Feldenkrais: Moving into the Unknown Heidi Carroll, Kym McGregor and Libby Murray

Passionate about the pedagogy of delivering Feldenkrais to an open audience, Andrew Gibbons is intent on refining his craft. Andrew sees the potential for using Feldenkrais as a practice to level up your biological fitness to perform in all areas of your life. In introducing his explicit style of investigation into finding efficiency in movement quality, Andrew is not shy of designing lessons offering challenge to those willing to “engage” in the rigour of a learning experience. Far from just having an “experience” in a lesson, or even enjoyment in learning experientially, Andrew brings a desire as a teacher to provide a context and scaffold whereby the student begins to understand for themselves what the benefits of this practice can be. Andrew exploits the ATM context to build a movement experiment with specificity which asks students to engage in a way that heightens their responsibility as learners. He helps them to sense biomechanical principles for themselves, to make clear and deliberate movement choices and to learn to trust their own experience.

Andrew unpacks what it means to understand how to reflexively deliver ATM, in not only offering lesson structure but having the sensitivity to perceive the potential diversity of student response and experience requiring lesson adaptation. He discusses the layers of skill teachers need to refine to adapt and change delivery to make the precise details of how a lesson works accessible to as many people as possible. He does not hide from the need to give inherent value to each student ready to apply themselves within each lesson, demanding presence from both teacher and learner.

He gives a healthy blueprint for successful self-motivation as young ATM graduate teachers in bringing to life this ingenious Method of orienting people clearly and attentively to the way we “use” our bodies in movement - for whatever purpose we desire. Andrew’s enthusiasm brings richness to the conversation, challenging us to develop both with and within the Feldenkrais Method.

Andrew Gibbons: https://bodyofknowledge.me

Feldenkrais Moving into the Unknown: feldenkraismitu@gmail.com

Hosted by: Heidi Carroll, Libby Murray, and Kym McGregor.

People discovering how to help themselves is Margaret Mayo’s passion.  And for over 35 years she has helped people find more of themselves through the powerful medium of Awareness Through Movement classes. Even after all this time Margaret can’t believe how simple Feldenkrais concepts such as knowing where your hip joints are can have such a profound effect. This lively discussion weaves insights about teaching Awareness Through Movement classes with wisdoms for ATM participants. For Feldenkrais Practitioners Margaret shares how she prepares her lessons, the importance of language and how to make lessons accessible. For all of us who do ATM lessons Margaret’s valuable reminders and insights offer ways of “helping us discover more of ourselves”.

A delightful and warm conversation that reminds us of the power of thinking and listening to ourselves from the inside.

Contact Margaret Mayo:margaret.mayo@bigpond.com

Explore more of the research study that Margaret refers to:This Podcast- Moving Into the Unknown Episode 19 Dr Susan HillierFeldenkrais Moving into the Unknown: feldenkraismitu@gmail.com

Hosted by: Heidi Carroll, Libby Murray, and Kym McGregor.

Anna Yen, a highly trained and well accomplished performer, theatre producer and Feldenkrais Practitioner shares her passion for play, presence and rhythm.

Play she enthuses shows us the wonder of possibilities and the delight of learning while highlighting our blind spots. Her passion for play invites us to experiment in Awareness Through Movement classes. Using light attention we can discover different qualities of movement, interact more powerfully between internal and external, to become more present. Anna’s mentor, Monika Pagneux, one of Europe's leading exponents of movement in contemporary theatre, who integrates Feldenkrais into theatre schools terms this, “waking up”.

Anna also introduces us to the musicality of movement, so we can see more of and flow with the the natural rhythms of life and to play with the timing, emphasis and patterns in Awareness Through Movement classes.

“Play Moves” and “Wake Up”, are Anna’s ATM series that use imagination, theatre skills and games to expand awareness, options and engage us with the subtleties of our surroundings and to become more aware.

Explore more of Anna Yen: 

Website: https://playmoves.org 

SBS production of Anna's play Chinese Take away: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/chinesetakeaway 

Explore more of Monica Pagneux: 

Her book and movie: https://robertgoldenpictures.com/photography/the-theatre-the-arts/the-work-of-monica-pagneux-inside-outside/ 

Anna Yen's article about Monika:  Monika Pagneux The Feldenkrais Journal, No 25 LET'S PLAY 2012. Feldenkrais Guild of North America 

Feldenkrais Moving into the Unknown: feldenkraismitu@gmail.com Hosted by: Heidi Carroll, Libby Murray, and Kym McGregor.

Jenni Evans reminds us that there is always possibility for improvement. Our body is where we live but we are not just our bodies. We are our life experiences, contexts, communities, relationships and more. By bringing us back to the fundamentals of ‘what is Feldenkrais’, Jenni assists newcomers and seasoned veterans to understand the expansiveness and potency of the Feldenkrais Method.

Offering specific examples and real-life stories to demystify the Feldenkrais Method, Jenni helps us to realise that it is in patiently listening to and honouring our ‘self’ as a whole system that we learn to allow and trust our innate intelligence to move us into a more potent way of being in and engaging with the world. The Feldenkrais Method resources us with increased awareness, a learning process and gives us an empowering framework to uncover options to meet the moment between thinking and acting in a new way.

Through our discoveries and learnings in Awareness Through Movement Classes or interactions in one-to-one Functional Integration sessions, Jenni demonstrates that small changes have a rippling, profound impact on all aspects of our self, our relationships and the world around us.

Explore more of what is Feldenkrais:

The Australian Feldenkrais Guild offers a few different videos

https://www.feldenkrais.org.au

Explore more from Jenni Evans:

For a list of Feldenkrais practitioner trainings, calendar events – ATMs & workshops go to:

https://feldenkraisinstitute.com.au

For all Feldenkrais resources Jenni runs https://www.feldebiz.com.au

It has a  wide selection of Feldenkrais books, downloadable lessons and equipment.

Email: jenni@feldebiz.com.au

Feldenkrais Moving into the Unknown: feldenkraismitu@gmail.com

Hosted by: Heidi Carroll, Libby Murray, and Kym McGregor.

Connor Voss brings both a personal and wide lens view of how the Feldenkrais Method® can help everyone potentiate their own authentic self-expression, at whatever level or in whatever context we experience ourselves dancing. He invites us to take a fresh and fluid look at how we experience ourselves in the world by interweaving intersections from his deep loves of movement, modern experimental and improvisational dance, practice of Feldenkrais, and social activism. Connor also gives great advice for practitioners on building working relationships with community to make Feldenkrais accessible to more people.

Connor finds language to disentangle the ‘push-pull’ relationship between dance and Feldenkrais. He elucidates for dancers how a supportive and reflective Feldenkrais environment can deepen and validate their qualitative somatic experience and can individualise their own internal creative experience of what dance can be beyond choreographic score and structure. Connor also introduces how individual introspection in Awareness Through Movement® can deepen our understanding of the world around us and the play between constraints and freedoms in both human body and larger societal systems.

Connor's Website:  www.vossfeldenkrais.com

Online classes and recorded ATMs available

Feldenkrais Moving into the Unknown: feldenkraismitu@gmail.com

Hosted by: Heidi Carroll, Libby Murray, and Kym McGregor.

Irene Lyon, nervous system expert, teaches people around the world how to work with the nervous system to transform trauma, heal body and mind, and live full, creative lives. After graduating as a Feldenkrais Practitioner Irene went deeper into the somatic world, studying the work of Peter Levine and Somatic Experiencing and Kathy Kain's Somatic Practice. Using this unique blend of understanding, Irene assists people to address stored trauma and build their own capacity.

Through this “capacity building” Irene offers ways Feldenkrais enthusiasts and Practitioners can use ‘Trauma Aware’ practices to create a safer more inclusive Awareness Through Movement and Functional Integration experience.

Irene’s insights suggest the majority of people experience dysregulation of their nervous system in some form and believes that education about the nervous system such as the hierarchy of freeze, fight, flight and social engagement can assist in engaging more fully in the Feldenkrais process and engaging more fully in life. A truly remarkable conversation!

Irene's website and resources:

Website: https://irenelyon.com

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/IreneLyon

Downloadable booklet on creating safety in Mind-Body Classes: https://irenelyon.com/10-practices-for-creating-safety-in-your-mind-body-classes

Downloadable booklet to assist recognising undiagnosed trauma: https://irenelyon.com/5-signs-of-undiagnosed-trauma

How to find a good somatic practitioner: https://irenelyon.com/2019/11/14/how-to-find-a-good-practitioner/

Feldenkrais Moving into the Unknown: feldenkraismitu@gmail.com

Hosted by: Heidi Carroll, Libby Murray, and Kym McGregor.