NEXT MOVE DONE IN QUEBEC, CANADA

One year after our first two BBAT1 courses in Canada, Dannie Cormier and I could again wish participants welcome to BBAT courses in beautiful Phare Cap-Chat in Quebec. This year we started with a BBAT1 with 12 participants. In addition to Canadian participants, we could also welcome one participant from Australia and one from Austria. And, historic also that the first north American man signed up. The frames for the course were wonderful; close to nature, nice weather and Karine’s fantastic food and lodging. The course is organized kind of like a retreat, and the whole day is filled with different movement practice, theory, reflections and also good breaks. We had four good working days with focus on own experience in BBAT. The group consisted of physiotherapists with lots of experience from different fields, and it is amazing to be part of creating learning like this where everybody contributes and shares. When we evaluated at the end the group agreed that this was a new way to work with physiotherapy, and they all liked that we started with focus on own experience. Many claimed that they now felt less tension, could lie better on the floor, connected to the body in a different way – more like a whole, had a new relation to the central part of the body and they could enjoy the movement of the free breathing.

The week after we welcomed back 16 participants from last year’s BBAT1 to start the first BBAT2 ever in Canada. It was a big and lively group, eager to move on to Step 2 with a focus on individual treatment and deepening knowledge and experience in BBAT. The organizing of the course still followed the form of a retreat, using the whole day but integrating good breaks. From day 2 the group started to work on guiding and observing movements in groups of 3. They were to rely on the theory lessons, their own experience and literature to help. During the days everyone in the group developed their skills, and they expressed that they felt more safe in both guiding others and also how and what to observe. When we ended the course, I was happy to know that a lot of patients out there in Canada now will get to experience BBAT as individual treatment from these amazing physiotherapists. The evaluation consists of many good words and both laughter and tears, so it was evident that the group also had worked on and explored own body and movements- and it had given results.

After the weeks we were so thankful for being part of this, and for having found a place like Phare Cap-Chat where both the lodging and the movement room are wonderful, and the fantastic food made by Karine is reason enough to come and stay.

Now both groups have BBAT work to do at home and reports to send in. When that is done, they are ready for the next step; BBAT2 or BBAT3.

Dannie and I are planning to host both BBAT1 and BBAT3 in Phare Cap-Chat in 2026. We hope to reach several physiotherapists that are eager to learn and experience Basic Body Awareness Therapy. We are ready!