From the introduction to the 2011 ANNUAL CONFERENCEFrom the introduction to the 2011 ANNUAL CONFERENCECharleston, South Carolina | August 18-20Charleston, South Carolina | August 18-20

From the introduction to the 2011 ANNUAL CONFERENCEFrom the introduction to the 2011 ANNUAL CONFERENCECharleston, South Carolina | August 18-20Charleston, South Carolina | August 18-20

Bringing Teaching to the Next Level

How do we approach the process of

Bringing Teaching to the

Next Level?

The pursuit of standards and teacher

development is important, but is not the whole picture…

We are part of a living tradition of healing arts

practitioners and teachers

The essence of our work is one with the embodied

wisdom that dwells within each of us

Let’s call forth some of the pioneers of the modern era who have blazed a trail for us around working with the body in an integrative and educative approach

Moshé Feldenkrais, D.Sc. (1904-1984)Functional IntegrationAwareness through Movement

Movement is life.

Life is a process.

Improve the quality of the

process and you improve the quality

of life itself.

Ida P. Rolf, PhD (1896-1979)Structural Integration

The body process is not linear, it is circular; always, it is circular.  One thing goes awry, and its effects go on and on

and on and on. 

A body is a web, connecting everything with everything else.

Randolph Stone, DC, ND (1890-1981)Polarity Therapy

True health is the harmony of life within us, consisting of peace of mind, happiness and well-being.

It is not merely a question of physical fitness, but is rather a result of the soul finding free expression through the mind and body of the individual.

F. Matthias Alexander (1869-1955)

The Alexander Technique

You translate everything – whether physical, mental, or spiritual, into muscular tension.

Charlotte Selver (1901-2003)Sensory Awareness

We have the ability within ourselves – if we become more awake – to feel more clearly what our own nature has to tell us.

Thomas Hanna, PhD (1928-1990)Somatics

The human body is not an instrument to be used, but a realm of one's being to be experienced, explored, enriched and, thereby, educated.

Ron Kurtz, PhD (1934-2011)Hakomi Therapy

To support self-discovery, we use mindfulness. For mindfulness, we need safety. For safety, we need loving presence.

All of that is part of the dance. And, we need to see and feel who the client is. For that, we have to train ourselves.

We need to focus on the nonverbal. The storyteller… not just the story.

Milton Trager, MD (1908-1997)Trager Psychophysical Integration

There is a way of being which is lighter... which is freer. A way in which work as well as play becomes a dance and living a song.

We can learn this way.

As teachers, our job is to help students discover their innate

capacities – waking up that massage therapist

who already lives inside.

You can't give what you don't have;

the responsibility of massage education is to bring a student to the fullest sense of themselves so

that they may share that with others.

The highest potential for touch therapies is the evolution of consciousness on the planet.

The Alliance is committed to strengthening and improving the quality of massage education, as well as carrying forward the essential lineage of our field.

We encourage schools, teachers and CE providers to join the Alliance, and to get involved in the many projects to manifest the mission and goals of this non-profit organization.

Learn more about the Alliance at www.afmte.orgLearn more about the Alliance at www.afmte.orgLearn more about the Alliance at www.afmte.orgLearn more about the Alliance at www.afmte.org

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