A weekend of hands-on, therapeutic approaches to stretching and movement. This course is designed for movement practitioners and enthusiasts to learn new tools and refine their practices, as well as for bodyworkers and healers to explore new ideas surrounding movement and the human body to help their clients.

This weekend will be held like a retreat where we learn through participation. We will gather in a sacred container ideal for healing and going within ourselves. We will explore the 4 directions within us - Physical, Mental, Emotional and Energetic - to maximize potential for healing and growth. We have observed that many healers can overlook the physical component almost completely. Many western practitioners can focus too much on the physical and pay little attention to the rest of the picture. This weekend empasizes the physical component in a holistic approach that considers healing as a whole.

This weekend will be full of EXPERIENTIAL learning. We will cover and explore:

- Stretching with a focus on the Fascial system and how this relates to healing. "Your issues are in your tissues"

- Self stretching and hands on stretch therapy techniques

- Movement assessment and functional movement

- How to observe patterns in your own body and in others

- Breathwork fundamentals

- How the nervous system affects breath and movement

- How to implement these practices in your work as a practioner/healer for others or for yourself

Deepen your relationship to your body and movement, while learning how to hold space for others to do the same.

September 18 + 19

10am - 6pm both days (with lunch break and short breaks as needed)

Location: The Stretch Space 2188 York Ave, Kitsilano, Vancouver

Facilitated by Cian Dalton and Carolyn Schmidt, owners of The Stretch Space.

About the Facilitators:

Carolyn Schmidt is in a long term relationship with human movement. As a Stretch Therapist, Breathwork Facilitator and Movement Educator, Carolyn brings a lifetime of experience, passion and curiosity to each session and class she leads.

After years of dealing with frustrating injuries from a career in dance, Carolyn found herself on a healing path, learning how to unwind and re-pattern her own body from 20 years of intense physical training and the related emotional impacts. As a part of her healing journey, she discovered Fascial Stretch Therapy (FST) - a powerful modality that helps the body heal at a nervous system level. She became a Certified Fascial Stretch Therapist in 2017 and holds the highest level of training in the method.

In conjunction with Stretch Therapy, Carolyn is a skilled movement coach with a sharp eye and nurturing energy. Carolyn has studied a wide range of movement practices and somatic body-mind therapies including Franklin Method (Eric Franklin), Anatomy Trains Body Reading (Tom Myers), Laban Movement Analysis, Countertechnique, Alexander Technique, BodyMind Centering (Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen), Yoga (various forms), Pilates (classical and contemporary), movement improvisation and of course, dance (ballet, modern, contemporary dance).

"My mission as a facilitator is to empower folks to use their sacred instruments (bodies) with great awareness and expression as a way of embodying their highest selves."

Cian Dalton is certified as a Level 3 Fascial Stretch Specialist trained under the Fredricks of Stretch To Win. Cian is a certified personal trainer and is trained in Functional Range Conditioning and Assessment (FRC, FRA) as well Functional Movement Systems (FMS).

Cian is passionate about breathwork and is BC's first certified instructor of the Wim Hof Method (WHM) of breathwork, cold therapy and mindset training. He has had many Breathwork teachers including Robin Clements of Breathwave and Ricardo Moreno (Kundalini and Essential Breath) from Sayulita, Mexico

An athlete at heart, Cian trained in boxing for 20 years and competed as a professional middleweight boxer in the USA. Cian was a high level soccer player in his youth in Ireland and England and still enjoys playing soccer, distance running and trail running.

Once upon a time, Cian worked in an office as an engineer for the renewable energy sector but his undeniable passion for movement and athletics called him to break free from the desk. Never shy from personal and physical challenges, Cian understands what it takes to push the human body to its limits and uses all of his past experiences and education to help his clients achieve their personal bests.

​"Movement starts in the lungs!"