Feldenkrais Training in New York City

Program Curriculum

"By my body's action, teach my mind." -William Shakespeare

"What I'm after isn't flexible bodies, but flexible brains. What I'm after is to restore each person to their human dignity." - Moshe Feldenkrais

Year One

In the first year of the program, we present the basic tenets of the method. You are immersed in Awareness Through Movement¨ (ATM) lessons to improve and refine your movement abilities. This provides the opportunity to develop an appreciation of the work experientially, from the inside out. Fundamental ideasÑfrom learning theory, anatomy, kinesiology, biomechanics and neurophysiologyÑare introduced through participatory learning and presented in terms of relevance to the method.

We work on listeningÑwith ears, eyes and handsÑto develop your ability to observe movement and understand the mover. By observing yourself and the other participants in the program, you develop your ability to see and understand movement as you learn how different people coordinate similar movements differently. Participating in interactive exercises, you develop a new appreciation for how we experience our physicality and how we express it.

We introduce the art of making contact and the various ways of touching as a way of beginning to work with Functional Integration¨ (FI) techniques and tactics. Exercises emphasize developing tactile sensitivity, working with awareness through touch, learning skeletal anatomy through experiential exercises and understanding the principles of movement.

Year Two

In the second year, you develop an understanding of the grammar and syntax of ATM lessons. We review and elaborate on the themes from Year One. Personal experience and discussion guide you in reflecting upon what constitutes a lesson and in understanding the structures of different lessons. So that you master a basic teaching repertoire, we examine a number of classic ATM lessons in depth. To prepare you for teaching public ATM lessons at the end of the second year, we work on how to give instructions and guide a class as well as how to relate the lessons to activity in daily life. You teach lessons to fellow trainees and are individually supervised by faculty members.

The teaching of FI will not be separated from the ATM lessons. You explore the relationship between ATM and FI, learning to teach the same "classic" themes either verbally or tactilely. In order to foster real understanding and move beyond simply following Òrecipes,Ó the same theme is developed from a number of perspectives and with varying constraints. Much of the hands-on work is introduced through guided work in pairs and small groups; all along you learn how to use yourself safely and efficiently as you work with others.

Year Three

In the third year, you clarify and refine the technical hands-on skill needed to practice FI. These skills, and the experiences on which they are built, develop in a context of active learning and problem solving. So that you do not simply mimic what is demonstrated, we present self-guided small group exercises that require you to grapple with questions and solve problems.

By having hands-on and verbal teaching skills develop simultaneously throughout the course of the program, we de-emphasize what has historically been a difficult transition between engaging in ATM and learning FI. We continue actively inquiring into the teaching of ATM in the third and fourth years. As you begin to teach ATM outside the program, we present more complex ATM lessons and provide forums for questions, discussions and exercises oriented to growth in this area. To have an opportunity to apply what you have learned and to give you the means for your new profession becoming known in your home community, you participate in an externship in which you teach ATM to the public and receive (written) feedback.

You will be supervised giving FI lessons to other trainees in the third year. To create a safe environment for exploration and learning, we work closely with you to identify gaps in your skills and understanding and to develop specific, personalized solutions.

Year Four

We continue to refine and broaden your skills in all aspects of the work by introducing more unusual and challenging positions and situations both in group lessons and hands-on work. As you develop your understanding of what constitutes a lesson and of how the learning process works, we pay special attention to your ability to articulate and present the work. To provide as much individualized feedback and attention as possible in the final year, you work under faculty guidance with increasing frequency and duration. This includes being supervised as you give lessons to people from the general public.