Linda Tellington Jones of "TTouch®" fame is going to be at the Feldenkrais conference coming up in August. Famous worldwide for her work with animals, she has also trained as a Feldenkrais Practitioner.

Her workshop, Integrating Tellington TTouch® into your Professional Practice and Everyday Life is open to the public, so register and show up even if you are not a Feldenkrais Practitioner.

My first experience with the Tellingtion Touch was during the first (or maybe second?) year of my Feldenkrais Training, after buying one of her books:

I was amazed by the work. I had access to a Siberian Husky, that had apparently been abused and hurt by its previous owner. The dog was not hostile, but rather, very shy and wary, even though he was a huge and muscular animal. I spent a few minutes on perhaps two occasions, doing some basic TTouch moves along his back and side. There were certain areas of his body that were essentially "armored" with habitual muscular tension.

The changes in his behavior were astounding. He became much more outgoing, and when taking him on walks he would explore and say "hello" to people, where before he would have just walked by my side with his tail and head down.

Below, is a short-video of Linda working with a cat. Two things strike me about this video. Number one it is way too short! I would have enjoyed seeing more of Linda working with the cat. And second, for Feldenkrais Practitioners who create and post YouTube videos, notice that Linda is (ahem) SHOWING the work, she's not just talking about…it's always a good idea to let people SEE what you do.

Enjoy:

Bonnie Humiston, Feldenkrais Trainer

This podcast contains a great deal on historical information regarding the Feldenkrais Method and the various "guiding" organizations that have developed around the work such as the country and region-specific Feldenkrais Guilds and the International Feldenkrais Federation.

Enjoy. Click the link to download or play: Bonnie Humiston Podcast

Bedridden and folded up in a fetal position, she was unable to brush her hair, shower, or use the bathroom unaided. She teetered on the verge of suicide. Finally, after 15 years, a switch in medical plans introduced her to doctors who believed her. But by that point, the pain medications they prescribed could not reverse her condition. Worse, the drugs left her with a slew of side effects.

Toussaint wanted to try physical therapy for pelvic pain, and a movement therapy called Feldenkrais, ideas her doctor initially dismissed. He rolled his eyes and said, It will never help,"she remembers. Ultimately, however, the move led her into the world of alternative therapies and saved Toussaint's life.

Guided imagery and Feldenkrais, the therapies that helped Toussaint, are only two out of more than a dozen alternative therapies that have been scientifically documented to ease chronic pain when drugs can't. And they frequently can't, says James Dillard, M.D., D.C., coauthor of The Chronic Pain Solution (Bantam, 2003). Even if we prescribe medication as well as we can, on average we are still only going to take away between 50 and 60 percent of your pain.

The full article is here: AARP Drug-Free Pain Relief.

If you want to know more about Feldenkrais Research, Jim Stephens and Frank Wildman have created a brief online article regarding some research on pain and other areas relevant to the Feldenkrais Method:

http://www.feldenkraisinstitute.org/articles/a_research.html

Have you ever wondered what a Feldenkrais, Awareness Through Movement Lesson® looks like?

Take a look at the new "FeldyFotos" group on Flickr. Better yet, join Flickr (It's Free). And then join the FeldyFotos group so you can share image of you Functional Integration sessions, Awareness Through Movement Classes and training. Why not? It's a good way to share the Method with the world, and it fun too.

cheers - Ryan

By the way - I am new at Flickr and do not know their system very well, so I can't answer too many questions about it, but join and play around. You can figure it out. And remember - rest whenever you want to.

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• Sold on The Feldenkrais Method (malepatternfitness.com)

By the way - I do sell many of Josef's core integration exercises available as an instant download. They are enjoyable and highly effective.

- Ryan

Below is a video from one of Ralph's past Composing Experience workshops. The next is coming up in Vancouver, March, 2009. I have not attended his workshop yet, but I have heard many positive comments about it. View the video below which is a replication of one I. Brunner and L. Postman's visual experiments performed in late 1940s. When you are ready, you can then go to Ralph's blog and view the video in context and with greater explanation:

Pretty cool, eh?
Taken from: The Importance of Context. To get a richer description of what Ralph is doing, you may also want to start at the beginning of his 8-part series on Choice and Experience.

He has published dozens of articles, many of which can be found on his Semiophysics website.

In this conversation, I ask a Dennis a cluster of related questions. For example, what areas in which he thinks Moshe Feldenkrais might have "missed the boat" or was unclear in his ideas, and if there were "new ideas" that Moshe was formulating but never had the opportunity to develop.

Conversely, I asked Dennis where he thinks we, as a community, missed certain ideas or threads in Moshe's thinking. We also touch on the training and accreditation process. I asked Dennis if the needs of creating a profession have shaped the work in ways that might not be entirely clear or conscious. His answers may surprise you.

Along the way, Dennis tells some illuminating stories about self and identity, Moshe's history, and aspects of Dr. Feldenkrais and his personality that many people have not had a chance to see and fully appreciate.

I hope to speak to Dennis again. Enjoy:

Dennis Leri Podcast

Note: You can download this episode directly to your computer by clicking the link above. On many computers it will beginning playing automatically. Adjust the volume higher or lower as you need. If you want to be notified of new episodes, click the "subscribe" button on the top right hand side of the blog. You can subscribe via iTunes, email or any other service that you might use.

Would you be willing to make a small donation to help keep these episodes coming? Donate to Ryan and Feldenkrais Pocasts.

As a student of Moshe Feldenkrais and other movement scientists, I am fascinated by the untapped possibility that chickens oops! …that human beings have for movement.

The brilliance of Dr. Feldenkrais was he found that it is possible to teach a person new movement possibilities - not by stretching nor exercise, but by giving a person new sensory-motor experience from which to learn.

Enjoy! - Ryan

Thanks to Dan Schmidt, Feldenkrais Practitioner for bringing this video to my attention.

From the standpoint of electing a President, if you voted for Jesse Jackson years ago, you would have been voting for a representative of black people. Not that such an abstraction, such as "black people" really exists in the world, it's just a misguided human categorization. But regardless, I think you can get the point - the cross over appeal of Jesse Jackson to "white america" (another bogus distinction) was limited.

Barack Obama? He is a different story. He's not just a black man, or a white man, or a professor, lawyer or community organizer. He's not just an American or a Kenyan or a man with an Arabic middle name. He transcends categories. It's not an accident. He has done so methodically, willingly and with deliberate thought and action. He is everything that I have listed above and a President, Father, Husband, Man and judging by the multi-colored Obama t-shirt that I am wearing right now; He is also a work of art.

This leads me, in my own experience, to the attempts by students of Moshe Feldenkrais to identify themselves as "Feldenkrais Practitioners." Felden-what? Feldenchrist?! What was Moshe Feldenkrais to you? A great man? A great Jew? A scientist? A guru? An object of love, admiration, hate, indifference? Whatever he "is" or "is not" to you - I think it's important to realize that the larger world will largely not give a damn. Individuals have their own unique needs, beliefs, language, culture and experience. They will interpret and re-interpret based on their wants.

For this method to grow exponentially, and to do so in a way that respects the unique needs of the people who will encounter it, it will need to be explained and presented in a ways that makes sense to others - not just to people who have trained in the method. And not solely in the idiosyncratic and obscure language of a russian-born, scientist, jew, polyglot, and genius, who died 20 years ago.

During the election, Barack Obama did not speak solely to black needs and black values. He saw correctly that there is no such thing. He spoke to deeper values that nearly all people share - the desire to be respected, to have basic human dignity, to grow, to love, to learn, to eat, to have a job and a roof over one's head, to protect the planet. Those are not black nor white values. Those are not christian values, nor jewish values, nor arabic values. Those are not American values. And they sure as hell are not Feldenkrais values. They are human values. And in Barack Obama's case, they are wrapped in a narrative and a story that people want to hear, want to repeat, and in which they want to believe.

Where is that story for you and your life? How soon will you start telling it? And to who? And how often will you revise it, until it truly speaks to yourself and the people that you want to reach? And if you don't, why should anyone listen to you?

You do not expect people to imitate the way you move. Why in the hell should they imitate the way that you think?

For practitioners who want to teach their own back pain workshops, I have also added an option that includes transcripts of the 11 Feldenkrais-based sessions. You could be up and running and teaching your own back pain workshops in just a couple of days.

Full details at my Feldenkrais mp3 (downloads) store. These products come with an unconditional money-back guarantee. And I will keep a back-up copy for you in case you have a hard drive crash or otherwise need them replaced.

cheers! - Ryan

However, I know from my website database that many people search for the term, "Feldenchrist" on google. I have assumed that is some type of misunderstanding that comes about when some hears a foreign-sounding word and has to make some sense out of it.

I was curious if there was any information on the internet about Feldenkrais as a "cult." I conducted a brief search on Google and previewed the first 100 or so websites that came up under the keyword phrase "Feldenkrais Cult." The search led me to two listings (bold emphasis mine).

From QuakWatch.com

Feldenkrais Method® (Feldenkrais technique): Mode of bodywork originated in Israel by physicist and engineer Moshe Feldenkrais, D.Sc. (1904-1984). It is a form of "movement reeducation" whose alleged results include "increased levels of vital energy" ("renewed inner vitality"). The method has two "aspects": (1) private, one-on-one instruction (Functional Integration), and (2) group instruction (Awareness Through Movement).

And from New Zealand Cults:

"Feldenkrais Method, The. Not Yet Rated. In effect a subset of Somatic Education, it is marketed in New Zealand under such names as Move To Improve. Basic idea seems to be that much body pain and physical restrictions (lack of movement) aren't caused by old age but by learned habits and repetitive poor use of the body. OK so far. However the Feldenkrais Method, like many other alternative physical therapies, claims that by its application all sorts of things can be fixed, stress reduced, etc. There is no credible research evidence to substantiate such claims, and so is considered an alternative treatment. Although it is included in a prominant NZ online New Age resource listing, it may not be particularly New Age itself, but it and its practitioners often do have strong links to the New Age."

A few words flashed into my mind as I read the passages above, 1) Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit, 2) Guilt by Association 3) Science that isn't science.

1) I say, "bullshit" as there is a growing pool of research regarding the Feldenkrais Method. Although it is certainly not overwhelming there are many attempts and many peer-reviewed articles concerning the Feldenkrais Method. (For a sadly outdated list that I have not updated recently, see: http://www.psych.utah.edu/feldenkrais/index.php

2) Barack Obama is a terrorist because he has the middle name of "Hussein" and he had coffee with William Ayers and sat on some boards with him, correct? Sound familiar? Guilt by association. The entries above, mild as they may be, are making insinuations without a shred of data and no attempts to define terms. Quakwatch mentions the "alleged results" of "increased vital energy." What in the hell is increased vital energy? I have certainly never heard someone make that claim about the Feldenkrais Method and have no idea what it is or for what it stands. Could Quakwatch be kind enough to cite a reference for the quote above? Is that not standard scientific procedure? They are saying, in essence, "It's not scientific, take our word for it."

And the New Zealand cult network wants to associate the Feldenkrais Method with the "New Age." Call me a "New Ager" to my face and I will kick you in the ass. I despise that term. Although, admittedly, it's a meaningless term undefined by most who use it - including the people who write for the New Zealand cult network. I would think that a group attempting to steer people away from cults (a worthy undertaking) would do more to define what the hell they are talking about.

3) So called "scientific methods" when applied to human affairs are a notoriously slippery slope. I have been, and remain, completely shocked at the utter garbage that I was exposed to when undergoing a PhD program in Psychology at the University of Utah. The terms that were bandied about - latent variables, manifest variables, internal working models, cognitive structures, etc. etc. ad naseum, had nothing behind them except an untested, naive belief that human behavior has "causes" that need scientific sounding names and numbers to describe them. Maybe they do - but if you can't find one in the physical world, simply making a cause up and giving it a name is hardly science.

It's not clear to me that "Feldenkrais Research" as it stands is going to do much better. I hope that in the zeal to gain the external stamp of approval from "science" that Feldenkrais Practitioners do not end up losing what makes the method so unique - helping living, breathing, human beings created actionable and meaningful differences in their lives.

So, is the Feldenkrais Method a "cult"? Is there a "scientific basis" for it? Be an adult and figure it out on your own.

…an independent online forum to facilitate communication within the Feldenkrais community worldwide…Memberships are limited to Feldenkrais Practitioners and students in Feldenkrais Professional Training Programs.

I would like to add one more fact about the FeldyForum. From the standpoint of internet search engines such as Google,

the FeldyForum is I-N-V-I-S-I-B-L-E.

The posts are not indexed and can rarely, if ever, be found on the search engine results pages. Although this may be fine for the purposes of Feldenkrais practitioners speaking to each other online, it does nothing for the growth of the method and does not allow members of the public to learn, read, nor find out about the method.

Considering that there are 1000's of posts written every year on hundreds of topics, the invisible posts seem like a great waste. Why not give members of the public a chance to read the ideas? Why not give them an opportunity to read the words of so many talented Feldenkrais practitioners? Give them a chance to see how the method could benefit them?

How many millions of people do searches on Google every day? And on Yahoo and MSN? An open and indexed feldenkrais forum could bring in tens of thousands of readers every year, any one of whom might decide to learn more about the Feldenkrais Method, contact a practitioner or take a class or workshop. It's the kind of publicity that would be hard to buy.

Thinking that doesn't change your action isn't thinking…?

Is that the quote from Moshe? How about, "forum posts that can't be read can't change the world?" (nor build your practice). A community that wants more visibility, is not served by private communications read by only a select few. A method that is not increasing it's exposure and ability to be found on the internet is cutting itself off from the greatest communication tool and idea-spreader that has ever existed in the human world. Ignore it at your own peril.

You can't wave a magic wand and get the Yahoo posts indexed. Neither can you force other practitioners to start their own blog. You can't force them to be found online. But you can begin to engage the world through the internet. Take a class. Start a blog. Comment on other people's blog posts. Post on forums read by people "outside" the community. i.e Do something, anything, that you think might make a difference, while you learn along the way.

Or not.

It's your choice.

But doing nothing is the royal road to irrelevance.

The FeldyForum post was written by noted Feldenkrais Practitioner and sculptor, Martin Weiner of Ojai, CA. I spoke with Marty on the first two podcasts that I conducted: A Conversation with Martin Weiner and Further Down The Rabbit Hole with Martin Weiner. I like to stay in touch with what Marty is doing as I find him a rather interesting fellow.

Below, he speaks to the limits of the medical model. I did not change or edit a single word of the post, but I did change the spacing to make it easier to read on this page:

I have often talked on the forum about how seeing things from a medical model limits our capacity to see what is there. I had an experience with a young woman the other day that I'd like to share in this regard.

A woman called me on the phone and asked if she could come see me. She said she had very severe pains in her neck that woke her up many times during the night. She also had numbness in her hands. She had gone to a chiropractor who took an x-ray of her neck and freaked out. He was so anxious for her that she had to quiet him down. He sent her to an orthopedic surgeon who had the same reaction and said she needed surgery immediately to fuse three of her cervical
vertebrae. She was supposed to have the surgery next Monday. She is a mother of two toddlers and said she is very active.

I said, "Let me get this straight. You are not paralyzed or crippled or hobble about. You run after two little kids and exercise regularly. Your only problem is pain in your neck and numbness in your hands. Aside from these two guys freaking out you would have no idea that there is an emergency going on in your body?" She said,"That's right".

So I told her, "Great, I'd love to see you."

My point here is that these two doctors looked at x-rays and did not see her. She is an active woman who runs around all day long. Instead of seeing her vertebrae they should have seen her and realize that these vertebrae live in this woman and she is pretty healthy. They saw what they saw which is conditioned by their training. Moshe trained us to see the world differently and to interact with people from a non-mechanical orientation. We have the capacity to help those who many others can't because we do not get seduced into diagnostic categories.

She came to see me last Saturday and we worked. Today she came back to tell me that she has been sleeping through the night pain free and that the numbness is now down to just a little spot. She cancelled the surgery and is looking forward to feeling better without it.

As Hippocrates said, "Don't tell me what someone has. Tell me who has it." See the person and not the so called "disease" or problem.

Cordially,
Marty

Martin Weiner
805-640-6410
www.martinweiner.com

I think Marty's post speaks for itself. I hope you enjoyed reading it. - RN

The Feldenkrais method, invention of Israeli physicist Moshe Feldenkrais, is a way of retraining the body. There are two modes of this retraining. The first is group classes called Awareness Through Movement or ATMs, which are reminiscent of yoga or tai chi classes, but very different. (For instance, the instructor makes no movements; he/she sits around and talks while you do the movements!) The second mode —more capable of causing dramatic improvements— is one-on-one sessions (called Functional Integration or FI) with a trained practitioner, which can cost about $100 per hour in the US. In such a session you lie fully clothed on a low table and the practitioner gently moves or presses your body in different directions to make you aware of (a) subconscious tension and holding patterns that make your movement less efficient (b) efficient ways of coordinating your body.

FI is the trump card of the Feldenkrais method, which I think makes it superior to yoga, tai-chi, pilates etc.

There are a couple of small points that I would like to add. First, I don't think of the Feldenkrais Method as way of "retraining the body" but rather as a way of creating actionable distinctions in the mind-body or perhaps better said "brain-body" system. So, neither training nor retraining are words that I use to describe the method.

And though I like Dr. Arora's idea that Functional Integration is the "trump card" of the method, and in the past may have even agreed with it, I have started to realize that in an internet era, with the huge potential of transmitting viral and web content, the trump card of The Feldenkrais Method - the tipping point - will likely be voice-guided Awareness Through Movement.

Modalities such massage therapy and physical therapy (to name a couple) do not have such an easily created and transmitted vehicle of their work as we do in the world of Moshe Feldenkrais.

My post today is nothing more than a cursory treatment of Dr Arora's ideas about the Method if your want more, read his website: My Experiences With The Feldenkrais Method.

by Dr. Josef DellaGrotte

I want to welcome a new addition to the Feldenkrais Exercises store. Josef Dellagrotte's Core Integration Series. Josef is a Core Integration Trainer in Watertown, MA. He trained extensively with Moshe Feldenkrais and Ida Rolf and teaches trainings and workshops all over the world. Josef sent me a demo CD several months ago. I loved it, and since then I have been pestering him to let me sell some of his products as digital downloads. He finally relented and now, I can offer them to you.

Order any of the products below, by clicking "add to cart" and you can use Google Checkout or Paypal to pay. Your data and personal information is private and completely safe. Once you pay, you will receive an email and link to download them at once.

Core Integration:

Can you imagine, dramatically improving your daily life activities such as walking, running, sitting and working out in just a few minutes a day? Would you like to quickly and easily evolve your movement and posture?

Josef Dellagrotte's core strengthening exercises are designed to do just that - promote your learning and improvement in bite size pieces, minute by minute, hour by hour and day by day. Gently, Safely and Effectively.

These core integration exercise downloads are based on principles from the work of Moshe Feldenkrais, D.Sc., over three decades of Josef Dellagrotte's clinical work and the latest research from the somatic sciences.

Core integration exercises are gentle and deeply effective lessons, easy to understand, easy to use, and easy to follow. Each of the series below contains 4 - 5 exercises that are approximately 7 - 15 minutes each.

You can purchase any of the mp3 series below and get instant access for $9.95. Or get all 6 series for the low price of $47!!

Nearly 7 hours of material spread out over 29 unique movement lessons, each designed to improve a critical area of your functioning - from back, spine and core health to breathing and emotional awareness.

Here's the line-up:

Back and Spine Core Strengthening, 5 exercises, 70 minutes

Having a healthy, strong, and flexible back and spine is a major key to health. These core integration exercises are designed to help you improve and maintain a strong, healthy, pain-free back. They will also improve your spinal flexibility, alignment, and mobility - regardless of your age or physical ability!

Here's what you get in the Back and Spine strengthening mp3's:

1. Crossovers and Rotational Twists (16:10)
2. Flexing and Twisting the Back and Spine (13:28)
3. Flexing for Abdominal and Core Strength (11:59)
4. Bridging (13:07)
5. Inversion for Joint Mobility (17:57)

Active Chair Sitting Exercises, 75 minutes

Have you ever gotten sore or tired from sitting in a chair for long periods? Want to sit easier and more comfortably?

For anyone who works at a desk, computer, or just sits in a chair for long periods (and who doesn't!!). These mp3's will transform your poor postural habits into an easy upright, healthy posture. You will sit, move and work easier and simpler with less strain and pain. Excellent for all ares of your back and spine

1. Rotation while sitting (13:34)
2. Bending forward and back (10:42)
3. Extension of the spine and back (10:42)
4. Lateral Bending (16:04)
5. Circles, Spirals and Freedom (13:54)

Walking with Ease, Power, and Grace

Do you want to be a power walker? Or perhaps just want to walk easier? In this series, you will learn true, upright, efficient walking: Normal or fast-paced - whatever fits you best. In these core strengthening exercises, you will learn by feeling the movement actions and integrating the entire body in walking.

"The best and most effective program for walking I have ever experienced. Not only am I walking faster, but I'm having none of the old pains in the knees and lower back" - F.A.

Here's what you get:

1. Walking: Spirals and Turns and Twists
2. On Back: Thrusting Leg to Hip, Ribs, Spine
3. Side Lying
4. Side-Lying, Lateral Wall Thrust
5. Standing-Walking Form

Psychophysical and Somatic Integration Using Breathing, 4 lessons, 50 minutes.

Learn the process of true organic breathing: Breathing as spinal lengthening and intention. You will link breathing with feeling states. Integrate emotional energies throughout your body and learn the somatics and benefits of intentional choosing

"Beautifully guided, calming and centering with profound results." -S. Lounder

This series contains:

1. Breathing with your movement and Elongating your spine (16:41)
2. Connecting Breathing Flow to Feeling States (9:58)
3. Somatic Processes of Negative and Positive Emotions (11:37)
4. Integration Through Intention (13:09)

Improving Shoulder and Arm Functions, 5 lessons, 70 minutes

Your shoulders and arms can carry a great deal of unnecessary stress and strain. Would you like to get rid of that and learn easier, more effective ways of moving your shoulders and arms? In this series, you will to reduce shoulder problems and learn the most efficient uses of the shoulders and arms in turning, reaching, typing, lifting, and playing sports.

Here's what you get:

1. Lifting and Circling The Arm (15:53)
2. Connecting Shoulder Girdle to Upper Spine (16:54)
3. Shoulder-Arms Glides for Walking (15:22)
4. Improving Full-Rotation and Reach (23:03)
5. Lateral, Side Reaching (8:45)

Turns, Twists and Spirals, 5 exercises, 74 minutes

This series shows you how to access the fundamental features of true human movement: deep flow and spinal lengthening. You will using rotation through the pathways of myofascial, taking you into easy and enjoyable turns from right to left, back to side, and front to back. Spiralic movement will enhance your fluidity and flexibility and create deep states of connection.

Here's what you get:

1. Turning While Standing
2. Lengthening Through Rotation
3. Turning Side to Side
4. Turning Back to Front
5. Full Turns: Folding and Opening

The Core Integration and Strengthening Package: Get Them All Instantly

Buy all all 6 programs at once and and save 20%

Purchase Core Integration MP3 series:
* Back and Spine Strengthening
* Active Chair Sitting
* Walking with Ease and Power
* Psychophysical; Somatic Integration using Breathing
* Improving Shoulder-Arm Functions: Connecting - Integrating Ribs and Spine
* Turns, Twists and Spirals

29 individual sessions and nearly 7 hours of material!

If you would rather purchase these products as CD or Cassette, you can do so directly through Josef Dellagrotte website: Core Integration, CDs, Cassettes, and DVDS.

By the way, there are many other Feldenkrais and related videos on this blog for your viewing pleasure: Feldenkrais Video

I discovered a fsacinating thing while doing the series. It was something that made me feel like a rank beginner. Somehow, over the last few years (or decades?) I had lost a great deal of movement in my ankles. Doing a particular lesson in the series, dropping down into the ground while standing, bending my knees, keeping a soft back and flexing my ankles so that I could drop down further…at some point…I realized that there was an additional amount…a HUGE amount…that I could easily and safely flex my ankles. The movement reverberated throgh my entire system, evoking ease and flexibility throughout.

I've done similar movements on my own, in trainings, in workshops, but somehow this time, it really "clicked" and I percieved the pattern.

A few minutes later, I went into my kitchen to get some soup. The soup is in the lowest cupboard, just a few inches off the ground. When I bent down to get it, I rode down into the crouching posture as if my joints had been oiled with warm butter. Hmmm. Love it.

It is also available on the Brush Fire Films Website. Tell me what you think of it?

I also want to give a brief nod, to Josef Dellagrotte in Watertown, MA, who has some excellent products and a book on Somatics and other Feldenkrais-related topics:
http://www.dellagrotte-somatic.com/products.htm

Welcome to Feldenkrais® Podcasts. Today, we have Moti Nativ, a Feldenkrais Practitioner and Martial Artist from Israel.

Moti will be teaching a workshop at the Feldenkrais Conference in Boulder (2008) which is open to both Feldenkrais Practitioners and the public. He was recently in the U.S. teaching in North Carolina and he was kind enough to speak to me - from the Airport - before he got on the plane to go back home.

Moti is a rather colorful character. He served for 23 years in the Israeli army and retired as Colonel, only to be "re-activated" and serve for another goverrnment agency before retiring a second time.

In the army, Moti studied and used a variety of Martial Arts, studying and reaching deeply into the "core" of the martial arts. He began his Feldenkrais Training in 1991, and trained with Anat Baniel, Ruth Alon, Eilat Almagor and others. He is comfortable teaching both Awareness Through Movement and the Martial arts and demonstrating the relationships between the two.

The Martial Arts Roots of the Feldenkrais Method

In this podcast, and in Moti's conference workshop, he speaks to and teaches about "the fighting roots of the Feldenkrais Method," and Moshe's book "Practical Un-Armed Combat." Moti also speaks about Moshe's other Martial arts book, written in Hebrew: "Ju-jitsu and Self Defense," published in 1931. Moti believes this book is one of the most important layers in the development of the FM, a topic I hope to we return to in greater depth in a future podcast.

Please enjoy Moti Nativ:

http://utahfeldenkrais.org/blog/podcasts/motinativ1.mp3

And consider taking a look at his website, Shihan Moti Nativ:http://www.bujinkan-israel.co.il/

Get an email when the next podcast is published:

The whole Program Committee "thing" has been a bit of a mystery to me, so I asked Diana and Katrin to enlighten us about the process of planning a conference and who decides who is on the committee.

In this year's conference (as in year's past), there has been a big push to have more workshops for the public. This is both for the sake of the growing the Method AND for practitioners who want examples and models of workshops that can be taught to the public.

This year's conference has more public workshops than any other conference has ever had, including workshops for skiers, fly fishers (!), yoga and pilates students, workshops on Gurdjieff, Mable Todd and on many other topics.

Diana and Katrin also speak about this year's keynote Speaker, Joan Borysenko, Ph.D who wrote the book, Minding the Body, Mending the Mind (Bantam New Age Books).

We also speak briefly about the research forum and research colloquium, a topic that I hope to take up in greater detail in a later podcast - possibly with Jim Stephens, Pat Buchanan and Roger Russell.

Enjoy:

http://utahfeldenkrais.org/blogs/podcasts/smithbackrazumny1.mp3

The 2008 Feldenkrais Method® Annual Conference Program Committee is as follows:
Katrin Smithback, chair, Diana Razumny, Sissel Rhyme, Chris Wismer
and Peter Cover, Conference Coordinator.

Conference website: http://www.feldenkrais.com/events/conference/2008/

Get an email when the next podcast is published:

Thanks to my good friend Michale Beale, a Business NLP Trainer from the U.K. I can offer you a conversation with Dr. Stephen Gilligan.

One of John Grinder and Richard Bandler's original students, and also a student of Milton H. Erickson, Stephen is now an internationally respected trainer of hypnosis.

He is the author of numerous books in the area of hypnosis and psychotherapy including, "Therapeutic Trances: The Cooperation Principle in Ericksonian Hypnotherapy" He also wrote the "The Courage to Love: Principles and Practices of Self-Relations Psychotherapy" - to name just two of the many books, chapters and articles that he has written over the years.

Steve runs a yearly hypnosis training near San Diego, California called "Trance Camp." Trance Camp is an experiential workshop for those interested in exploring hypnotic states and their relevance to creativity, change and personal evolution. (I spent 2 weeks in Steve's trance camp back in 2001 and it was quite delightful. It's kind of like the first year of a Feldenkrais training - I don't remember much of but I know it was amazing.)

In years past, I know that Stephen has invited Feldenkrais Practitioners to teach daily Awareness Through Movement Lessons at his workshops. I am also under the impression that Stephen is the person who introduced Moshe Feldenkrais and Milton Erickson and was present at several of their meetings. I hope to talk to him personally about this in a future podcast.

For now, please enjoy Michael Beale and his conversation Dr. Stephen Gilligan:

http://utahfeldenkrais.org/blog/podcasts/gilligan1.mp3

Get an email when the next podcast is published:

The video below, in which Anat Baniel, Feldenkrais Trainer appears, is particularly poignant for those of us in the Feldenkrais community. It tells the story that many of us know - an infant, "missing" a large portion of her brain stem, who was nonetheless able to grow, learn and develop into a healthy adult, thanks (in part) to the brilliance and flexibility of Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais. Mother nature did the rest.

Thanks to "Healing Quest" and those who created the video and posted it online:

Carl brings a unique perspective to Feldenkrais Podcasts, he is a Structural Integration Practitioner (related to Rolfing), Feldenkrias Practitioner and also a practicing Buddhist .

In this podcast, recorded several months ago, I ask Carl why he made the switch from Structural Integration to Feldenkrais. He mentions being taken with Ruthy Alon's books "Mindful Spontaneity" and, to Carl, the books evocation of Buddhist principles of awareness.

When I first recorded this Podcast, Carl was not yet done with his Feldenkrais training and I was curious what it was like to give Structural Integration sessions to clients while still learning Feldenkrais process. I was also interested in the idea of the "fascia" from a structural integration perspective.

Click to listen or download: Carl Rabke Podcast

BTW - In this podcast, Carl and I make reference to the "10 Sessions." We are referring to the series of sessions that Structural Integration practitioners and Rolfers typically give to a new client.

Come see Carl and his wife Erin Geesaman at Body Happy in Salt Lake City Utah.

What is a digital Feldenkrais Product?

A CD, DVD, VHS tape or even a cassette tape can be converted to a "digital" format, which can then be saved and used on your computer. If you have listened to my podcast, bought a song on iTunes, imported one of you compact disks onto your computer, or bought an eBook, then you have used a digital product.

In my case, I record Feldenkrais, Awareness Through Movement lessons directly into my computer. I then use iTunes to convert the audio into a compact form called "mp3." I can then sell the mp3 online. Or in the case of my Feldenkrais Podcast I can give it away. Perhaps it sounds "geeky" and complicated, but I can teach anyone to do it. If you know how to use email and a web browser, you can learn how to create and sell products online. Technically, I do not even need to be in the room with you in order to teach you. You can do it through my downloadable training videos.

There are many, many benefits to selling digital products. For one thing, selling is automated. Once you have created and uploaded your products, the whole process works in the background. You do not have to address packages or go to the post office. You don't have to deposit or cash checks because the money goes directly into your account. And best of all, you are not spending money to create and manufacture CDs and DVDs. Once you create a digital product you can sell 5, 500 or 5000 for about the same cost.

Take a look at my Breathing "Exercises" which are available for $7.00. They are based on several of the Alexander Yanai lessons on breathing such as paradoxical breathing, and "to weld by breathing." I tested the download process with one of my most technophobic and technologically challenged friends. She had no problem buying and using the lessons.

I realize that from a Feldenkrais perspective, Awareness Through Movement lessons are not exercises. But when selling online, you need to consider the mind of the market. My online research led me to discover that a considerable number of people seach for "breathing exercises" on google. They do not search for "breathing lessons." I need to give people the greatest opportunity to discover my products, so initially, I speak in their language.

By the way, if you are interested in learning about using the internet to sell online, come to the Internet Marketing "Bootcamp" that I will be teaching with Bill O'Hanlon in January. Or if you are not ready to sign up just yet, do our email course which will teach you how to market online and create passive and residual income through your products: Designing Your Life of Freedom

Here we go: A Feldenkrais, Awareness Through Movement Lesson, called Generalized Coordination: Head, Legs, and Eyes, by Jerry Karzen

If you enjoy this blog and these podcasts would you consider leaving a donation? More specifics here: Donate

A great season coming up. Awareness Through Movement Lessons with Jerry Karzen and Alan Questel. Interviews with some of the "original" Feldenkrais students from Israel…and more.

Speaking of Israel, the "Jewish Review" in Portland has a very cute (yes, cute) article of traveling Hasidic Jews visiting Portland and doing "outreach." It seems that they ran into some Feldenkrais people who said, "Hey, those hats are fabuluous! Ever heard of Moshe Feldenkrais? Why didn't he wear one of those hats?"

Stein said he had never met people who were as open and unique as those on Portland's east side. He said one couple approached them because they had just seen a picture of Hassidic rabbis in black hats while attending the Feldenkrais Method conference at Reed College.

See? That proves that I am not lying. More on the Jewish Review website

Podcast coming soon. Stay tuned.

We have a wide and varied conversation, discussing the marketing and the "perceived value"of the method, mentioning some recently succesfull examples of marketing acumen as found in Pilates and Yoga. Frank mentions the need for effective business models and business skills, to help spread the Feldenkrais Method.

I ask Frank about some of the historical details about the early Feldenkrais trainings and to speak to some of Moshe's early thoughts about the Feldenkrias Method as a profession.

We end with a brief conversation about Dr. Wildman's workshop, "Your Brain as the Core of Strength and Stability." Short video's of which you can see elsewhere on this blog.

Feldenkrais Podcast #12: Dr. Frank Wildman

For more information about Frank and his trainings and products, please take a look at the Feldenkrais Movement Institute Website.

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The introduction to this lesson can be found in Feldenkrais Podcast #10

Here is track #2, a 44-minute exploration of space and dimensionality by use of Feldenkrais, Awareness Through Movement:

Feldenkrais Podcast #11: Uncommon Sensing, Part 2

**Alan will be teaching this workshop at the University of Utah, June 16 –17th at the Marriot Center for Dance, call 877-533-6933 for details.

You can purchase the entire workshop on CD directly from Alan by sending him an email: ASQUESTEL at aol.com. There are also a number of online stores that sell Alan's products, including easymovement and achievingexcellence.

Disclaimer: The Feldenkrais sessions presented on this website and podcast are for educational and entertainment purposes only and are not intended to be a substitute for professional help or medical treatment. Nothing on this web site is intended to diagnose or treat any pathology or disease of any kind. Neither the author of the session, any interviewee nor the owner of the website,can be held responsible for any injuries or discomfort that occur. Stay in your own range of comfort and do not do anthing that is painful or uncomfortable.

If you enjoy this blog and these podcasts would you consider leaving a donation? More specifics here: Donate

Alan was kind enough to share tracks #1 and #2 from the 2nd CD of his Feldenkrais workshop called, "Uncommon Sensing©: Moving Beyond Your Self-Image" You can purchase the entire workshop on CD directly from Alan by sending him an email: ASQUESTEL at aol.com. There are also a number of online stores that sell Alan's products, including easymovement and achievingexcellence.

Here is track #1, a 3-minute introduction to the Feldenkrais, Awareness Through Movement Lesson that will be the next podcast. Listen to Alan speak about the often neglected "third dimension" of modern human experience:

Feldenkrais Podcast #10: Uncommon Sensing

Disclaimer: The Feldenkrais sessions presented on this website and podcast are for educational and entertainment purposes only and are not intended to be a substitute for professional help or medical treatment. Nothing on this web site is intended to diagnose or treat any pathology or disease of any kind. Neither the author of the session, any interviewee nor the owner of the website can be held responsible for any injuries or discomfort that occur. Stay in your own range of comfort and do not do anthing that is painful or uncomfortable. Consult your physician before starting any exercise program.

If you enjoy this blog and these podcasts would you consider leaving a donation? More specifics here: Donate

Part Two: A conversation with Alan Questel

The CD Set, "Creating Creativity: Embodying the Creative Process" can be purchased directly from Alan Questel - ASQUESTEL AT aol.com

You can also purchase if from Seth Paris at Easy Movement

If you enjoy this blog and these podcasts would you consider leaving a donation? More specifics here: Donate

In my conversation with Alan he speaks about some of the new teaching and learning strategies that he is using in his latest Feldenkrais Training programs, as he explores several questions:

Are there more effective ways to teach Functional Integration and Awareness Through Movement? How is it possible to evolve the Feldenkrais Method?

An important distinction that Alan talks about in this podcast is the difference between "competence" and "confidence." What happens when a Feldenkrais student has finished his or her training? They have been certified "competent" to begin practicing the work, but perhaps do not FEEL confident about their abilities? Can Feldenkrais training programs help to address this issue? Alan Questel thinks that they can.

Enjoy. And stay tuned for Part 2 of this conversation where we talk about creativity and embodying the creative process.

Feldenkrais Podcast with Alan Questel

Take a look at 2 Feldenkrais Trainings that Alan is the Educational Director of, one is in Sweden: www.feldenkrais2008.se (English Version) and the other is in Santa Fe, New Mexico: Santa Fe 4, 2008

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I will have more to say about this wonderful video later. It was all that I could do to find the time to convert the DVD and then put it up over the weekend.

Download a copy of this video:

Feldenkrais Promotional Video, Quicktime format: (78 mb): Feldenkrais Video

Feldenkrais Promotional Video, Small, Quicktime format: (20 mb): Feldenkrais Video

If you don't have quicktime on your computer you can download it from Apple. It is frre and will run on both Windows and Apple Computers. Members of the FGNA will get a copy of this video on DVD. It will be mailed out in May.

Sructural Integration Podcast

Cheers - Ryan

Josef makes a number of interesting and provactive points in our conversation, and I imagine that there are some who will find that this podcast stimulates dialogue.

In our podcast, Josef give his impression of Ida Rolf, who he describes as a genius, and also explains why he left his training with her to study directly with Moshe Feldenkrais.

He also makes reference to what he calls the "tree of somatic science" - a field that to him includes Feldenkrais, Rolfing, Trager, Feldenkrais, and Hanna Somatics among others.

Enjoy:

Dellagrotte on Rolf and Feldenkrais

For more information about Josef Dellagrotte and his trainings and products please go directly to his website: Dellagrotte Somatics. To purchase and of Josef's Feldenkrais or Core Integration CD, DVD or other prodcuts: http://www.dellagrotte-somatic.com/products.htm

If you enjoy this blog and these podcasts would you consider leaving a donation? More specifics here: Donate

I first heard about the Oprah appearance on the "structural evolution blog" which noted:

Check out John Martine on Oprah April 10th. Hopefully the world will get the wonderful work we are doing and how necessary it is that we become available to everyone.

A website, called "insidesi" also noted:

Structural Integration will be a topic on the Oprah Winfrey show on or around April 10. Jonathan Martine, a Rolfer, will be a guest on her show. This is an amazing opportunity for worldwide exposure to Structural Integation. “It’s not what we do that makes us Rolfers, it’s what we are.” Ida P. Rolf

Once again, congratulations! I know Ida Rolf as one of Moshe Feldenkrais' close friends and used to think of her as one of his most famous students. However, I believe they each developed many of their "core" ideas separately, long before they met.

Many Feldenkrais Practitioners and Rolfers have been sharing with me stories of Moshe and Ida's interactions. I will be posting as many as I can over the next few days.

I will also have several podcasts on the topic coming soon. Sign up for priority notification:

If you would like more information, check out the The Rolf Insititute of Structural Integration or the Guild for Structural Integration. The Feldenkrais Guild of North America has a couple of paragraphs about Moshe Feldenkrais and Ida Rolf.

But I have not heard much about Moshe's impression of Rolfing, Structural Integration, or Ida Rolf. Does anyone have any first hand information about that, or any references? Can anyone point me to accounts of meetings between Rolf and Feldenkrais?

Thanks - Ryan

Addendum: Thanks to Nurit Muchnik in Israel for pointing out this quote:

"…when Ida Rolf integrates structure , as nobody else can, she improves functioning…Rolfing was a revealing and unforgettable experience for me." - Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais

The quote is on the back cover of this book:

Rolfing: Reestablishing the Natural Alignment and Structural Integration of the Human Body for Vitality and Well-Being

Does anyone know when and where the quote was made? Do you have others? Post them in the comments box below if you have a chance.

Also, come back in a few days, I will be interviewing a former "rolfer" or practitioner of structural integration who is now in a Feldenkrais Training program.

Stay informed, put your email in the box below and my automated service will tell you when the next post is made:

Chris Elms at "Wake-Up Feldenkrais" has some nice information about Rolfing on his website: Some thoughts on Rolfing and Structural Integration.

Otherwise, feel free to skip the text and go directly to the podcast links at the end of this post.

What is a Podcast?

A podcast is simply an audio-file in a format that most (if not all) computers can read. You can click on each link below and then click the podcast. If you listen to it on your computer, you will probably need headphones or external speakers.

When you click each podcast-link a separate window will open. Depending on how fast your internet connection is, the audio will begin playing in 1 - 30 seconds.

Can I save the podcast and listen to it later?

Yes. Once the file has completely loaded into your computer, you can click "FILE" and then "SAVE AS" on your Internet browser to store it on your computer. You can then play it anytime that you want.

What about subscribing on iTunes?

Good idea. An easier way to use this podcast is to get iTunes. It is free and works on most PC's and Macs: iTune Download. Once you have iTunes, search for Feldenkrais and you will see the podcast, as well as a button to subscribe. Each episode will download automatically and will be ready for your listening pleasure.

If you already have iTunes, or another podcast service, you can also click this button to subscribe right now:

Subscribe in a reader

Alright?

Or test the waters and just click on a few of the podcast links. The links below all go to previous podcasts. Click one. It's ok. It won't hurt:

Feldenkrais Podcast #1: Marty Wiener #1
Feldenkrais Podcast #2: Marty Wiener #2
Feldenkrais Podcast #3: Dr. Larry Goldfarb #1
Feldenkrais Podcast #4: Dr. Larry Goldfarb #2
Feldenkrais Podcast #5: Dr. Alan Fogel
Feldenkrais Podcast #6: Jerry Karzen

cheers - Ryan

Learn the story behind Jerry's filming of Moshe Feldenkrais that has left us with an enduring video legacy of Dr. Feldenkrais teaching Awareness Through Movement and giving Functional Integration lessons. Jerry shares some wonderful, and sometimes personal, anecdotes of his relationship with Moshe and about the Amherst Training.

Jerry's 5th (or is it his 6th?) Hawaii Feldenkrais Training is starting in the end of this year. Take a look at his website: Feldenkrais Hawaii.

Jerry - Thanks for taking the time to do this. I hope we do it again - Ryan

If you enjoy this blog and these podcasts would you consider leaving a donation? More specifics here: Donate

…one of the most knowledgeable and experienced Feldenkrais teachers in the world. He began to study with Moshe Feldenkrais in 1952, and took part in the training program in the Feldenkrais Institute in Nachmani Street in Tel-Aviv.

The workshop will be taught in Israel in December, 2007 and is open to Feldenkrais trainers, assistant trainers and experienced practitioners.

Click the link to download a complete description of the workshop in pdf fomat: Yochanan Rywerant Advanced Feldenkrais Workshop.

At least in Utah when you say that you are a "graduate student" people know what you mean. I used to tell people that I was a "Feldenkrais Practitioner" but they would usually just grab their children and quickly walk away. That's really a pisser for your self-esteem. There must have been some famous utah polygamist named "Ryan Feldenkrais" or something. So anyhow, here's a most-excellent podcast with Dr. Alan Fogel, Professor of Psychology at the University, Rosen Method Bodywork Practitioner and a really nice guy. Find out how Dr. Fogel's somatic journeys have influenced his personal life and scientific research:

If you enjoy this blog and these podcasts would you consider leaving a donation? More specifics here: Donate

What are the roles of research in a "systemic" methodology such as the Feldenkrais Method? Can research inform Feldenkrais practice? Is it possible that researchers are actually looking for Feldenkrais principles but do not know it? We will also discuss some major "categories" and intentions of scientific research.

Most importantly, when you listen to this podcast, you will be able to find out what makes Larry Goldfarb cry…

cheers! - Ryan

Bye the way - Have you had a chance to read the important and timely book by Dr. Alain Berthoz: The Brain's Sense of Movement (Perspectives in Cognitive Neuroscience)?

If you enjoy this blog and these podcasts would you consider leaving a donation? More specifics here: Donate

Larry's main website is at http://www.mindinmotion-online.com/
Here is specific information about his Feldenkrais consulting and training and Feldenkrias Practitioner Training Programs.

If you enjoy this blog and these podcasts would you consider leaving a donation? More specifics here: Donate

Coincidentally, I bumped into a website this morning that mentions Moshe Feldenkrais, the Vagus (Vagal Stimulation) and Depression…as well as a reference to Anna Nicole Smith. I'll let you make the connections yourself at this man's website. I will simply post his quotation by Dr. Feldenkrais:

"Find your true weakness and surrender to it. Therein lies the path to genius. Most people spend their lives using their strengths to overcome or cover up their weaknesses. Those few who use their strengths to incorporate their weaknesses, who don't divide themselves, those people are very rare."

Taken from Charles Donovan at http://www.mydepressionspace.com/

Marty has added another date for his Feldenkrias Advanced Training: Mentor with a Master. Here are the details:

WHEN: March 30-April 1.
TIME: 9:00am - 5:30pm
LOCATION: VENTURA, CALIFORNIA
COST: $450

$75 DEPOSIT DUE BY FEBRUARY 23, 2007

Sponsored by the Center for Explorations in Consciousness. For a registration kit, including information on local hotels, please contact Christine at:

email: essencequest@sbcglobal.net
phone: 805-272-5242

Once a week, on Wednesdays, after swimming forty lengths in the pool, I get on my motorcycle and go to the place where there are lessons given according to the Feldenkrais method. This weekly hour is very important to me because even swimming cannot correct the damage that bicycle riding does to my back.

Pictures from my Cell Phone

Also, the following online article is short on detail, but it does mention the Feldenkrais Method:

With God's help, Batya lived through the night. After a few days, she was off the respirator and breathing on her own.

The infant underwent Feldenkrais, a method that accesses the nervous system's own innate processes to change and refine functioning. Baby Batya progressed to being a paraplegic, gaining the use of her upper body when she was about six months old.

Lani appreciated the smallest increments of progress — even the duration that an object would stay in her daughter's tiny hand without falling out.

Full article at One Village.