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From Teacher to Friend: Jerry Karzen talks about Moshe and the Method
Ira Feinstein: How did you find out about Feldenkrais?
Jerry Karzen: One day I was walking around San Francisco, and I saw people rolling around on the floor. ATM® classes were being taught, with Feldenkrais' permission, by people who had attended his workshops at Berkeley and the Esalen Institute. I tried it out and found it very intriguing. I continued attending the classes weekly for a year.
IF: What kept you coming back?Jerry Karzen: One day I was walking around San Francisco, and I saw people rolling around on the floor. ATM® classes were being taught, with Feldenkrais' permission, by people who had attended his workshops at Berkeley and the Esalen Institute. I tried it out and found it very intriguing. I continued attending the classes weekly for a year.
JK: I always felt good afterward. If my shoulder bothered me before class, it no longer bothered me afterward--even when the movements didn't appear to relate to my shoulder. This intrigued me: that it wasn't a direct approach.
IF: What were you doing at that time of your life?
JK: At that time, not very much. Previously, I had been working as an epidemiologist for the World Health Organization (WHO), focusing on eradicating smallpox in West Africa. I was running out o
f money and about to accept another job with WHO, this time a six-month project in Bangladesh. Around this time, I heard about the upcoming training in San Francisco and was informed that it would include a hands-on component. I thought this would be great because wherever I went in the world, I would be able to help people and make a living. I decided to see if I could get some money together to attend and was able to borrow enough from my brother and a friend.Continue reading.