What They're Saying

Click on a photo to read what people are saying about this film project

Clients

Kira Cailes

There have been times after a session of Feldenkrais that I want to tell the next person I see…”It’s magical!”

Obviously, it’s not magic, but the physical and psychological benefits reaped from time practicing Feldenkrais are undeniable. I have walked away from sessions stronger, taller, calmer, and happier than when I arrived. It is amazing to think that being aware of how we move and use the bodies we were given can be the key to so much relief!

The film that Irene is producing is ground breaking and necessary as it is so difficult to describe the impact of Feldenkrais to someone who has never experienced it. It has been a powerful influence in my life and I am excited that more people will have the chance to see what an amazing yet simple approach this is to life and well-being.

Kira Cailes
Whistler, BC.

Marie-Anne

Please accept this letter as a testament to my experiences learning Feldenkrais® with Irene Gutteridge.

I was a work colleague of Irene’s during her 4 year courses to become a Feldenkrais practitioner. It was so fascinating to learn about Feldenkrais through her. It is because of Irene that I know of Feldenkrais. She has opened my eyes to a new methodology that benefits both the body and soul.

I have taken Awareness Through Movement® classes, and have had one on one sessions, (Functional Integration) with Irene. I have had terrific results from the lessons. My experiences with Feldenkrais are on many levels. I am a triathlete, a fitness professional and a mom. I trained for Ironman™ and used Feldenkrais as a recovery method and a psychological tool for my mental training. The experiences via Irene have made me more aware of how we learn and therefore made me a better fitness professional for my clients and staff. As a mom I continued taking Feldenkrais lessons throughout my pregnancy and 1 month post partum. The lessons were so important to me for relaxation, increased self-awareness discovery and physical relief during and after my pregnancy.

My daughter Liv Aline Deeks is one of Irene’s subjects in her documentary. I believe it is a wonderful opportunity to be a part of this film. Firstly because we will have a monthly video record of our child’s physical development. Secondly, because we are continuing to learn the impact the Feldenkrais lessons have had on us watching Liv “roll around” on the ground. From the very beginning we would watch her and notice that she is doing a Feldenkrais lesson right before our eyes.

In conclusion I believe whole heartily in Ms. Gutteridge’s a) talents as a teacher, b) vision for her career as a Feldenkrais practitioner c) her business sense and drive to promote Feldenkrais d) her motivations and desire to pass on the Feldenkrais method via a documentary.

The documentary project she has embarked on is a worthwhile endeavour and I am proud to be a small part of it.

Thank you for your considerations,
Sincerely,
Marie-Anne Prévost

Mike Lewis

In figuring out what to say in regards to Irene’s project of putting together a film about Moshe Feldenkrais and his work I could not think of a more important subject matter that needed to be on display for the world.

In teaching golf to all level of players over the last 20 years I have had experience in a lot of different techniques, trainings, and methodologies, designed to help people move better for basically a second and a half. In the last three years I have found that through Moshe’s work you can begin to move better every second of the day which makes you move better in whatever endeavor you seek to improve.

In golf instruction we work on the entire body and most of all the brain in designing a sequence of events that is incredibly complex, sometimes made a lot more complicated by the students self image as well as the teachers. Through this work I am curious everyday as to what kind of improvement I can help facilitate in my students and even with my limited knowledge of the method it has made me a better instructor. The only roadblock to this improvement is the student’s ideas of what a golf lesson should be as well as my abilities to work with the nervous system, which is why I am beginning training in the Feldenkrais Method this fall.

I have seen the results in person, and there is no better way to facilitate change in the system than Moshe’s work and that is why Irene’s plan to shoot this film is so timely.

Mike Lewis
Director of Instruction
Nicklaus Academy at Pronghorn
Bend, Oregon

Peter Shmock

It was 20 years or so since I first had a taste of the Feldenkrais Method through my good friend Jeff Haller. As a fitness trainer who was interested in various forms of movement and performance he opened my eyes to another way at looking at how to help someone move better, more efficiently and with out pain from a structural standpoint

At first I thought the Method was not very accessible to many people and that it’s application to personal trainers and their work with clients minimal. Over the last few years though, I have experienced much more specific Feldenkrais methodology that can and is very valuable in assisting personal trainers teach people how to move. Whether teaching people how to squat or walk or just given them some fun ATM mat movements to gain greater mobility the trainers at my club and their clients, mostly baby boomers, have benefited.

I would encourage that this film be produced to bring further public awareness to the validity and usefulness of this Method. The Method that Moshe Feldenkrais started can benefit many more every day people that wish to live an active and graceful life in their bodies then it has. This film could help introduce them to this intelligent and simple way of moving and learning.

Peter Shmock
Club ZUM Founder
Seattle, WA.

Practitioners

Anna Yeatman

I would like to offer my encouragement to all those who have a sense of the extraordinary value of Feldenkrais work to give support to Irene Gutteridge for her project The Next 25 Years.

Central to the evolution of any living tradition is the conservation of its heritage – documentation of how it began, grew, kept on evolving and developing-- In this case the work and legacy of Moshe Feldenkrais.

An educational DVD and documentary that explores the impact of Moshe Feldenkrais and his work on those who were directly influenced by him and that also shows what they did with this influence will be of enormous value and interest to the Feldenkrais community.

As will such a project to people who have become curious about the Feldenkrais Method but for whom, to date, there is not much by way of a good introduction to it that also provides a coherent sweep across its many applications. Yet there has never been a better time for an intelligent public communication of the method for, now, there is so much more information about how we can improve our functioning, and how, in turn, such improvement enhances our mental, emotional, and physical being.

I see this body of knowledge and practice as enabling an ecological approach to the human individual’s sense of self. My intuition is that without self awareness of this kind, human beings will not understand what they are risking in relation to the health and well-being of the biosphere.

The time is right – the tradition is rich and it lives but, for its next stages of development, its practice has to be accompanied by different kinds of commentary and documentation. This project promises to be an important start for such work.

Please offer what support you can to this project of Irene Gutteridge’s.

Professor Anna Yeatman,
Director, Centre for Citizenship and Public Policy,
University of Western Sydney

Dwight Pargee

I am writing to offer my support, as well as to encourage you to support ‘The Next 25 Years’, the film documenting Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais’ legacy, to be produced by Irene Gutteridge. This film and DVD series will illustrate the connections between the foundations and principles of the method and the practical applications of the Feldenkrais Method. It will help to support collaborative efforts in our professional community with other disciplines in the development of social, cultural and scientific thought.

This is also a project that can bring the Feldenkrais Legacy into the public eye and give the Feldenkrais Method the spotlight that it deserves in so many areas of human life. I believe we are at a “tipping point” period in relation to the evolution of somatic education. “The Next 25 Years” will honor Dr. Feldenkrais’ vision of changing the future of learning and the healthy development of individuals and society as a whole.

As president of the Feldenkrais Educational Foundation of North America (FEFNA), an organization whose mission is to advance human development and learning through education and scientific research, I wholeheartedly offer my support to this film project and hope you will also.

Dwight Pargee, MS GCFP
FGNA Board of Directors
FEFNA President

George Krutz

Colleagues

I am happy to support Irene’s work to create a film documenting the work of Moshe Feldenkrais, his thinking and how his Method is being carried forward. I would urge you to support it in any way you can. It is important to capture what we can of Feldenkrais’ life and times while we still can. With every passing year we lose more of his contemporaries and more information.

It is just as important to place our work in the present. Feldenkrais’ thinking has grown more current with time and as scientific knowledge has increased. I wish Irene and her team all the best.

Sincerely,
George Krutz
Vice-President of The International Feldenkrais Federation

Lavinia Plonka

When I go on YouTube, I see a few small videos about the Feldenkrais Method®. There are few clips of Moshe. Nothing more. Yet this work is so valuable, so important, the world should know about it. I applaud Irene Gutteridge for rising to the challenge of producing “The Next 25 Years’, the film documenting Moshe Feldenkrais’ legacy. She has shown herself to be thorough, creative and careful he how she handles the material.

Let’s do what we can to support her in creating something that all Feldenkrais practitioners can use and will educate others, hopefully for years to come.

Sincerely,
Lavinia Plonka
Guild Certified Feldenkrais PractitionerCM

Mark Ginsburg

This is a letter of firm support for “The Next 25 Years” film project, proposed by Irene Gutteridge. I am a certified Feldenkrais Method practitioner, and was first exposed to the work in 1979. Over the last thirty years, incredibly, I haven’t seen any high-quality documentary, or visual documentation, regarding this vital work.

I’m aware of the power of the media as I’m also a journalist with a successful career writing for major magazines in the USA, including Vanity Fair, Interview, Connoisseur, and Architectural Digest, in which I have the cover story (July 2009). For a method that involves movement, however, the most effective way to reach people is not through the written word, but through film. We live in a visual society, where images command far more attention than words or music. The Feldenkrais Method is subtle, and requires a camera that can capture not just the physical movement, but also the personal transformation of the participants being filmed.

This documentary will be an important resource not only for work already accomplished, but to inspire new people to get interested and become clients and practitioners. This will enable the Feldenkrais Method to continue to prosper globally, and continue to relieve pain and promote greater awareness. While the Method has had a significant impact on the arts, the world of sports, and the special needs community, there are so many more people waiting for an approach to help them get on with their lives with more freedom and ease.

I’m convinced the best way to reach them is via a first-class DVD that explains this remarkable work in a visually powerful way, including archival footage. The history of the Feldenkrais Method parallels the history of the research into the human brain over the last fifty years or so. It’s time for the story to be told, and new generations turned on.

Mark Ginsburg

Moti Nativ

Your project is important for the Feldenkrais community and to the world. With his genius mind Moshe set the core ideas of the Feldenkrais Method and then dedicated more than 30 years of his life to develop and promote this method of mature learning to the world. He was pedantic to record and document his work, he took the responsibility to teach a new generation of successors that will continue teach the next generations. The Feldenkrais Method proves to be effective, but I feel that though the community grows every year, the founder is not appreciated yet as he should be. This documentary film about Moshe will be an eye opener to the world, and will do justice with the man and his creation.

Moti
Shihan Moti Nativ

Sheryl Field

hmmmm.........

what to say???

For the record, recommending the Feldenkrais Method Educational DVD
...is simple.

Onward! Please!!

It is high time that "Felden... what???"

Was heard no more!

Thank you!
Sheryl Field, Assistant Trainer
The Field Center for Children’s Integrated Development
Montclair, New Jersey, USA.

Andrew Gibbons

As a topic of interest for human health and a better life the Feldenkrais Method® is an embarrassment of riches. Irene Guttridge’s documentary project “The Next 25 Years” is something every Feldenkrais® Practitioner and person who’s been helped by the Method should support. Here is why:

The future of our profession lies in better communicating our story to the vast untapped public. If Feldenkrais is ever to reach the “tipping point” of public awareness and interest, people need stronger visual explanations with clear illustrations of the biological and mechanical principles and a compelling narrative of the story behind the method. A documentary like the one Irene is making is the not only best format for achieving this, it is the logical next step for our profession to take.

Videos can create intense interest where there was none before. In this day and age of media saturation, Youtube, Netﬂix, people have come to rely on videos to research their interests and inform their peers. Video is now fully portable and easy to share and talk about—good stories that are well told get sent around the world at an incredible speed.

The maddening concision that plagues every newspaper story or 3-minute TV clip about Feldenkrais can be happily avoided in a documentary ﬁlm. Irene understands this and has already begun to interview a wide variety of Feldenkrais trainers, practitioners, doctors, scientists and people who are involved in and have beneﬁted from the Feldenkrais Method®. Irene has shown a terriﬁc initiative, a deep understanding of her task and a major commitment of her time and resources.

I hope you will support and encourage “The Next 25 Years” in any way you can. .

Andrew Gibbons, GCFP
Faculty, Creative Director
The Feldenkrais Institute of NY

Staffan Elgelid

I am writing this letter to support and to strongly encourage others to support Irene Gutteridge in her efforts to produce “The Next 25 Years.”

I believe that now is a crucial time to document the legacy of Moshe Feldenkrais. More and more practitioners are trained by second generation trainers and people that did not have direct contact with Moshe Feldenkrais. To preserve the uniqueness and genius of Moshe Feldenkrais and the Feldenkrais Method we must document where the method came from, how the people that were trained by Moshe developed the work, and just as importantly, where the practitioners that were not trained by Moshe are taking the work.

We are starting to see many branches on the “Feldenkrais Tree”, and Irene’s project can be what shows Feldenkrais Practitioners and the world how all these branches reflect the evolution of the Feldenkrais Method and the commonalities that we all have.

“The Next 25 years” is also a project that can bring the Feldenkrais Heritage to the public and give the Feldenkrais Method the spotlight that it deserves in so many areas of human life.

I strongly believe that the Feldenkrais Method and the methods that have been developed by practitioners of the Feldenkrais Method can play a major role in the future of learning and the healthy development of individuals and society as a whole, and Irene’s work might very well be crucial for the Feldenkrais Method to gain the recognition that it deserves, so please support “The Next 25 years” in any way that you can.

Staffan Elgelid PT, GCFP, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Physical Therapy
Nazareth College

Marion Harris

David Ben Gurion, Israel’s first Prime Minister, once proclaimed that the work of Moshe Feldenkrais could perhaps be of benefit to all of humanity. And it certainly has benefited thousands of people – in sports, the arts, and in everyday basic functioning – sitting, standing, walking, and yes, seeing. It has proven time and again its genius in making the seemingly impossible, possible. And yet, as a practitioner for over 26 years, who had the honour and privilege to study under Dr. Feldenkrais himself, I am often frustrated, and even saddened that more people are not benefiting from the work. I believe one of the main reasons for this is lack of awareness. Not enough people have had the opportunity to actually see and experience for themselves the amazing potential of working with the Feldenkrais Method®.

Such awareness can be achieved with the production of the DVD, The Next 25 Years, the brainchild of Irene Gutteridge. I wholeheartedly support this ambitious project, and applaud Irene in working toward bringing public awareness of The Feldenkrais Method® to new and greater heights. The more people who actually see the remarkable stories behind the Method, and its incredible results, the more likelihood of achieving Ben Gurion’s lofty prediction.

Marion Harris, GCFP
Amherst,1983
www.feldenkraiscentre.com

Trainers

Alan S. Questel

I am writing to offer my support, as well as to encourage you to support ‘The Next 25 Years’, the film documenting Moshe Feldenkrais’ legacy, produced by Irene Gutteridge.

Irene is taking the ‘next step’ in providing us with a look into our past as well as giving us a direction for our futures.

This film is a chance for the world to more clearly recognize our work, what we do and what we can offer. The world is ready now and we are ready now. We have had a lengthy incubation period (or maybe short from the point of view of a new profession) and we have achieved an incredible notoriety even with our relatively small numbers.

The task Irene is undertaking is by no means small, in fact it is huge and she has had the insight to recognize that now is the time to do this. Now is the time, as at the present, we span enough generations of practitioners to see how far the work has come from those originally trained by Moshe. Now we have the chance to gain a perspective on our work never before afforded to us. Now is the time for you and I to welcome and support this project with everything we‘ve got!

From science to the arts and all in between, this film will help us all achieve the critical mass that can move us into the recognition that we all know is possible.

I urge to you contribute in any way you can to help the dream to be realized!

All the best
Alan S. Questel

Aliza Stewart

Irene Gutteridge is undertaking a project that has been long in coming - a documentary about the successful use of the Feldenkrais Method in different walks of life and professions, through the stories of people who experienced it.

In his article "Mind and Body" Moshe states what needs to happen for people to try the method - "We must first realize the benefits of improvements so that we will spare the needed time. But the benefit cannot be imagined until the improvement is sensed. So, at first we must try simply out of curiosity".

Waking up people's curiosity about the Method is what this documentary is trying to do. It is not about convincing people to move to our camp, it is about creating something that will appeal to their vitality. How would one explain music to someone who has never heard music? One would have to play some music. This documentary is an attempt to do just that - sample the music through vibrant performances, sample the gifts this Method can give to people through their own stories, in their own words and through the work of the practitioners.

It is an important undertaking and we as a community need to support it.

Aliza Stewart, Feldenkrais Trainer
New York, NY and Baltimore, MD.

Katrin Smithback

Irene Gutteridge has my whole -hearted support in her ambitious and necessary project, The Next 25 Years. Other trainers and practitioners have written of their support of the project, and I heartily concur that now is the time and the place to tell the story of Moshe Feldenkrais, a visionary in many diverse fields, and the story of the Method- Our Story.

What I would like to add is that I think Irene is the person who can make it happen. Intelligent, dedicated, creative, motivated - she has what it takes to get this project off the ground and make it fly. To paraphrase another visionary– if not now, when? If not Irene, who? I say, let it be now and let it be Irene and let’s make it a success.

Our support and contributions will help the project, the Feldenkrais Method and all of us.

Katrin Smithback

Roger Russell

Iam astounded by the scope and ambition of Irene Gutteridge’s film project. She has seen an opportunity and has seized it immediately. Taking an idea, she has given it shape, contacted people with talent and skill who can help her realize her dream, and she is moving ahead to get it done.

When Mark Reese announced that he was preparing a biography of Moshé Feldenkrais I felt that he had a sure fire bestseller on his hands. Moshé lived through many of the most dramatic events of his century; already a great story line. However, Moshé was more than just present. He was an extraordinary, wilful and brilliant participant. And he synthesized his experience and learning into a uniquely creative body of work: practical, wise, informed and effective. The story of how that body of work came together will surely fascinate many people.

Irene’s film project will help elucidate Moshé’s creative process, and it will show that every day that same body of work creates new human drama. Moving, brimming with vitality and brainy understanding, yet simple to grasp since it demands only curiosity about what we are doing. The Feldenkrais Method is packed with pleasurable surprises.

I expect that Irene Gutteridge’s film project will also be packed with information. I will be supporting her, and I urge each person to contribute in any way they can.

Sincerely,

Roger Russell
Internationally accredited Feldenkrais Trainer

Russell Delman

Moshe Feldenkrais was a visionary. With the recent revolution in brain science and learning theory, his intuitions are now being validated by other disciplines. Those of us who trained with Moshe remember well his insistence that after learning his work, we develop our own handwriting. He saw his method as so fundamental for human development that he predicted it would permeate many areas of society. This was part of his vision and hope.

While many Feldenkrais teachers are working in diverse contexts, the method is still relatively unknown. Often when known, it is categorized as either “sophisticated physical therapy” or “one of those New Age body techniques”. I am very excited that Irene Gutteridge is following her vision in creating a DVD devoted to the many tangents of the Feldenkrais Method. It is time for the depth and breadth of this method to be more generally appreciated.

After years of having a very diverse, general practice, my work has evolved into an integrated approach called “The Embodied Life”. While true to Moshe’s insights and methodologies, I also include: 1) Zen-based sitting meditation and 2) ways of bringing embodied awareness to emotions, feelings and life situations. I owe a great debt to my teacher for guiding me in discovering a reliable understanding of human learning and the confidence to follow my own vision.

May this DVD serve humanity in profound and unexpected ways.

Russell Delman

Dennis Leri

I knew and studied with Moshe Feldenkrais personally both in the USA and in Israel. I feel people everywhere should have an opportunity to come to know him and his work. After over thirty years of practicing Functional Integration and giving Awareness lessons I still look forward to working every day. I have encountered many beautiful systems of human development yet there is nothing like Feldenkrais’s work. Everyone should have the opportunity to meet Feldenkrais through those that have preserved it. Support Irene Guteridge’s project. I do.

Dennis Leri
Feldenkrais Trainer
San Francisco ‘77