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•• Feldebiz
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sef'Uh Actlvlfle&

for

f'efdenlral&
Stud~ Group&

Jane Edwards

1olJdo0iz
50 F'tm
Activities for rdden~rais ~hid~ Grouias
© 2003 Jennifer C. Evans, Jane Edwards

All rights reserved. Print ed in Australia. No part of this publication may be used or reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or tr ansmitted, in any form or by any means , electronic, mechanical. photocopying ,
recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher except in the case of bri ef
quotations embodied in critical ar ticles and reviews. For information write to Feldebiz PO Box 23 Silvan
3795 Australia .

Cover photo an d design, Jane Edwards

ISBN 0-646-422 55 - 3

Feldebiz
PO Box 23 Silvan 3795 Australia.
www.feldebiz.com .au
emaiL admin @feldebiz.com. au

ii
 Acknowledgements

I would like to thank all the students of the Feldenkrais method with whom I have crossed paths.
Your questions and insights have inspired me to begin this book.

Thankyou to all the trainers, assistant trainers and experienced practitioners who have shared
their knowledge and skills. Your guidance has informed me in creating the activities.

Thankyou to my colleague Helen Paterson, whose encouragement, support and reading of drafts,
has actually led to the realisation of yet another bright idea.

Thankyou especially to my co-author Jane Edwards for her persistence and courage in asking
questions that clarified my intention, for helping me transform my raw ideas into something useful
and for working under extreme pressure to meet crazy deadlines.

Finally I would like to thank Lawrence Wm. Goldfarb for his encouragement to persist with the
project and Sylvie Kuhne for feedback on the draft.

iii
Contents

About this book 1

Introductions 3
Hello hello Which part of your body are you most aware of? 4
Oh, there you are Which part of your body are you least aware of? 5
That's amazing! Your experiences of the Feldenkrais Method. 6
Favourites Your favourite Feldenkrais lesson. 7
You're famous For what will the Method be remembered? 8

Awareness Though Movement 9

Making it mine Learning an ATM. 1O
Pass the lesson Moving between the whole and the parts. 11
Changing shoes Your ATM persona. 12
I can do that Moving towards designing lessons. 14
You want to do what? Lessons for unfamiliar functions . 16
Choosing your words Delivering instructions for maximum benefit. 18

Differentiating and Integrating 21

Lucky dip Differentiating and integrating. 23
Take it apart A lesson in differentiation. 24
Making connections A lesson in integration . 26
Time travel Overcoming the generation gap. 28
Micro-differentiation Differentiating the smallest bits. 30
Put your right foot in Recognising differentiation and integration. 31

Discussion 33
Where to begin? Learning by looking. 34
Especially for you Creating fabulous workshops. 35
Well actually Communicating the benefits. 36
Act 1 Scene 2 Creating lessons that flow. 38
Money please Asking your clients for payment. 39
Help, I need somebody! Deciding when to refer. 40
I found a new one! Interpreting new lessons. 42

iv
FunctionalIntegration 43
Convertibles Transferring ideas from ATM to FI. 44
Topsy turvy Adapting FI for different positions. 4 5
How does it go? Exploring your mental map of FI lessons. 46
Tick. tick. tock Timely Feldenkrais lessons. 48
Firstimpressions Begi1minga lesson. 50
FItake away Lessons to take home . 52

Observing 53
The human Rubik'scube Another way of exploring movement. 54
Funny walking Gathering information by observing someone's walk. 55
Getting knotted Observing the responses to your instructions. 56
Push me, pull you Observing connections. 58

Reading 59
Creating hope The Case of Nora. 60
In the beginning Awareness Through Movement. 62
Reading with Feldenkraiseyes Embodying the Method for life. 64
Recognising patterns The influence of stories. 65
Leaming from the Master Metaphors for explaining and illustrating . 66

Sensing 67
Oops, ifs different! Noticing changes in your body. 68
Follow the yellow brick road Identifying connections and pathways. 69
Normal? Discovering the range of 'normal' . 70
The do nothing lesson Sensing the layers. 72
Treasurehunt Scanning your senses. 74

Supporting 75
Sharing the load Exploring the role of support in a lesson. 76
Getting to the bottom of things Organising to provide grounded support. 78
Roly poly Using rollers for support. 80
Life support Making the most of the Method. 8 1
Accentuate the positive Using Language to support your lessons. 82
How did I do? The art of gathering feedback. 84

V
-
Ahout this hool
This series of activities provides an array of resources for you, as a practitioner or
student practitioner. on your learning journey . They encourage you to embody the
method by offering opportunities for you to explore aspects of your self-awareness,
the work. and the experiences of others. You may choose to complete each activity
as a whole. or explore only a small part of it in greater depth. Feel free to take
sidetracks and pursue new ideas as they arise. and to work with colleagues. or
explore these activities and reflect alone.

Each activity is supported with an introduction that outlines some of the benefits
you may attain by completing it. They also have a set of questions, for reflection and
discussion. which encourage you to deepen your awareness by going beyond the
superficial and obvious.

As with an Awareness Through Movement lesson. approach each activity lightly

and easily. with sufficient support to allow old patterns to relax and new insights to
be gained. There are no correct answers or right ways for you to complete an
activity. You may revisit activities many times, and notice that on each occasion
they offer new opportunities for learning. Each time you explore one of these
activities, you will have a unique experience enriched by the particular
combination of people present and their experience or stage of learning.

The activities are in no particular order and the groupings are intended as
punctuation points only. not as definitions of the learning or focus that is expected.

There will probably be times when you are unable to answer questions that arise
during the activities. This is a wonderful opportunity to engage in discussion with
colleagues. trainers or the broader Feldenkrais community through one of the
online discussion groups.

As the title suggests, learning occurs best when you are enjoying yourself and
having fun. Please find light-hearted ways to make these activities enjoyable
experiences, where each person is free to make his or her connections in ways that
ru'e appropriate at that time.
Enjoy!
2 50 r•m .Activitiesfor reldenlrais :Stud~Grouias
 Introduction&

Introductions is a selection of simple activities that provide opportunities

for you to get to know your colleagues by exploring and sharing
perceptions and expectations of the Feldenkrais Method. These activities
embody the Feldenkrais approach, which values each person as a
uniquely organised individual. As such , there are no right or wrong
answers. Your experiences, views and ideas are unique and valid.
Everyone can make an interesting and valuable contribution to your
study group discussions.

50 r,,m Ac tiviti es fo r refdenl rais ~tl!Jd!:I

Grol!Jie
s 3
Nellohello o o o

Which part of your body are you most aware of?

At any point in time, certain parts of your body occupy a greater portion
of your awareness than others. Deciding which part you notice most,
and identifying how you do that, may provide a great deal of
information about the state of your body, and perhaps also about your
perceptions of your body. Helping a pupil to do this may also give you
some useful information .

Allow a few moments for eveiyone in the group to identify a part of

their body that is in their awareness. Notice the variety of self-images
that people hold as each person describes their chosen familiar part.

Consider the following aspects of your familiar part:

• What makes the part familiar? Describe the degree of comfort or
pain; ease of movement or stiffness; or perceived handicap or
usefulness.
• What else about the part captures your attention?
• How does the part seem different from connecting parts?
• Where does the part begin and end?
• Does it seem larger than life or insignificant?
• Does it feel warmer or cooler than other parts?
• Does it do more or less than its fair share of work?
• If the part could have a wish, what would it wish for?
• How does this part influence your sense of identity?

Practise asking people to describe how parts of their bodies feel Notice
which of your questions elicit the most useful information.

4 50 r1<1nAct iviti es for relcfenl r ais ~tl!ld~ GrOl!lf'5

OL, +Lere~ou are ...
Whichpart of your body are you least aware of'?

While at times you may be conscious of many parts of your body, most
of it operates outside your awareness. Your ability to deliberately
identify and describe the parts you are least aware of will help you to
more effectively tune in to your entire body, and notice the relationship
between parts. Helping your clients to change their awareness of parts
of their bodies is a useful skill for you as a practitioner.

Allow a few moments for eveiyone in thegroup to identify a part of

their body that is nonnaJJyoutside their awareness.Notice the variety of
self-images thatpeople hold as eachperson describes their chosen,
unfamiliar part.

Consider the following aspects of your unfamiliar part,

• What usually hides this part from your awareness?
• Now that the part is in your awareness, can you detect a degree of
comfort or pain; ease of movement or stiffness; or perceived handicap
or usefulness?
What else about the part can you now notice?
• Does the part feel different to adjacent parts?
• Where does the part begin and end?
• Does the part seem insignificant?
• Does it feel warmer or cooler than other parts?
• Does it do more or less than its fair share of work?
• If the part could have a wish, what would it wish for?
• How does this part influence your sense of identity?

Finddifferent ways to draw attention to parts of your body that you

don't nonnaJJynotice.

5
 9
Thaf & amaz·ln9!
Your experiences of the Feldenkrais Method

The Feldenkrais Method recognises the relationship between your body

and mind . Changes to your body can profoundly affect your emotions ,
observations and thinking patterns, as well as the way you move. Thus,
Feldenkrais lessons have the potential to provide a wide variety of
significant experiences.

Take a few moments for everyone to reflect on the range of personal

experiences they associate with the Feldenkrais Method Marvel at the
wide variety of applications of the Method as everyone shares one or
two of their significant experiences.

Include answers to these questions in your story,

• What was it about your experience that made it significant for you?
Was it the degree of change; the surprise or impact; the novelty or
simplicity; or something else?
• What connected this experience with the Method?
• How has this experience impacted on your life?

Discuss:
• How do you define a Feldenkrais experience?
• How might hearing about other people's experiences affect your
practise of the Feldenkrais Method?
• How will you remember the different stories?

How can you help your pupils recognise the impact of the Feldenkrais
Method in their lives?

6 50 f•mActivities for reldenkrais ~tl!Jd~GrOl!Jf>S

ravo~ri+u O O 0

Yourfavourite Feldenkraislesson

The Feldenkrais approach values people as unique individuals and

encourages them to discover their optimum movement patterns. People
will also differ in the types of experiences they enjoy most. Recognising
people's preferences may help you to create more enjoyable (and life
changing) learning experiences for your clients.

Invite eve.zyoneto recall the most enjoyableAwareness Through

Movement lessons they have experienced As each of you describes one
that you particularly enjoy, notice the variety of preferences.

As you describe your experience, consider the following,

• How do you remember the lesson? Can you feelit, or do you visualise
what you saw at the time? Can you hearthe words of the teacher or
your own c01nmentary, or do you remember some other aspect of the
lesson?
• Which aspects of the lesson do you find most satisfying?
• How do you describe the lesson? Do you, recount the sequence or
quality of the movements; focus on the benefits or effects of moving
your body in that way; or do you recall some other aspect of the
lesson?

Notice how you experience other people's stories,

• Do you feel the 1novements or benefits they describe, or do you see
someone trying them? Do you hear a similar lesson, or do you
experience their story differently?

How might insights into other people7spreferences help you to become

a better Feldenkraispractitioner?

50 f',,m Activities for f'efc1enkraisStud!:JGroul"s 7

You' re famous!
For what will the Method be remembered?

The Feldenkrais Method is rapidly developing, but still very young as a

profession. While you may be able to name and describe the successes of
famous people from other professions, what it means to be a famous
Feldenkrais practitioner is not yet well established.

Think about your experiences of the Feldenkrais Method and the

practitioners you know. Reflect on what is important to you about the
Method and share your ideas about what it would mean to be a famous
Feldenkrais practitioner.

Just for a moment, imagine you are famous,

• What would you be doing?
• What would people admire about your work?
• How would you be different from the way you are now?
• What stops you fr01n being this way now?
• What opportunities would fame bring?
• How would your work as a famous practitioner be valued, and how
could you begin to emulate that now?
• How might you seek to influence your pupils and colleagues?
• How might you seek to influence the Method or your professional
group?
• Can you begin to do these things now?

Begin today! J.Wiatwill be the first thing you do on your journey

towards building the reputation of the Method?

8 50 Fun Activities for Feldenlrais ~tud~ Groups

 Awarenu&lLrow~L
Movement

Throughout your career you will work with a diverse range of people.
each with unique interests and concerns. Your challenge as a
Feldenkrais practitioner will be to adapt and design lessons to meet their
differing needs. However, successfully designing or adapting lessons for
specialised needs first requires an understanding of how effective
lessons are structured. To do this. you will need to analyse the structure
of both familiar and unfamiliar lessons.

An effective lesson though. comes from much more than just a well
structured set of movements and observations. It also comes from you
engaging the pupil through your own creative style and personality.
Deliver engaging lessons with flair!

9
 Learning an ATM

Many skilled practitioners have developed excellent Awareness Through

Movement lessons and are willing to share their ideas. Simply
remembering them verbatim is not enough however. to ensure that you
understand them well enough to facilitate a pupil's learning. An
effective way to learn a Feldenkrais lesson is to experience it and analyse
it taking a Feldenkrais approach-identify its component parts. explore
each of these from several perspectives. and integrate them into your
own experience. This will increase your ability to teach with
understanding and confidence.

Together,choose a familiar lesson from a manual or book Map the

structure of the lesson.Identify the intentions,movements, sequence,
constraints,and aspects for attention.

• Do you have an idea about how a lesson should be constructed?

• Are there natural rest points?
• How do you work out the intention of each section, and the lesson as
a whole?
• How do you notice constraints?

Taketurns to practise giving some of the directions in your own wordY.

• Can each of you give an instruction in a different way?

• What effects do these variations have on each of you?

Practisegiving this lesson.Report back to your colleagueson how

exploring each section of the lesson helped you deliver it

10
f>as& +hefu&Oho O 0

Moving between the whole and the parts

As you guide pupils through a lesson, you must not only keep track of
the detail of your current instructions and the intention of each section,
but also ensure that these connect and flow smoothly towards your
chosen outcome. Managing the sequence and flow of an ATM lesson
requires the ability to move between the whole and the parts of the
lesson.

Choosea familiar lesson and discuss the general sequence,flow and

intention of the lesson.
Deliver the lesson by ta1dn.gturns to give an instruction. Choosethe
order in which you will take turns. Personone gives the first instruction,
person two gives the next, and so on, until the lesson is completed
Whileyou are waiting for your tum participate in the lesson.

• Describe your mental map of the lesson.

• How did taking turns to give instructions affect the flow of the
lesson?
• How did you know what the next instruction should be?
• What was the effect of not knowing what the next person would say?
• In what ways would the lesson be different if one person delivered it?
• What was your experience as a pupil?

J,,J.,1iat
insights has this activitygiven you about delivering a lesson?How
will you alter the wayyou prepare? Try these changes in your next
lesson and notice the effects.

50 run Actlvifies for relden~ r ais ~tud~ Gr ouf8& II

Cbanslns sbou o o o YourATMpersona

Part of your array of skills as a Feldenkrais practitioner is your ability to

identify habitual patterns. You can probably describe your close friends
and family according to their most obvious and unique behaviours, but
are you aware of your own? One way to recognise your habitual
patterns is to contrast them with someone else's. This is a light-hearted
and fun way to help you recognise patterns that may hinder or support
your delivery of an ATM lesson.

Taketurns to choosea 1V characterandgive part of a familiarlessonas

that character.

• What prompted you to choose this character? Do they have

distinctive patterns of behaviour? Are their mannerisms vastly
different or similar to your own?
• Who chose the lesson, you or your character?

As your character presents the lesson. notice ,

• How do you think differently as this character?
• When delivering a lesson, what would you usually do in a similar
way to your character?
• What would you do differently?
• What skills does this character have that would be useful for you to
develop?
• What would you like to teach your character?
• Was the lesson useful for your character? How?
• What have you learnt about your habitual patterns?

12
Discuss:
• Were there similarities between people's characters and themselves?
• What were the main differences you noticed?
• Were you surprised by the choices of characters, or could you have
predicted these?
• In what ways did stepping into someone else's shoes change people's
delivery of a lesson? Were they more confident?
• As participants, which character's style connected best with you? In
what way?
• Which aspects of the different characters would you like to
incorporate into your style? How would these improve your delivery?
• Do you think it is important to be yourself when delivering a lesson,
or to develop a particular presentation style? Describe some pros and
cons of each.

u-11enyou next deliver a lesson,try to notice the effect that one of your
habitualbehavioursor mannerismshas on your pupils, or deliberately
try out a new one.

50 r,m Activities for reldenlrais :Stud~Grouies 13

rcan do+bat o o o

Moving towards designinglessons

Many of the lessons you will deliver as a Feldenkrais practitioner will

have been created by others. However, as your skills and confidence
increase, you will begin to develop your own lessons to address the
specific needs of your clients. Your ability to design begins with your
understanding of what constitutes an effective lesson.

Discuss:
• What do you think constitutes an effective lesson? Is it the way it is
delivered, the expected outcome, or perhaps the way it influences the
pupils?
• Do lessons have a generic or common structure? If you think they do,
try and map this structure.
• How flexible should the structure of a lesson be?
• Are there things that should always be included?
• What things might be optional. and under what circumstances would
you include them?

Choosea common d1Jilyactivity, or function, that eveiyone is familiar

with. Thiscould be anything from eating with a spoon, to changing a
light bulb, or tying your shoelace.Identify the movements of the
function. In light of your earlier discussion,design a lesson to improve
this function.

14 50 r,mActiviti es for reldenli.rais ~fl!ld~GrOl!lf>S

• What challenges did you face in designing this lesson?
• Did everyone agree on what might be an effective approach for this
function?
• How would the lesson differ if you designed it alone?
• What evidence would you gather to determine the effectiveness of
your lesson?

Reflect1
• List yourcriteria for evaluating the effectiveness of a lesson?
• Explore some familiar lessons and use your criteria to evaluate them.
• How could you adjust a lesson to make it more effective?

Yourideas about what constitutesan effectivelesson,and your skill in

lesson design, will evolve as your experienceand confidenceincrease.
Practiseada,ptinglessons to suit your pupils' needs.Begindesigning
your 0M1 lessonsand try them on your friends and colleaguesfor
practise and feedback

50 F',mActivit ies for refdenlrais ~+.,d!:JGrow~& 15

Yowwant to do what?
Lessonsfor unfamiliarfunctions

It is impossible to be familiar with the 1novement requirements of every

occupation. sport or pasti1ne. and yet. as a Feldenkrais practitioner. you
will be asked to help clients improve their movement for all sorts of
activities. Your ability to help each individual will depend greatly on
your skill and flexibility to adapt Feldenkrais lessons for specific
functions that are unfamiliar to you .

Choosea function that is unfamiliar,but which is used by someone in

your group. It could be anything from playing a musical instrument, to
spiking a volleyball,or whiskinga souffle.Explorethe movements of the
function.

• What do you need to discover about the function?

• Identify the steps you follow to identify the component parts of the
function? Recognise or create a set of prompts to help you.
• How do you become familiar with the specific movements of each
part? Do you need to ask questions. or do you prefer to watch or feel
the movements. or a combination of these?
• How do you decide which lessons could contribute to improving the
relevant movements?

Together,design a lesson to improve the function.

16 50 F',m
Activities fo r relden~rais ~t"'d~ Gro1<1ps
Discuss:
• In what ways is designing a lesson for an unfamiliar function
different to designing for a familiar one?
• Is it helpful to have a colleague who knows the function?
• What might it be like to explore an unfamiliar function with a client?
• What evidence would you gather to determine if your lesson is
effective?

Createa set of memorableprompts, or a usefulprocedure, thatyou can

follow to fully explore an unfamiliarfunction.Sharethese with your
colleagues.Refinethese asyou apply them to exploring an unfamiliar
activity.

17
 words ...
Cboosins 90,111'"
Deliverin.g instructions for maximum benefit

Every pupil has a unique perspective on life, and with it. their own
quaint way of interpreting your words. One of your challenges as a
Feldenkrais practitioner is to develop flexibility in your delivery of
instructions . as instructio ns are only as good as your pupils' ability to
interpret and translate them into action . During an ATM. your verbal
messages are guided by your intentions as well as the varied needs of the
group. For some people . doing movement one way will be more inclined
to invite parasitic involvement or create pain . If you can cause the
movement to be initiated from a different point , or use a different
1netaphor. the desired result may be achieved.

Have each person choose a simple movement, such as liftin.gthe knee

from the floor, and together, think of six different instructions you could
use to elicit the desired outcome .

As you create your instructions,

• Try both proximal and distal movements.
• Try a range of words for move .
• Try using different reference points-towards or away from different
parts of the body or externally fixed objects such as a floor or
window .
• Use metaphors . such as a string pulling or a hand pushing . to
describe how to enact the movement.
• Try different metaphors to describe the quality of the movement, such
as floating on water or as light as a feather .

Take turns to deliver your six instructions to your colleagues and notice
the results.

18 Activities for reldenli.rais ~•~d~ Gro~ies

50 F',m
Discuss:
• What did you notice about the quality and accuracy of the
movements of your pupils? Did everyone respond in the same way?
• Were some instructions more successful than others?
• As a pupil, how did you interpret the verbal instructions? Did you
picture yourself or someone else moving, or did you repeat the
instructions in your head as you moved? Perhaps you felt the
movement first?
• What type of instructions gave you the richest images, thoughts or
feelings? Did this help you move in the manner suggested?
• Did the quality of your movement differ according to the type of
instruction given?

Repeat the activity using a movement involving rotation. Finddifferent

ways of saying rotate.

Discuss:
• What are the difficulties and limitations you face when delivering
instructions for complex movements?
• How do you need to organise your thinking to find alternative ways
of giving instructions?
• When creating different instructions do you visualise the movement,
sense the movement in your body, or physically try the movement?
Do you speak the words to yourself, or remember the instructions
you have heard other teachers give?
• Is there a body organisation that supports your creativity?
• How could you test the effectiveness of your instructions?
• How do you know when to repeat an instruction in a different way?

Identify the types of movements that you have difficulty describing.

Practise new ways to deliver instructions for these.

50 ftm Activities for f'elcJenl r ais ~t~d~ Gro~ies 19

20
 Different iaf in!j
and

~
•

Differentiating, constraining and integrating are critical elements of a

Feldenkrais lesson. Knowing when and how to incorporate these, and
understanding why, will help you to confidently design effective lessons
for your clients.

21
 Head Neck

L - --+

Shoulders Upper arm

.._
L
I
--- - - - I

C7 Elbow

----- -

Forearm Wrist
I1--

Hand Fingers

Ribs Pelvis

r - 1

Thigh Lower leg

Knee Ankle

Foot Toes

22
 Differentiatingand integrating

People are made up of many moveable parts. An essential part of the

Feldenkrais approach is helping people to recognise this. Through your
lessons, you will help your pupils increase their choice to use the parts
separately, or in various combinations, to achieve their intentions with
ease.

Write the body parts listed opposite on cards or pieces of paper, or

photocopy thepage and cut it up. Place thesein a containerand select
two at a time. Explorethese with a partner.

• How connected are these parts?

• Do they move together, or is there barely an echo of the movement?
• Which other parts are initially involved?
• How many different ways you can differentiate them?

Find ways to differentiatethe two parts and then to integrate them.

Developyour understandingof the relationshipbetween these two parts
by thinkingof some functions that would require their cooperation.

• How would you change your integration for different functions?

• How many different ways can you find to integrate?
• Which other parts need differentiating for the functions you
identified? Which other parts need integrating?

Choose a part of your body and notice the connections during a daily
activity.
Find an ATM that could improve that function.

23
Tale I+apartooo A lesson in differentiation

In order to cmnprehensively explore a movement, you may need to

isolate parts of the body. This allows you to focus only on the parts that
need to be involved in that movement. When designing a lesson, you
will need to consider when and how to include constraints to allow this
to happen. This activity borrows the Feldenkrais notion of constraint, to
focus your attention on one element of a lesson-differentiation.

Discussyour understandingof differentiation.

How do you define it? J.Vhatis its purpose?

Inpairs, choose a fa.mi.liarfunction. Constructa lesson to improve it that

only differentiates.Testthe lesson.

• In order to improve this function which parts of the body would

benefit frmn differenti ation?
• How many different ways can you differentiate these?
• What improvements did you notice?

Now try some integrating components with your pupil.

• What differences did you notice as a pupil?

• What differences did you notice as a teacher?

24 r
50 ,m ActivitieB for FeldenlraiB ~tad~ GroapB
Discuss:
• How did you choose the focus of your lesson?
Was it a function that seemed to require differentiation. or a function
of interest to you?
• Describe the constraints you used to isolate the various parts in order
to differentiate them?
• Would these constraints work if your pupil was lying or sitting a
different way? Could you achieve the same differentiation by using
different constraints?
• Do constraints cause differentiation?
• Does differentiation require the use of constraints?
• When differentiating, how do you decide when to deliberately use
constraints and what form they should take?
• Are there any circumstances in which you would devise a lesson that
only differentiates?

Practisefinding differentconstraintsfor isolatingparts of your lxxfy.

Notice how these affect the quality of the movement Reportback to
your colleaguesand demonstratesome of your findings. How will
havin.ga good repertoire of constraintsimprove your practise of the
FeldenkraisMethod?

50 r,m
Activities for refcJen~rais St,ud~ Gro,ups 25
Malin~ connection& o o o

A lesson in integration

The success of any Feldenkrais lesson depends on the ability of

participants to incorporate newly learnt options into their habitual
patterns. Integration helps this to occur by creating connections and
demonstrating new pathways of movement through the body. This
activity borrows the Feldenkrais notion of constraint to focus your
attention on one element of a lesson-integration.

Discuss your understanding of integration. How do you define

integration? lt1zat is its purpose?

Work in pairs.
Choose a familiar function and construct a lesson that only integrates.
Try the lesson.

• In order to improve this function, which parts of the body would

benefit from integration?
• How many different ways can you integrate these?
• What improvements do you notice?

Now try some differentiating components with your pupil.

• What differences did you notice as a pupil?

• What differences did you notice as a teacher?

26
Discuss:
• How did you decide which parts of the body were initially involved
in the function and which were not? How else could you have
gathered this information?
• How did you decide whether or not to include additional parts in the
movement?
• When integrating. how did you compensate for any constraints
imposed by the position of the pupil?
• How would you integrate differently if your pupil was lying or sitting
in a different position?
• Is it possible to achieve the same degree of integration when your
pupil is in different positions?
• Do you need to differentiate parts before integrating them into the
movement? How would you test this?
• What would you do to continue to refine the function?
• Are there any circumstances in which you would devise a lesson that
only integrates?

Practise identifying all the parts of your lxxiy that join in a chosen
movement Notice if the connections change over time . .Record any
differences you find and reflect on the cause. For example, your lxxiy
may work differently if you are tired, relaxed, or in pain. How will these
experiences affect your ability as a Feldenkraispractitioner to help your
clients? Discuss your ideas with your colleagues.

50 F',m Act ivifieB fo r F'e lden~rai B ~tud~ Groul"'B 27

Timet raver o o o

Overcoming the generation gap

As a Feldenkrais practition er you will need to find ways to connect with

and engage clients of all ages and diverse interests. One way to develop
your skill is to identify s01ne ways of working that are most likely to
appeal to different age groups, from children to seniors. An effective
way of helping your clients to understand your instructions is to create
metaphors to describe the main differentiating and integrating
components of your lessons.

Select a familiar lesson and identify the elements that relate to

differentiation and integration.

Select three different age groups. Identify the contexts in which you
might work with them, along with their particular needs and interests.

For each of the client groups you selected,

• Find different ways to give the instructions for the differentiating and
integrating movements of the lesson.
• Create some useful metaphors for describing them,
such as a string pulling or links of a chain.
• Find different metaphors for explaining a movement or the purpose
of the lesson.

28 50 r,m
Activ ities fo r reldenl rais ~twd:JGrowias
Reflect:
• How is relating to your clients an important aspect of your work as a
Feldenkrais practitioner?
• How do you attempt to identify with each of your chosen groups? Do
you work from personal experience, think of people you know , or
recall how you hear others talk to each group?
• Recall some of the lessons you have enjoyed. Are there similarities in
the way your teachers gave instructions? Did they use metaphors that
you could relate to?
• If you were invited to teach a group with whom you were not
familiar, how might you find out about their interests? Is it possible
or useful to generalise about the interests of different groups of
people?
• How would you modify your delivery for a mixed age group?
• How would you monitor the effectiveness of your instructions and
explanations?
• How would you go about adjusting your instructions if your clients
didn't seem to understand?

Practisegiving instructionsin different ways to a variety of people and

notice what is most effectivein each situation. Identify trendsin what
worksbest for differentgroups. Reportback to your colleagueson your
findings.

50 r,m Activifies for refden~ r ais ~fwd~ Gr owps 29

,Micro-differentiafion...
Differentiating the smaJJestbits

The many joints in the human body have different ranges of movement.
Some allow movement in almost any direction, while others are limited
to a fraction of a degree. It is therefore important to practise
differentiating at all levels so that you can encourage the body to
distribute its work over as many joints as possible. In order to do this
effectively you will need to develop your knowledge of the skeleton and
the ways in which different joints work.

Use an anatomy atlas to select a part of the body that contains many
small bones. Explore this area on a partner and discover how many
parts can be differentiated

• Does the atlas enhance the mental image you have of the area of the
body you chose?
• In what ways might access to detailed knowledge of the skeleton and
joint movements influence your work?
• What did you discover about the potential movements of the joints
here?
• How closely does your partner's movement match this?
• Did the information in the atlas affect your exploration?
• Which functions might be improved by differentiating this area?
• Which other areas might benefit from differentiation to improve the
functions you chose?
• How would you integrate these areas?

Repeat the activity with someone else and notice the differences.

Explore your use of a part of your body that has many bones. How well
is the work distributed?
30 50 F',mActivi+ies for F'eldenlrais ~h•d~ Gr o,.ps
f>ut~our rlsbt foot Ahooo
Recognisingdifferentiationand integration

Differentiation and integration are essential elements of any Feldenkrais

lesson. To improve a function you will decompose it into its component
movements. You can then explore and improve each of these
movements in order to improve the overall function. The differentiation
process allows you to feel each part moving separately rather than as a
solid block. The integration process helps you make useful connections
to use in life and work.

Choosea familiarATMlesson to analysein terms of its differentiation

and integrationelements.

• Which movements differentiate?

• Which parts are being differentiated at each stage of the lesson?
• Which movements integrate?
• Which parts are being integrated at each stage of the lesson?
• Which elements of the lesson do neither?
• Is there a sequence or pattern to the differentiation and integration
movements?

When you design a lesson,

• How do you decide which parts to differentiate?
• How do you decide which parts to integrate?
• How do you decide when to integrate?

During an ATM,pay attention to the differentiationand integration

elements.Do they always occur in a particular sequence?Is it possible to
differentiateand integrate at the same time?

50 f'..mActiv ities for F'efdenlra is ~hul~ Gr owps 31

32
 Discu&&Jon

These discussion topics provide opportunities for you to explore many

aspects of the Method and other important issues with Feldenkrais
practitioners. You can enjoy a chat with colleagues on the bus, with a
tasty meal, via telephone, or over the internet. However you decide to
link up, these topics will challenge your thinking, and will bring
valuable insights and understanding to your work.

50 run Activities for refdenl raiB~tud!:1Grouies 33

Where +oLesln? o o o Leaming by looking

Whenever you work with a client you will need to identify their specific
organisation and needs. You probably use your eyes, ears, voice and
hands to gather information. This will help you formulate the questions
to guide your exploration . To improve your skills in any of these aspects
however, it is vital to limit the task, reduce the effort, and practise them
one at a time . This activity limits you to gathering information visually
to improve this aspect of your skill.

Choose a magazine, newspaper or book that contains photographs of

people. wok at a selection of photographs and discuss what clues you
might relate to the person's habitual movement patterns.

When you look at a picture do you,

• Compare it with someone you know?
• Compare it with an imaginary skeleton?
• Take on the posture and sense the organisation in yourself?
• Begin to note what questions to ask verbally?
• Begin to note what questions to ask with your hands?
• Choose the lesson you will give?
• Get frustrated because you can't have more information?
Using your phone or camera record some people doing various activities
and repeat the process.
Discuss:
• How valuable is the information you gather visually?
• What is your preferred method for gathering information?
• Do you consider there to be a bestway to do this?

Next time you work with a pupil tzygathering information visually first
You can then compare your impressions with what you find with your
hands.

34
 ~ for ~ou
Especiaff o o o

Creating fabulous workshops

Workshops are a cost-effective way of introducing many people to the

Method . Although everyone in your class will be unique , there will be
similarities in the needs and difficulties for groups of people with a
common interest. Identifying specific issues for groups in your
community will help you target your approach and to select an
appropriate mix of activities for your program.

Select an interest group. For example, seniors, gardeners, chronic pain

sufferers, pregnant women, computer users, or any other definable
group. Design a program for a six hour workshop for them.

• Define the particul ar needs and values of this group. Try to

distinguish between what these people might think they want, and
what you know would be good for them.
• How you would capture their curiosity early in the session?
• What would be a good balance of demonstrating, talking , activities?
• How long could they participate before needing a break?
• What are the limitations of this group? Perhaps their capacity to,
concentrate or lie still; hear or see clearly; get onto or up from the
floor; their clothes; or their language .
• Consider the constraints of the venue you will use? Is it private, and
does it have easy access to refreshments and toilet facilities? Is the
temperature well controlled , will there be children, is childcare
provided? Is the venue noisy or does it echo, is there a microphone?
• What changes would you make for a two hour introduction?
• How would you make it easy for them to become your clients?

Together create an opportunity to try this workshop. Would you do

anything differently next time?

35
WefJacfuaff~ o o o Communicating the benefits

As a Feldenkrais practitioner you are familiar with how to adapt your

touch to suit the unique bodies you work with. It is also important to be
able to adapt your communication style to connect with different people.
Very few people want to buy FeldenkraJs, but they do wish for things
such as, freedom from pain; moving more confidently; n1aking the best
of arthritis; improving their sleep; recovering from injury; or improving
their performance. Your ability to adapt the messages you send about
the Feldenkrais Method will influence the number and range of people
that will engage you to help improve their lives.

Select an interest group. This might be people who play a particular

sport, have a similar occupation, share an interest or concern, or are of a
certain age. Take turns to practise speaking to this group, to describe
how the Feldenkrais Method might address their specific needs.

Encourage each other to,

• Speak in a style appropriate for the chosen group.
• Avoid jargon words by finding commonly understood ways of
describing things .
• Explain the benefits people will receive rather than talking about the
Method .
• Consider using metaphors to help connect your information to these
people's experience.
• Illustrate your explanation with examples that these people will
identify with .

One way to test your success in finding the right words' and style is to
1:JC
as if'. Take turns to reorganise yourselves physicaJJy and mentally to
think like a member of the group you have chosen.

36 50 rt.m Activities for relden~rais :Stt.1d:1

Grottfl>B
Allow your colleaguesto explain to you the benefits of the Feldenkrais
Method

As you role play:

• Notice your reactions. What do you want? What don't you want?
• Describe your first impressions of Feldenkrais. Does it sound useful
for you?
• Try asking questions that would be typical for that group.
Do you understand the answers?
• Which parts of the explanation appealed or connected to your
values? Which parts seemed unimportant or irrelevant?
• What are your suggestions for making the explanations more
appealing?

possible, invite someonefrom your selectedgroup to talk about their

If

mam concerns.

• How have your ideas about the needs and interests of this group
changed?
• How important is it to be well informed about a group of pupils prior
to working with them?

Rememberthatyour colleaguesare already convinced of the benefits of

the Method Practisespeaking to people in your local communityabout
thepotential benefits of the Method for them. Notice their reactions.
How do you know whenyou're getting it right? Shareyour experiences
with your colleagues.

37
Act 1 Scene 2ooo Creatinglessons that flow

Every lesson has a structure and sequence of activities. To understand

and remember a lesson in order to teach it effectively, it is useful to have
a framework on which to store the more detailed parts. Using a familiar
structure, such as that of a song or play, may help you to easily store and
remember the information specific to a lesson. These metaphors also
help you to explore a lesson from new perspectives.

Choose a familiar ATM Imagine that it is a play.

• What is the main plot?
• Who are the characters?
• Are there different acts or scenes?
• How do you decide which parts are different?
• Where do the intervals occur?
• What marks the end of a section?
• How can you tell that you have started a new section?
• Is there a good fairyor wicked witch who reappears now and then?
• Is there a surprise ending?

Imagine that your ATM is a song.

• What is the title?
• What would the different verses be?
• Is there a chorus?
• How do you decide which parts of the lesson are similar? Do they use
the same part of the body or involve similar movements in different
parts? Do they start from the same place? Are they integrating or
differentiating?
• Is there a harmony running beside the main melody?
Make a time to deliver this lesson. Notice how well your framework
helps you to remember and present it Alternatively, choose a familiar
song and design an ATM to match. Share your experiences.
38 50 r,m Activities for refdenk r ais ~twd~ Growrs
 Askingyour clients for payment

In order to make a living as a Feldenkrais practitioner money will need

to be exchanged. If you work alone you will need to change roles from
practitioner to receptionist. It is important to find a comfortable way of
discussing fees, fee increases, and asking for payment.

Identify the different contexts in whichyou might need to discuss

money with a client

• Brainstorm and practise many different ways of handling each of

these. Which ones are most comfortable for you?
• Find some physical organisations that make the task easier .

Discuss:
• How do you need to change your mental organisation to be
comfortable in each of the monetary contexts you identified?
• Does using humour make it easier?
• Does it make it easier if you move to a different location that you can,
for example, refer to as your reception area?
• Can you identify a personal value that makes it important to be paid
appropriately for your work?
• How do you balance your desire to help people with the need to earn
a living?
• Do you know what it costs you to be a practitioner?
• Do your costs include superannuation, holidays and sick leave?
• Do you know how much it costs to live at the standard you want?

Identify some situationsto comfortablypractise ta1ld.ngabout money, or

try different ways of talking about fees with your clients.Notice what
works best for you and shareyour ideas.

50 r,m Activities for reldenlrais ~h"d!:JGro~l"s 39

 Deciding when to refer

There are few people that could not benefit in s01ne way from
Feldenkrais work, but sometimes they will seek assistance when their
need is greater than your capacity to meet it. You may sense that your
client's physical or mental health requires the support of someone
qualified in a more specific area, or maybe your client's symptoms are
not responding well to the Feldenkrais approach. There will be times
when you reach the edge of your ability to appropriately help specific
clients, and may wish to refer them to someone else.

Discuss when and how you would decide to refer your clients to
practitioners with other skills.

• Compile a list of situations in which you might need to refer a client

to someone else.
• What clues would indicate that a client should seek other assistance
before having Feldenkrais lessons with you?
• What questions would you ask a client about their medical history
and current condition before deciding to work with them?
• List the other practitioners and support services available in your
area . Practise referring an imaginary client to them.
• What responsibility do you feel for the non-physical issues in a
client's life?
• Are there any physical conditions, injuries or illnesses that may make
you feel reluctant to work with a person?
• When might it be appropriate for you to communicate with a client's
doctor or other health care provider?

40 50 run Activities for reldenl'?.rais~tud!:IGrouias

• Under what circumstances might you suggest that your client try a
different modality, a different practitioner, or a more experienced
practitioner?
• In what situations would you seek support from a more experienced
practitioner, physiotherapist or doctor?
• Are you aware of your legal requirements in relation to your
professional indemnity insurance?

Identifyand make contact with at least three usefulhealth or well-being

practitioners and discussreferring clients to them.
Shareyour experiences with your colleagues.

41
rfownda newone! Interpretingnew lessons

As you continue to explore and build your understanding of the

Feldenkrais Method you will undoubtedly encounter many new lessons.
Adding these to your repertoire will depend on your ability to translate
words into kinaesthetic experiences and useful applications. Lesson titles
are not always self-explanatory. When searching for a lesson to suit a
particular application, it would be extremely tilne consuming to
physically do every lesson in the book. Developing ways to evaluate new
lessons will help you be selective.

JJickthrough an Alexander Yanaior training manual to find an ATM

you are not familiar with.

• How would you work out its intention, uses, and benefits?
• How would you remember it to teach to a class?

As you explore the lesson consider the following,

• What is your reaction to this task? Do you find it easy to learn from
text, or do you pref er to learn by listening, watching or doing?
• What information do you get from the lesson title? Guess the
intention of the lesson and c01npare it with your conclusion.
• As you read the lesson, do you picture someone else doing the
movements , or do you feel them in your own body?
• Do you use your own life as a reference for the applications of the
lesson, or do you think more about the benefits for other people?
• What criteria do you use to decide whether the lesson is suitable for
your application or not?
• What prompts would you use to help you remember the structure
and flow of the lesson?
Design a list of criteria and prompts to evaluate a lesson. Try it out, and
report back your colleagues.
42 50 run ActivHies for reldenl r ais ~twd!:IGroups
 F'unctionafrn+e9rafion

Every Functional Integration lesson is a unique creation, which evolves

as you adapt and design your work to meet the particular needs of each
client. You also adjust to the limitations of your work environment, the
time available, and the physical capabilities of each client. To effectively
and confidently do this you require strategies for establishing and
building a relationship of trust, preparing and managing your own
organisation, and creating a mental map to guide your construction of
each lesson.

43
Convertlhfu o o o

Transferringideas from ATM to H

Awareness Through Movement lessons are a valuable source of

information and ideas for enriching your hands-on work. Your ability to
maximise your use of this resource will depend on your skill in
translating verbal instructions for the pupil into hands-on experiences
that retain the original intention.

Choosea familiarATM lesson that you enjoy.

Discuss:
• What is the intention of the lesson?
• What are the component movements?
• When would it be appropriate to use this in Functional Integration?
• How would you ensure you achieved the same outcomes?
• When is it in1portant for a movement to be initiated by the pupil
rather than the practitioner?
• Is it important for the pupil to consciously notice the various
movement options available?

Work in pairs and take turns to give the lesson as H.

Discuss:
• How did you go about transforming the ideas into FI?
• What were the main challenges you faced?
• How did you decide when to speak or when to use your hands?
• How much instruction was the pupil willing or able to follow?
• Which movements did you find easy to translate into hands-on
actions, and which were more difficult?
• How did you decide when to rest?
PractisetranslatingATMinto H lessons.How do you assessyour
success?Shareyour experiences.
44 50 f'.,mAct iviti e5 fo r F'elc!enltral5 ~tud~ Group5
lop&~furv~ ... Adapting Flfor differentpositions

Some of your clients will be unable to remain comfortable in a

particular position due to injury. pain. recent surgery. habit . emotional
trauma. or prosthetics. You may increase their comfort by using
supportive rollers or pillows. but sometimes you will need to adapt a
lesson so that it can be given while your pupil sits or lies in a different or
unusual position .

Choosea familiar Fllesson. Takea Feldenkraisapproach to analyse it

11zesmaJlerthe part of the lessonyou attend to, the easier it will be to
find a different way to duplicate the effect

As a group,
• List the various techniques. movements and stages of the lesson.
Discuss the purpose and intention of each.
• Explore initiating the movements from a different place. Start in the
position you normally use. then try an alternative.
• In how many positions can you still perform the same movements? Is
one position easier to adapt to than others?
• Consider the effect of gravity in different positions . How do the
constraints change? What impact does this have?
• Identify the integration movements. How do the integration pathways
change in different positions?
• Notice your strategy for adapting . How is it different for you to
deliver the lesson in a new way? Can you make this task easier?
• Are there benefits for a pupil in trying a different position?
• Does delivering a lesson in a different way increase your
understanding of it?

Choosea familiar FunctionalIntegrationlesson and practise delivering

it in a variety of positions. Shareyour observationsand insights.

50 rwn Activities for relden lr ais ~hid~ GrowpB 45

Nowdoesit 90?
Exploringyour mental map of FIlessons

As a creature of habit you have probably developed a unique mental

map of what you consider to be a Functional Integration lesson. In order
to evaluate and enhance your skills in designing and adapting lessons,
you will need to become aware of your habitual approach. One way to
increase your awareness of your own patterns, and the alternatives, is to
practise thinking in different ways about the task.

How do you think about, and describe a lesson?

• Does it have a beginning, middle and end?

• Does it scan, explore, organise and connect?
• Does it listen, observe, feel. explain and reorganise?
• Does it make a connection, identify a function, differentiate, integrate
and then test the function?
• Is it a combination of these?
• Do you have a different framework or use different words?

The way you think about the structure or sequence of a lesson, and the
language you use to describe it to yourself will influence the way you
design and deliver that lesson. As a group, select one of the options listed
above. Work in pairs to briefly explore in general terms what you might
actuaJly do in each part of a lesson structured in this way

Discuss:
• How did your lesson evolve?
• Did you all create si1nilar lessons? What are the similarities and
differences?
• How does your lesson differ from one you would normally give?

46 50 r"mActlvitks for relden~rals ~tud~ Groups

Repeatthe activity using the same option,but with a differentpartner.

• Did you construct a similar lesson to your previous one?

• How does it differ? Can you explain why?

Repeat the activity trying the differentstructures.

• What changes when you use a different structure and set of words?
• How do these affect the lesson?
• What stays the same? Why do these similarities exist?
• Is there one particular option that makes it easier to plan a lesson?
• Do you have a strong habitual preference for how you think about, or
describe a lesson? Do you think this matters?
• Notice what happens when you use an unfamiliar way of describing
a lesson structure. Do you find that you have new, interesting or
creative ideas to add to your lesson. or do you find it difficult to think
in the unfamiliar way?
• How can thinking about a familiar task in an unfamiliar way help
your work as a Feldenkrais practitioner?
• Are there parts of these options you would find valuable to
incorporate into your approach to giving Functional Integration
lessons?

Noticehow you mentally describeyour approachas you work withyour

next few pupils. Do you always use the same approach,regardlessof the
pupils' requests?Deliberatelyuse some of the different wor~ and
structures that you explored during this activity, and notice the effect on
your work Develop a mental image of a lesson structure that allows you
to be flexible in creating useful lessons for your clients. Share your
experiences with your colleagues.

50 f'un Act ivities for relden ~rai &~tud~ Gr oul"B 47

TJcl, tlcl, tocl 000 TimelyFeldenkraislessons

When is enough. enough. and just how much is just enough? Do you
have difficulty deciding when to end your lessons. when a short lesson is
too long. or a long lesson too short? A professional practice brings the
constraints of scheduled appointment times and waiting clients.
attending to payments and polite conversation. There may be the
expectation from paying clients that you fill the hou1~ even though a
brief lesson would be best. At other times you may be restricted to ten
minutes when you really need an hour to do something useful. You will
need to be flexible in adapting the length of your lessons in
consideration of the time you require to help a client. and the myriad
other constraints of a busy world.

Discuss the ideal lesson length and the factors that might influence this.

• Is it possible to define an ideal lesson in terms of time?

• If there were no constraints on your time, or that of your client's.
should a lesson be sixty, fifty, forty-five, thirty, twenty , or five
minutes long?
• What factors influence the length of your lessons?
• Do you usually, know how long a lesson will take to complete before
you begin; continuously adapt wh at you do to fit the time; run over
time; or end abruptly?
• How do you decide when to finish your lessons?
• How do you know when your pupil has had enough?

Wor~ in pairs, identify a useful structure for a lesson and take turns
to give a complete FIlesson in five minutes. Theprevi.ousactivi.tygives
some examples of some possible lesson structures. Youmay also take
five minutes before the lesson to talk to your pupil and think about your
approach.
48 50 run Activiti es for reldenr m,i s ~+.HJ!;j
Groups
Discuss,
• As the teacher, did you work faster, harder, more efficiently, more
functionally, or just do less than usual?
• What changed in you to be able to do this?
• What was your strategy for designing such a short lesson?
• What was your outcome? Was it to complete something in the
allocated time? Were you focussed on a tangible result for the pupil
or your own process?
• Did you achieve your outcome? Was this satisfying?
• What impeded you from doing an even better job?
• As the pupil, did you feel understood, rushed, supported, satisfied or
bewildered?
• What would have needed to be different to improve your experience?
• Did you notice any benefit from the lesson?

Reflect:
• What part of this task presented the greatest challenge?
• What does this tell you about your habitual approach to designing
and giving a lesson?
• Does your usual approach give you the flexibility to adapt a lesson to
con1plete it in response to a variety of constraints?
• In light of the different strategies employed by your colleagues
during this task how could you improve your ability to manage the
length of a lesson?

As you give your next few FunctionalIntegrationlessons notice what

influences their duration. Shareyour findings with your colleagues.

50 r•m
Activities for f'eMenli.rais ~twcJ!:I
Growps 49
f'lrst impressions . .. Beginninga lesson

There's a saying "You only get one chance to make a fJrst impression'~
This is true for you as a practitioner, and also for your pupil. Your state
of mind when you greet your pupil will influence the state of your body
and the sensitivity of your hands. It will also influence the thoughts and
body of your pupil, and therefore the quality and relevance of the
information you are able to gather.

Allow a few moments for eachperson to reflect on recent lessons they

have taught

Reflect:
• How did you get yourself ready to make a connection with your
pupil? Did you make those phone calls that have been waiting , wash
your hands, have a quick cuppa, meditate, change the towels, roll on
the floor, or use a mental checklist for a personal body scan?
• Pay attention to any excuses that you want to make .
For example, We were at a training, The previous client was too
talkative, or He arrived early
• How did you start the lesson? Did you, observe a test movement; take
a detailed history; have the pupil lie down and let your fingers do the
walking; use a mental checklist; or start and hope for the best?
• Are you more attentive to the pupil's need to explain, or your need to
gather information?

Taketurns to shareyour FunctionalIntegrationpreparation patterns.

50 50 fun Activ i+ie,s for F'elden~rais ~tud~ Groups

Discuss,
• What is the purpose of the beginning of a lesson?
• Identify several ways to achieve this.
• How might you adapt these to suit different clients? For example, if
your client was nervous or in pain .
• How might you adapt these to suit your changing needs and moods?
For example, if you were tired or rushing from a previous
appointment.
• What is your ideal state of mind for beginning a lesson?
• What state of mind would you like your client to reach before
beginning a lesson?

Workingin pairs, try several differentbeginningsand notice the effects.

• In what ways does an effective beginning set the scene for an

effective lesson?
• Is it important to develop your own opening style, or can you identify
some universal ideas?

Designa preparation strategy that worksfor you. Practisethis,and try

some differentbeginnings with your clients.Notice what works well for
you and differentclientsin variouscircumstances.Shareyour findings
with colleagues,and continue to aJJowyour strategy to evolve.

50 rwn Activities for refdenl r ais ~+wd~Growl"s 51

f'rtale awa~ . .. .Lessonsto take home

For many people it is a sufficient treat to lie on a Feldenkrais table and

relax into the pleasure of a Functional Integration lesson. In order to
maximise the benefits however, it is often useful to give the pupil
something to take away and do at home. This has the double bonus of
continuing the benefits of the lesson and reinforcing the message of
shared responsibility for learning and improvement.

As a group, describe and list some of the FIlessonsyou have given

recently (or some you have received).

Design a homework plan for each of them.

• What was the theme or intention of each lesson?

• What did the client most need to continue exploring?
• How would you convert those movements into ATM instructions?
• How would you ensure that your pupil understands and is able to
follow the instructions?
• How could you ensure that the pupil reme1nbers what to do?
• Can you create a metaphor or image to help the pupil achieve the
desired quality of movement?
• How might you motivate the pupil to actually do the activities you
have designed?
• What will you do differently next time you give a Functional
Integration lesson?
• Is there anything you would do differently next time you receive an
FI?

PractiseconstructingFunctionalIntegrationlessons with a 'takeaway'

portion. Shareyour ideas and experiences with your colleagues.

52 50 f•m Activities for Fe!den~ r ais ~twd~ Grow,as

 ~I'
/l

Observation is an important way of gathering information. Although

Feldenkrais work is largely concerned with the internal organisation of
a person, you can only see the outside. You will observe how people
move when they first arrive, when you ask them to perform a test
movement, when you explore in FL and when you give instructions in
ATM. Observations are useful for gathering data in order to forn1ulate
questions, and for feedback about the effect of your interventions.
Combined with your verbal and hands-on skills, observation is a vital
tool in the creation of effective lessons.

50 F',m
Activities for reldenlrais ~+wd~Growps 53
 9
The humanfluLll& cuLeooo
Another way of exploring movement

Your observations are a vital source of information about a pupil. and

yet what you see on the outside of a person is only one part of the story.
In order to see beneath the skin to discover how a skeleton is behaving.
you will need both touch and imagination. One way to develop these
skills is to use the metaphor of a Rubik's cube.

Watch while someone in your group performs a simple action, such as

looking over one shoulder.Ifpossible, videotape the movement so that
you have a consistentpattern to analyse.As you watch,imagine that the
person is a .Rubik'scube and describe the pattern of their movement

• How many layers of movement are there?

• How many turns. and in which direction. does each layer make? Are
other directions involved?
• What information can you gather from your image of the movement?

J.t11en
you have formed an image and described the movements, feel
them with your hands.

• Does touch confirm, contradict or enhance your image?

• How is the pattern changing as the movement is repeated? You may
need to refer back to your original image.
• Can you imagine a more efficient pattern?
• How might you use this idea in developing a lesson for the person
you are working with?
Observepeople doing differentmovements. Analyse them in terms of
the layers, turns and directions,and then use touch to test your ideas.
Shareyour experiences.
54
f'unn~ waflin9 ...
Gatheringinformationby observingsomeone~ walk

It is a common practice to ask a pupil to walk at the beginning of a

lesson. This may be your first opportunity to gather clues about their
organisation. You might compare what you see to an imaginary
skeleton. sense the movement in your own body, or describe what you
see in words . You may analyse the walk bio-mechanically. or simply
notice what catches your attention. Whatever your technique , these
initial observations will surely inform and influence the direction of
your exploration.

Taketurns to demonstratean unusualway of walking.

As you watch each person walk

• What can you notice about their organisation?
• How does describing what you see change what you notice?
• Imagine how it would feel to walk this way. What additional
information can you gather?

Mimic the walk.

• What detail do you need to gather from the person demonstrating?
• How do you need to attend to yourself in order to do this?

Discuss:
• How useful are your observations of a person's walk?
• What do these observations tell you about the needs of a person?
• How would you test your ideas?

Gatherinformationaboutpeople as you observe them walking.If

possible, test the accuracyof your ideas.Notice what type of information
these observationsare most usefulfor.

50 r,m Activifies for reldenk r ais St ud~ Gr oups 55

Gettin~ lnotted o o o

Observing the responses to your instructions

When you deliver an ATM you are using words to direct body
movements . Your pupils have to interpret your language, understand
your idea. and then translate it into a movement. It is not surprising that
they will not always respond in the way you expect. Developing keen
observation skills, both to describe the movement accurately and to
judge the effectiveness of your language, will enable you to ensure that
your pupils have the best learning experiences possible. This will also
depend on your ability to alter the instructions as required.

Choose a partner and move out of sight of the group. With your partner
watching, perfonn a movement that may (or may not) be pa.rt of an
ATM lesson. JVhenyou both return to the group, your partner will
attempt to give instructions for this movement Observe the responses
of your peers.

• How do you gather information about the movement? Do you

describe it in words, feel it in your body as you watch, feel the
movement using your hands, or imitate it yourself?
• How do you check that you've reproduced the movement accurately?

Take turns until everyone in the group has had a cha.nee to deliver a set
of instructions. JVhenparticipating, remember to interpret instructions
literally, rather than from the perspective of 'Iknow what that
instruction really means~

56 50 r•mActivities for reldenlrais ~t,.,,J~Gro'"l"s

As you deliver your instructions practise observing the different
responses,
• How varied are the responses?
• What factors seem to influence your pupils' ease of translation from
your words to movement?
• Try giving instructions in ways that increase or decrease the variation
of responses?
• Notice what happens when you use instructions such as Find a way
to...

Shareyour observationsand insights.

Discuss:
• Were certain types of instructions, or ways of delivering instructions,
more effective than others?
• When is it useful to use open-ended instructions, such as Find a way
to... ?
• When would it be appropriate to demonstrate or assist?
• How can you maximise your chances of noticing if a participant is
doing what you intend?

Practiseobservingand describinga variety of movements.Monitoryour

pupil's responsesto your instructions. Vazyyour instructionsin ways
thatget differentresponses.

50 rwn Activlfies for reldenkrais ~twi!~ Growps 57

f>usbme,puff~OU O O O Observing connections

As force is transmitted through a body it will follow a direct pathway

unless interfered with in some way. Tracking the pathway of a force
provides useful insights into the pupil's organisation. Practise tracking
these pathways to increase your experience and observational sensitivity
so that you gather more and higher quality information .

Wor.kit{gin pairs, practise pushing through the foot

• Can you see where and how far the movement travels?
• Does the movement follow a simple, direct pathway?
• Compare this with your partner's sensing of the force. Does their
internal experience match your observation?
• Which do you trust more?
• In what ways could the force be changed as it travels through the
body? Do you see any evidence of these alternatives?

Compare pushing through the foot with pushing through the knee,
pulling through the knee and pulling through the foot

• Does your partner's body respond the same way for each?
• How could you explain the differences?
• What clues do you see to inform you about the different pathways the
force travels? What clues can you feeR
• Do the two sets of clues match?
• What happens with your partner lying in different orientations?
• How do different orientations affect the quality of your visual
observations? Does what you are able to feel change?
• What lesson might you give your partner -from your observations?

Explore pushing through different parts of the body and share your
discoveries.

58 50 F',mActivities for F'eldenlrais StwJ~ Growies

Written words are an important part of our culture . They help to define
and record our beliefs and values. They communicate information and
ideas, have the power to evoke emotions, direct our awareness, and
provide new perspectives.

You will bring, to everything you read, your unique outlook on life. In
turn, the things you read will influence your thinking, your values and
beliefs, and therefore your behaviour, all of which contribute to the way
you experience the world.

Understanding the relationship between what you read, how you

interpret what you read, and how these can direct your thinking, will
increase your awareness of what influences you. This will help you to
remain at choice regarding the thoughts and behaviours that you bring
to your life, and your practise of the Feldenkrais Method.

50 r,un
Activifies for refden~rais ~hid~ Grotif>& 59
Creafin!j ho,,eo O O TheCaseofNora

Moshe Feldenkrais drew on a wide range of disciplines during his

development of the Method. This case study of his work with one pupil,
Nora, illustrates how his training in physics, study of psychology and
understanding of the nervous system strongly influenced his approach .
As you read, listen in to Moshe's thoughts as he progressively develops,
tests and implements his ideas to work with Nora.

Read 11zeCaseof Nora.1

Reflectand discuss:
• What does the book reveal about Moshe's thinking strategies?
• What prompts , mental checklists or maps does he use?
• Is there any overall pattern to the way he works with Nora?
• Could this pattern be generalised to working with other pupils? What
about yourpupils? Could it be generalised to other areas of life?

• What other things do you think might help Nora?

• How would you check that your pupils have a clear sense of left and
right? Why is this important?

• Moshe talks about preparing for a series of lessons. He expresses the

intention of going "... slowly and progressively through eve.zy
function of the body ,,2 What might these functions be?
• How would you prepare for a series of lessons? What would be your
main outcomes?

• Moshe discusses his process for identifying gaps in his knowledge so

that he knows '~..in which books I am likely to flnd the information. '8
What would be a useful basic reference library for you?

60
• How do you know when you need to find out more? How do you
decide what information you are seeking?
• Where would you go for information that you need to help a pupil?
• How would you know that the information you acquired was
reliable? How could you verify it?

• What is the most significant message for you in The Case of Nora?

Over the next few wee.ksnotice your patterns in the wayyou work with
pupils. Considerhow these are similar or different to those used by
Moshe. Whataspects of your work do you believeyou could improve?
Find ways to begin to make these changes.

1
Moshe Feldenkrais, 1977 . Body Awareness as Healing Therapy The
case of Nora. Frog Ltd and Son1aticResources, California.
2
ibid. p. 9
3
ibid. p. 16

50 f'un ActivHies for f'eldenl rais Stud~ Grouies 61

In the Leslnnlns...
Awareness 11zroughMovement

''Awareness Through Movement has served as the jntroductjon for

thousands of people to the Feldenkrajs Method In my travels wilh
Moshe Feldenkra1:S,and during the workshops he presented people
would come up and tell us how th1:Sbook made a great difference jn
their Jjves-a ss1:SHngthem 111recovering from great personal djffJculHes
and enrjch111gthe qua]jty of thejr Jjves."
(Kolman Korentayer, 1977) 1

2
ReadAwareness 11zroughMovement

Reflectand discuss:
• What messages do you think Moshe is trying to convey?
• Identify the main themes in the book. Can you find these in your own
work?

• How does Moshe use metaphor or imagery, and for what purpose?
Do you think it is effective?
• Do Moshe's metaphors help you to more easily explain the
Method?

• Has your self-image changed as a result of reading this book?

• What is the main insight you got in relation to yourself?
• What insights do you get in relation to working with others?
• A fundamental belief behind the Method is that it is a form of
education. How do your ideas on education compare with
Moshe's?

62 50 fun Activities for F'efdenkrais ~tud~ GrouJ0B

 • Describe the way that your beliefs about education influence your
work?
• What does the concept of function mean to you?

• Which of Moshe's ATM lessons did you enjoy the most?

• What makes them enjoyable?
• Which lesson do you have most difficulty with? What do you
learn from this?
• Why do you think Moshe chose these lessons to illustrate his
ideas?
• Could you draw on these lessons for ideas to develop some areas of
your work?
• Which aspects of Moshe's lessons would be most useful for you to
attend to as you develop your lessons?

As you continueyour Feldenkraiswork and study, identify your beliefs

and valuesabout education. Notice how these influenceyour teaching
and learning.Do you hold certain expectationsof yourself and your
pupils? J.Vhat happens if these expectationsare not met? Shareyour
insights with your colleagues.

1 2
· Kolman Korentayer In Moshe Feldenkrais, 1977. Awareness Through
Movement. Harper & Row Publishers Inc., New York.

50 F',m
Activities for rdden lra is ~tud~ Groups 63
~adins with f'efdenlrai&e~u ...
Embodying the Method for life

Moshe described the Method as "Learnjng to learn'~ He was more

concerned about the changes that could occur in people's thinking and
awareness than the degree of flexibility in their bodies. Becoming aware
of your habitual thinking patterns will enable you to choose to change
or enhance your thinking style, or even use it as a model for some other
aspect of your life.

Select a newspaper or magazine and open it at random. Read the article

that catches your eye.

• As a practitioner of the Feldenkrais Method, what is the main

message you take from this article?
• Can you interpret it any other way?
• Do you tend to interpret it literally, or more metaphorically?
• What do you need to do to find a different interpretation?
Do you sense these changes to be more physical or mental?
• Is there a difference between your Feldenkra1sself and your everyday
self?
• How do you organise, or re-organise yourself to take a Feldenkrais
perspective?
• How does this change your approach to the task of reading?
• What insights do you gain about the various ways you interact with
your environment?

Over the next few days notice the ways in which your life is influenced
by your interest in, and understanding of, the Feldenkrais Method

Which of these would you most like to help other people incorporate
into their Jives?

64 50 rwn Acti viti es for reldenl r ais Stwd!:!Grow,as

flecosnlslns patterns o o o

The influence of stories

Stories convey messages. Remember the stories you heard as a child.

How many were structured on the premise of good prevails over bad?
These stories undoubtedly influenced your understanding of the values
and attitudes of your society and probably continue to influence your
adult unconscious behaviour. There are also the stories that you
construct yourself to describe, explain or remember your life
experiences. Increasing your awareness of the attitudes embodied in
your stories, both past and present, will enable you to selectively retain,
refine or discard them, to keep them consistent with your deepest values.

Read a story that appealed to you as a child

Reflectand discuss:
• What is the moral of the story?
• Can you find evidence of its influence in your life?
• Do you find different influences if you apply the story or its attitudes
to different aspects of your life, such as work, recreation, family,
health, or money.
• In which situations do these attitudes serve you well?
• Are there any situations in which these attitudes hinder you?
• How do the attitudes embodied in the story affect your approach to
your Feldenkrais work?
• Has anything changed in relation to these since beginning your
Feldenkrais journey?
• If you had grown up in a different culture, would you interpret the
story differently?
As an adult, what refinements would you like to incorporate into the
stories you currently tell yourself? If you changed these, would your
approach to your Feldenkrais work also change?

50 f•mActivities for F'efdenlrais Stwd!:JGrowrs 65

tearnin! from+heMas+erooo
Metaphors for explaining and illustrating

When faced with a new concept, you use your current knowledge and
understanding to make sense of it. Metaphor is a way of using an
existing map to explore and understand something less well known. It
allows you to use a familiar structure to predict rules or behaviours in a
new context. Moshe Feldenkrais used a wide variety of metaphors to
illustrate his ideas and theories. Developing a repertoire of metaphors
and analogies will assist you to explain aspects of the Method to others .

.Readone of Moshe Feldenkrais'books.

Reflectand discuss:
• Select some of Moshe's metaphors or uses of imagery that
particularly appeal to you?
• How do these influence your understanding or perception of the
Method?
• Identify some situations or contexts in which you might find these
useful for explaining something to others.
• Create some different metaphors that you think would be more
effective for someone you know.
• Can you find metaphors that refer to things that are not familiar to
you? How do you respond to these?
• Moshe sometimes used more than one metaphor to explain the same
concept. Why do you think he did this?
• What do you think is important when creating metaphors?
• Describe the process you follow to create metaphors?

Choosethree different contexts in whichyou might need to explain

aspects of Feldenkraiswork Createmetaphors suitable for each of these,
and if possible, fly them and notice the effect they have.

66 50 tun Activities for F'eldenf?.rais ~twd~ Growfl>S

No matter where you are. or what you are doing. your senses are feeding
you with information. It is through your senses that you gather
information from the world around you. about the state of your body
and that of your pupils. During your lessons. sensing of your
organisation is critical in allowing you to think clearly. maintain a solid
connection to the ground and use easy fluent movements . Your sensing
of your pupils helps you to assess their organisation. notice change. and
make the subtle adjustments necessary to achieve your outcome.

50 F'unAct ivitie& for F'efdenl'&rai&

~tud!:1Gr oul"'& 67
Oops. it's different!
Noticing changesin your body

A paradox of the Feldenkrais Method is that attending to any aspect of

organisation leads to change. It is therefore important to create
references to help you notice the different sensations and changes that
occur throughout your body.

Lie withyour back on the floor.As you breathe,notice the differencein

sensationbetween your two arms. Thenscan for differencesbetween
your hands,legs and feet 1¥.henyou have finished,repeat your scan and
notice what has changed

• What categories of difference did you check for?

• What do you find if you scan in this way for temperature, texture,
weight , size, imaginary colour or imaginary sounds?
• Were you able to notice gradations in sensation on the same side of
your body?
• How did you know when to finish your scan?
• What did you learn about yourself?
• How could these insights influence the way you teach ATM lessons?
Will they influence your FI work?
• Is it important for your pupils to sense these types of differences in
their bodies?
• How could you assist them to do this?

Practise eliciting this type of information from other people. Devise a list
of questions, metaphors, and analogies that you can use to help your
pupils learn about the different sensations in their bodies. Share your
experiences with your colleagues.

68 50 r•m Activities for refden~ r ais ~twd!:JGrow,as

f'offow the ~effowLricl road...
Identifyingconnectionsand pathways

In order for you to design a useful and effective lesson for your pupils
you will need to explore their unique organisation. Recognising
connections and observing transmission pathways are therefore
essential skills for any Feldenkrais practitioner. Developing your skill
can begin most easily by sensing the connections and pathways within
your own body.

Explore which movements of your extremitiesyou can feel in the centre

of your body. Begin with tiny movements of your fingers or toes. Try
several directionsof movement, and gradually incorporatemore of your
limbs into the movements.

• Identify as many pathways through the centre of your body as you

can. Where do they go?
• What do you notice about the qualities of the movements?
• What happens when the movements are initiated from different
places?
• How is it useful to be able to sense these things in yourself?
• What do you learn about your organisation?
• What did you learn about pathways that might be useful in sensing
the qualities of a transmission path in a pupil?
• What are the benefits for your pupils of being able to sense these
things in their bodies? Can you use your insights to assist the1n?

During the next few FI lessons you give, allow a part of your attention to
monitor the ways in which forces are transmitted through your body.
"Whatcan you learn from this? Share your experiences with your
colleagues.

50 r"mActivities for relden krais St wd~Gr owps 69

Normal? Discovering the range of 'normal'

Who is normaR Having a sense of normal is something that you develop

as you gain experience working with many people . Initially it can be
confusing when a pupil's body doesn't move as you expect and you may
begin to wonder whether you are do1ng jf right Experiencing a wide
variety of bodies. and their capacities for movement. will help you
determine whether the limitation you find in a movement is likely to
change . You will have a sense of whether you need to adjust your own
position or seek to release some holding pattern in your pupil.

Take turns to be the practitioner. 'I'herest of the group lies with their
backs on the floor while the practitioner briefly lifts the head of each
person. Remember to keep your test movements brie£ as the patterns
will change with the interaction.

As the practitioner ,
• Describe the range of movements you felt?
• Describe the qualities of the movements?
• Did you notice any changes to your organisation as you proceeded
around the group lifting heads?
• Do you think these changes altered your sensitivity to the quality or
type of information you elicited from the pupils?
• Were you surprised by anything you sensed with your hands?
• What differences did you notice between people? How do you
interpret them?
• In lifting each head. what clues did you gather about that pupil's
organisation?
• If you were to design a lesson to improve this movement. would one
lesson suit everyone in the group?
• What did you learn about your touch?

70 50 rwn Activities for telcJen~ rais Stwd:1Growps

As a pupiL
• Notice the smoothness of the lifting. Describe the range in the quality
of touch from the practitioners.
• How could you test the quality of your touch?
• How could you enhance the quality of touch you provide for your
pupils?
• Did you sense that your movement changed as more practitioners
lifted your head?
• How do you think these changes affected the quality and type of
information gathered by successive practitioners?

u-1zatis your definitionof nonnal? Describehow you sense whether

your pupils are nonnal, or what is nonnal for them. Explorethis with
your pupils and then shareyour experiences withyour colleagues.

SO F',mActivities for F'eldenlrais ~tud~ Grou/8& 71

Thedo notbin~ lu&Oho O 0

Sensing the layers

Sensing and influencing the organisation and movement of a person's

skeleton are central to the Feldenkrais Method. This simple statement
describes an amazingly complex and challenging task. As a practitioner
you have to gather and interpret information through your senses,
without actually coming into contact with your pupils' skeletons!
Instead, your senses must delve deep beneath layers of clothing, skin,
tissue and muscle to gather the information they seek.

Work in pairs and take turns to complete the activities. Have your
partner do a short test walk, and then lie on the floor on their side.
Gently place one hand on the side of their ribs.

Without moving your hand,

• Sense the texture and thickness of clothing .
• Slowly allow your awareness to move through the clothing to the
skin and notice its quality .
• Sink through the skin to the muscles and discover how they feel.
• Without changing the quality of your touch, sense the bony
structures and any movement.
• Keeping your hand in the same place, imagine tracing the skeleton
and notice how far you can sense into the person .
• Try to sense how available each part is.

To finish, slowly reverse the order of your sensing. Ask your partner to
gently stand and walk a little. Notice any effect this activity has had for
them.

72 sor,m Act iviti es for refden lr ais Stl!ld~ GrOl!lf'S

Discuss:
• Which senses did you use during this activity?
• How accurate is your interpretation of your senses?
• How could you improve the accuracy of information gathered in this
way?
• Could you test your perceptions?
• What changed in you during this activity?
• What changed in your pupil?
• Could you detect these changes as they happened?
• What do you think caused these changes?
• What are the implications of this activity for your work with pupils?

During the next few days, tzy to notice the subtle, and more obvious,
changesin the people around you. Do you have to touch a person to
initiate a change in their organisation?Thinkof ways that could help
you to positively influenceyour pupils during ATMlessons.Shareyour
ideas.

50 r,m
Activities for f'eldenkrais ~+wd~ Gr owf>& 73
Treaaure Lunt o o o Scanningyour=

Much of your behaviour is influenced by patterns stored outside your

conscious awareness . The small voice in your head, pictures of past
experiences or expectations of things to come, and sensations stored in
your body all contribute to the way you think, feel, sense and act.
Increasing your awareness of these things enables you to selectively
reject, incorporate or combine your patterns to achieve your optimum
performance .

Workin pairs to deliver a FunctionalIntegrationlesson.Keep the lesson

simple so you are available to repeat the scan many times.

As you begin your FI exploration , notice,

• The commentary of the voice in your head .
• The texture of the sensations in your fingers .
• The temperature gradient of your body from head to foot.
• The things that catch your visual attention.

Consider the following,

• What is the significance of these senses?
• What do they tell you about your working state?
• Do any of these distract, or contribute, to your work?
• Do your senses change as your lesson progresses?
What does this tell you?
• Is the internal voice yours or someone else's? What does it say?
• Try to deliberately change each of these attributes? What happens?

Prior to your next few lessons select one of your senses to keep in
awareness. Notice your habitual use of that sense, and then deliberately
alter one aspect or quality of this to discover how it can influence your
work

74
Support and the reduction of effort are central concepts in the
Feldenkrais approach. The more solidly you feel supported, the easier it
is to relax, move lightly and easily, and pay attention to your current
activity. This enhances both your ability to learn and your freedom to
change physically and metaphorically. Giving and receiving support are
also fundamental human needs. As a Feldenkrais practitioner you will
provide and require many different kinds of support. Understanding the
diverse roles that support plays in your practise of Feldenkrais, and your
life, will help you to use it effectively.

50 F,m Activi+ies for F'efdenlrais ~+~d~ Gro~ies 75

Sbarins+beload o o o
Exploringthe role of support in a lesson

Support is an essential element of the Feldenkrais Method . It sends

messages of safety and connection to the ground. The consequent
reduction of effort and parasitic activity 1nakes new options available for
more efficient movement. This activity borrows the Feldenkrais notion of
constraint to focus your attention on one aspect of a lesson-support.

Discussyour understandingof support. How do you define support?

J.t1iatis its purpose?

Work with a partner to design a brief FunctionalIntegrationlesson that

is based only on supporting differentparts of a pupil's body Taketurns
to deliver your lesson.

Discuss:
• How does only using support change the way you begin the lesson?
• How did you tailor your lesson to address the concerns and
limitations of your pupil?
• Describe the physical supports you used?
• Would these supports work equally well if your pupil was lying or
sitting a different way?
• Could you achieve the same degree of support in another way?
• How do you decide when to deliberately alter a pupil's orientation to
use a natural support, such the floor?
• How do you decide how much support to provide?
• How do you decide when to remove a support?
• What were the main challenges in designing this lesson?

76 50 r,,m Activities fo r relden~rais ~hid:, GrOl!l/"'

S
What did you take into consideration when planning the sequence of
your lesson?
• Were you able to include differentiating and integrating movements?
• How important was your own base of support? How did you monitor
this?
• Are there any circumstances in which you would devise a lesson that
only uses support?
• Describe your experience of the lesson as the pupil? What
improvements did you notice?

Imagine thatyou are invited tojoin a research team to investigate the

effects of space travel on the human body. How wouldyou deliver a
Feldenkraislesson to an astronautin zero gravity? Wouldyou need to
provide support? Shareyour ideas with your colleagues.

77
Gettlns+o+behottornof +binss...
Organising to provide grounded support

Establishing a sound connection with the ground is essential if you wish

to offer effective support for a pupil. This requires your body to be
organised in a way that provides an uniinpeded connection from the
pupil's skeleton, via your own, to the ground. Exploring different ways
to organise your body will i1nprove your ability to provide appropriate
and effective support and protect yourself from injury.

Working in pairs, take it in turns to lift one of your partner's legs. Try
lifting from many positions, including sitting, standing, and kneeling.
Try from the foot and the knee. Try lifting from different distances.

Discuss:
• How did you organise yourself to establish a sound connection to the
ground?
• How did your base of support have to change to accommodate lifting
legs of different lengths and weights?
• Was it easier for you to lift from certain positions?
• Was it easier for you to lift from certain distances?
• While lifting, was your attention on your pupil or yourself?
• What happens if you shift your attention?
• Create an image that includes both you and your pupil?
How does this affect the ease of your task?

78 SO f'wnActivit ies for f'elden~rai& ~twiJ!:J

Growps
• What clues do you use to gather feedback about your organisation?
Do you notice how you feel, monitor the response from your pupil, or
sense the quality of connection between you? Try focussing on each
of these and notice how it changes the information you gather .
• Does 1noving to a different pupil require you to change your
approach?

Useyour next few lessons to assess the effectivenessand quality of the

support you provide. Check the height of your equipment and the space
you have to move in. Do you have enoughroom to position both
yourself and your pupils in ways that enableyou to provide effective
connection to theground? Identify ways in whichyou could improve
your support-giving techniquesand trial these.Be creative,and share
your ideas.

79
Rof~ pof~ o o o
Using rollers for support

In order for you to convey a message of support to a pupil's nervous

syste1nyou may use a variety of support aids. You may require supports
that are quite firm or comfortably soft, and could use them to create a
sense of stability or to direct movement. With a small basic kit of rollers,
cushions, foam pads, towels and blankets, you will have all you need to
adapt and vary their use to create a range of different effects.

Explore the quality of support provided by different rollers, cushions, or

pads of different densities.

• How does the quality of support influence the experience of the

pupil?
• Does the quality of support affect your work as a practitioner?
• How do you choose which support aid to use?

Make a list of the parts of a body you might want to support. Explore
how you might support each of these, and identify contexts in which
providing support would be beneficial.

• How would you know when support would be useful?

• How do you vary the softness of a roller or support?
• How can you tell whether a support is at the correct height for your
pupil?
• During a lesson, when would you adjust the height of a support?
How do you monitor for this?

Make a list of items you could include in your own basic support kit

80 50 F',
,mActivities for F'efdenkrais ~fwd!::J
Growjc>S
tlfe support o o o Making the most of the Method

The Feldenkrais Method embraces many profound and powerful

attitudes that are shared by colleagues around the world. You can use
these in support of your personal life journey. Identifying the essential
elements of the Method, and applying these to everyday tasks will help
you to make improvements in all aspects of your life. Whether reading a
map, being patient with a family member or managing your finances,
taking a Feldenkrais approach can improve your ability to do it
elegantly.

As a group, list the essential elements and attitudes of the Method

Discuss1
• How does your understanding of the Feldenkrais Method support you
in your personal life journey?
• In an ideal world how would your colleagues, and the wider
Feldenkrais community, support you?
• What support would you be providing?
• To what degree do these things happen for you now?
• Where do you go for support with your F M questions or concerns?
• Do you feel well supported? What could you do to increase the
amount of support you feel?
• Can you find a way of increasing the support you give while
maintaining your own stability?
• What initiatives could your local Feldenkrais community implement
to improve support for its members?
• Find ways to begin to create a more supportive environment for
students and practitioners of the Feldenkrais Method.
Identify an aspect of your life that you wish to improve. Explore ways of
applying the elements of the Feldenkrais approach to this part of your
life. Can you design a lesson to address your issue?

50 F'un ActivHies for f'efden~rais ~tud!:JGroups 81

Accentwate +be positiveooo
Usinglanguage to support your lessons

As a Feldenkrais practitioner you communicate with your pupils in

many ways. Your touch and body language will convey important
messages, but of course, your words form an obvious and vital
component of any lesson. Your pupils interpret your words according to
their unique perspective on life. and may or may not get the message
you intend . Your challenge is to send clear messages that effectively
support your intention for the lesson.

With a partner choose a situation in whichyou wouldgive a Functional

Integrationlesson.List some of the instructions,questions and comments
you might make during the consultation.Taketurns to practise using
supportive and suggestive language to enhanceyour lesson.

Practisesaying whatyou would like the pupil to do. Did you realise that
it in order for the mind to represent a negative instruction (don't: move
your pelvis; tense up; worry about...). it must first create the opposite one
(do ... )?

Practisedesigningpositive statements.
For example, Let the muscle begin to relax; Leave your hand at rest; and
Adjust yourself so you feel safe.

Try disguisingrequests as comments.

For example, This arm feels ready to give me its weight, and
I wonder 1f your pelvis can remain at rest

Sow a seed for the future.

For example. When you Te remembering this lesson tomorrow ... and As
you begin to notice improvements. ..

82
Make a link to life.
For example, Next Hmeyou rein the car .. .; or Keeping this comfortable
organisation, imagine you rein your workplace.

Discuss:
• How important is your use of language in influencing the
effectiveness of your lessons?
• During a lesson. when is using supportive language most important?
• How important is it to make connections between the lesson and the
life your pupils will return to?
• Does the language you use influence yourperfonnance during a
lesson?

Recordone of your lessons.Listento identifypatterns in your use of

language.Are your statementsmostlypositive and supportive?Explore
different ways to useyour words and phrases, and monitor the apparent
effectson your pupils.

50 r an Activiti es for F'elcJen~rais Stad!:JGr oa,as 83

Nowdidrdo? The art of gathering feedback

Feedback is the means by which you evaluate and adjust the

performance of any task. Much of the time this happens outside
awareness-Have I turned the door knob far enough? or Is the pup1Fs
tonus increasing or decreasing as I do this movement? The ability to
improve an action however, requires conscious observation and
evaluation of feedback. In developing your practitioner skills feedback is
vital. Sometimes you will gather this directly from your pupils.
Sometimes you may ask a colleague to make observations for you. To be
of most use, feedback will be in the form of observations rather than
interpretations or evaluations.

Before requesting feedback from your colleagues, it is useful to practise

the components parts:
I. Identify which aspect of your work you will pay attention to;
2. Clarify your request; and
3. Observe and report.

1. Identify an.aspect
As a group, review this list of aspects of a lesson. Can you can add any?
preparation precision of touch
use of language relationship with pupil's
putting the pupil at ease breathing
eliciting the pupil's concern flow of the lesson
explaining the work response of the pupil
pacing the lesson integration of the lesson
personal organisation links to function
observing transition from table to life
moving between parts and whole conclusion
practitioner's breathing rests
quality of touch timing
84 S0 F',mActivities for F'eldenlirais ~twd~ Growl"&
2. In pairs, practise clarifying a request for feedback on one aspect of
your work

The usefulness of feedback depends on your ability to focus the

observations on a specific aspect. For example,

Person A, I would like feedback on my breath111g

Person B, Which aspect of your breathing?
Do you mean when are you not breath111g?
Do you mean in relation to the pup117sbreathing?
Person A , I would like you to notice 1f I stop
breathing and use effort at any p0111t

3. Practiseobserving and reporting.

Wor..kiitgin pairs, one person does some ATM movements while the
other person practises making observationssuch as, "Ulhenyou Ji.iyour
head, the curve in your lumbar spine increases".

When giving feedback, it is important to distinguish between reporting,

interpreting and evaluating. Feedback that allows the receiver to do the
interpreting is usually the most valuable.

For example,
• I notice movement in your belly when you inhale, and I don't see
movement elsewhere is an observation.
• You are breathing deeply is an interpretation.
• You breathe better than I do is an evaluation.
• When you asked the pupil about his children he sm1Jedand his
shoulders dropped is an observation.
• You put the pupil at ease by asking about the chj]dren
is an interpretation.
• Your welcome was really good is an evaluation.

50 r,m Activities for relden~rais ~t.,d!:IGrol!lias 85

Discuss:
• What types of questions are most helpful in clarifying a request for
feedback?
• What happens when you restrict your comments to observations
only?
• In order to feel comfortable asking for feedback. where do you place
your attention? Try some variations .
• How could you make the experience of asking for and receiving
feedback as easy and safe as possible?
• How could you make the task of giving feedback safe?

Is there an aspect of your work about which you would like feedback?
Clarify your request, then ask for one observation and notice how you
organise yourself to receive it Continue to practise asking for and
receiving feedback, and share your insights as you go.

86 50 F',mll ct lvifies for F'elden~r a,is ~twd~ Growr;is