April 14, 2023
News FOR and ABOUT the MEMBERS of FGNA
| |
Announcing the 2023 FGNA Conference Event: Honoring Our Trainers
Do Something New!
We know that variation is an important part of learning and we also know it’s important to start where we are familiar. With this in mind, the 2023 Feldenkrais Guild® of North America’s Annual Conference Event will be on Zoom again this year and we’re excited to bring you a new format!
This year’s conference will be a series of workshops taught by Feldenkrais® trainers offered in August, September and October to Feldenkrais practitioners and trainees only.
Look for updates in future editions of Guild News as the 2023 schedule and costs are finalized. See you there!
| |
Taking Advantage of Your Membership Benefits
Every month, the FGNA publishes a new issue of SenseAbility, a newsletter to educate the general public about the Feldenkrais Method®. The newsletter currently has a subscriber list of almost 12,000 readers.
This newsletter is an amazing way to build your Feldenkrais practice!
Here's two ways you can do that:
1) WRITE for SenseAbility:
Submit your 1500-word article or multi-media submission on the theme of the month (the May issue of SenseAbility will address Early Childhood Motor Development and the topic for June will be Deep Listening). When your article is published, you will also be featured with a headshot photo, your 100-word bio and website information. You can also offer a recorded ATM lesson or other valuable resource to introduce readers to your teaching.
2) SHARE SenseAbility!
SenseAbility has a wealth of valuable resources for your clients every month, whether or not you are a contributing writer. You can share individual articles that will be relevant to themes you are working with or invite clients to subscribe to SenseAbility by sharing this link with them:
Get a reminder by liking/following the Guild's Facebook page so you'll see our monthly preview as well as having an easy way to share SenseAbility articles on social media.
We are currently looking for contributors for May and June.
Write to us at fgnacommunications2@gmail.com
| |
In Loving Memory of Julie Hermsen Francis
November 2, 1955 - March 21, 2023
Our friend, colleague, and teacher died at the age of 67. Before becoming a practitioner in Gaby Yaron’s Chicago training in 1994, Julie received both her BA and MA degrees in environmental engineering, did groundbreaking work in alternative energy sources, and worked for the Department of Energy in Washington, D.C. All her life, Julie enjoyed art, reading, travel, design, architecture, and exploring.
Julie came to this community through searching for the best care for her daughter, Andi, who had developmental disabilities from birth. Andi, who was Julie’s priority in life, died in February. This loss was, in some ways, also a release for Julie who had been battling with cancer (done, of course, with her signature perseverance and humor) since 2021.
Before moving to Rochester, NY, in 2019, Julie taught in the Chicago area both as a practitioner and as an Assistant Trainer in many trainings. So many of us have rich stories and memories of her wisdom and laughter. A few days before passing she said “I do need to ‘move’ but not in a Feldenkrais® way.”
Julie is survived by her four siblings, her extended family, and her former husband. You might plant a tree or consider donating to Rochester Regional Health Hospice Care.
- Anna Wolf
| |
Special Events
Join Paris Kern's, "The Trainer is IN!"
Online lively Q&A of anything Feldenkrais®, your self-improvement, client concerns or predicaments, whether you are starting a new practice, in the midst, or retiring, FI® or ATM® queries, equipment use, etc.
Open to ALL Guild Members
The first Sunday of each month, 4:30 PM-5:30 PM EST, 1:30-2:30 pm PT,
9:30-10;30pm GMT, 10:30-11:30 pm CET
Cost $20.00
Please register early! And send your questions in advance to pariskern@comcast.net
Note: Paris reserves the right to cancel Office Hours for a specific month. You will be reimbursed or can save your ticket for the following month.
This event is sponsored by The New England Region of FGNA
Teaching Seniors – the Psychology of Aging with Moti Nativ
In person workshop in Denver, Colorado
Advance training for Feldenkrais Practitioners & 3rd and 4th year students
Moti Nativ has designed many workshops and classes for seniors, based on his own experience of age, body, and mental changes, to better his way of life and the people he teaches – predominantly now active “elders,” averaging mainly in their 80s, typically about 50 attendees per week. He has learned that Awareness Through Movement® – paying attention -- can improve at an older age. His lessons have become a kind of laboratory of research in the Feldenkrais Method® of somatic education specific to this community.
His ATM® lessons will include being on the floor, sitting on chairs, and in standing. He will discuss ideas for approaching such learners, and perspectives relative to aging and mental issues that arise in these lessons.
Dates: May 6 & 7, 2023
Times: 9:30am - 4:30pm MDT
Cost: FGNA Members, by 4/19/23 $200; after $235
Non-Members: $250
Register Here
San Francisco Feldenkrais® Training Online Study Group (ongoing)
NW Region, hosted by the NW Region Library
First and third Thursdays of each month, 8:00-9:00 PM Pacific
Online via Zoom (free participation in online meetings)
Contact: Katherine Wieseman at feldenkraisnwlibrary@gmail.com for zoom link.
Practice and discuss ATM® lessons with your colleagues!
New York Region of the FGNA "IN-PERSON" get-together
April 23rd, 2- 4:30pm
FELDENKRAIS® MANHATTAN"
134 West 26th Street, 2nd Floor
Since this is also the time of year to have our region's "Annual Meeting", we are combining this with our inaugural get together.
As such, we would like to welcome our New York Region members who live further afield so that all Members that are able to can attend.
...with Zoom one is never 100% - so, just in case you need it:
Meeting ID: 828 9103 9428
Passcode: 270378
| |
Join Feldy Notebook's AY 501-550 Challenge!
Calling all practitioners. Please join the new Feldy Notebook Challenge.
The content of Feldy Notebook, the online study guide for Awareness Through Movement® lessons, is created by practitioners like you. Now is your opportunity to expand and extend this valuable resource. If by the end of June we, as a community, complete the synopsis and lesson steps for all the AY 501 - 550 lessons, then Laura Yedwab will make a $500 donation to the International Feldenkrais® Foundation to support the publication of new lessons and the translation of lessons into more languages.
This is an ideal time to study the AY 501-550 lessons as the An-AY-a-Day group will be teaching these lessons during this period.
- Participation in the challenge is easy:
- Choose an AY lesson from this table.
- Write a synopsis: A sentence or two describing the lesson.
- Write the steps of the lesson: A brief description of the steps in the lesson as they were taught by Moshe.
Send the synopsis and steps to info@kineticinquiry.com. If you have any additional material about the lesson (e.g. a recording, a video, a cool photo, or a list of related ATMs®), please send it as well.
Please send any questions to Laura at info@kineticinquiry.com
| |
|
Spotlight on Legislative Advocacy
Kansas
No new activity on SB111.
Massachusetts
In March, representatives of the Federation MBS Joint Government Relations Committee met with staff of the MA attorney general’s office to discuss our concerns about bills that would remove exemptions and require licensure for “alternative healing therapies”. The staff confirmed that they are not intending to sign on to the bills, and agreed to meet with us again, if they become involved.
Minnesota
Bills to establish massage therapy licensure requirements and exempt the practice of the Feldenkrais Method® of somatic education and other non-massage professions were re-introduced in January. Because of other legislative priorities, the committees that are reviewing the bills have postponed consideration of all bills related to professional licensure until next year.
Ohio
Last year, bills were introduced that would have revised the massage licensure statute in ways that could have adversely affected Feldenkrais® practitioners in Ohio. With tremendous support from local members, we were able to get one of the bills amended to add an exemption. Both bills died in 2022. We expected them to be re-introduced this year, but have learned that due to strong opposition from a key legislator, that will not happen. This is great news for practitioners in Ohio!
Federation MBS Annual Meeting
FGNA President Nancy Haller and Andrea participated in the annual meeting of the Federation of Therapeutic Massage, Bodywork and Somatic Practice Organizations in Boulder, CO. Representatives of the eleven member organizations took a deeper dive into legislative issues and strategy, and other topics of mutual interest, including:
ISMETA report on a meeting of the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, and a coalition that is being formed on Whole Person Health. FGNA President Nancy Haller will be following up, so that FGNA can participate.
Ethics, diversity and inclusion: Shared current practices and discussed ideas for education and skills development for practitioners and training program staff.
Questions? Contact Government Relations Administrator Andrea Wiener: andrea.wiener@feldenkraisguild.com.
| |
Nancy Haller, President, Sue Seto, Vice President, Erik LeSuer, Treasurer, Fariya Doctor, Secretary, March Dolphin, Director 3, Sue Robuck, Director 5, Beth Scott, Director 6, Mercedes Von Deck, Director Elect
| |
© 2022, FGNA, All rights reserved
The following are service marks, trademarks, collective, or certification marks of the Feldenkrais Guild® of North America in the US: Feldenkrais Guild®, Feldenkrais®, Feldenkrais Method®, Functional Integration®, FI®, Awareness Through Movement®, ATM®, Guild Certified Feldenkrais Teacher®, GCFTCM, Guild Certified Feldenkrais PractitionerCM, GCFPCM, Certified Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement TeacherCM, CFATMTCM, Feldenkrais JournalTM, Friends of FeldenkraisSM, and FGNA Feldenkrais Method Logo.
The following are service marks, trademarks, or certification marks of the Feldenkrais Guild® of North America in Canada: Feldenkrais GuildTM, Feldenkrais®, Feldenkrais® Method or Feldenkrais MethodTM, Awareness Through Movement®, ATMTM, Prise de conscience par le mouvementMD, Functional Integration®, FITM, L'intégration fonctionnelleMD, Guild Certified Feldenkrais TeacherTM , GCFTTM, Guild Certified Feldenkrais PractitionerTM, GCFPTM, Certified Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement TeacherTM, CFATMTTM, Friends of FeldenkraisSM , Feldenkrais JournalTM, and FGNA Feldenkrais Method Logo.
| |
|
|
|
|
