A bridge to the future

During August and September, the morning AY a Day peer study group worked through the recordings of the 45 Awareness Through Movement (ATM) classes that Moshe Feldenkrais taught at the Esalen Institute in 1972. This program occurred after the first teacher training program Dr. Feldenkrais conducted in Tel Aviv in the 1960s, which focused exclusively on teaching others his way of working hands-on, known as Functional Integration. The Esalen “workshop” was his initial foray into training others in teaching his classroom approach. 

In this collection, Feldenkrais presents what we might refer to now as classic lessons or, perhaps, his greatest hits. The first ATMs in the series are a bit long and rambling; after that, each iconic class is remarkably concise and no more than 45 minutes long. For instance, number 37 — “Introduction to the Headstand,” offers a succinct overview of the central points of what he teaches over two weeks during the second year of the Amherst training (1981). Most lessons offer intriguing variations you won’t find in other versions. At least one — number eight, called “First of Spine Chain” — doesn’t appear anywhere else in his recorded and written collected works.

In one of the last sessions, Moshe tells the participants in the course that they’re working too hard and holding their breath because he can see their faces turning red. I noticed this comment because well-formed instructions give students an idea of what they can notice instead of pointing to something only the teacher can perceive. That’s because it’s difficult, if not impossible, for students to alter their actions if they do not know which kinesthetic sensations would provide crucial feedback.  

A little later, he explains why and wherefore of an instruction. 

That’s when it hit me. 

Dr. Feldenkrais is doing more than just teaching a group of students; he was speaking to upcoming teachers. He is far less cryptic throughout these lessons than in most public classes and workshops; he is even more forthcoming and straightforward than he often was in the San Francisco and Amherst training programs. His comments reveal what the teacher needs to notice, explain the underlying strategy, and demonstrate his methodology’s rigor and thoroughness.

Rather than just providing an excellent overview of exemplary lessons, Moshe used the Esalen course to build a bridge to the future.