By MaryBeth Smith The memory is vivid. I remember those intoxicating early experiences after an Awareness Through Movement® lesson, when I marveled at how much change was possible. I soon began to notice my smallest habits: which leg went into my jeans first? Which shoe did I put on first? In a parking lot, did I choose the empty spot …
Opening and Closing: A Coronavirus Story
By Mary Rudd, GCFP (In collaboration with Donna Ray, LMFT and Feldenkrais® Trainer) In March 2020, I became ill with COVID-19 while caring for my husband, Rick, who had been suffering from symptoms of the disease for five days. Earlier that month, we had returned home to Kentucky sooner than planned from a trip to California, following the advice of …
What to Do When the Lesson is Over…
By David Zemach-Bersin, Founder Feldenkrais® Access As a Feldenkrais Teacher, I often hear: “I feel great after that lesson! How can I make the improvements last and maximize the benefits?” To support the benefits of a lesson, first consider this: Awareness Through Movement® lessons do not end when the movements stop. For approximately an hour, as we do an Awareness …
ISMETA Statement on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: An Interview with Elisabeth Osgood-Campbell, MA, RSME/T
Elisabeth Osgood-Campbell is a Continuum teacher, expressive arts therapist, and artist. She has taught at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, on the faculty of Tamalpa Institute, and served for 9 years on the Board of Directors of the International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association (ISMETA). She is co-chair of their Research and Publications Committee. She is the lead …
An Interview with Martha Eddy
Dr. Martha Eddy is the Geraldine Ferraro Fellow for Social Justice and Movement at Marymount Manhattan College, where she also advises the Body Science and Motion studies for students in the Dance and Natural Science Departments. She was a speaker at the 2019 Feldenkrais® Summit, and is the author of “Mindful Movement: The Evolution of the Somatic Arts and Conscious …
Attitudes and Values
by Candy Conino Black Lives Matter. How do we respond to this urgency? What actions can we take to deal with the fact that FGNA has few members of color and the clientele of our members is equally homogenous? As Feldenkrais® practitioners, we’ve learned and we teach a process of sensing, feeling and exploring our way toward efficient and potent …
Moving Forward
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” The quotation seems like vintage Moshe Feldenkrais. However, it’s actually by Maya Angelou. The recent protests around the world have renewed attention on social justice issues; and specifically at this time, systemic racism. Many in our community and in our spheres of influence, including …
A Message to Our Community
We stand in solidarity with those who oppose the systemic perpetration of violence and oppression against people of color in the United States throughout its history. We also embrace and acknowledge the full potential and humanity of individuals regardless of age, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, physical appearance, disability, or sexual orientation. We recognize that we have …
An Embodied Vision of PRIDE
by Frederick Schjang, GCFP June is LGBTQ Pride Month. For the past several years, I have taught Feldenkrais® classes and special programs to LGBTQ elders at a center where most of the other fitness and wellness classes had failed for lack of participation. I think I know one reason why the Feldenkrais classes have become one of the most popular …
Expand Your Horizon for Creative Vision
by Tiffany Sankary, GCFP “With paying attention, learning, doing, we improve and enlarge our horizons.” – Moshe Feldenkrais What’s the relationship between our physical vision and our creative vision? What’s the relationship between the quality of our movement and the quality of our imagination? When you feel tight, stuck, blocked, frozen, chaotic, confused, Feldenkrais® Awareness Through Movement® can help bring …