Comments on: The First 5 Open Source Feldenkrais-Based Lessons

By: rn

rn — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 06:32:35 +0000

Hi Bob – I hope I didn’t put words in your mouth.

Actually, I think the work WILL be co-opted and used by others. I don’t think there is anyway around that. It’s a natural process of organic development and diffusion. And some of those offshoots will be useful and grow their own roots and their own branches. But there will also be a core group of people who use open-source as a segue into the Feldenkrais community and take trainings and workshops and work with practitioners.

This is something that Moshe saw, and that he wanted. I no longer have the reference but at one point, I believe at Amherst, he mentioned that some day people would do the work and practice it and not call it Feldenkrais nor have heard of him. I do believe he will be shown right.

By: Bob s

Bob s — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 03:29:21 +0000

@Rob

I don’t recall reading anything saying that this was the only source of online ATMs – where did you read that? My understanding that Ryan’s intention is to provide ‘open source’ AY lessons, both in text and mp3 format.

@Ryan
Well, I simply meant ‘how can the AY lessons be kept recognizably feldenkrais and not core-upside-mega-tronics 2000′. I think the big fear -now as then- is that the work will be co-opted and used by others, outside of the ‘control’ of the Feldy community. (I’ll leave whether that’s good or bad for others to decided: let’s call it the ‘what’s happen with pilates vs what’s happened with Linux’ argument. It can turn out either way; I’m sanguine in this instance it will turn out well)

By: rn

rn — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 19:31:50 +0000

Hi Rob – Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate it a great deal.

There is a huge difference in what I am doing compared to what Richard Frye, Sharon Moyano, Ralph Strauch (and I assume a few others?) are doing.

Huge.

I am not simply posting the lessons online. I am putting them in multiple formats (pdf, doc, docx) and distributing them with an explicit license that allows anyone to download them, use them, redistribute and yes – even sell them and use them commercially.

Although it IS a strategy for self-promotion as you note, it’s much, much more than that. It’s giving people the information that they want in a way that they can use it, metabolize it and spread it on their own. It’s empowerment of myself and others who believe it’s time for the work of Moshe Feldenkrais to heal and transform the world.

As far as it being deceptive? I’m not following you. It is exactly what I said it is, a freely downloadable and usable workshop. If someone likes the transcripts they can buy the downloads…and many have. Though to be fair, I have considered giving away the mp3 versions and still might at some point.

My next phase will be giving away both transcripts and mp3′s of some other material, so that it will be even easier for people benefit.

cheers – Ryan

By: Rob Black

Rob Black — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 05:08:58 +0000

Ryan,
I think your entrepreneurial spirit has blind-sided you here. There have been many people who have offered free ATM’s online for years. The best example is the work of Richard Frye who has had over 60 ATM’s on his website. http://www.flowingbody.com/pastlow.htm. Your self-promotion has deceived others into thinking that you are the only person who has done anything about this.
Your language is also deceptive — you imply that authentic lessons are available in recorded form for free – but instead you provide text, leaving the reader to have to pay for the recorded version.
Finally, you completely ignore the fact that there has been OPENATM’s, free recordings, available for many years.
Overall, I can only conclude that this is but a carefully crafted red-herring designed to get people to buy your recordings.
I don’t like to be so harsh, for you have done lots of great things for the community, but I really do think you have gone too far in your self-promotion.

warmly,

–Rob Black

By: rn

rn — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:28:45 +0000

Bob – Thanks for your comment. No, I don’t think there is anyway to maintain the authenticity and potency of the work released. In fact, I don’t want that. The work belongs to the world. They can do with it as they want. That’s the short anwser! The long answer will be a blog post.

(Thanks for the FF mention!)

By: Bob s

Bob s — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 03:09:23 +0000

I tend to agree, but OTOH I can certainly understand the counter argument – that is, will there be ways to maintain the authenticity and potency of the ‘canonical release’. How does the ‘canonical release’ maintain it’s presence and brand? How did Ubuntu do it?

This might make for a good discussion on Feldyforum?

By: rn

rn — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 21:25:31 +0000

Bob and Cynthia – Thanks for the comments. I thought I had put all the files in doc/docx and pdf so that if one didn’t work, the other would. I will double check. I have got hundreds of pages of transcripts so I was thinking that it would be easier to bundle them all together…but perhaps I am in error…I don’t know.

I have no problem with a rank beginner grabbing a transcript, reading it outloud or recording it and sharing it. The more the better in my opinion. To me Feldenkrais is like sex. Bad sex is better than no sex. I really do not see how the work can grow and reach it’s full potential without letting go of our(illusionary) control over it.

Thanks again – Ryan

By: Bob s

Bob s — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 20:17:14 +0000

Just a suggestion – get rid of .docx and use .doc instead. A lot of us hate Office 2007 and prefer to use older versions or Open office instead.

Or just leave it as PDF’s

As for Cynthia’s comments: perhaps you could develop a boiler-plate that will set the right tone – something like Ralph’s head turning ATM?

http://www.somatic.com/lesson.html

By: Cynthia Allen

Cynthia Allen — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 12:02:23 +0000

An On-line review? Thanks for the invitation.

I like the white background. The format feels fairly clean. I tried to download and cannot open either the PDFs or the word docs. Not sure what that is about. It appears to be a problem either in the way it was compressed or the way in which I am uncompressing it. I have noticed this can be a problem when passing documents between MAC and PCs in the past.

Instead of a compressed file, I would suggest a single post per ATM as a PDF file only. Even when all works well, I believe you will get a lot of questions about the word documents piece that will be a time waster.

I am not entirely certain why open source Feldenkrais lessons doesn’t thrill me but I don’t seem to have a lot of juice for it. I guess in part it has to do with how many people I hear are reading ATMs to their theater classes or yoga classes and this provides mixed feelings for me. On one hand I think it is great that people are learning about Feldenkrais anyway they can. In another, I think the quality could be so bad that it couldn’t leave a very good impression.

However, I will think on it more and perhaps I will post something of mine one of these days!