Australian Feldenkrais Summit 2021 - The Whole Person - Recap
Working with the Whole Person - Nine Australian Feldenkrais Teachers’ Talks on Sensing to Gardening
A brief recap
It’s delightful and fascinating to learn about how The Feldenkrais Method translates in Australia. There seems to be a large practitioner community, with quite a few senior teachers. The nine-day conference featured some of Australia’s most senior teachers, some in fantastic settings.
Self-Image with David Hall - password = understanding
Group Lessons with Mary Kelsey - password = dignity
School-aged children with Gail Dawe - password = fun
Walking with Margaret Kaye - password = variety
One-to-one Lessons with Maggie Slattery - password = listen
Trauma with Holly Huon - password = respect
Balance with Linda Hardey - password = adapt
Gardening with Linda Pontecorvo - password = grow
The Summit link takes you to a main page. Scroll down to the talk you like, click on it, and fill in the password.
If you are curious and only have a few minutes to research, check out these ‘tickler’ interviews of participating practitioners.
Linda Hardey’s mien personifies ‘balance.” She manages to communicate complex information with unique, profound simplicity. Her case stories are universal. I listened to her presentation three time over: once in awe, once for the details, and another time to just be present with her. Her explanation of what the Feldenkrais Method is an how to apply it are pure common sense. She apparently runs a Feldenkrais retreat in Bali - very tempting. She doesn’t have much of a Web presence, something I totally admire. However, you can find her on FaceBook.
Linda Hardey embodies a calm that I aspire to
Linda P in a tree source: feldenkraisbyron.com.au
Linda Pontecorvo’s presentation was a delight of color, sound and practical ATM application. Linda is a friend of my classmate and colleague Anita Bueno, who spent several months post-training in Linda’s AZ garden practicing ATM and gardening. Her presentation for the Summit is filmed in that Byron Bay, Mullumbimby NSW garden. Linda walks the walk as she climbs trees, harvests giant fruits and lives in harmony with flocks of screeching birds. She says “As I continue to deepen my practice of the method I feel as if I am growing younger each day, finding more freedom physically, emotionally and mentally, shedding the effects of old injuries and restricting movement habits.”
David Hall is in a category all his own, bringing an esoteric approach to ATM with lessons like “Heart of Movement 5 - Heart’s living Castle,” “The Heavenly Gait” and “The Senses of the Heart.” His emails are a fantasy of science and art. I share his science candy thing; he and I introduce our ATMs with an anatomy lesson and a little art or poetry. I hope to tune into one of his classes soon.
Of course this listing mirrors my biases and personal interests. The other presentations were also excellent, and I’m in love with the moderators’ voices. Gimme that Aussie lilt!