All About Spine | 2-day extended Feldenkrais workshop

Your spine is the axis of your body. A symbol of grounded force, protection, support. Your spine can also beautifully twist, flex and bend forwards, backwards and sideways. With its 33 vertebrae, your spine is an extraordinary piece of engineering. It is the base for all your movements, the center of everything you do. Whether you feel comfortable, graceful or painful in your spine, whether you feel very aware or very foggy about it, your spine is your center. Getting to know it better and befriend it even just a little bit more can make you feel freer than you ever dreamt of!

In this in-depth workshop, we will dive deeply into the wonders and intrications of our spines through lessons of Feldenkrais®*, somatic movement explorations and voice work. Each practice will interrelate with each other in a carefully crafted progression.

Times:

• Saturday, July 13th, 11:00 - 16:30 (lunch break from 13:00 to 14:30)
• Sunday, July 14th, 11:00 - 16:30 (lunch break from 13:00 to 14:30)

During the long lunch break you are invited to take time to rest and integrate the experience so you can start afresh for the second part of the day. The space will remain open during the break if you want to stay in.

You can book the workshop alone, or you can book it as a package with a private Feldenkrais® hands-on session called Functional Integration (F.I) that we will schedule in advance. The F.I is a wonderful complementary experience for the workshop. After booking a ticket for the workshop, we'll get in touch with you regarding this offer.

The series of exercises and experiences we will go through includes exploring on your own, at times partnering, and sharing in a group. We will make sure to create a safe space in which everyone feels fully included and respected. 

The series is open to everybody and you are encouraged to be exactly how you need to be at the moment! Nothing to bring except loose and warm clothes. Blankets, mats, water & tea will be provided. If you have a special physical condition you would like to talk about beforehand or if you require special assistance to attend, do not hesitate to reach out and we will find the best way for you to feel comfortable in participating.

*In case you can't afford a regular ticket but would love to attend anyway, please send us a message ([email protected]) and we'll find a solution.

**The Feldenkrais® Method of somatic education uses gentle movement and directed attention to help people learn new and more effective ways of moving. You can increase your ease and range of motion, improve your flexibility and coordination, and rediscover your innate capacity for graceful, efficient movement. Since how you move is how you move through life, these improvements can enhance your thinking, emotional regulation, and problem-solving capabilities.

About the facilitator

Pauline Payen (she/they) is a choreographer, performer and Feldenkrais® practitioner. She studied art and dance in ISDAT Toulouse in France (2003-2006) and in HZT Berlin in Germany (2016-2028). She completed her training at the Feldenkrais Education Center of Aurillac, France, in 2023.

In recent years, Payen developed a particular attention to psychological sound techniques such as Musak, super-charged-positive-affirmations and binaural beats. Between 2017-2019 she worked for Brazilian choreographer Xica Lisboa’s research “Melt” developing the attention to facial movements through the practice of “Moving-Image-Awareness”. In 2019/2020 she works for choreographer Antje Velsinger in “dreams in a cloudy space” a duo with a 75 years old dancer. Since 2020 she has developed research on the topic of grief, somatics and empowerment and created the piece HIGH TIDE. Her last piece, Yahoo! Dance!, is rooted in voice and movement scores researching the impact of the internet news feed on our psyche and bodies.

Beside working as a performer and creating her own choreographic work, Pauline teaches workshops of Feldenkrais® and somatic movement and regularly collaborates as outside eye, dramaturg, artistic companion, seeking for alternative and sustainable ways to create support in the community. She is part of the Psychedelic Choir, Collective Vietnam Dioxine, and the Marzahn Movement Studios.

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