Accidental blessing

The first module of Mastering the Method began in Melbourne as scheduled—even though it was only two days after the accident where I had broken my right arm and sprained my left knee. Those few days were haunted by one question: “How can I teach a course that highlights hands-on technique with my arm in a sling?”

When I spoke to colleague Anastasi Siotas about my dilemma, he acknowledged the challenge, pointing out that my favorite response when someone asks a technical question is “let me show you.”

Of course, there is much more to this advanced Feldenkrais training than specifying hand position & shape, clarifying the reason for each technique, and refining self-use. The five-day module takes on one Functional Integration composition, and this time it was a lesson for developing length and support done with the student lying on the side.

Examining the FI as if it were an Awareness Through Movement lesson, I unpacked the learning logic step-by-step, revealing the overarching strategy and detailing how the lesson unfolds. The technical, hands-on aspect plays a larger role in understanding the how and why of each technique. I know if the techniques don’t make sense and aren’t comfortable then the participants won’t incorporate them into their practice.

After a bit of worry, and considerable reflection, I managed to come up with several approaches—some tried-and-true, others novel & untested:

1. Teach an ATM that elicits the skeletal constellation the FI technique utilizes. One participant does only this movement while another rides along manually, following without guiding, maintaining skeletal contact the entire time. The passenger then becomes the driver, guiding the other person in the way s/he was already moving during the ATM.
2. Present a mini-ATM lesson to differentiate and spell out the hand position used in a specific technique.
3. Give a mini-ATM clarifying the self organization that underlies the technique.
4. Guide the participants step-by-step through FI technique, in an ATM-like fashion, using detailed descriptions and explicit language (like one does when teaching hands-on work to a blind trainee or colleague).
5. Coach one of the participants individually—on hand configuration, skeletal placement, directional touch, and self-use—so that this person could then show the group what s/he learned.
6. In a two-handed technique, use my “good” arm to demonstrate what one hand does and have one of the participants demonstrate, following my guidance, what the other hand does.

Having figured this out, I felt confident in starting the advanced training by saying: “In Feldenkrais lessons, we say that demonstration is the least effective teaching strategy and imitation is a poor form of learning. With my right arm in a sling, you can rest assured that neither of these will be happening in this course…” The participants’ response was kind and supportive, expressing their willingness to participate in this experiment.

What I didn’t expect was how this would affect the tone of the course. Not relying on demonstration cut the typical anxiety in the room in half. The all-too-common experience of watching someone show a technique that seems easy and evident, and then being clumsy and confused when trying to do it, simply didn’t happen. Without having a model to attempt—unsuccessfully—to copy, the resulting experience of failure and frustration was avoided entirely. Instead, learning could happen in an organic, easy fashion.

It turns out that teaching FI in this exploratory, experimental way—a way that matches the tenets of teaching ATM—had a wonderful, liberating effect on the participants. Looking back now, this doesn’t seem like a big surprise. I’m sad to confess that it took a serious injury to push me into a corner where I had no other choice. In retrospect, one of the many blessings of the accident was that I got the opportunity to (finally) discover a way of teaching that is congruent with what we know and do as Feldenkrais teachers and practitioners.

I’m glad to say that this experience has changed my approach to teaching FI from here on out.

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