Details

The class will meet on Tuesday and Sundays from 9AM to 11:30AM Pacific Time.

This is an online workshop for manual therapists, movement educators, and structural integration practitioners. 

How do we think about what it is to breathe?
Is breathing something we do? Or something done to us?
In the context of somatic mindfulness, we may speak of “being breathed.”
In a similar way, you may have had the experience of “being walked” in a particularly peaceful walking meditation.
What contributes to this pleasure of being breathed and the joy of being walked?
 
This course explores such questions, along with the equally valuable biomechanics of these essential human functions.
 
We will examine – both experientially and intellectually – the complex mechanisms that facilitate, control, and regulate breathing and walking. Through clearly outlined integration strategies, students will learn to help themselves and their clients restore or recover an enhanced degree of sensory awareness, thereby improving coordination patterns associated with breathing and walking.

 
Breathing is a mysterious phenomenon that can be talked about in many ways. On one level, inhaling air is essential to nourish our cells with oxygen. In this course we will cover both the basic neuromuscular/biochemical aspects of breathing as well as deeper phenomenological explorations.
 
In our inquiry into the phenomenon of human gait, we will draw from theories such as early human “persistence hunting,” Gracovetsky’s Spinal Engine model, and Hubert Godard’s focus on tonic function.
 
Our work together will enable you to confidently guide your clients in restoring healthy breathing and walking patterns.
 
Lectures and discussions will cover topics such as:

• What are the various movement sequences of ankle and foot in landing and propulsion?
• What is the effect of nose breathing vs. mouth breathing on the human organism?
• What are the benefits of “belly breathing” and those of “chest breathing”?
• How can a preference for focal (vs. peripheral) vision lead to compromised postural patterns and movement restrictions?
• How has “controlled instability” offered humans an evolutionary advantage?

 
Experiential Exercises
Students will be guided through exercises for deepening their own body awareness.

Therapeutic Techniques
Students will learn relevant Rolf Movement Integration sessions and self-care practices demonstrated live and through video presentation. These sessions will be performed by students on their own clients, followed by class debriefings. Students will be provided with illustrated guides containing detailed descriptions of all movement integration strategies presented.

Assigned Readings and Videos
Video and reading materials will be provided to deepen students' theoretical understanding of the subject matter presented.

The workshop will be a combination of lecture/theory, experiential exploration, and therapeutic techniques to use with clients.

About the Instructor

Per Haaland is a Certified Advanced Rolfer^®, Rolfing^® Instructor, and Rolf Movement^® Instructor.

Per received his basic Rolfing^® training in 1989 and completed his advanced training in 1994. Studies with Hubert Godard and Kevin Frank shape his understanding of structural integration as interactive somatic education, highlighting perceptual and coordinative processes. Per’s inclusive teaching style enables practitioners to easily and confidently expand their skills into Rolf Movement applications.