ABOUT

THE IDEA OF THE BOOK CLUB

Welcome to the Feldenkrais Book Club, a vibrant community dedicated to exploring the Feldenkrais Method alongside contemporary works in neuroscience, mind-body connection and psychology. Each month, we discuss one book, aiming to deepen our knowledge and understanding of movement, attention, mindfulness, and the latest neuroscience insights. The Feldenkrais Book Club warmly invites trainees from the four-year Feldenkrais training program, as well as certified Feldenkrais practitioners seeking to contextualize their practice within current research. However, we also extend a heartfelt invitation to anyone with a passion for literature on the Feldenkrais Method, neuroscience, and movement.

Engaging deeply with literature related to the Feldenkrais Method not only enriches our practice but also equips us to address the inquiries of those we teach. Understanding the neuroscience behind the method enhances our ability to incorporate intriguing insights into our Awareness Through Movement (ATM) lessons, ultimately benefiting our future participants of ATMs.

As Feldenkrais wisely observed, 'If you know what you're doing, you can do what you want.' Thus, by deepening our understanding of this methodology through reading, you can unlock the potential to truly feel adept at, within and with the Feldenkrais Method.

THE HISTORY OF THE BOOK CLUB

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Weronika, and I am the founder, coordinator, curator, and moderator of the Feldenkrais Book Club. Currently, I am immersed in the four-year Feldenkrais Feldenkrais training program in Vienna. Over the past year and a half, I have coordinated a smaller book club for fellow trainees in my cohort, where we have met monthly to discuss our readings. The experience has proven to be immensely beneficial, inspiring me to expand the book club into an international platform for online discussions, welcoming participants from around the globe.

CATEGORIES OF BOOKS

As we embark on our reading journey, we will explore a diverse array of book categories, each offering unique perspectives on the Feldenkrais Method:

• Foundational texts: Works authored by Moshe Feldenkrais himself, serving as the cornerstone of the Feldenkrais Method.
• Influential works: Texts that have significantly shaped Feldenkrais's intellectual development and philosophical framework, providing insight into the diverse sources that influenced his thinking.
• Derivative approaches: Literature that has emerged from Feldenkrais's methodologies, including works inspired by his principles, such as the ChildSpace Method, the Anat Baniel Method of NeuroMovement, and the First Step Method.
• Contemporary neuroscience: Recent scholarly publications that offer empirical support for many of Feldenkrais's insights, bridging the gap between theory and scientific validation.
• Comparative methodologies: Texts that explore alternative approaches sharing foundational assumptions with the Feldenkrais Method, facilitating a comparative analysis of similar pedagogical and therapeutic frameworks.
• Applications: Literature that examines the practical application of the Feldenkrais Method across various disciplines, demonstrating its versatility and relevance in fields such as acting, athletics, and beyond.

GET INVOLVED!

If you are interested in engaging more deeply with the Feldenkrais Book Club, you are invited to explore the ways to get involved – these ways are described here: Get Involved.

CO-CREATION AND GROWTH

As the Feldenkrais Book Club evolves, I envision a future where our community becomes increasingly participatory and co-created. In later stages, I hope to implement surveys that will allow members to vote on the books we read together, fostering a sense of shared ownership in our reading journey. Additionally, I plan to establish a private platform for ongoing communication, enabling discussions about the books between our meetings. To enhance our collaborative experience, I will introduce a Miro note-taking system, creating a virtual environment that mimics the feel of a physical space filled with posters and notes, allowing us to engage more dynamically with the material.

CREDITS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This website was graphically designed by Weronika, with an amazing web development support from Nahum. The design draws inspiration from the work of Thomas Michael Semmler: (patterns.helloyes.dev), and the SVG patterns featured on the site are sourced from his website. The “Discover through Movement” random machine, which allows users to select a research article at random, is based on the remarkable work of the International Feldenkrais Federation Research Network. You can explore their contributions here: FeldSci Reference Database. They have created an open group via Zotero to collect research articles related to the Feldenkrais Method. If you wish to access the Zotero library directly, please enter this link: Zotero Library. The logic of randomness behind the “Discover through Movement” feature was inspired by the work of Russell W. Cottrell, M.D. (russellcottrell.com) and articles on randomness from this portal: Random.org.

I would also like to express my gratitude to Sascha Krausneker, whose library on the Feldenkrais Method at the Feldenkrais Institut Wien has been my source of inspiration for delving deeper into the Method both methodologically and intellectually. Last but certainly not least, I extend my heartfelt thanks to my friends Alice and Maria for their continuous, unwavering support and valuable feedback on the Feldenkrais Book Club.

DATA PROTECTION

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