How do Awareness Through Movement® classes differ from other movement disciplines or physical therapy?
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Focuses on education about the body (not a theraputic treatment or goal-oriented exercise)
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Emphasizes how you move (instead of how far or how much you move)
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Emphasizes functional movement (for everyday activities or trained skill set, rather than a particular posture or fitness ideal)
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Improvement happens through movement variation and exploration (instead of repetition or "correction")
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Better movement with attention integrates your brain, nervous system, sense of self and movement habits. (Practitioners do not fix, diagnose, or offer physical therapy)
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Complements your yoga or martial arts practice, artistic or musical practice, normal exercise routine, or your regimen of physical therapy.
About online Awareness Through Movement® lessons
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At the beginning of the lesson, there's time to check in, reflect on the previous lesson and describe any recent changes. Students are free to ask questions afterwards or later, by e-mail. They'll receive a brief summary of each lesson to help review the movements.
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Each lesson consists of a series of guided movements. Students are encouraged to move slowly in order to sense the details of how the muscles, bones and nerves engage and interact during the movement. Emphasis on functional movement.
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Each movement matters. There's time to begin, explore and complete each movement. Focusing your attention on a few movements can be more beneficial to the body and brain than a dozen quick reps you're barely paying attention to. Students go at their own pace.
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Instead of "pushing through pain", students are encouraged to stop any movement that causes pain and explore variations that may allow them to move more easily.