is based on the activity that I am doing.