Feldenkrais® International Training Program Milano 11
Milan, Italy, October 2025 – July 2029
Accredited by the EuroTAB and AIIMF
Educational Director: Mara Della Pergola Feldenkrais Trainer
Application form at the end of the page
The Feldenkrais International Training Program Milano 11 prepares students to become certified practitioners of Awareness Through Movement® (group lessons ) as well as of practitioners of Functional Integration® (individual, hands-on-based lessons.
The Feldenkrais Method is one of the most effective approaches in Somatic Education, internationally renowned for its brilliant approach to movement and learning processes.
The Professional Training is a three-and-a-half year course that leads toward an important personal enrichment, the development of self-awareness and a great improvement in the way we move. It also provides effective tools to develop an independent and rewarding body-experiential profession in several possible areas: wellness, health, special needs, education and the arts.
Registration for training is still open. There are preparatory seminars and free presentations every month. For information: segreteria@istitutofeldenkrais.it.
Mara Della Pergola is one of the most experienced Feldenkrais practitioners in Europe. She studied directly with the founder Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais (1904-1984), scientist and martial arts expert, during his last training program in Amherst USA 1980-83. Since then, she has practiced the Method and, as the first Italian Feldenkrais Trainer, she taught in Professional Programs in Italy, throughout Europe as well as in the United States, Russia, China, Mexico and Colombia. She is known for the clarity, creativity and accessibility of her teaching.
Mara is the founder and director of IsFel, the Istituto di Formazione Feldenkrais in Milan. She is the author of several articles on the Method and a successful book Lo sguardo in movimento. Arte trasformazione e Metodo Feldenkrais, (Vision in Motion. Art, Transformation and the Feldenkrais Method) ed. Astrolabio 2017.
The Milano 11 Training Program will include various highly qualified and inspiring Feldenkrais trainers. Many studied directly with Moshe Feldenkrais, and all bring their personal insights and long term experience to the course.
The guest trainers will be: Elizabeth Beringer, Anna Maria Caponecchi, Scott Clark, Mara Fusero, Patrick Gruner, Sabine Pfeffer, Ingrid Wilczek and David Zemach-Bersin.
There will also be several assistant trainers in function of the number of registered students.
The Training will take place during 160 teaching days over a three and a half year period. Each year will include 40 working days divided into five or six segments. Classes will be held in English and Italian with translation. Some classes will be online, to facilitate the participation of those who are based outside Italy. Spring and Fall segments take place in Milan, while the summer segments are in Asiago, a beautiful mountain resort.
Asiago is renowned for its sport facilities such as: tennis, horseback riding, swimming in lake and trekking. It is a wonderful tourist site, close to some of the most beautiful cities in Italy: Venice, Verona, Padova and Vicenza. Participants can thus combine learning and leisure in wonderful settings.
Beyond the classical Feldenkrais Training Program, the Milan 11 course allows students to benefit from an additional training (included in the fee) based on Mara Della Pergola’s book Lo Sguardo in Movimento. Arte, trasformazione e Metodo Feldenkrais (Vision in Motion. Art Transformation and the Feldenkrais Method).
The training provides:
– More than 300 ATM lessons
– Daily FI Practice
– Theoretical lessons
– Practice in small groups
– Individual tutoring and feedback to ATM teaching and FI practice
– 12 individual FI lessons to each student
– Audio recordings of all lessons
– ATM teaching authorization after the second year
– Traineeship and final project in fields of personal interest
– Moshe Feldenkrais videos
– Professional translation
– Extensive bibliography
MILANO 11 CALENDAR
| First year 2025 – 2026
29 October – 2 November 2025 – 5 days (25 hours) Second start: 3 – 8 February 2026 – 6 days (30 hours) Mara Della Pergola 21 March 2026 – Saturday (3 hours 1/2) ONLINE 25 April – 3 May 2026 – 8 days (40 hours) Sabine Pfeffer 23 May 2026 – Saturday (3 hours 1/2) ONLINE 1/14 July 2026 – 12 days (60 hours) 3 – 6 September 2026 – 4 days (20 hours) ONLINE 9 ONLINE 2 hours meeting (18 hours): 4 December 2025, 15 Jaunuary, 19 February, 12 March, 16 April, 14 May, 18 June, 24 September, 15 October 2026 |
Second year 2026 – 2027
30 October 2026 – 4 November 2026 – 6 days (30 hours) 30 January – 4 February 2027 – 6 days (35 hours)* 13 March 2027 – Saturday (3 hours 1/2) ONLINE 24 April – 2 May 2027 8 days (40 hours) 22 May 2027 – Saturday (3 hours) ONLINE 1 – 14 July 2027 – 12 days (60 hours) 2 – 5 September 2027 – 4 days (20 hours) ONLINE 7 ONLINE 2 hours meetings (14 hours) Tuesdays: 17 November, 1 December 2026, 12 January, 16 February, 6 April, 8 June, 5 October 2027 Mara Della Pergola *5 days 6 hours, 1 day 5 hours |
| Third year 2027 – 2028
27 October – 1 November 2027 – 6 days (30 hours) 29 January – 6 February 2028 – 8 days (40 hours) 22 – 30 April 2028 – 8 days (40 hours) 1 – 16 July 2028 – 13 days (65 hours) 1 – 3 September 2028 – 3 days (15 hours) ONLINE 5 ONLINE 2 hours meetings (10 hours) Tuesdays: 16 November, 14 December 2027, 14 March, 16 May, 6 June 2028 |
Fourth year 2028 – 2029
27 October – 1 November 2028 – 6 days (30 hours) 2 – 3 December 2028 – 2 days (10 hours) ONLINE 13 – 18 February 2029 – 6 days (30 hours) 21 – 29 April 2029 – 8 days (40 hours) 30 June – 15 July 2029 – 14 days (70 hours) 5 ONLINE 3 hours meetings (15 hours) Tuesdays: 3 October 2028, 9 January, 6 March, 15 May, 5 June 2029 |
PROGRAM
First year
In the first year of the Training Program, students will be introduced to the basic principles of the Feldenkrais Method. The main aim is to let students plunge into the sensorial experience of Awareness Through Movement® (ATM) practice. Through daily ATM lessons, individual Functional Integration® (FI) lessons, theoretical lessons, demonstrations and practice in groups, students will lay the foundations of their learning process by recognizing the differences in their own and other people’s way of moving (orientation, organization and intention). They will learn to identify the details of the self-image in movement and how to find a good self organization in order to get in contact with another person.
An extensive bibliography will be provided during the first year.
Each student will receive three FI lessons per year by trainers, assistant trainers or experienced practitioners.
Second year
The second year of the Training Program is specifically focused on the structure and the function of ATM and FI lessons. All the aspects and all the elements of an ATM lesson will be addressed. Individual practice as well as group activities will take place under the supervision and with the support of the teachers. The students will begin to recognize some basic functional configurations and they will learn how to apply these observations in the ATM and FI. The practice of FI is a crucial tool for a deeper understanding of ATM lessons.
By the end of the second year, each student will be given feedback by trainers on the way they teach ATM. After that, students will be allowed to teach ATM for their own learning. They must, however, specify to their student-clients that they are still attending the Training Program.
Each student will receive three FI lessons per year by trainers, assistant trainers or experienced practitioners.
Goals of ATM teaching:
Building a basic repertoire of ATM lessons
Understanding the functional themes within ATM’s structure
Understanding and being able to use different strategies in ATM
Learning how to give clear movement instructions based on sensations
Learning how to notice and describe different ways of self-organization within the group
Developing skills on the use of voice for conduction
Goals of FI teaching:
Knowing the base of skeletal organization in function
Reducing effort
Exploring functional correlations among proximal and distal parts of the body
Exploring the strict relationship amongst agonist-antagonist muscles
Understanding the meaning of differentiating and integrating
Exploring and improving movement patterns
Working on breathing and attention
Experiencing development and sensory-motor learning
Working on student’s self organization as a tool towards learning
Third Year
The third year is mainly focused on FI, learning to identify the different components of a lesson and improving the hands-on practice. Specific attention is given to the student’s posture and self-organization while giving a lesson, in order to improve their quality of touch.
The manual practice studied during the first and second years is brought up to a higher level: how to give a FI lesson, according to the technique with the contexts of function and learning.
The common strategies of ATM and FI are constantly highlighted to improve the understanding and ability to teach.
The students will start giving FI lessons to external people under the Trainer supervision and guidance.
Target in FI lessons:
– Different orientation: supine, on the side, prone, kneeling over the table, sitting and standing
– Skeletal movement patterns: flexion, extension, side bending, rotation and counter-rotation
– Connection between basic skeletal movement patterns and functional action patterns such as: turn sideways, roll from prone to supine position, sitting, standing and walking
– Observing the person’s habitual patterns of movements and body organization in terms of function and learning process.
The students gradually learn how to improve the clients movement patterns, how to guide their attention in order to clarify their self image.
Each student will receive feedback on the FI practice, in order to clarify what needs to be improved.
Each student will receive three FI lessons by trainers, assistant trainers or experienced practitioners.
Fourth Year
During the fourth year all the topics of the previous years are enhanced. Each student will give at least two/three FI lessons to external people under the Trainer supervision and guidance. Students will learn how to give a complete FI and to address it to specific needs.
Future teachers learn how to analyze their clients’ movement patterns, with an open view over the learning process and by creating a comfortable learning environment.
They will also dedicate time to learn how to present the Method to the public and to achieve the skills that are needed to start a new profession.
Students will be asked to write an essay (or audio/video recording) of a teaching project, developed through a traineeship in fields of personal interest (ex. school, gym, health center, art or music academy etc.). Both the project and the supervision of a final FI will contribute to the achievement of the certification.
Each student will receive three FI lessons by trainers, assistant trainers or experienced practitioners.
Certified practitioners of the Feldenkrais Method are recognized by all Feldenkrais Organizations around the World.
Enrollment
The Training enrolls people from different cultural and/or professional backgrounds. We welcome students regardless of their profession, age, gender, race or physical ability. A mixed group enriches the Training with diversity and incentives.
Candidates will expose their own motivations and goals in following the Program, during a personal interview with the Educational Director Mara Della Pergola. Subsequently, they will also be asked to provide the following documents to enroll:
– Subscription Form
– CV and a copy of the previous diplomas
– A recent passport photo
– A motivational letter, including previous experiences with the Feldenkrais Method
– State of health
– Bank Transfer receipt of 500,00 € as deposit fee.
Bank transfer to Istituto di Formazione Feldenkrais – IBAN: IT18G0306909400100000010264 Bank: Banca Intesa San Paolo, via G. Verdi 8, Milano
By the following month, after receiving the application, the school will send a confirmation letter and a meeting with the Educational Director will be scheduled. Places are limited, subscriptions will be accepted according to the rule of precedence.
Annual tuition
Fee: € 3.800,00 first and second year
€ 3.900,00 third and fourth year
The annual fee is payable in three installments and includes the audio recordings of all segments.
Cancellation Policy
In case of waiver the deposit fee will be refunded, except for a fee of € 100 due to secretarial expenses.
Variations
The Training Program can be subject to cancellation, in case of insufficient enrollments, teachers and/or locations unavailability. In case of variations on specific segments, due to teachers and/or location variations, applicants will be notified 30 days in advance.
Administrative office
The administrative office carries out all administrative and secretarial procedures in accordance with the needs of the course. It also provides all information related to the Training and about accommodation and services, in Milan and in Asiago.
segreteria@istitutofeldenkrais.it