Public Seminar

The Making of Your Back

with Dr. Shelagh O'Neill

At birth, we can’t lift the head. By 9 – 12 months of age, we can balance, take steps, even begin to walk alone.

How did we develop that rich movement palette of turning, bending, extending and twisting?

We’ll never trace those steps again in the same way, but this workshop gives us the chance to relearn some of the intricate differentiations and subtle distinctions that we discovered as infants. Attention and awareness still have the same power, and as adults we can rehabilitate movements that may have been lost, and enjoy ones we know in a new way.

So just for people with bad backs then? Absolutely not! There are many daily improvements that come alongside a well-functioning back, from easier walking, standing up, sitting at work to faster running times, improvement in playing a musical instrument – the list goes on.

The unique perspective of the developmental path is a remarkably fruitful way to discover how you use your back, and where you can improve. Everyone’s back can work better.

This is a practical workshop, using Awareness Through Movement lessons to investigate key developmental stages. Find how these movements will bring change throughout your life. Bring your mat and lie down!