Design of environmental references – somatic composition

Aim of the training The aim of the training is to understand and accompany body perception processes, to use them for the care of our self-world relationship and the design of our living environments, and to incorporate them into our responsibility for the common good! Environmental Somatics practice is oriented toward experienced sensing ability and physical presence, thereby strengthening agency and situational adaptation and attunement. Practicing Environmental Somatics means: • continue fundamental learning as it is inherent in our being alive! • Strengthen physical and mental resilience through play and exploration! • Bring about change with awareness and commitment! • Experience being connected as support for shaping the future! • enable experimental and creative application and communication in our areas of life! Through our senses and our (self-)movement, we are constantly in dialogue with our surroundings. In doing so, we simultaneously "understand" ourselves and our environment. Environmental Somatics uses the constant environmental connection of our senses to enable us to make decisions and place our actions in a meaningful context while we are exposed to the challenges and stimuli of our environment. Skills are trained to use our own bodily experience in different situations and environments as a source of regeneration and confidence, endurance and concentration, communication and creativity, and for the ability to act thoughtfully. During the training, participants will visit various urban and natural landscapes, as well as public spaces, to learn about the principles of human perception in diverse environments, stimulate their own sensory abilities, and experience new experiences of relatedness through unfamiliar frames of perception. In playful, artistic and research-based, reflective sections of the course, the teaching units are dedicated to understanding learning and development theories, embodiment philosophy, perceptual physiology, and anatomy. This provides a theoretical foundation for experiences of movement and perception. The respective relationships and interactions with the environments are explored, analyzed, and discussed. Improvisational and compositional principles support the diverse adaptation of somatic practice to cultural, social, architectural, aesthetic, and landscape conditions. This creates an application-oriented foundation in the field of somatic pedagogy. The training takes place in 5 modules over 1.5 years, part-time in Berlin and the surrounding area, as well as with 2 trips to the Alps and the Baltic Sea. In addition to the teaching modules, the training includes: • 3 individual coaching sessions of 60 minutes each outside of the modules • 3 group coaching sessions outside of the modules • Individual project support and peer evaluation • Feedback on your own text production • 2 guided mock presentations • Organizational and content-related support for the final presentation and its evaluation • Additional teaching materials Methods and content • Feldenkrais Method • Experiential anatomy and physiology • Improvisation • Meditation practices • Outdoor activities Input from • Body Philosophy • Cognitive Science • Artistic Research The training is suitable as a supplement or reorientation of a wide variety of professional areas: For example, architects can incorporate the intensification of spatial perception into their planning drafts, urban planners can consider sensory aspects when designing social spaces, or teachers can learn teaching strategies to create immediate experiential spaces for their lessons in an increasingly virtual world. Who is the training aimed at? The training is aimed at all those who want to use somatic strategies in a constructive, visionary and respectful way to shape our living environments and our coexistence. It enables the individual embedding of the content and practices in different fields of action and leads to certification by the Somatic Academy Berlin with a final public presentation. The participants learn to apply body-perception in private, professional, social or political action. Curriculum of the training This training program comprises 250 hours with a total of 5 modules, of which the first 4 modules can also be booked independently. The language of instruction is based on the group: English (with German partial translation) Module 1 26.05. - 30.05.2025 | Body & Environment | Berlin and Surroundings | with Katja Münker Fundamentals of somatic pedagogy and its application in environmental contexts Experience in the application of somatic approaches is gathered in various urban and natural landscapes and their effects are compared. Based on the Feldenkrais Method and experiential anatomy, an understanding of states of presence, movement, and environmental perception is conveyed. Improvisation and meditation exercises train the ability to be place-based. Module 2 27.09. 04.10.2025 | Orientation & Paths | Alps | with Katja Münker Development of movement, orientation, and navigation in mountainous terrain Based on the Feldenkrais Method and experiential anatomy, the human ability to orientate using the nervous system and senses is taught Exploration of both internal and landscape paths, allowing for site-specific, improvisational action and a fulfilling connection with the environment Module 3 28.03. 29.03.2026 | Research & Documentation | Berlin Somatic Academy | with Andrea Keiz and Susanne Martin Strategies and forms of reflection from artistic research are applied to somatic processes | Fundamentals of artistic/somatic research Critical reflection of one's own somatic and creative processes Development of one's own documentation practice appropriate to the research subject Module 4 23.05. 30.05.2026 | Dimensions & Interconnectedness | Baltic Sea, Rügen | with Katja Münker Expands and deepens orientation skills through the exploration of experiential dimensions of height, depth, width, as well as proximity and distance. Based on philosophical and neuroscientific principles, a deeper understanding of relatedness and empathy is conveyed. The focus of the body themes is on spatial and environmental perception, breathing, and the ability to resonate. Module 5 29.09. 04.10.2026 | Designing Environmental Relationships | Berlin & Surroundings | with Katja Münker Strategies for designing lively, inspiring, and responsible body/perception-based experience formats Development of theme- and location-specific, somatic outdoor projects Body/perception-based skills in leading/leading and following/following are trained for working with groups. The training concludes with the implementation of an individual outdoor project. Training team Pedagogical management: Katja Münker (Feldenkrais Method / Somatics / Dance/Choreography / Artistic Research / Walking Art / Mountain Hiking Guide) Guest lecturers: • Andrea Keiz (Video Documentation / Video Art) • Susanne Martin (PhD, Dance / Performance / Research) • Undine Eberlein (Dr. phil., Philosophy of the Body / Somatic Research)