| Friday, September 11, 2020 (8am PDT - 1:45pm PDT) | |
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| 8:00am PDT - 8:45am PDT | Morning ATM® lesson The Spine Moves Forward and Backwards Over the Arm Presented by: Deborah Bowes Awareness Through Movement in side lying position. Finding Your True Power Presented by: Chrish Kresge Finding a more reliable source of inner strength and organization that leads to overall improved function in walking, golf, tennis and other sports. In this Awareness Through Movement lesson we’ll unleash better distribution of power as we connect the limbs to our spine and pelvis in a twisty spiral. |
| 8:45am PDT - 9:00am PDT | Break |
| 9:00am PDT - 9:15am PDT | Welcome Remarks Presented by: Elinor Silverstein & Nancy Haller |
| 9:15am PDT - 10:15am PDT | Keynote: Heart Coherence: Why Movement is so Important
Presented by: Dr. Rollin McCraty Rollin McCraty, Ph.D., Director of Research at the HeartMath Institute will discuss new understandings of how the heart and brain interact in a dynamic relationship that affects many aspects of cognition and emotional experience. He will present scientific research on a measurable state called “heart coherence” which is characterized by increased alignment, synchronization, harmony, and efficiency in the interactions among the physiological, cognitive, and emotional systems. The coherent state can be measured by analysis of heart rate variability and reflects increased order in higher-level brain systems, increased synchronization in the autonomic nervous system, and a general shift in autonomic balance towards increased vagal nerve activity. He will also discuss the critical importance of establishing physiological baselines and how coherence can be facilitated through movement and smartphone based apps. He will also present data showing how the heart radiates a measurable magnetic field which carries information which can affect other people around us and how we are connected to larger magnetic fields of the Earth. |
| 10:15am PDT - 10:30am PDT | Break |
| 10:30am PDT - 12:00pm PDT | Move Your Body, Change Your Mind: Resilience and Emotional Integration the Feldenkrais® Way (Open to: Feldenkrais® Practitioners, Trainees, & Public) Presented by: Donna Ray Enjoy an easy to do, pleasurable Awareness Through Movement lesson that exemplifies the tenets of The Feldenkrais Method. Experience self awareness, learning and integration that lead to a preferred Shift in your State of Being. Strategies used within the lesson to create a fresh self-image will be discussed. Resilience is naturally embedded in the Feldenkrais Method, though not always easy to distinguish and yet particularly relevant at this time. |
| 12:00pm PDT - 12:15pm PDT | Break |
| 12:15pm PDT - 1:45pm PDT | Moshe's own Jiu-Jitsu, the First Feldenkrais Method (Open to: Feldenkrais® Practitioners, Trainees, & Public) Presented by: Moti Nativ “I found out that the old Jiu-Jitsu didn’t work. So, I set out to make a Jiu-Jitsu of my own that will work” (Moshe Feldenkrais, Amherst 1981) We are meeting on a significant date - 90 years since the publication of Moshe’s Jiu-Jitsu book. At the age of twenty-six, Moshe designed a unique method of self-defense training to develop effective unarmed combat skills for the pioneers in the Land of Israel. This book paved the way to Moshe's meeting with Jigoro Kano, the father of modern Judo. Training and teaching Judo led him to develop the ideas and principles of the Feldenkrais Method. I will share with you the secrets hidden in this book. It is the story of Moshe’s “First Feldenkrais Method”, born in his genius’ mind, responding to the needs of a threatening environment. You will also learn an Awareness Through Movement lesson which will provide you the skill to safely perform a self-defense technique that Moshe designed to help assure his friends’ survival. |
| Saturday, September 12, 2020 (8am PDT - 2:45pm PDT) | |
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| 8:00am PDT - 8:45am PDT | Morning ATM® lesson Heart Coherence: How Feldenkrais® Moves Can Improve Your Health Presented by: Elinor Silverstein On the heels of Dr. Rollin McCraty's Keynote talk about Movement and Heart Coherence, in this class we will explore some very simple yet profound Feldenkrais® moves to improve our own Heart Coherence (HC), and therefore our health. HC measures our vagal tone capacity which shows us how much resilience our health has regarding wellness and vitality. Elinor has measured over 100 of her students using the heart coherence device while doing Feldenkrais lessons. In almost every instance the movement lessons greatly improved HC, vagal tone, overall health and ability to bounce back. Feldenkrais offers the kind of mental and physical vitality we all need now. Come join us and learn what you can do to help yourself. Arm and Knee on the Diagonal Presented by: Arlyn Zones Lying on the back, the lesson begins with slow and gentle movements to perceive a zone of greatest quality when transitioning from one side of the spine to the other. Once this quality is established, the lesson unfolds with greater layers of complexity added along the way. |
| 8:45am PDT - 9:00am PDT | Break |
| 9:00am PDT- 10:30am PDT | Workshops Awareness Through Movement as a Contemplative Practice (Open to: Public, Trainees, 3/4th year Trainees, Feldenkrais® Practitioners) Presented by: Jeff Haller In this course, we will make a comparison between the Feldenkrais Method of Awareness Through Movement and contemplative practices. We will examine the concrete practices of attention to sensory-motor details that lead to awareness, ego dissolution, a sense of being a part of a greater whole, developing a profound connection to self/no-self, while engaging within the ATM processes that lead to functional improvement. These lessons lead us into a profound sense of being connected to life. One Pelvis, Two Legs - Finding the Power in your Pelvis (Open to: Feldenkrais® Practitioners & Trainees) Presented by: Karen Donelson The simplicity that we need for balance in standing and walking is not so different from what we need to make other more complex movements possible, easy and elegant. Focusing on the powerful mobility of the pelvis to organize your legs, we will build a movement sequence that helps you to find your standing legs again and again. This learning will develop an understanding that can deepen all of your fitness practices, including walking, running, yoga, pilates or other mindful movement practices. Awareness Through Memoir (Open to: Public, Trainees, 3/4th year Trainees, Feldenkrais® Practitioners) Presented by: Kate Conroy, MA, GCFP, & Marty Correia, MFA Bring your writing and Feldenkrais practices to the next level. This workshop welcomes artists, writers, and practitioners of all levels. During this blended Awareness Through Movement and literary craft class you will generate fresh writing from your recovered memories. Learn methods designed to reacquaint you with yourself, validate your experiences, sharpen your focus, and even rediscover forgotten joys. As artists and activists committed to the BLM and LGBTQ+ movements, Kate and Marty maintain a safe and welcoming learning environment. |
| 10:30am PDT - 11:00am PDT | Break |
| 11:00am PDT - 12:30pm PDT | Workshops Feldenkrais® Strategies to Make it Possible, Easy and Fun to Get Out and Play! (Open to: Feldenkrais® Practitioners, Trainees, & Public) Presented by: Shari Lee In this workshop you will learn to play more freely, fully, and confidently using some of the same principles we all naturally engaged in during our earliest years. These specific Awareness Through Movement® lessons will help you learn to improve your balance, power, efficient movement and find more enjoyment than you ever thought possible in your outdoor recreational and sports activities. As you change the dynamics of your movement, areas that you commonly overwork which often contribute to fatigue, pain and injury can begin to change for the better. This will enable you to go back out and do what you love to do outdoors, and feel better at the end of every day. Whether you’re new to outdoor sports, want to fine tune your performance or prevent injury with the sports you love, come join us. It’s serious business, but we will make it fun! Knowing and Doing (Open to: Feldenkrais® Practitioners & 3/4 year trainees only) Presented by: Ralph Strauch We often think about our work from a primarily mechanical perspective -- as interacting with a basically physical system to bring that system to higher levels of functioning. This workshop takes a different perspective -- exploring ways of consciously shifting your perception of what you are experiencing in ways that bring about significant change and opening possibilities that would have been unimaginable before the shift. The world you experience is not the objective reality. Rather it is one possible way, out of many, that brings a much richer and more fluid underlying reality into focus. Common perceptual illusions like the faces/vase or rabbit/duck are simple examples of this idea, which we will expand into more complex and functional experiences in the workshop. You will leave with a powerful new understanding of what you are doing and what you can achieve with your clients. How Do We Find Presence? (Open to: Feldenkrais® Practitioners, Trainees, & Public) Presented by: Lindy Ost What does it mean to be present in the moment? In this workshop we will experience the value of doing less and listening more to our innate sense of curiosity so that our sense of well-being can expand. The Feldenkrais Method® gives us a deeper understanding of ourselves by helping us to notice thoughts, feelings, and sensations through movement explorations. Fine tuning the beginning of an Awareness Through Movement(R) lesson is key to using our attention towards finding greater presence. Whether you are new to this work or have many years of experience, taking time to explore the richness of a lesson can help you become aware of habits that no longer serve you. This way of paying attention to yourself refines your capacity to be more present in the moment. A Smart Core Is a Strong Core: Rethinking Core Strength (Open to: Feldenkrais® Practitioners, Trainees & Public) Presented by: Elizabeth Beringer Over the past two decades the idea of “the core” and “core strength” have swept through the American fitness culture. Clients frequently refer to issues with their “core” even though, when probed, they often seem unclear as to what the terms “core” or “core strength” mean. During this 90 minute workshop doing Awareness Through Movement® together, we will deconstruct, reconstruct and expand the idea of core strength so that participants leave with a rich set of options for engaging with their clients around this theme. |
| 12:30pm PDT - 12:45pm PDT | Break |
| 12:45pm PDT - 2:45pm PDT | Legacy Presentation Presented by: Donna Blank, Liza Weaver Brickey, Alice Friedman, Jeff Haller, Roger Russell, Elinor Silverstein, Lisa Walker, Anna Wolf The Feldenkrais Legacy Forum invites you...to make a difference. Everyone's voice should be heard. What are your concerns about growing our profession? What are your dreams? Five years ago a group of Feldenkrais teachers began exploring important issues about the future. Realizing that our growth as a profession can be decisively enhanced by savvy communication and creative rethinking our training processes, we set to work. Treading a path of reflection and dialogue, an energizing creative process emerged; unmasking hidden issues and unveiling steps for sweeping change. Join The Feldenkrais Legacy Forum to make acquaintance with what is in store and what needs to be done. Your participation is crucial, and the time to move is Now! |
| Sunday, September 13, 2020 (8am PDT - 1:00pm PDT) | |
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| 8:00am PDT - 8:45am PDT | Morning ATM® lesson
Breathing Into and Exploring Inner Volumes
Presented by: Donna Blank
As we both follow and direct our breath into our inner volumes, we will discover the support of the potential tensegrity within, as we also connect with the tensegrity of the space around us.
Discovering YOU in your habitual Presented by: Julie Peck Track through yourself to find out how you can do what you do well even better. |
| 8:45am PDT - 9:00am PDT | Break |
| 9:00am PDT - 10:30am PDT | Workshops
Feldenkrais® and Water - a Perfect Mix
(Open to: Feldenkrais® Practitioners, Trainees, & Public)
Presented by: Becky Behling & Jane Johnston
Expand your teaching opportunities by adapting Awareness Through Movement® (ATM®) lessons to the water. Understanding the benefits and constraints of moving in water engages your creativity as you experience the dynamic properties of an aquatic environment. You'll explore two sample ATMs® and one simple Functional Integration® lesson to get your ideas flowing. Learn how the properties of water and the structure of a pool can influence movement. You’ll become familiar with the unique attributes of moving in water as opposed to moving on land with respect to buoyancy vs gravity, resistance, surface tension, speed, power and force. This workshop is ideal for Feldenkrais practitioners® and trainees to use in your practice. Interested healthcare and fitness professionals will also find ways to bring the recognized movement improvement principles of the Feldenkrais Method® to their students and clients. Join aquatic fitness experts Becky and Jane and be prepared to expand your movement repertoire on land and in water! Creative Connections through your Tongue, Jaw, Throat and Pelvic Floor (Open to: Public, Trainees, 3/4th year Trainees, Feldenkrais® Practitioners) Presented by: Carol Lessinger This workshop will offer a new Awareness Through Movement lesson that you can also integrate into Functional Integration. It was inspired by Dr. Feldenkrais’ short talk in the 1981 Amherst Training about how humans are influenced by evolutionary motions of animals drinking. Carol expanded the material and was delighted to discover her students’ enthusiastic response observing their increased comfort as well as a more elegant carriage of the head. The lesson is delicate and works through the informational and perceptual network of your fascia. Tongue connection holds significance in the lesson. Our tongue occupies a large amount of real estate in the motor cortex, yet we’re usually unaware of how we are holding it. Clarity brings release and a cascade of change in the whole body, but especially the neck. As in all Feldenkrais lessons, the work is subtle and elegant. However, this one can take you for an exceptionally deep dive. Looking forward to being with you. Give a lesson, Receive a lesson (Open to: 3/4th year Trainees, Feldenkrais® Practitioners) Presented by: Nancy Haller In the Feldenkrais Method® we speak of the lesson as a dance between partners which guides the potential for change. Engaging in touch as a connection between the two systems. Each movement is a mirror image between the client and the practitioner. Brilliance within the system organizes to enhance life potentials utilizing the matrix of not one, but two reflecting systems. Touch and being touched happens at the same time. Breath begins to join into one pattern. Heartbeats may synchronize while working together. This is the dance. How do we develop these important connections when we are looking at a camera and communicating with our student through a computer? What tools might bring us closer to our students when they are miles away and using the impersonal access of the internet? Zoom and distance sharing has become a norm for the present status of our work. This workshop focuses on how we engage and bring the lesson from the camera in a box to life. Grow Young with Your Dog (Open to: Feldenkrais® Practitioners, Trainees, & Public) Presented by: Mary Debono Both humans and dogs develop movement habits that can create stiffness, pain and even anxiety. In the Grow Young with Your Dog® workshop, participants will learn simple strategies to enhance their dog’s mobility, vitality and confidence while also improving their own ease of movement. Weaving in stories of dogs who overcame very challenging physical difficulties with the help of the Feldenkrais Method®, we’ll explore the rejuvenating power of neuroplasticity that’s available to all of us, human or canine, young or old. I’ll share why it’s important to notice and address even subtle changes in dogs’ posture and movement, and how this can help prevent major problems from developing. Along with Awareness Through Movement®, I’ll teach participants easy, hands-on strategies that can deepen the human-canine bond while enhancing awareness, comfort and freedom of movement. We’ll also explore how small changes to our daily routines can yield greater mobility and vitality for ourselves and our dogs. |
| 10:30am PDT - 11:00am PDT | Break |
| 11:00am PDT - 12:30pm PDT | Workshops
Opening Doors: Bringing Feldenkrais In
(Open to: Feldenkrais® Practitioners & Trainees)
Presented by: Stacy Barrows
Opening doors, talking to the gatekeeper, making your students raving fans while selling Feldenkrais without selling out? Can we do this? While recently closing my former practice and opening a solo studio, I needed to revisit what every practitioner comes up against. How do we differentiate? What is our strategy? Also, a recent acceptance to teach to a UCLA Extension program and at a prestigious Yoga studio while operating through the Covid business model provided me opportunities to humbly return to the basics. Inspired by this year’s theme “What can Feldenkrais do for you?”, my workshop will assist Feldenkrais students and new practitioners to explore tools to address this issue. The virtual session will be a collegial and experiential workshop geared toward guiding students to develop their own style. We will have some think tank opportunities woven into Awareness Through Movement sequences. And of course we will have fun! Feldenkrais® for Dance: Improving the Self-Image (Open to: Feldenkrais® Practitioners, Trainees, & Public) Presented by: Deidre Sklar How can the Feldenkrais Method support and enhance dancers’ embodied wisdom? In addition to mastering rigorous physical techniques, dancers become adept at translating seamlessly between kinesthetic and visual modalities. Feldenkrais does the same, relying on the mind’s capacity to feel movement while seeing it in the mind’s eye, often literally doing this “in imagination.” However, in Feldenkrais, the emphasis is on awareness, bringing to consciousness what has previously been rote. We learn by paying attention to ourselves while moving, using curiosity and exploration, thereby enabling us to have more choice. After considering Moshe Feldenkrais’ concept of the self-image, we will explore a simple Awareness through Movement lesson. Here are a few important Feldenkrais principles that we will highlight in the workshop that can improve the dancer’s performance and their self-image.
From Pain to Pleasure: Strategies for Relief and Mobility (Open to: Feldenkrais® Practitioners, Trainees, & Public) Presented by: Lavinia Plonka Whether it's due to injury, illness, trauma or simply wear and tear, pain has hijacked our nation. Between opioids, surgical interventions, therapies, hospitalizations and lost productivity, chronic pain costs Americans over $635 Billion a year. One of the most overlooked strategies for pain management and even pain relief is "mindful movement," or somatic strategies like the Feldenkrais Method®. Awareness Through Movement® lessons not only offer options for finding greater ease, they are fun! Whether you are struggling with pain, or you want to learn how to help someone else, this workshop offers tools and information that will serve you in finding your way back to pleasurable movement. Lavinia combines her years as a physical comedian, Feldenkrais® teacher and her research into human emotion into a synergistic feast for body and mind. |
| 12:30pm PDT - 1:00pm PDT | Closing Circle |