Mary Spire is an experienced and certified Feldenkrais® practitioner and a Trainer in international Feldenkrais trainings. She holds a Master’s Degree in Piano Performance from U.S.C. and performed for many years before becoming a Feldenkrais practitioner. She has taught Feldenkrais at U.C. Berkeley, U.C. San Francisco, Boston University, SUNY Stonybrook, the Tanglewood Music Center and at other schools and hospitals. Since 1994, she has been teaching for the San Francisco Symphony’s Prevention & Wellness Program. In addition to her frequent workshops, lectures and symposia, Mary maintains private practices in Berkeley and Corte Madera, California, where she specializes in working with infants and children, older adults, people with neurological conditions and performing artists. In 2004, the San Francisco Symphony recommended  Mary as the best RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury) specialist in the Bay area [San Francisco Magazine January 2004 - SF Magazine Cover].

Developed by Israeli physicist Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais, this method is a highly sophisticated approach to accessing the power of the nervous system to improve human functioning. In a gentle and safe way you will increase your mobility, reduce habitual and unnecessary stress on your body, and increase your vitality. This method teaches you how to mobilize your own capacity to learn and change. It is of value to people with a wide range of neuromuscular conditions-from cerebral palsy, stroke, and multiple sclerosis to back, neck, and shoulder pain-as well as for musicians, athletes and others wanting to improve their performance.

"Feldenkrais lessons with Mary Spire have helped me overcome serious arthritic conditions. As a musician the work not only is sustaining my career - it has improved my tone and created more freedom and ease in my playing.

                 -Brian Marcus, Bassist, San Francisco Symphony

"Mary is more than an experienced Feldenkrais® instructor. She is sensitive, caring and perceptive about each person she works with.  She is innovative and challenged to find solutions, even with the most difficult and challenging problems.  I enjoy having the opportunity to work collaboratively with her in the care of our common patients."

Nancy Byl, PH.D., PT, UCSF School of Medicine

"Mary's expertise in the Feldenkrais Method® along with my home use of her easy-to-follow audio taped movement lessons combined to help me where conventional medicine had failed.  I have achieved a dramatic reduction in neck muscle spasms caused by dystonia, a neurological disorder.  I cannot express my appreciation enough."

Joanne Volponi, Chemist

"I love Feldenkrais!  I found Feldenkrais to be neither a cure nor a fix, but an accessible and enjoyable way of learning to engage mindfully with myself and the world at many different levels. Through Mary Spire's lessons, I gained insights that I have carried over into other areas of expertise.  Mary's superb understanding of Feldenkrais' teaching in action even inspired me to take a training myself!"  

Marianne Constable, Professor of Humanities, UC Berkeley

"I had a bicycle accident with a mild traumatic brain injury that effected my vision. Mary has helped tremendously with her therapy in dealing with my double vision, acuity, perception,eye movement and anxiety.  She encouraged me with gentle eye exercises and CD's for body and eye movement that I continue to use to  improve my vision.  Thank you Mary."

David

"Simple pleasure and surprise working with Mary / her lessons: a new-found physical balance and open core sitting Zazen, long distance cycling with a consistently lower heart beat. Who would have thought.

Kit Uren, Principal Uren Myers Insurance Broker

 

 "Feldenkrais is not just pushing muscles around, it's changing things in the brain itself."
 

Karl Pribram, Md, PhD, neuroscientist