Teaching, meta teaching & meta meta teaching

Yochanan Rywerant began his ATM process in 1952.

He was invited to participate during the years 1969 -1971 in the first (original) training conducted by Moshe Feldenkrais in Tel Aviv to become a teacher.  They met every day at the office Nachmani street for FI studies, 6 days a week, 10 monts a year for 3 years.

The group consisted of professionals with academic degrees or professions. The had previously attended ATM classes at Alexander Yanai and other places for many years.

Their own Feldenkraisprocess was well established since many years.

"A story about the Feldenkrais method" is a documentary feature in which a historic meeting is taking place.
Group-13 consists of the immediate disciples of Moshe Feldenkrais, who participated, in his first course for trainers that took place between the years 1968--1971, and who have not congregated since.

Background by Jan Grönholm - Feldenkraismetoden, att lära sig lära igen.
Natur och Kultur 1996. 
Translated from Swedish by Eva Laser

"The first three trainings after Feldenkrais' death were organized by another organization, the Feldenkrais Foundation. It consisted of a number of prominent people with little practical experience of the method. In 1986 Feldenkrais Guild, North America,decided that it was legitimate for others at the Feldenkrais Foundation to organize trainings. The main thing was that they were approved by the Training Accreditation Board (TAB).

However, not everyone was happy with the TAB rules. Two of Feldenkrais’ closest assistants, Mia Segal and Yochanan Rywerant, said that there were also otherways to teach the method. They were not satisfied with the possibilities of the TAB training courses gave to pass on the knowledge.

Mia Segal led her first private training in the mid-1980s in Holland. In 1986, two private individuals in Sweden organized a Yochanan Rywerant Study Group. It was a small group consisting mainly of doctors and physiotherapists. Rywerant wanted to investigate the possibility of teaching the method in a smaller group and starting from day one with the teaching of the method's individual aspect, Functional Integration. In the TAB trainings, the first year was spent at ATM, and only then was part considered the students ready for the Fl teaching.

Rywerant's assessment was that this functioned well, and the study group's activities were transformed into a professional training of Feldenkrais pedagogues.

From a very basic point of view, this created concern in the rest of the Feldenkrais world and especially in Sweden. This training differed in several respects from the authorized model. It was shorter, as it did not contain as much ATM as the accepted training courses, and it was only one teacher. However, the fact that the number of participants was smaller (11 people in the first group and roughly 20 in the following ones) was not seen as a serious disadvantage. No one could deny that there were advantages to being so few, especially with regard to FI during the screening. Ambiguities and objections also arose in Sweden the rights to use the name Feldenkrais.

In 1988, around the same time that Rywerant's study group was transformed into a training group, the first TAB-authorized training in Sweden was started in Malmö with Gaby Yaron. She was trained in the first TA training as well. In 1988 started also a second training in Stockholm with Yochanan Rywerant as teacher. Participants from several other countries came to this training. Mistrust between the two groupings persisted. Both camps naturally wanted to emphasize the advantages of its education and had allowed itself to be forestalled flaws in the others. It is a tedious but not unusual phenomenon. When the founder of a method or method of choice is dead, disputes always arise about the right way to manage the legacy. In 1991 the third training with Yochanan Rywerant started in Stockholm and in 1992 the second TAB training in Malmö.

What all training courses in Sweden had in common is that a majority of the participants were physiotherapists."

by Eva Laser

Yochanan Rywerant thought a basic training in 90 days. In his opinion 450 effective hours over a time span of 3 years was enough to acquire the basic skill to set up a practice and teach both ATM and FI. He had an overall planning, and a daily planning, that he adjusted according to the process of the day and what happened in class. Flexible.  He was fluent in all what he had synthesized and conceptualized both in ATM and in FI. He did not teach body parts; he was concerned with the image of action and did not give ATM’s name.

He sometimes used the morning to prepare a sequence to be handled in the afternoon. Do not read that an ATM was transformed to a FI. In his system of thought this was not plausible.

He did not teach function per se, instead he taught the very elements of function.
Like an alphabet. If you know the letters, you can write literature, both of love and of hate. And read and understand meaning. The very same letters.

He taught the elements, the strategies and the tactics. He taught the importance of a line of consequence in a lesson to get acceptance and create process, in ATM as well in FI.

He was teaching and meta teaching in an integrated whole, all the time adjusting to both individuals and the group. Often explaining in detail what he was doing and thinking while demonstrating a FI. But not all the time. If the student at the table needed him to be quiet, he was, of course.

He taught one ATM a day, in Israel sometimes two. He began the day with ATM. He wanted his students to be alert and concentrated in the afternoon. All 90 days ATM, FI demonstrations, after lunch he did supervise FI practice where he was attending most couples for personal instructions. Often a clarification for everybody if needed.

Alon Talmi also taught one ATM a day. 

by Robbie Ofir

Yochanan Rywerant had an uncompromising demand for quality (vs. quantity) and precision. Through experience he came two 2 conclusions:

1. He would assume full control and therefore, full accountability and responsibility for the quality of his training programs. Therefore, he would teach He has no assistants.
   
   
2. Given his solo teaching he had to limit the number of students to a size which would enable him to provide each and every student with constant and ongoing supervision. A logistical added consideration was to have an even number of students so that 13 couples would be practicing FI’s. 13 such couples being the maximum he could assuredly provide the kind of supervision and guidance he expected of himself.

His program runs twice a year 15 training days at a time over 3 wks. 90 days total training time.

Training day is 5 hours with one-hour lunch, i.e., 4 teaching hours. However, quantity here is misleading. He is so efficient, and to the point, that the 4 hours are truly intensive without any wasted time, without superfluous talking or philosophizing or group meetings, etc. etc.

YR teaches 90 ATMs in his program. They are very good and clear and are usually presented first thing in the morning.

Personally, I have a tremendous regard for YR work, his commitment, his knowledgeי clarity of thinking and his ethics.

In Stockholma basic training was 6 times during 3 weeks over a 3-4 year period.
He did all the teaching without assistants and supervised all students in FI. 

10.00 - 11.00 ATM
11.30 - 12.30 Talk & demonstration of FI
14.30 - 16.30 FI practice 

The Tel Aviv trainings

4 basic trainings

Dates are still missing!

Yochanan Rywerant began teaching in Stockholm in 1986. He taught three basic trainings. When the third was coming to an end, the teachers in Stockholm felt that we needed more, and we asked if he couldn’t continue and give a seminar in the didactics of teaching teachers. It was obvious to us that his way of training new teachers was unique. We were concerned about to accomplish and adopt as much as possible of what he represented for the future, based on his long and close relationship with Moshe Feldenkrais and not least what he himself had conceptualized, developed, and refined.

He agreed to our request and in the summer 1994 and 1995 Svenska Feldenkrais föreningen, the guild organizing his students in Sweden, organized an international TT training. He came back in 1996 for a follow up.

In Israel the Israel Feldenkrais Guild togther with Yona Postel organized several TT trainings over the years as late as 2009.

Advanced trainings in USA, Europe and Israel

Yochanan Rywerant conducted advanced trainings regularly after the San Francisco training 1975-77 where he had been assisiting Moshe Feldenkrais at the second training. (sic!)

He was teaching in USA, Canada, Germany, England, the Netherlands, Sweden, Austria, Italy, Switzerland and Israel.

Feldenkrais Resources is proud to present
Learning by Juxtaposition

An Advanced training on Functional integration with Yochanan Rywerant

Yochanan Rywerant is one of Moshe Feldenkrais' original students and for nearly ten years worked side by side with Moshe at the Feldenkrais Institute in Tel Aviv Israel.

Yochanan lives in Tel Aviv and has taught widely throughout Europe and Israel. This five-day advanced training was given in Berkley California and represents Yochanan’s only visit to the US in the past 10 years

Yochanan is one of the most knowledgeable and experienced Feldenkrais teachers in the world. He began to study with Moshe Feldenkrais in the 1950´s and was part of his first training program. Yochanan the author of The Feldenkrais method, the only book written on the theory and practice of Functional integration and has written numerous articles and case studies of the Feldenkrais Method. 

This is a rare opportunity to learn from a true master of Functional Integration who has vast experience successfully working with severe muscular and neurological problems. In this seminar Yochanan demonstrates ways in which specific understandings of how the nervous system works and learns can be used to enhance the effectiveness of Functional Integration. Like Moshe, Yochanan’s background is in physics, and it is a very scientific yet elegant way of thinking which illuminates his approach. This special video taped advanced training will help you develop greater creativity, intelligence precision and effectiveness in your work.

The entire 5 days of the advanced training is contained on 8 video tapes and is indexed to facilitate your use.

The Israeli Feldenkrais Guild is proud to present an Advanced Professional Workshop
with Yochanan Rywerant

“How close are we to Moshe Feldenkrais’s spirit?”

• Would you like to deepen your understanding of the Feldenkrais system?
• Would you like to know why the Method works?
• What are the ways to increase its effectiveness?

Trainers, Assistant Trainers, and any experienced practitioners!!

If you like to get some possible answers to those questions, you are most welcome to participate in this workshop.

Yochanan is one of the most knowledgeable and experienced Feldenkrais teachers in the world. He began to study with Moshe Feldenkrais in 1952 and took part in the training program in the Feldenkrais Institute in Nachmani Street in Tel-Aviv.

Yochanan has been teaching in basic Trainings, as well as leading Advanced Workshops, throughout the world: in the USA, Canada, Germany, England, the Netherlands, Sweden, Austria, Italy, Switzerland and Israel.

Yochanan is the author of the two books:

1. “The Feldenkrais Method, Teaching by Handling”
2. “Acquiring the Feldenkrais Profession”

5 working days in December 2007

The Israeli Feldenkrais Guild is proud to present the 2nd International Advanced Workshop with Yochanan Rywerant

The practical implement of the Feldenkrais teaching by
Starting with parts of the "self" and reaching the "self".

Yochanan is a true master, known for his knowledge, experience and amazing abilities.
In his teaching he explores scientifically understanding, leading to more options and possibilities in the way of functioning.
 
Yochanan is the author of the three books:
 1. “The Feldenkrais Method, Teaching by Handling”
2. “Acquiring the Feldenkrais Profession”
3. A new book: “Corollary Discharge -The forgotten Link”

 
6 working days in December 2008

The 3rd International Advanced Training in Israel with Yochanan Rywerant

“More about the Feldenkrais Ways of Thinking behind the Doing:
You are expecting certain changes with you client:
Why?
You might want to know the explanations for these expectations."

Dear friends,
Trainers, Assistant Trainers & experienced Practitioners.
We invite you to explore scientifically understanding, more options and possibilities in the way of functioning. To study with a true master.

Yochanan has published the following books & DVDs
1.     The Feldenkrais Method, Teaching by Handling
2.     Acquiring the Feldenkrais Profession”
3.     A new book: Corollary Discharge-The forgotten Link.
4.     DVD – F.I. sessions and a complete Basic Training

6 working days in December 2009