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ADAPT/ABILITY
How We Meet the World with Curiosity, Creativity and Choice
FGNA 2025 Annual Conference
September 12-14, 2025
We are thrilled to announce ADAPT/ABILITY as the theme of Feldenkrais Guild® of North America 2025 Conference.
"My purpose is to allow people to move closer to actually being creatures of free choice, to genuinely reflect individual creativity and emotion, freeing the body of habitual tensions and wired patterns of behavior so that it may respond without inhibition to do what the person wants” - Moshe Feldenkrais
All dates and times are posted in US Pacific Standard Time.
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Friday, September 12, 2025
Nissa Lee | 9:00 am - 10:00 am PT
Embodied Balance: Finding Freedom in a Tech-Heavy World
In our increasingly tech-driven lives we often experience neck, shoulder and back discomfort. NIssa will begin our conference by teaching the classic ATM® lesson, "Rolling Fists". This ATM lesson is open to anyone who uses a phone or computer and inspired by Nissa's passion for people to rediscover hope in their ability to feel well, no matter their age or history.
Elizabeth Beringer, Russell Delman, Ned Dwelle, Anna Johnson Wolf, Roger Russell & David Zemach-Bersin|
10:00 am - 11:30 am PT
The First Fifty
It has been fifty years since Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais began his first training of the Feldenkrais Method® of somatic education in North America. What would Dr. Feldenkrais, a man of science and innovation, have thought about how his
method is being taught today? A panel made up of members from that first training has been assembled to acknowledge this landmark event. These seasoned practitioners will share with us how the method has evolved and the noteworthy changes they have
experienced over the first fifty years of teaching the Feldenkrais Method of somatic education.
FEFNA | 11:45 am - 12:00 pm PT
FEFNA Update
Feldenkrais Educational Foundation of North America (FEFNA) is a sponsor of the FGNA Annual Conference. FEFNA's mission is that it supports and promotes advancing the legacy of the Feldenkrais Method® of somatic education through research, education and
public awareness. FEFNA will provide an update on how they are meeting their mission.
Chrish Kresge | 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm PT
“The Body Pattern of Anxiety: Reclaiming Choice Through Awareness”
Chrish's workshop will examine how the nervous system, posture, and perception interact during stress -- and how the Feldenkrais Method® of somatic education can help us meet turbulence, aging, or illness, not with collapse or rigidity,
but with adaptability, allowing us to reintroduce lightness, pleasure, and intention into our movement and lives.
Fritha Pengelly & Sarah Young | 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm PT
Building Your Resiliency Practice with EFT and The Feldenkrais Method®
This workshop combines Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) with the Feldenkrais Method® of somatic education to support building emotional resilience and a sense of agency when relating to life's challenges. These complimentary modalities
provide powerful synergies towards accessing our potential for resilience.
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Saturday, September 13, 2025
Brenda Sorkin | 9:00 am - 10:00 am PT
Living a Vibrant Life: The Feldenkrais Method® and Vibration
Can the use of sound amplify your movement experience?
In this class, you'll be invited to notice how sound vibrates through our bones and into every cell. Ancient cultures often used bones to make horns to create sound. In the Feldenkrais Method of somatic education, each
ATM® lesson provides a movement task that awakens our nervous system...Movement and sound provide a perfect combination to support an inner state of being to bring to our daily life.
Stacy Barrows | 10:00 am - 1:00 pm PT
HEALING TO LEARN: Navigating Recovery through a Feldenkrais Method® Lens
Breast Cancer: A Case Study
Over the years, Stacy has witnessed many healing stories with the application of the Feldenkrais Method® of somatic education. Stacy will share a case study, her own story, and how she addressed learning through the lens of the Feldenkrais Method of somatic education. This workshop will incorporate Awareness Through Movement® lessons that provided a roadmap for Stacy's recovery that highlighted learning through curiosity, creativity and choices.
Frederick Schjang | 10:00 am - 1:00 pm PT
Remembering Mia Segal: Spring into Action
Mia Segal was one of the original practitioners of the Feldenkrais Method® of somatic education. We'll delve into legacy with ATM® lessons and anecdotes about her unique approach to life. She and I explored ideas
on "self-touch" that I continue to refine. I have adapted this concept to use the hands of "The Imaginary Practitioner" building on both Mia's ideas and Moshe Feldenkrais' concept of the avatar.
Beverly Atkins & Michael Landau | 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm PT
Awareness & Adaptations of Time
Adapting for Impact: Short-Form Awareness Through Movement® Lessons for Modern Life: In a world of limited time and fractured attention, shorter Awareness Through Movement® lessons can be both impactful and inclusive.
This workshop explores how distilling a lesson to 30 minutes or less can open the Feldenkrais Method® of somatic education to people who might otherwise feel excluded -- due to time constraints, overwhelm, or physical limitations.
A Daily Habit of Mindful Movement: In this workshop, Michael will share a few samples of mini sessions he has developed. He emphasizes that his daily 3-minute classes are not meant to replace the traditional ATM® lesson
but to establish a habit of movement with awareness and self-exploration that can help integrate the Feldenkrais Method® of somatic education into our daily life. Michael will describe his process and how he has found it to
be effective for his students.
Sheri Cohen | 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm PT
Un-Sticking: Feldenkrais® Awareness Through Movement® Lessons and Your Creative Flow
Has it ever happened that, after a Feldenkrais® class, problems you were chewing on seem more solvable - or -- movements when creativity 'just happens'? I've developed a box of simple tools anyone can engage with. You'll deepen your
sensation with Awareness Through Movement® lessons and discover your own surprises in easy-to-do activities, including writing, drawing, and playing with found objects, to find your way into creative flow.
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Sunday, September 14, 2025
Marcela Bretschneider | 9:00 am - 10:00 am PT
The Feldenkrais Method® and Chronic Pain
The ATM® lesson is open to general public interested in the application and resources offered by the Feldenkrais Method® of somatic education in relation to chronic pain, such as fibromyalgia and other conditions.
Open to people who are interested in this topic whether they experience it themselves or assist others who do so. Participants will benefit from the experience.
Dimitri Popolov | 10:00 am - 1:00 pm PT
Primary Image in the Environment
Dimitri Popolov's workshop will revisit Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais' concept of "Primary Image" as a means to connect with an environment made accessible through the teleceptors (vision, hearing, smell). He will propose the hypothesis that using primary image
for better coordination of the teleceptors and motion will lead to more appropriate and spontaneous action in such a wider environment.
Jeff Haller & Roger Russell | 10:00 am - 1:00 pm PT
Why Dinosaurs Don’t Have Heels and Judo Experts Move From Their Pelvis
This playful title points towards insights about how Feldenkrais® lessons capture the fundamental laws of living. Grounded in evolution, neuroscience and sensory-motor development we will sketch a clear line of thinking, outlining
the backbone of every ATM® lesson or FI® lesson. Instead of practicing specific skills, we will demonstrate - and you can experience - how Feldenkrais lessons reorder coordination from the ground up
and the top down, enhancing any activity this is unique to the Feldenkrais Method® of somatic education.
Shara Ogin | 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm PT
Holistic Pain Management & Ergonomics
In Shara's workshop you will experience how she utilizes ATM® lessons and FI® lessons to assist her clients with chronic pain to reduce their symptoms and move more efficiently. She will also share how
to identify 'ergonomics red flags' that contribute to pain and strategies that support the more efficient use of self that the Feldenkrais Method® of somatic education offers.
Jennifer Ann Lee | 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm PT
Moving with Memory Loss: Feldenkrais Method® of Somatic Education meets Dementia
This experiential workshop explores how the Feldenkrais Method® of somatic education can be easily adapted to support people living with dementia (PLWD) and their care partners. We will explore creative movement sequences and teaching
strategies that reduce cognitive demands while enhancing physical function, present moment body awareness, and social engagement.
5:00 pm - 5:30 pm PT
Closing Ceremony
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