M. Cohen-Nehemia, the originator of the Mitzvah Technique, was born and raised in Jerusalem in 1924. There he studied classical, modern and oriental dance and was a member of the Inbal Dance Theater of Israel. Similar to F. M. Alexander who lost his voice as an actor and regained it through self-discovery, Nehemia suffered major back problems as a dancer and gained functionality by successfully helping himself through his own experiences and research on body movement. He participated in training seminars for dance and physical education teachers at the kibbutz school which gave him insights into the relationship between body movement and body health.