Movingness Teacher Training 2020-21

Go deeper, go higher. In your personal life and as a teacher.

Coming home to your body!

Welcome to one of the greatest adventures on this planet – the journey back to your own body! During the teacher training in Movingness, you will not only learn how to awaken your interoception and move from within, but also how to teach it to other people. Every time you get up in front of a class, you will have the opportunity to truly enrich the lives of your students.

Overview and focus

The teacher training is divided into three levels, each with its own focus and depth. Each level takes about 10 weeks to complete. The first level starts on the 1st of November 2020. The 2nd and 3rd levels start in February and May 2021. Right now, you can sign up for the first level or for the full course! During the training, I’ll guide you step by step through the six movement series. Since Movingness is a body-mind method, we’re also going to explore how the body and mind communicate with each other through the following subjects:

Interoception

Learn how to feel yourself and move from within.

Yoga Nidra

Learn how to combine Yoga Nidra with movement.

Fascia

Understanding fascia and how to gently work with it.

Body psychology

How humans became who they are – from pre-history until today.

Movement anatomy

Connect the parts of your moving body and move as one body.

Embodiment

Integrate your news skills into your daily life.

What is Movingness? Movingness is a new method for natural movement and embodiment. You can teach it as a Movingness teacher. Or you can integrate it into your yoga or dance classes, your coaching, or your personal practice.

Learn more about your opportunities

Donna Farhi, New Zealand

“Fascinating! And, much needed in the automatic and mechanical rendition of Yoga that has become widespread.”

Teacher of yoga teachers; developer of new models of teaching and practicing yoga; author of five groundbreaking yoga books

Movingness Teacher Training, level 1

During the Earth Series you will learn how to deeply relax. This makes it possible to feel the sensations in your body and let them guide your movements (interoception). Natural breathing is another important subject. During the Gecko Series, you will learn how to add effort without losing your underlying relaxation. You will also study a special form of Yoga Nidra.

Earth Series

The Earth Series is the foundation. It awakens your interoception and takes you into deep states of flow and meditation.

Gecko Series

The Gecko Series is about moving from your spine. And how to add more effort (Yang), without losing your relaxation (Yin).

Interoception. The ability to sense and feel your body from within is the foundation of Movingness. This vital sense is also known as interoception.

Learn more about interoception

Yoga Nidra. Learn about flow states, meditative states and hypnosis. And how to use them in class.

Learn more about Yoga Nidra

You can also do it!

The Movingness Teacher Training 2020 is specifically designed for yoga and conscious dance teachers (ecstatic dance, meditative dance, free dance etc.), movement teachers, and coaches looking for new tools to help their students or clients reconnect with their bodies. If you are a dedicated yoga or dance practitioner, you can also consider the training!

Teacher Training level 1, per month

$220x2 = $440

Two monthly payments á 220 US dollars, 440 US dollars in total.

8 live classes with discussions and Q&A (60–80 min)
Instructive videos and downloadable audios
Body-mind theory (interoception, Yoga Nidra), and anatomy lessons
Assignment and teaching (in pairs) – and you’re ready to go!

Yes, thank you!

Teacher Training Level 1, upfront

$410

Save 30 US dollars by paying upfront for the level 1 training.

8 live classes with discussions and Q&A (60–80 min)
Instructive videos and downloadable audios
Body-mind theory (interoception, Yoga Nidra), and anatomy lessons
Assignment and teaching (in pairs) – and you’re ready to go!

Yes, thank you!

Teacher Training all three levels

$1120

Save 200 dollars by paying upfront for the whole training (level 1–3)

24 live classes with discussions and Q&A (60–80 min)
Instructive videos and downloadable audios
Body-mind theory, fascia, anatomy, Polyvagal theory, body psychology, Yoga Nidra, and embodiment
Assignment and teaching (in pairs)

Yes, thank you!

Missy Pfohl Smith, US

“Movingness is making a meaningful difference in our ability to notice ourselves, our habits, and our imbalances. To open flow through our joints, muscles, organs and fluids is to find openness, health and freedom – how exciting!”

MFA; Choreographer, performer and collaborative artist; Director, Program of Dance and Movement at the University of Rochester; founder and artistic director of BIODANCE

Movingness Teacher Training, level 2

During the Gecko Series, you will explore spirals as a way of effortlessly moving between different planes. You will also dive into the world of fascia. In the Tiger Series, you will include yield and push as a natural rhythm of the body. Simultaneously, you will study human development. What happened when we became the most dangerous animal on the earth? How did the cognitive and agricultural revolutions change our lives?

Dolphin Series

The Dolphin Series flows freely between different positions and planes in a playful exploration of the joy of movement.

Tiger Series

The Tiger Series is about physical and emotional power. It also shows you how to transform them into an effortless dance.

Working with fascia. Recent findings about fascia are revolutionizing our understanding of the body.

Learn more about fascia

Body psychology. Learn “body tongue” and understand how your body and mind communicate with each other.

Learn more about body psychology

In body psychology, we’re including both the development of the human body-mind from pre-history until modern times, and the main psychological and trauma treatment theories of today. The human development is covered in level 2 of the teacher training. In level 3, we continue with psychology and trauma therapy.

BODY PSYCHOLOGY

Right now there’s a growing understanding between body therapies like yoga and dance on one side, and psychology, brain science, and trauma therapy on the other.

As yoga or dance practitioners we know that this has not always been the case. Mainstream psychology, to choose one example, has only acknowledged the body for about 15 years!* However, during the same time frame, brain science and trauma research have found more and more compelling evidence of the mind-body and the body-mind connection.

For us, who are working with and through the body, this is very exciting and encouraging.

Just like yoga, dance and DMT (dance and movement therapy), Movingness is a body-mind method. All of the above-mentioned practices have their own approach, which they express in different ways. The Movingness method is based on

Safety (strengthening Yin before adding Yang; activating the social engagement system)
Conscious movement (listening to the body; interoception)
Deep breathing (pranayama; activating the vagus nerve)
Moving from within (following prana/chi; following the sensations of the body)
Union (yoga; integration of body and mind)

During a Movingness class, this often happens by itself. But to give the mind a map to follow and something to relate to, we also need a psychological framework. During the teacher training we’ll look into some of today’s most important body psychology theories:

Human development. How did humanity end up in a situation where the majority has become disembodied?
Polyvagal theory. This is the most used theory in trauma therapy. Here you’ll get a general understanding of how the body reacts when it’s safe, in danger, or in extreme danger. This understanding is essential for understanding your own and your students’ body states and reactions.
Attachment theory. We will also briefly look into the attachment theory. It describes how early experiences of trust and safety, or the lack thereof, affects our choices and behavior later in life. This will give you a deeper understanding of your own teaching style and why different students react in different ways to your approach.
Taking in the good. Bad experiences don’t need our help to stick, but good experiences actually need a certain approach. This is an area where brain science and old traditions completely agree about what is needed.
The Satisfaction cycle. During the later movement series, we’ll also explore The Satisfaction cycle from Body Mind Centering (BMC). It proposes that our early developmental movement patterns influence our sense of who we are in the world, and that movement patterns that are not sufficiently embodied can create disruptions not only in our physical development but also in other areas of life.

Please notice that we’re not studying these theories from a theoretical viewpoint. We use them as tools to understand how our bodies and minds function in a practical, experiential way.

*According to Ruth M. Buczynski, Ph.D., President, and Licensed Psychologist, NICABM

Narelle Carter-Quinlan, Australia

“As an Australian, I’ve been dancing the relationship of the body-land all my life; Peter’s authentic and sensitive work in Movingness sings a Sister Song of deep wholeness that echoes the reverent listening of the organism in the presence of Earth.”

BAppSc, Yoga Therapist, Dancer, Photographer, Founder of Embodied Terrain and The Saltwater Songlines Project.

Movingness Teacher Training, level 3

In the Anatomy Series, you will explore the body’s two power centers. During this period, you will also study body psychology and trauma therapy. In the Wild Goose Series, you will add emotions, energy, and spaciousness to your practice. You will also learn different ways of embodying your new skills and bringing them into your daily life.

Anatomy Series

The Anatomy Series is a unique integration of your body’s power centers and movement patterns from fingers to toes.

Wild Goose Series

The Wild Goose Series explores the freedom of movement, personal expression, qi energy, and an open mind.

Movement anatomy. Explore and study how your body is moving all the way from your fingertips to your toes.

Learn more about Movement anatomy

MOVEMENT ANATOMY

Today, we have a vast knowledge of the immobile body, or the body in specific positions (physiotherapy, yoga anatomy). But we don’t know so much about the moving body. The knowledge we have is mostly used for training athletes, for students of martial arts, and for elite dancers. Furthermore, this anatomical knowledge is often used to force the body beyond its limits, with injuries and a short active career as a result.

Natural, sustainable movement for normal people is for the most part ignored.

If you think about school gymnastics, you might recall that the movements were quite geometrical with straight lines and positions. But this is not how the body is designed. When you move naturally in accordance with your joints, your muscle chains, and your fascia, your body moves in a totally different way. Your movements become graceful and effortless, more like the way a dancer moves. Walking and moving also feels differently, it creates a sense of pleasure in your body.

In Movingness, we combine the body’s natural movements with interoception, the ability to feel and sense our body while moving. In this way, we can make corrections in real-time. We can move from within.

DEVELOPMENTAL SERIES

The developmental movements in Movingness are built into 5 different movement series.

During the Earth Series, we explore the spine and learn how to move from the spine on the back and side.
During the Gecko Series, we add crawling and reptile-like movements on the stomach and side that engage the whole spine.
In the Dolphin Series, we let the whole body effortlessly twist and move in and out of different planes.
During the Tiger Series, we move up on all fours. We start with a catlike crawling to reconnect our feet and arms with the spine. Moving as one body and one mind is a totally different experience! Later, we also add yield and push into the movements – and emotions!
The Snow Goose Series is about integrating our new movement skills into standing and moving positions. This series can give you a new level of body self-confidence and ease of movement. It includes the psychological actions of yielding, pushing, reaching, grasping and pulling. Allowing yourself in an embodied way to reach for what you want, and to receive it and keep it once you get it, can create a deep sense of freedom and gratification. In the end, we can even open up our bodies and minds into receiving and sharing in an endless circle of boundless energy.

ANATOMY SERIES

In the new Anatomy Series, we’ll systematically go through how the different parts of the body are moving in themselves and together, in simple and complex movement patterns. Particularly, we’ll look at these areas:

The movers: Feet, knees, thighs, legs
The center: Hips, SI-joints, stomach, lower back, complex movements from the center
The heart area: Ribcage, upper back, neck, shoulders
The reachers: Fingers, hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders, shoulder blades
One body, one mind (integrated complex movements): Fascial elasticity, muscle chains, lines of movement, balance points in the body, full-body movements from toes to fingertips, etc.

Embodiment. Integrate your new skills into your daily life and live an embodied life.

Learn more about Embodiment

EMBODIMENT

The word embodiment is often used in yoga and dance, but for many, it’s still an unclear concept. So what is it then?

Let me explain by showing how we work with embodiment in Movingness. (It’s a very natural process in a live setting, but I’ve broken it down into small steps to make it easier to follow along.)

The nine steps of embodiment

Step 1: Relaxation

Create a feeling of safety in your body and mind

Open up your body and mind and make them receptive to new experiences

Step 2: Interoception

Listen to the sensations in your body (not your thoughts)

Let the sensations guide your movements

Step 3: Pranayama

Invite your breath to be a natural part of your movements

Initiate your movements from your breath

Step 4: Integration

Reconnect your legs and arms with your spine when you move

Move and feel as one body

Step 5: Satisfaction

Enjoy being in your body

Feel how your way of moving increases your wellbeing

Step 6: Freedom of movement

Freely flow between form and improvisation

Step 7: The joy of creativity

Enjoy the creative art of movement

Express yourself through your body!

Step 8: Use your interoception on the go

Stay connected with your body while moving and respect your unique anatomy

Love your joints as yourself and don’t overstretch your fascia

Practice in a way that is sustainable throughout your whole life

Step 9: Bring it into your life!

Make movement a natural part of your life

Stay fluid and active

Take breaks when your body wants to move

Variate your movements

Enjoy the freshness and openness of being alive!

GO WITH IT!

As you can see, embodiment is not about being good on the dance floor or on the yoga mat. That's just our laboratory, where we can experiment and find out what works and what doesn’t. That's the place where we have the freedom to keep what’s helpful and forget the rest.

Embodiment is about integrating our new relationship with our bodies into our daily life. And use it in real situations, in real time. Sometimes with more, sometimes with less success.

Living an embodied life is mostly about a relaxed body and a clear mind. Because this is our natural state! So it’s not about finding something new, it’s about returning to ourselves.

However, I also think it's important to avoid seeing embodiment as a “thing”, something we can own and keep in our pocket. Just like life – because it’s basically about our relationship to life – embodiment is constantly changing.

The skill is to be there, open and alive, and ride the current.

And when we lose our balance and fall, which we obviously will, that’s ok too. In fact, it's totally normal and a natural part of the ride. The difference is that we now have a totally new level of self-confidence. When we fall, we know how to get on our feet again!

To be a part of it, instead of fighting it, makes life so exciting.

Go with it, enjoy it, love it!

That’s my version of the embodied life.

/Peter

Hi, my name is Peter Appel! I’m an internationally acclaimed embodiment teacher. I’m also a yoga teacher in four traditions, dance facilitator, mental trainer, and the founder of Movingness. I have a life long interest in different somatic and meditation practices. When you study with me, you get practical knowledge and deep insights into the human body-mind.

Peter has been teaching at The University of Rochester, US; The Stockholm Yoga & Dance Festival, Sweden; and The Sound, Music and Wellbeing Symposium in Joensuu, Finland. He was one of the featured teachers during the Embodiment Conference in 2018 and 2020.

Let me show you in practice!

Here are some short examples from the five movement series. They are practiced slowly to create a deep connection with your body and make it possible to move from within.

FAQ

What is the purpose of the training?

How is the training structured?

The training is divided into three levels, each with its own focus and depth. Each level takes about 10 weeks to complete. The first level starts on the 1st of November 2020. The 2nd and 3rd levels start in February and May 2021. Right now, you can sign up for the first level or for the full course!

WEEKLY STRUCTURE

In short:

Every week, I will guide you through the new movements during a live class (60–80 min)
Every live teaching ends with a discussion where we’ll go through the class and you can share experiences, ask questions and give feedback
Every week, you'll get a new online lesson with an introduction, videos, audios, and body-mind theory
Every week, you’re required to do your home work, which mostly means reading and reflecting over texts and share your insights. Please, notice: All required reading is included in the course!
It takes four weeks to go through a series. After that, there will be one practice week before the next series starts.
After every level, there is an assignment and a class you will teach together with another student.
In total every level consists of 4 weeks of guided training, one week for your own practice, four weeks of guided training, and 1 week for your teaching and assignment.

LEVEL 1

In Movingness, there are six movements series. During the first level, we’ll learn the Earth Series and the Gecko Series. The main focus during the Earth series will be the ability to feel safe and relaxed in the body. These are the most important steps for awakening your interoception, or the ability to feel yourself from within, and let your movements be guided by your sensations. Natural breathing will also be an important subject.

During the Gecko Series, we will learn how to add a bit more effort, without losing the underlying relaxation. In other terms, we’re adding some Yang to our foundation of Yin. We will also explore what moving from the spine actually means, and how this can help your reconnect your feet, arms and head with each other. Furthermore, we will give special attention to Yoga Nidra, also known as “yogic sleep”. This meditation practice is very beneficial for your own practice. You will also learn how to use it for guiding a class into a light hypnagogic state and then leading your students into movement. Another subject will be pandiculation, a special form of breathing with includes tension and release. This special tecnique strengthen the neural connections between your brain and your muscles.

The first level is especially beneficial for teaching relaxation, stress management, improved body awareness, working with elderly and special classes – all these fundamental abilities that are so important for feeling good and at home in your body. After the concluding assignment and teaching, you will get your teacher diploma and can start teaching!

LEVEL 2

During level two you will learn the Dolphin Series and the Tiger Series. The main focus during the Dolphin Series will be the playfulness of movement. Together, we’ll explore new ways of going down on the floor, coming up standing, and effortlessly moving between different planes. You will also learn how to direct your movements from your pelvis, and how to guide your feet from your thighs. During this series, we will also dive into the world of fascia, how to understand it and how to work with it.

During the Tiger Series, we’ll further work with the integration of the body. Especially, we’ll look at yield and push as a natural rhythm of the body, and psychologically, as an expression of strength and confidence. While the Earth Series happened lying on the back, the Gecko on the stomach, and the Dolphin in a sitting position, we’re now exploring the world on all fours. Simultaneously, we will look deeply into the development of the human body and mind from prehistoy until modern times. Especially, we’re going to study the three major revolutions – how humans in record speed became the most dangerous animal on the earth, the cognitive revolution, and the agricultural revolution. Without this knowledge, it’s hard to understand ourselves and why we so often behave in such strange ways.

LEVEL 3

We know a lot about the human body when it’s lying still. But we know surprisingly little about the moving body, especially when it comes to daily human movement. In the Anatomy Series, we’re exploring the major joints with great detail. We’re looking at their movements and how they cooperate with each other. We’re especially interested in the two power centers – our pelvic area (hara), and our chest, shoulder, upper back area. The lower hips and the upper hips would be another way of describing them. The big question is: How can we awaken them and open our stiff and frozen upper body? During this period, we will also study body psychology and trauma therapy to get an understanding of how the body reacts in challenging situations, what we can do about it, and when we should refer our students to a trauma therapist.

During the concluding Wild Goose Series, we are bringing all our new skills and abilities to the standing position. In fact, we have been preparing for this from day one! We’re now going deeper into the natural rhythms of the body. Simultaneously, we’re adding expressions and emotions to our body language. Furthermore, we’re exploring the body as energy – and learning to move with that energy. Ultimately, we’re experiencing free movement and the wide open spaciousness of the mind.

HOW MUCH TIME SHOULD YOU SPEND ON THE COURSE?

Reserve approx. 60 min for the weekly lesson, 60–80 min for the weekly live class, and 20 min a day for your personal training.

Is there a money back guarantee?

How big is my investment?

What exactly is Movingness?

Movingness is based on five series of natural movements and one series of anatomy explorations. The method combines slow and relaxing stretches with deep breathing. Movingness often leads to deep states of flow or meditation, where your body and mind truly feels as one.