News

22nd January, 2010

Happy New Year! I hope you had a happy and healthy holiday break and are ready for more Feldenkrais adventures this year.

I spent the time catching up on reading; much of the motivation came as follow up on the Mind and Its Potential Conference. There are many ideas that connect with Feldenkrais thinking. Now there is research and evidence for the sound foundations of lessons as well as new information which increases our understanding.

I have read or reviewed books and the conference proceedings of Allan Wallace, Paul Ekman and his presentation of research on facial expression and emotions which can increase emotional awareness of ourselves and others. Martin Seligman has renewed my interest in positive psychology – especially after he outed himself as a pessimist and talked about how he has been working with children at Geelong Grammar.

There will be classic Awareness Through Movement lessons as well as references to my recent study. Feldenkrais is movement education and education through movement; "the accent is put not on which movement you deal with .... but on how you direct yourself doing it."

I have just returned from Melbourne where I attended a week of the first Australian run Feldenkrais Professional Training Programme (see www.feldworks.com for more information). This was an opportunity to revisit some of the material as well as catch up with other Feldenkrais practitioners, including my study buddy Sarah from Perth (feldenkraisperth.com).

We will start the term on 9th February to give everyone time to return from their holidays and get into the new school year. If you attended last term, there is a place reserved for you; as the class days and times have changed, please reply as soon as possible with your preferences by Tuesday 2nd February. I will then do my best to choose the times you have requested and will confirm with you by email.

28th December, 2009

The Feldenkrais Sydney class term finished a little earlier this year with Catherine attending the Mind & Its Potential Conference at Darling Harbour in Sydney in December.

I attended with excitement! I was able to see and hear the ideas of the Dalai Lama, Allan Wallace, Paul Ekman, Martin Seligman, John Ratey, Susan Greenfield, Dan Siegel etc etc in the flesh. I have already read many of their books and was so interested in what they had to say. Many of the ideas will echo through our sessions next year.

The Australia Feldenkrais Guild took an exhibition stand at the conference. This gave us the opportunity to take our ideas to a wide audience. It was also an appreciative audience, many of whom had heard of Feldenkrais, and we found much to talk about with each of the delegates who visited our stand. We avoided reams of paper which would inevitably end up in the bin by taking our information online. Check out our blog at www.mindinaction.wordpress.com. A special thank you to Chris and Marlene who came to help with the recording of the MP3 lessons.

Here's an excerpt from the conference description:

'Science is only just beginning to understand the extraordinary capacity of the brain to change and develop. The implications for how we learn, work and care for one another are profound. Mind & Its Potential will explore the amazing revolution in our understanding of the brain and the benefits for all walks of life -both personal and professional.

How do we learn? How should we teach? How do we overcome adversity and disability? How should we live our lives?

Mind & Its Potential brings together for the first time the best and brightest minds from Australia and internationally to explain how to apply the new science of the brain in education, medicine, business and our lives.'

Check out their website www.mindanditspotential.com.au