About
My name is Joshua Elbaum and I am a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner® and a Registered Somatic Movement Educator based in Oakland, CA. I have been practicing somatic work for over a decade and the Feldenkrais Method for over 7 years. I graduated from the Boston 2020 training after studying with Aliza Stewart, Arlynn Zones, David Zemach Bersin, Tiffany Sankary, Larry Goldfarb, Jeremy Krauss, Deborah Bowes, Paris Kern, and Ruty Bar, among others. I have also studied Tai Chi for nearly a decade with Joshua Grant, a 2x U.S. Champion and Gold Medalist.
I came to somatic work as a musician unable to play my instrument, with chronic pain that came between me and the life I wanted to live. Through my relationship with the Feldenkrais Method®, I have not only healed from my injuries, I have illuminated the habits that held me back from intimacy, trapped me in the projections of society, and limited my imagination of what life could be.
I have chosen to make somatic education my life’s work because I believe it is something we desperately need as a society. When we are disconnected from our bodies, we are disconnected from essential parts of our humanity. I believe that a more embodied society will be more compassionate and just and that somatic practice should be accessible to everyone. I am committed to furthering this dream throughout my career. I have a passion for helping people to free the creative voice, show up more fully to the work they do, and touch the simple joy of living in a body. I am a writer, an educator, a musician, a Tai Chi practitioner, a truth seeker, and a somatic astronaut.
I teach Awareness Through Movement® classes, Functional Integration® lessons, and a variety of Feldenkrais® workshops, in and around Northampton, MA. Contact me for more information about classes and private lessons.
“I just spent a wonderful hour observing and supporting Joshua as they gave a Functional Integration session to a student. Their pace and intuition was lovely to watch. Although Joshua is a newer practitioner, they have much to offer anyone who wishes to learn about themselves through the Feldenkrais Method. I am looking forward to seeing Joshua grow to be a wonderful exemplar of our work!”
“I’ve taken physically challenging classes that have helped retrain and strengthen my body as well as meditation based practices that have centered and calmed my mind. However, no other class has so consistently surprised me by doing both so regularly and in such novel ways! Good teachers pass on knowledge. Great teachers also help students develop new tools that enable self discovery. These great teachers spark in their students a curiosity that is the seed of life-long independent learning about themselves and realities outside themselves. Josh is undoubtedly one of those great teachers!”
