All dates and times are posted in US Pacific Standard Time.

Friday, September 6, 2024

Frederick Schjang | 8:00 am - 9:00 am PT 

Ungluing the Lungs from a New Perspective

Join Frederick Schjang for a morning series of ATM lessons based on “Ungluing the Lungs.” Lessons will be done in both a seated and standing position with options for exploring the lessons lying down.

Moti Nativ | 9:00 am - 12:00 pm PT

BREATH - Improving Stability and Balance for Efficient Action

We all know that breathing is a continuous action, always with us in any activity. Gravity also continues in any action that we perform. If our stability is weak, we will use excessive force to maintain our balance in our actions.

I will approach the theme of Breath through the concept of Saika Tanden breathing. Such breathing is traditionally used in seated meditation and is connected to Chi (Ki). 

Dr. Feldenkrais, the Judoka, said that “most people talk about that as if it's a mysterious kind of thing in the lower abdomen with all sorts of metaphysical meanings and powers...My description of it is only in movement... It has to do with the full organization of your body.

Jae Grunke | 9:00 am - 12:00 pm PT

Running Out of Breath

Many athletes, even professionals, are limited by the feeling that they can’t get enough air, even though they’re fit and don’t have asthma.

Medically, this is called “dysfunctional breathing,” but that fails to explain why a person would breathe badly when oxygen demand is high.

The answer often lies in how the athlete moves, because the movements of their sport and their breathing happen together, as a single motion.

In this workshop we’ll look at: 

1. the movement characteristics of dysfunctional breathing
2. how these can be produced by different ways people run
3. how good running coordination makes dysfunctional breathing impossible
4. the connection between rhythm and “race nerves.”

We’ll finish with a simple Feldenkrais lesson to improve the ability to run and breathe.

Anna Haltrecht | 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm PT

Rings and Sheets: Connecting the Sphincters to the Breath

In this workshop, we will delve into various movement patterns that link our ring and sheet muscles. Drawing inspiration from Ruthy Alon’s 1983 Sphincter workshop and Movement Intelligence, participants will learn functional sequences that integrate the facial and lower sphincters with the cycles of breath.

By initiating movement through our sphincters and breath, we cultivate an internal listening that has been known to be restorative along the entire “channel” from our mouth to our pelvic floor, connecting the digestive, urinary, and respiratory systems.

The sphincters are in constant communication with each other and by working with the sphincter muscle network in conjunction with the diaphragm, we can enhance a sense of unity within ourselves, promote harmony, and improve a whole host of physical functions. 

Anastasi Siotas | 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm PT

The Power of Paradoxical Breathing

An investigation of how we might exhale. By increasing the volume of our abdomen and narrowing our chest as we exhale, we are breathing 'paradoxically'. Some people use this way of breathing without thought, while others find it foreign and challenging. Using paradoxical breathing can promote a range of vocalizations that can efficiently produce everything from a low rumble to a roar. Dr. Feldenkrais presented this form of breathing as a way to give rise to better control over the limbs and as a way to create a more erect posture than ordinary diaphragmatic breathing. In this workshop, we will explore these ideas through practical exercises while also examining the anatomy of the structures involved to more easily visualize how to control this interesting way of using ourselves