Meet our team

Marek Wyszynski

Clinical Director, PT, GCFP

Marek is the President and Clinical Director of Physical Therapy and Feldenkrais® NYC, a member of the Hospital for Special Surgery Rehabilitation Network. He is also a co-founder of the Feldenkrais Foundation and the Feldenkrais Institute of New York. As a former supervisor of the New York Pain Treatment Program at Lenox Hill Hospital, Marek worked with Dr. Hans Kraus, a noted pioneer of sports medicine, physical medicine, rehabilitation, and trigger-point therapy.

For over 30 years, Marek has worked with clients who suffered from debilitating issues, such as pain, orthopedic challenges, neurological problems, and chronic diseases. His clients included top-level professional athletes, Olympians, accomplished artists, politicians, and people of all walks of life. Marek sees potential and talent in everyone and treats all of his clients as VIPs.

Marek is the Hospital for Special Surgery Rehabilitation Hip Preservation Certified Therapist. He has published articles in medical journals and conducts continuing education courses explicitly designed to “bridge” the complementary worlds of Physical Therapy and the Feldenkrais Method®.

Interesting facts about Marek

I am the happiest when a client… gets better. Of course, there are many definitions of getting better. It will be freedom from pain for some, while for others, it will be dancing at their son’s wedding or lifting and holding a grandchild. For another person, improvement may mean resilience, the ability to face setbacks and manage day-to-day activities.

For me, four conditions constitute a blueprint for happiness:

  • Sense of progress
  • Feeling of control
  • Deep and meaningful relationships
  • Becoming part of something bigger than ourselves

I work to create these conditions of happiness for my patients and students. It’s super rewarding and one of the reasons I love my job!

After a 1:1 session, I often hear… calm and quiet expressions of surprise from my clients. So much can change with such gentle movements! Posture is better, pain is gone, and breathing is improved. My favorite experience was after the first session with a client who suffered from severe neck pain shooting down her arm. I’d noticed how her legs didn’t support her head and neck. The entire session was devoted to her feet, ankles, and legs as I reassured her that I understood the problem was in her neck. After the session, she got up and said:

“The whole session, I was wondering what the hell is this guy doing. It’s my neck that’s bothering me, and he’s twiddling with my feet. But now, I feel taller; I can turn my head better, and the pain is gone! This is really strange.”

During group classes, I pay attention to… the quality of the student’s experience. What you practice is what gets learned. I don’t want my students to rehearse strain, difficulty, effort, awkwardness, or pain. So one thing is to let go of the goal — to stop focusing on the outcome itself — and instead concentrate on finding the means of achieving it.

Let’s say you practice balance. If you only focus on the outcome, which is standing on one leg, you may be practicing the wrong thing. You might be holding your breath, straining and stiffening your body, and flailing your arms about to catch your balance. That is a mistake. All you are learning is that you have a poor balance. But if you shift your approach to the means of lifting one leg. Can you find a way of standing on one leg with such precision where the opposite leg is not needed at all? Don’t attempt to lift your leg before finding that state within your mind and body.

What I love about the Feldenkrais Method is… multilayered. I love the scientific background and solid theoretical foundation — all the rigorous thinking that went behind the system Dr. Feldenkrais created. I love the direct approach and Moshe’s ability to convert abstract concepts into concrete experiences. But mostly, I love the human potential for change and the transformative powers of the Feldenkrais Method.

In my free time… I enjoy sports (and anything competitive!), music, books, spending time with friends, and traveling. For 40 years, I have competed in the sport of fencing. Just like a good day of work, fencing puts me in a state of flow where time completely disappears, and all the problems and worries of the day vanish. I love that precious feeling of being totally immersed in what I do.

I like listening to music, especially rock’n’roll and jazz. Music was an essential part of growing up in Poland in the 70s and 80s. For those living in Eastern Europe, music embodied freedom. I still cherish the raw energy and power of rock music while also appreciating the harmonies, melodic surprises, and depth of jazz.

Reading is also my favorite pastime. Though a “typical jock” most of my life, I have discovered a passion for reading and listening to audiobooks. Mostly, I read non-fiction, such as writings about Buddhism, business, history, or self-improvement. I attribute this newly developed passion for books to Feldenkrais’s “Learning How to Learn.” As a young man, I could not see the relevance of reading great literature like Anna Karenina. But there’s always hope; it only took me almost 50 years!

#1 on my bucket list…

For as long as I can remember, the mysteries of Easter Island fascinated me. It was my #1 on my bucket list. For my 50th birthday, my lovely wife and our friends took me to visit this magnificent place. And it definitely didn’t disappoint! On the first day, we watched the sunrise in front of the giant Moai. I was so moved I burst into tears.

What our Clients say about Marek

I felt transformed

Marek is a very gifted Feldenkrais practitioner and teacher. He is very focused and attuned to the students inquiries and needs. The workshop helped me to become more attuned to myself and I felt transformed.

Barbara Chalom

Marek did a great job working with my daughter, and made the session productive and informative, yet fun. He is wise, and has a natural ability to relate to people, even kids. He showed her a lot of respect, and encouraged her to tap into her strength.

Beth Kapocias

I am enormously grateful.

Over the last several decades in my once a week lessens with Marek I have discovered new ways of thinking and feeling about the aches and pains of aging. To leave a class having explored previously unknown movement options, free of discomfort and amazingly re-aligned is a profound experience for which I am enormously grateful.

Sheila Green

Marek's approach made intuitive sense to me.

I am a physical therapy student and recently attended a lecture /demonstration by Marek. Marek’s approach made intuitive sense to me. I loved the way he wove together interesting anecdotes, ideas about neuroplasticity and human health, knowledge of anatomy, and practical demonstrations. I was amazed by how much movement I gained in my neck and trunk after just a few minutes of practising the techniques. I look forward to learning more about Feldenkrais for my own health, as well as a tool to integrate into physical therapy practice.

Divya R.

Thank you so much!

I have felt so much better immediately after my first Functional Integration session with Marek and my problem was absolutely listened understood and addressed. I also feel I have more tools now to work on the problem and I can’t wait to come for my next session. Can’t recommend this wonderful place and method more.

It was a great experience!

Marek Wyszynski is an amazing healer and teacher. He has helped me on several occasions. Considering his expertise and gentle personality, he is remarkably free of ego while at the same time an effective communicator. The Zoom session worked well, and the audio was clear despite the fact that I am hearing impaired. All in all it was a great experience, and I now have a permanent lesson to follow as I wish.

Steve R.

I was badly hurt with a herniated disc – great pain, and for the first couple weeks, couldn’t walk, sit or stand. Marek got me through it, gently and with insight and confidence. He told me I’d get completely better with no surgery or other invasive procedure, and it was hard to believe at the beginning, but he was right. Can’t recommend highly enough!

Adam H. Sobel

Book an ATM class with Marek

If Marek’s professional background, experience, and approach to clients resonate with you, join his group Attention Through Movement (ATM) classes. Marek is available in our NYC office or online on Zoom. Check Marek’s ATM class schedule.

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