Gerda Alexander

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Gerda Alexander (1908 – February 21, 1994) was a Danish teacher who devised a method of self-development called Eutony. She was born in Wuppertal, Germany, but moved to Denmark in 1933.

Like Moshe Feldenkrais, she emphasized intelligence, sensitivity, and awareness rather than simple physical exercise. For them the body was for movement and our ability to respond to the world, so instead of trying to concoct exercises to promote physical changes such as muscle growth or weight loss, they focused attention on movement itself. They created lessons and experiments to explore how to enhance personal ease, freedom, and well-being.