Our COVID Response - a "hybrid" learning model

 With the pandemic constraining travel and social contact, we have created new ways to offer the program and make use of the positive aspects of joining together from many distant places. 

Update, Jan 20. Our hope had been that COVID guidelines would allow some gathering during the first segment, but this has not happened.  Thus our first segment, February 28–March 20, will be online. As with most Feldenkrais trainings, we’ll begin by observing ourselves, immersing in our own somatic experiences. It’s an amazing opportunity to be safe at home while launching what will be an incredible journey. Watch a video describing the change.

For future segments, we are still committed to a hybrid approach for the Kelowna Feldenkrais® Teacher Training. That means that those who can travel will come for an in-person experience and those who cannot participate in-person will join via the internet. This is because we anticipate that most foreign nationals will not be able to travel to Canada (see the Canadian Gov’t Notice.) Anybody in Canada who is concerned about travel is also welcome to participate online.

We are confident that this first segment (the first of 12 segments), of the training will be deeply meaningful through the online experience as it contains a lot of Awareness Through Movement® lessons, and discussions neither of which depend on hands-on contact. The hands-on learning takes place later in the training when we will all be together in the same room.

A great deal of thought and planning has gone into this. We have been teaching online for many months giving us the opportunity to pool our expertise and collective creativity. We have devised a high quality immersive learning format, ensuring that those participating remotely will experience the same quality of learning as those present in the room. The teaching and all discussions which will be broadcast online via Zoom will be recorded for later reviewing.

The first segment will be taught by Julie Peck, our Educational Director via Zoom as she will be required to stay in Australia. Assistant Trainers Gisele St. Hilaire and Alice Friedman, will be onsite in Kelowna and online, providing all essential supports. Local needs will be handled by Sandra Bradshaw, and technical support by Rob Black.

In future segments, those who can travel to Kelowna, will meet at the Royal Anne Hotel in beautiful downtown Kelowna. Of course, we will be following all local COVID-19 guidelines including maximum gathering size, distancing and mask wearing.

Don’t forget that our training week starts on Sunday morning, finishing on Friday afternoon. 

You may ask, “How do I know I can be successful with online learning?” That’s a great question! We have anticipated those concerns and have a 5-step process for you to develop your online learning “muscles”.