About me
I have been working in pedagogy since 1988 working as an adult educator for somatic learning processes and as a trainer and teacher of the Feldenkrais Method. I offer training courses and further education courses, seminars and speeches both in German or English. In addition, I coach individuals within the framework of their own, specific needs.
My background:
- Master's of Education from the University of Berlin (1981)
- Studies in Postmodern Dance in Holland and the US (1984 - 1986)
- Diploma in the Feldenkrais Method (London 1990)
- International accreditation as a trainer of the Feldenkrais Method (2006)
- Further education in:
- NLP (Thies Stahl, Aarau 1995), Coaching ( Erich Zulauf, Zürich 2008)
- Lichtenberger Institute for Voice and Instrumental Playing (further education for therapists and speech therapists)
- Functional Neuroanatomy (Prof. Dr. Nelson Annuntiato 2007-2008)
- Mindful Based Stress Reduction (Jon Kabat-Zinn 2009)
I have been a practitioner of the Feldenkrais Method for more than 18 years, teaching groups and giving topic-centered seminars. In addition, I give individual lessons in Functional Integration and have worked as a trainer for international Feldenkrais training courses. In January 2009 I will lead my own training course in Bern. During the past 15 years, I have developed my own approaches for working with movement and communication, in which I uniquely combine my extensive experience in the creative processes within movement, voice and body language with the philosophy of the Feldenkrais Method. These concepts can be used on various levels, for example in acting, in the training of communication and social competence, in the development of self-realization through physical presence as well as in psychosomatic and therapeutic fields of learning.
My love of dance and movement, of creativity and art intertwined itself very early with my educational
studies and with my strong interest in the connection of somatic and cognitive processes
in humans. The desire to learn, to experiment, to experience brought me in contact with many people
and methods of somatic learning. It also caused me to travel to many places in the world. Today, all these experiences flow into my work with individuals, groups and organisations. It is very important to me to combine theory and cognition with sensory experiences and practical understanding, implementing this in work and in daily life.
Coaching Moves
You want
- a more effective appearance
- more confidence in your voice and physical expression
- to move more elegantly and with more self-confidence
- to use your own body language more effectively
- to more at ease with yourself
- to be aware of other people's non-verbal expression and to establish better relationships
- to expand your social competence and to effectively communicate (empathy, emotional intelligence, unconscious signals)
- to take better care of yourself
- personal advice that is tailor-made for your needs.
The approach, Coaching Moves, which I have personally developed, imparts effective self-competence for both your work and your daily life. It is based on differentiated perception, purposeful relaxation, attentiveness and new insights, effortless movement and body-intelligence. Coaching Moves builds on personal resources and on a motivation that comes from within to make changes and set individual goals. Coaching in this context is a form of goal oriented guidance. It can have personal as well as job oriented goals. My approach is a synthesis of the most productive aspects of several approaches and methods (see about me) and reflects my more than 25 years of experience with individuals, groups and organizations.
The Feldenkrais Method
"Life is movement and movement is life" (M. Feldenkrais)
The Feldenkrais Method® is considered to be one of the most differentiated pedagogical methods to maintain and improve mental and physical function. In research that spread over decades, natural scientist, engineer and martial arts specialist Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais (for more information on his life, see Wikipedia developed a method that combined the knowledge of biomechanics, brain research, pedagogy and psychology into a highly developed system for the advancement of learning and health. This method is based on the idea that movement is the foundation of all human processes. Our inner and outer posture and attitudes are expressions of our self; each thought, each feeling, each sensation has a counterpart in our bodies.
By using the Feldenkrais Method, the interaction between movement, thinking, and feelings is perceived. In the course of our lives, individual learning and experience has produced very unique patterns of posture and movement. Some are always repeated, even though they are inefficient, and could even cause pain. The feeling of having choices and of being self-competence can become lost. Respecting the individual learning style, the Feldenkrais Method looks for effective ways to make a person more aware of their own movement and to expand their mental and physical methods of function.
For more information on the Feldenkrais Method, consult the Swiss Feldenkrais Association www.feldenkrais.ch or The German Feldenkrais Association www.feldenkrais.de
The Feldenkrais Method® as a way of somatic learning can be practiced during individual or group lessons. I offer courses and seminars (see Seminare), individual and small group supervision and further education seminars for Feldenkrais practitioners. (Advanced Trainings). In addition, under special arrangement, I offer individual lesions in Feldenkrais Functional Integration (anke@angelfeldmann.com).
Awareness through Movement
In group work, the participants are verbally guided through a succession of movement sequences, so called lessons in awareness through movement or also ATM lesson (Awareness through Movement). The speed depends on the individual and allows for the conscious awareness of personal movement patterns and connections which can become a habit. The awareness of somatic processes is honed and self-perception becomes better. The result is a growing repertoire of mental and physical movements. The ways of behaving can be more and more varied and sometimes even modified. Dr Moshe Feldenkrais spoke of the "discovery of the self-evident", i.e. the conscious awareness of the way we move or sit in our daily lives, the way we do sports or how we hold a musical instrument. Even the way we physically react to stress or how we deal with an unusual situation can be made wiser or more efficient. What makes Feldenkrais so innovative is the fact that the practitioner does not have any one correct way. In contrast, the practitioner precisely guides the student through movement sequences whose variations are intellectually structured and based on the way the brain works. This 'playful trying out of movement' within a given function framework is similar to the way a child learns. It refines the ability to perceive differences, in other words, feedback.
Functional Integration
Functional integration is an individual lesson based on touch, which is geared to the individual needs and patterns of the client. Each person has their own personal patterns of physical and mental behaviour, which have been developed from our life histories. These patterns fit our environment and they are embedded in our nervous system. However, sometimes these patterns are old-fashioned or out of date and limit or hinder our movement, but we are often unaware of this fact. From the Feldenkrais point of view, these problems or difficulties are the result of suboptimal adaptation processes to the never ending changes in life. Functional Integration opens up a better perceptive ability and allows for new sensory information. In an integration process that is similar to the way art combines handcraft, experience and intuition, the practitioner accompanies and guides the student through precise, gentle and effective touch to new movement possibilities and more authentic self-expression. Verbal communication strategies can support non-verbal learning.
Both areas of practice - Awareness through Movement and Functional Integration - are based on the same theory. They correspond to and complement each other. In addition, both use the ability of the nervous system to create more effective and wiser ways of behaviour.
