Group classes
Rosen Method Movement
(To Sign Up for a class or Pay for a class , please scroll down)
What is Rosen Method Movement like?
Maybe you want to try a “work-in” instead of a “work-out” and recover your natural freedom of movement!
At the heart of Rosen Method Movement are its simple, range-of-motion, physical-therapy-based, movements. These are range-of-motion movements stripped bare: easy, pedestrian movements that can be done by anyone—and can benefit everyone. They are simple movements that in and of themselves open and move our bodies, and do wonderful things like grease our joints, allow for freer breathing, and improve balance and muscle tone.
Rosen Movements take the joints through their natural ranges of motion, moving the body as it is designed to move. As vertebrate mammals in the modern world, we are very often NOT moving the way our “animal bodies” want and need to move. Returning to an experience of natural movement is restorative in myriad ways.
Participants are often surprised at how much better they feel physically when they leave a class, how pains they came in with have disappeared, how they feel like they just had a massage, or how much more relaxed, alive, and in tune with themselves they feel.
What is a Rosen Method Movement group class like?
Rosen Method Movement classes happen in a small group where students are guided through simple, range-of-motion movements that teach us where and how our bodies are designed to move.
A hallmark of Rosen Method Movements is their loose, easy, swinging quality. Teachers encourage participants to do movements gently, with as little effort as possible, staying within a comfortable range of motion rather than trying to move or stretch beyond what feels good. Marion Rosen said “relaxation is the gateway to awareness”, and this is true in Rosen Movement as well as in Rosen Bodywork.
As one goes through the movements they discover patterns of tension and habits of movement that have been causing pain or limiting their potential, and give them the possibility and choice to undo damage and to move more freely.
Classes are set to music that enhances both the participant’s awareness of how they are moving (at what tempo, etc) and their enjoyment of this playful practice!
A unique feature of Rosen Method Movement classes is its community aspect. By moving this way in a small group, people do come to foster connections and to feel a sense of connection with one another. Most people begin Rosen Movement classes with the intent of working on some aspect of their physical experience only to discover that their favorite part of class is the group dynamic. I don’t know what it is about Rosen Movement but it seems to attract the best people!
Where did Rosen Method Movement originate?
Rosen Method Movement was developed by Marion Rosen, a physical therapist who began practicing touch therapies in 1936 and who held her first Rosen Method training in 1980.
Rosen Movement is rooted in Marion Rosen's training as a physical therapist as well as in her profound understanding of how muscles work and how they express and hold the experiences, emotions, and attitudes of our lives.
She originally developed these movement classes so that her physical therapy clients could avoid re-injury and stay mobile, but as the work evolved she discovered that it also offered so much more than that. Cultivating this natural freedom of movement and attuned connection with one’s body also points the way toward an interior world of self-discovery. There are deeply rewarding “ahas” when we discover a new part of ourselves, or a reason we have been holding ourselves a certain way and are able to let it go.
Ultimately, the very simplicity of each movement means we can use it to learn about ourselves, and to play with ways of inhabiting ourselves and moving our bodies with less tension, and with more joy and freedom. These “easy” movements can become vehicles for an ever deepening process of self-discovery and self-exploration, vehicles toward freer self-expression and a fuller sense of embodied aliveness.
Who is Rosen Movement for?
Rosen Movement is for everybody! Fit or injured, weak or strong, coordinated and physically adept or not!--because it is about awareness and learning to move within each person's own particular body with freedom, self-compassion, and ease. Rosen movements are preventative as well as restorative, and support people in whatever physical activities they do in their daily lives.
Rosen Movement is inherently adaptable and all about meeting people where they are: If someone cannot move easily or stand, they can participate in class in a chair.
If you want to get in touch with yourself, to live inside your body a little more, move to some music and feel better at the end of an hour- come check out a class!
If you want to improve your breath, your balance, and your joint mobility all while having some fun- come check out a class!
If you want an embodied awareness practice, you want to connect with a great community and you want to feel more alive- come check out a class!
If you have movement limitations, low energy or an injury or if you have a strong physical practice like dance or weightlifting or marathon running and you want to support your abilities in those disciplines- come check out a class!
Rosen Movement is truly for everybody.
Who is Rosen Movement not for?
Because Rosen Movement is for everybody, the only people it’s not for are those who are looking for something that it does not provide:
If you are hoping for a strenuous workout you will discover that Rosen Movement does not provide that (but it can support you in any strenuous workouts you do elsewhere).
If you are hoping for a “no pain, no gain” environment, Rosen really won’t be your thing as we are all for pleasure, delight and ease!
How do I prepare for a class?
Wear comfortable clothing and shoes that you can move easily in (you can also take class without shoes if you prefer). Bring a mat and pillow to lie down, and if you can’t lie down you can do the floor work in a chair or in your bed. Other than that, just being game to try out the movement and awareness cues in class is all you need! This is not a class about showing off or being “the best” because there is no such thing.
How do I sign up for a class?
Simply check out the weekly schedule of classes below. If you want to be receive an email with the link to join that class, you can subscribe to that list.
Attend class (or not) anytime you want!