These workshops are not about learning more exercises.
They are about learning how to think, see, and feel movement differently.
Most instructors learn choreography.
Very few are taught how to see, feel, and change movement patterns — in themselves or their clients.
The Other Side of the Mat is a year-long workshop series designed specifically for instructors who want to deepen their understanding of breath, stability, mobility, and alignment — beyond cueing and sequences.
This series focuses on what often gets missed in traditional training:
- How to train your eye, not just recognize a faulty pattern
- How to intervene effectively when movement isn’t working
- How to embody the work so your cueing becomes clearer, subtler, and more impactful
ANCHOR WORKSHOP
Seeing, Feeling, and Changing Movement Patterns
This is the foundation of the entire series and is highly recommended before attending any other workshop.
In this immersive session, instructors learn how to:
- Step out of performance mode and into sensory awareness
- Feel their own compensations instead of working around them
- Understand why certain cues “don’t land” in clients
- Begin training their eye to identify why a movement isn’t working — not just that it isn’t
This workshop sets the language, framework, and expectations for all future sessions.
1. Rib Cage Control: Beyond Cueing “Knitting the Ribs”
Fix rib cage flare for good — without overcorrection.
This workshop breaks down the difference between:
- Over-bracing vs. true spinal stability
- Rib cage mobility vs. rib cage control
- Awareness vs. rigidity
Instructors will learn how to:
- Improve rib cage mobility to support breath and spinal organization
- Address flare without locking down movement
- Teach stability that adapts, rather than restricts
2. Footwork Is Not a Warm-Up
The foundation of proprioception, coordination, and clarity. Footwork is often rushed — yet it is one of the most powerful tools for:
- Developing body awareness
- Improving coordination and load transfer
- Organizing the nervous system
This workshop explores:
- Advanced footwork cueing strategies
- How foot placement influences the entire kinetic chain
- Tools to elevate both your personal practice and your teaching
You’ll never teach (or perform) footwork the same way again.
3. The Box Reconsidered
Two familiar exercises. Endless new possibilities.
This workshop redefines two commonly used box exercises and reveals how subtle changes can:
- Improve client outcomes
- Expand your programming options
- Add depth and longevity to familiar sequences
Small adjustments, big shifts — enough material to reshape your classes for weeks.
4. Spinal Mobility Reality Check
What you think you have vs. what your body is actually doing.
Many instructors feel mobile — until an experienced eye shows them otherwise.
This session helps instructors:
- Identify hidden restrictions and compensations
- Understand why “range” doesn’t always equal control
- Explore strategies for improving spinal mobility safely and effectively
Expect insight, humility, and real breakthroughs.
5. The Exercises You Can’t Figure Out
The ones you love, the ones you avoid — and why.
Every instructor has:
- Exercises they love but can’t quite feel “right”
- Exercises they avoid because something always feels off
This workshop is a collaborative exploration of those movements:
- Why certain exercises don’t work in your body
- How alignment and strategy shift perception
- How changing the approach can completely change the experience
Often, the exercise you hate becomes the one you finally understand — and love.
why kawayan strength?
These workshops are rooted in:
Breath
mechanics
Stability before mobility
Functional movement patterns
Nervous system awareness
WORKSHOP FORMAT
- Small group (max 6 participants)
- Hands-on guidance and feedback
- Discussion, movement, and applied strategy
- Designed for immediate integration into teaching
