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.

It has been fifty years since Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais began his first training of the Feldenkrais Method® 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.

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's workshop will examine how the nervous system, posture, and perception interact during stress -- and how the Feldenkrais Method® 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.

This workshop combines Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) with the Feldenkrais Method® 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.

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 Feldenkrais, 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.

Breast Cancer: A Case Study

Over the years, Stacy has witnessed many healing stories with the application of the Feldenkrais Method®. Stacy will share a case study, her own story, and how she addressed learning through the lens of the Feldenkrais Method. This workshop will incorporate Awareness Through Movement® lessons that provided a roadmap for Stacy's recovery that highlighted learning through curiosity, creativity and choices.

Mia Segal was one of the original practitioners of the Feldenkrais Method®. 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.

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. In this workshop Beverly will explore how distilling a lesson to 30 minutes or less can open the Feldenkrais Method® 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® but to establish a habit of movement with awareness and self-exploration that can help integrate the Feldenkrais Method® into our daily life. Michael will describe his process and how he has found it to be effective for his students.

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® 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.

The ATM® is open to general public interested in the application and resources offered by the Feldenkrais Method 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'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.

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®.

In Shara's workshop you will experience how she utilizes ATM® and FI® 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 offers.

This experiential workshop explores how the Feldenkrais Method® 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.