Practicing Intentional Acts of Kindness

Articles

Here are some articles written by Alan that you can download and share with others. There is also an interview about working with actors.

FROM THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BODY MIND DISCIPLINES

The FELDENKRAIS METHOD® is a revolutionary approach for improving both physical and mental functioning through the exploration of body movement patterns and the use of attention. It is based on the brain's innate capacity for learning and the potential for lifelong development and growth. Movement is used as the medium towards understanding our habits and identifying, learning and acquiring alternatives which promote ease and well-being. The applications of the FELDENKRAIS METHOD® range from reducing pain, improving neurologically- based difficulties and learning disabilities, increasing mobility, to enhancing performance of professional athletes, dancers, musicians, and actors. People who come to do FELDENKRAIS® are referred to as students, rather than patients, because learning underlies the basis of the method... Reprinted with permission of the Rosen Publishing Group, 29 E. 21st Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10010. For a listing of our reference books e-mail inquiries to www.rosenpublishing.com Read more →

FROM MOVEMENT FOR ACTORS, ALLWORTH PRESS, NYC. PUBLICATION JULY 2002

(For versions in Spanish, Portuguese and Polish, scroll down)

The FELDENKRAIS METHOD® is a unique blend of science and aesthetics. Pioneered over fifty years ago by Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais, it is based on our innate human capacity for lifelong development and growth. It is the means to moving beyond our self-imposed limitations and uncovering our untapped potentials. While our ability to move more efficiently is definitely enhanced, movement is simply the medium for cultivating more effective ways of sensing, thinking, feeling, and knowing. Through movement and the use of attention, self-image is refined, sensory acuity is heightened, and natural curiosity is evoked. As you will discover, it is a process that brings the conceptual into the realm of experience. It is based in learning and gaining insight into how we have “learned how to learn.” Through the recognition of how our whole self is involved in everything we do, we can learn to more easily bring our intention into action. The method continues to find growing recognition and wider applications throughout the arts and the sciences. Read more →

ASSOCIATION OF THEATRE MOVEMENT EDUCATORS NEWSLETTER INTERVIEW OF ALAN QUESTEL BY TOMMIE ST. CYR

Alan Questel teaches world-wide in FELDENKRAIS® Professional Training Program. An actor before becoming interested in FELDENKRAIS® work, Alan worked and toured with Jerzy Grotowski and Paul Sills. He taught FELDENKRAIS® for Actors for several years at the New Actors Workshop in New York, run by Mike Nichols, George Morrison and Paul Sills. Alan's specialty is applying the FELDENKRAIS® work to actor training and has taught numerous workshops for actors at major universities and around the world. Alan is one of the directors of two upcoming FELDENKRAIS® Professional Training Programs beginning in June, in New York and October, in Marin County, California. Tommie St. Cyr is an Assistant Professor of Movement, Voice and Acting. She has taught FELDENKRAIS® movement to the students in the University of Utah's Actor Training Program for the past 3 years. She also teaches FELDENKRAIS® to the general student body, including athletes. Read more →

FROM SENSIBILITY-BALANCE, POSTURE AND COORDINATION A PUBLICATION OF THE FELDENKRAIS GUILD OF NORTH AMERICA®

I’ve always been fascinated by falling. Long before discovering the FELDENKRAIS METHOD® I had dreams that I was falling. You’ve probably had them too. The ones where you suddenly wake up with a jolt, just before landing. Only now and then my dreams took a different course. Occasionally I would fall and land in my dreams. Sometimes gracefully floating downward, other times landing with a good thump, but always uninjured. In fact, not only was I okay, I also experienced a huge perceptual shift as well. The room I was in was the same room, only it now looked completely different. The side of the mountain I fell off of, now offered an alternative route to the top that I hadn’t seen before... Read more →

BALANCE - THE FELDENKRAIS JOURNAL

Balance is fascinating...its up there with gravity...self-image...creativity...self-organization.  All are explanatory principles.  They describe phenomena but are actually intangible.  We can’t place our hands on them yet we know they exist. One of Feldenkrais’ biggest claims to fame was how he could make the abstract, concrete. By helping someone improve his or her balance we are making the abstract concrete. Our work is based in action.  We look to explore something that is intangible (like an explanatory principle) in a physical way.  While we include thinking, sensing and feeling, it is in movement where we mostly reside.  Reversibility and increasing the level of challenge are two significant ideas we employ that directly affect balance.  Our understanding of how these ideas can be utilized as tools can help us inform others and assist them to improve their balance. Is it about balance or about feeling unbalanced?... Read more →

HUMOR - THE FELDENKRAIS JOURNAL

(For Spanish version, scroll down)

Humor is a topic that is close to my heart, actually closer to my mouth—a little too close sometimes. Humor has gotten me into (and out of) more trouble than any of the other crazy things I have done in my past. I was the class clown, the joker, and the smart ass. To be honest, humor was/is a compulsion . . . luckily one that I have learned to control and utilize. Out of necessity, I have come to understand humor in its many contexts and applications. What is humor?... Read more →

HABITS… THE AUSTRALIAN FELDENKRAIS JOURNAL - NOVEMBER 2014

Years ago, when I would ask a class, “What are your habits?” they would say things like smoking, drinking, being late…almost all negative things. But the world has changed; now it’s brushing my teeth, cleaning my house, walking my dog…much more on the positive side. Either way, everyone still has habits and still needs them. Over time I began to ask another question, “What do you do that is not a habit?” This seems to come as a surprise to most people. At first they struggle to come up with an answer. They do find things, like coming to a Feldenkrais class (assuming it's the first time they are coming). But when they begin to examine this more closely they realize that “how” they come to something for the first time is abundant with all kinds of habits. A rich hierarchy that has developed over a lifetime of practicing doing things over and over again... Read more →

El Humor

El humor es un tema cercano a mi corazón, realmente más cercano a mi boca—demasiado cercano en ocasiones. El humor me ha metido (y sacado) en más problemas que cualquiera de las cosas locas que he hecho en el pasado. Era el payaso del salón, el bufón y el sabelotodo. Para ser honesto, el humor era/es una compulsión… por suerte una que he aprendido a controlar y utilizar. Por necesidad, he llegado a entender el humor en sus diferentes contextos y aplicaciones...
El Humor-Espanol →
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El Método Feldenkrais®

El Método Feldenkrais es una mezcla única de ciencia y estética. Creado hace más de cincuenta años por el Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais, está basado en nuestra capacidad humana innata para desarrollarnos y crecer a lo largo de toda la vida. Es el medio para movernos más allá de nuestras limitaciones autoimpuestas y para descubrir nuestro potencial no utilizado...
Movimiento para Actores-Espanol →
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Metoda Feldenkraisa: zastosowanie dla aktorów

Metoda Feldenkraisa jest unikalnym połączeniem nauki i estetyki. Opracowana w latach 50 tych przez dr Moshe Feldenkraisa oparta jest na wrodzonej człowiekowi zdolności do rozwoju i wzrastania. Jest środkiem do przekraczania narzuconych sobie ograniczeń i odkrywania ukrytego w sobie potencjału...
Zastosowanie Dla Aktorów-Polska →
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O Método Feldenkrais®

O Método Feldenkrais é uma fusão singular de ciência e estética. Criado há mais de cinqüenta anos pelo Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais, o Método baseia-se na inata capacidade humana de se desenvolver e crescer ao longo da vida. É um meio para se ir além das limitações auto-impostas e descobrir o nosso potencial inexplorado...
Movimento Para Atores-Portuguese →
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Practicing Intentional Acts of Kindness Book

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