A lesson the founder never taught

In the summer of 1992, I was lying on the floor of the gymnasium at the Vienna International School. I was there as a member of the faculty of the first Feldenkrais® Teacher Training in Austria. The trainer and educational director, Dennis Leri, was teaching an Awareness Through Movement® lesson.

A few minutes into the lesson, I found myself wondering what exactly was going on in this ATM®. The movements were familiar, but I could sense there was something different about how the lesson was unfolding. As it continued, I started to get an inkling of what might be happening; thing is, I could not quite believe that my guess was — or even could be — right. I was as sure as I could be that I had never done this lesson before.

Dennis was guiding us step by careful step through the lesson but there was something decidedly different going on. I finally figured out that it was something like those “choose your adventure” books where the reader chooses what happens. The ATM did not lead so much as make it possible for me to find and follow my own preferences. Then I understood: this was a lesson in listening to myself in a whole new way.

As far as I know, this was an ATM that Moshe never taught; it was Dennis’ ingenious invention. What’s more, this is not only a new lesson. It is an entirely new kind of lesson.

If you’d like to experience this lesson for yourself, I’ll be teaching this ATM (twice) this coming weekend as part of the mini-workshops leading up to the upcoming A TRAINING SEGMENT ONLINE (ATSO). ATSO is an innovative, state-of-the-art program that finally gives interested Feldenkrais teachers and trainees the chance to participate in a training program without having to leave home.

After the lesson and a short break, I will unpack the learning logic of the lesson and talk about how it’s innovative teaching tactic is essential for teaching individual ATMs and guiding someone in giving themself an FI online. Just like during ATSO, you’ll get to join a small break-out group where you’ll do an interactive exercise with other participants. After that, we will get back together to debrief what you learned about the method and how you can apply it to giving yourself a lesson and to working with others.)

If you are a Feldenkrais teacher or trainee, I invite you to participate and join me in kicking off the summer 2020 ATSO sessions with me, at no cost whatsoever. Please click on the link below to register for the related free Zoom meeting:

Pacific Rim meetingFriday, 12 June5:00 to 8:15 PM US Pacific time

Atlantic and Americas meetingSaturday, 13 June9:30 AM to 12:45 PM US Pacific time

There is no limit on registration; however, each Zoom meeting is limited to a maximum of 100 participants. That means you might want to sign in a few minutes before the meeting starts to make sure you get to participate.

The recording will only be available to registered participants of ATSO. (When you enroll in the course, you also receive both a transcript and a teaching summary of each of the 18 ATMs featured in this course.)

Whether you decide to sign up for the program or not, these meetings will give you a sense of online learning and what it has to offer you. You will also get a glimpse of what it’s like to consider the fundamentals of Feldenkrais’ method from an advanced perspective.

The summer 2020 session of A TRAINING SEGMENT ONLINE starts on 17 June. The course runs for twelve weeks, including a week’s break at the end of July.

You can save $200 by signing up before early registration ends this coming Saturday, 13 June, at midnight US Pacific. The first edition of ATSO sold out this spring, so please sign up now to ensure your place.