Spring 2026 Cohort · Montreal STUDY GROUP · Canada

Montreal
Study Group​

Seven Saturday sessions in Montreal — combined with the Baseworks Primer online course — for people who are already physically active and want to refine how they perceive and control their own movement.
April 4–May 16, 2026
Seven Saturdays
Mile End, Montreal
Small Cohort
Format
In-Person + Online
Language
English
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The Gap

You can train regularly, stay fit, and still not really feel how your body moves.

Most approaches to physical education focus on what you do — the exercises, the reps, the poses, the technique. Baseworks focuses on how you do it: the quality of attention you bring to movement, the precision of how you activate your body, the awareness of what is actually happening as you move through space.

The result is a kind of understanding about your own movement that doesn’t come from physical conditioning alone — and that transfers to everything you do with your body in daily life and other physical practices.

Participants

Who this resonates with

People come to this program from different backgrounds, but they tend to share common traits.
PHYSICAL BACKGROUND

They’re already physically active — in dance, sports, yoga, martial arts, strength training, or another regular practice — and they’ve started to notice a gap between what their body can do and what they actually feel or understand while doing it.

COMMON EXPERIENCE

They may have received advice or corrections that never quite stuck, or they sense that coordination or body awareness isn’t keeping pace with their physical capability. Or they’re simply curious about the mechanics of how they move — not just the outcomes.

MOVEMENT PROFESSIONALS

Movement educators and professionals across disciplines — dance, yoga, Pilates, physiotherapy, somatic practice — often find it adds precision and analytical depth their primary training didn’t address.

The Program

What to expect

IN-PERSON 7 Saturday Sessions 12 Hours · Small Cohort + ONLINE 79 Baseworks Primer Lessons 12+ Hours · Self-Paced · Conceptual Foundation 24+ Hours INTEGRATED LEARNING
The Program

What to expect

This seven-week program combines hands-on practice with online conceptual study, introducing you to Baseworks’ distinctive approach to movement and awareness.

You’ll attend 7 in-person sessions across seven consecutive Saturdays, in a small cohort and a space dedicated to movement education, while completing the Baseworks Primer — a self-paced online course that works hand-in-hand with your in-person learning.

Together, this is 24+ hours of integrated learning that develops perceptual and foundational movement skills — useful across all physical activity, and developed here through structured attention and practice.

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Real Skills in Awareness, Control, Adaptation

What changes

Practitioners from different backgrounds and countries on what changes when you develop a clearer understanding of how your body moves.

"On body awareness, focus, and learning to effectively relieve tension and sciatica"

Althea

Canada | Coder | Videographer

"On developing a long-term approach to physical well-being, enhancing comfort, and opening the mind to sustainable practices"

Morten

Denmark | Google Cloud Japan | Former competitive footballer

"On the impact of developing body-awareness through embracing gradual progress, accepting limitations, and maintaining patience while learning and growing at one's own natural pace."

Daria

United Kingdom | Journalist | Digital Producer

In Person

Study Group schedule

7 sessions · 12 hours of hands-on practice, building capacity through direct experience
# Date Time
1 Saturday, April 4, 2026 9:10–10:50 AM
2 Saturday, April 11, 2026 1:10–2:50 PM
3 Saturday, April 18, 2026 9:10–10:50 AM
4 Saturday, April 25, 2026 9:10–10:50 AM
5 Saturday, May 2, 2026 12:10–1:50 PM
6 Saturday, May 9, 2026 12:10–1:50 PM
7 Saturday, May 16, 2026 12:10–1:50 PM
VENUE

Proto Studio — Mile End, Montreal

5333 Av. Casgrain, Montréal, QC H2T 1X3

Proto Studio is a creative residency space in Mile End dedicated to movement education, performance, and community. The studios are on the 11th floor with natural light and views of Mont Royal. A comfortable common area is available before and after sessions.

Access details sent upon booking confirmation.
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Online

Baseworks Primer: Your conceptual foundation

10 segments · 79 lessons · Smart Practice, cohort forum, and community forum — the conceptual companion to your in-person work.

Your learning begins before our first in-person session. The Baseworks Primer is a self-paced online course covering the foundational principles of movement patterns, distributed activation, intensity modification, and movement transitions — forming the conceptual vocabulary for everything you practice in person.

The platform is built to directly reinforce what you learn in person — each feature plays a specific role in how the program works:

Smart Practice

Cycles through the Applied Practice Labs, prompting you to revisit material at the right intervals so the work builds through repetition.

Your Cohort Forum

A closed space exclusively for your group — active throughout the program and beyond. Ask questions, exchange observations, and receive detailed responses from us. A genuine learning resource, with direct exchange between you, your cohort, and us.

Primer Community Forum

Connects you with Baseworks students worldwide — a broader, ongoing conversation across all cohorts and self-directed learners taking the course independently.

Primer course device group mobile 1
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Access & Extension:

Your Primer access begins immediately upon enrollment and is valid for three months. Complete all 12 segments within that window and your access extends to a full year, including all future course updates and the full forum archive.

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Who you'll work with

Learn directly from the founders and developers of Baseworks.

Patrick Oancia

Founder & Co-Developer

Baseworks founder with over 30 years of experience in education, movement & contemplative practices. Established interdisciplinary movement studios in Tokyo, serving over 16,000 practitioners — with a combined attendance of over half a million — from 2003 through innovative educational movement programs.

Background:

  • Competitive Athletics
  • Creative Arts
  • Interdisciplinary Education

Asia Shcherbakova

Co-Developer & Director of Research

Biologist with expertise in neuroscience. Asia “reverse engineered” the Baseworks method from a scientific perspective, creating educational frameworks that explain the neuroscience behind its applications.

Expertise:

  • Cognitive Science
  • Movement Research
  • Biology
  • Linguistics
Outcomes

What you'll develop

A new way of understanding how your body moves — not just that it’s moving, but how and why.

Spatial and body awareness that transfers beyond the practice itself, into other areas of your life

The capacity to self-adjust in real time — to recognise when something isn’t working and understand the reason.

A foundation for long-term movement practice built on attention and understanding rather than habit and repetition.

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Before You Enroll

Is this the right program for you?

Personal Condition

This is an active learning program focused on movement study. If you’re in a recovery phase or managing a physical or mental health condition, our FAQ below addresses whether this program may be a good fit.

Time Commitment

Engagement with the Baseworks Primer online material between sessions is required — not as supplementary material, but as the conceptual foundation that makes the in-person work effective. See our FAQ below for a full breakdown of the time commitment.

Program Objectives

The focus is awareness, understanding, and movement study. It rewards patience, curiosity, and sustained engagement. If you’re unsure whether that aligns with your goals, reach out before enrolling.

From the community

Comments from practitioners across Baseworks programs
❝ It was interesting to be working on the whole body. I feel more aware of all my movements.❞
MaryamCanada | Data scientist
❝ What I found especially interesting was the Midline. I’m realizing that my midline is chronically out of alignment almost 24 hours of the day. I’m doing other somatic things and something have changed with the relationship between pelvis, jaw, and spine.❞
MatthewProgrammer | USA
❝ It was all interesting. I especially enjoy the sensation of getting the balance of distributed activation which then allows a freer sense of performing micro movements within it. I loved the content and appreciate shorter videos. Makes the information easier to digest and also makes me feel I had time to rewatch the videos to help with practising and absorbing the new information. On the first 2 days of practising, I feel I slept better. I feel more positive in my body.❞
VictoriaPhysiotherapist | UK
❝ Through Baseworks, I gained a deeper self-understanding because the commitment to a daily practice resulted in a more informed analysis of the outcomes. The most significant change for me was gaining clarity on my current condition, which helped me move beyond using "good and bad" as indicators of progress.❞
MikiJapan | Dancer, Yoga Instructor
❝ I feel that Baseworks gives you a sense of compounded accomplishment and relaxation over a long period of time, rather than the more fleeting feeling of exhilaration and relaxation you get from other physical practices.❞
AnnaJapan | Yoga Instructor
❝ From a physical level, the general condition of my body has improved, especially around my hip/groin/pelvis area where I believe I was very tight. I often attend yoga classes, and what I learned in Baseworks also applies now in yoga. Baseworks has taught me a far more in-depth account of how to move my body during a yoga class.❞
StacyUK | Educator, Special Needs Advocate
❝ For most of my life, I participated in team sports and martial arts. I felt that Baseworks was safer in many ways to support sustainability in training. Implementing the Distributed Activation principle and focusing on thoracic and lumbar spine movements were particularly beneficial.❞
ChikaraJapan | Therapist, Martial Artist, Caregiver

FAQ

Most exercise and movement practices focus on physical results — strength, flexibility, or technique. Baseworks is designed specifically for developing awareness and understanding of movement first, which naturally improves both physical and cognitive capability. The work is technical, attentional, and often feels genuinely unfamiliar, even to those with extensive physical backgrounds.

This program is designed for people who are already physically active — whether through sports, dance, yoga, strength training, or another regular practice. You should be comfortable with sustained physical effort, holding specific body positions for extended periods, and getting up and down from the floor with ease. If you’re currently in a rehabilitation phase or are primarily sedentary, this program may not be the right starting point.

Our method is built around adaptation strategies and working with and around limitations. We will never ask you to do anything that is painful or worsens your condition. Please feel free to contact us — we can help determine whether the program is the right fit.

Baseworks approaches movement in ways that challenge even those with well-developed physical backgrounds. The work is technical, demands precise attention, and often feels unfamiliar regardless of background. Many participants find it both novel and relevant.

Sessions are practice-based — you learn the Baseworks approach by doing it, with guided instruction, occasional partner work, and hands-on feedback. The in-person format allows for real-time correction that deepens the understanding you build through the online Primer between sessions.

The program includes 7 in-person sessions (12 hours of hands-on practice) and the Baseworks Primer online course (12+ hours across 79 lessons, with approximately 5 hours of assigned content mapped to the seven-week program). Most weekly assignments take between 30 and 90 minutes. We recommend spreading assignments across several days rather than completing them in a single session. (i.e., 6 to 20 minutes of study per day)

You receive 3 months of access to the Primer upon registration. If you complete it within 3 months, the access is extended to a full 12 months. Detailed guidelines are provided upon enrollment.

Attendance is encouraged, but missing a session is not an issue for most people. Missed sessions, however, are non-refundable and non-transferable. Please review the participation policy terms before enrolling.

As an international educational initiative, Baseworks currently conducts most of its programming in English — chosen for the broadest accessibility across our community.

This program is conducted in English, with English and French captions available on all video content. You’re welcome to communicate in either French or English in the online community forums. A good working command of English is recommended to get the most out of our programs.

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Past Cohorts · Montreal

Comments from Study Group participants

Montrealers from the previous Study Group cohorts, on how the program changed how they move, and understand their bodies, and teach others

I’ve always had bad posture. People would tell me to lift my shoulders. But I tended to push my shoulders back, and then I’d have lower back pain — I never knew how to be straight. After Baseworks, I understand the entire body is involved. I truly understood that the pelvis comes into play, that my shoulders needed to be down and back. That it’s more about realiging the spine… I didn’t expect it to have that much of an impact. It affects how you do your exercises, how you walk, how you stand at a bus stop.

Magali

Montreal · Preschool educator · Active in dance, team sports, endurance sports

When I read about Baseworks, I thought: yes, this will add more to my teaching. Very quickly I felt the inner effect — a kind of inward expansion, a greater freedom… something like: wow, I love this. I introduced some Baseworks concepts into my own teaching, and I noticed very quickly that people were much more focused and had better balance. I find it very comprehensive and well structured — you learn through visuals, reading, and practice.

Guylaine

Montreal · Yoga teacher (pre/postnatal, oncology, MS, seniors) · 30+ years in movement education

I really enjoyed it. Made me more aware of how my body moves and how it’s connected to my brain. Instead of just moving, I focus on how my muscles work and how my body stays balanced. Using holds and “simple” movements (not visibly complex) with focus and control helps me better understand my body’s architecture. Being aware of micro and macro movements will be something that i pay attention to throughout the day.

Steve robbins

Steve

Montreal · Entrepreneur, Founding Board Member of a National Environmental/Educational Charity

Enrollment for the Study Program & Course

What's Included

7 in-person sessions at Proto Studio

12 hours of hands-on practice — not available separately

Baseworks Primer online course

79 lessons, 12+ hours · Standalone value: $197 USD

Dedicated cohort community forum

Active throughout the program and beyond

Smart Practice & interactive features

Included with Primer platform access

Primer Community Forum

Ongoing conversation across all Baseworks cohorts worldwide

  • Prices shown in CAD$ (approximate conversion from USD)
  • Select CAD$ as your currency at check out to reflect pricing.
  • Actual charges in CAD$ may vary based on daily exchange rates
  • Canadian residents: Sales tax will be applied
  • The online course has to be completed within 3 months of enrollment
  • Registration closes 4 days before the program begins, or earlier if cohort is full

Pricing / Enrollment

Registration closes 4 days before the program begins. Enrollment may close earlier if the cohort reaches capacity.
Montreal Study Group - Spring 2026 Cohort
CAD$279(+tax)
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By purchasing any event or online offerings, you agree to our participation terms. We cannot process or accept bookings made on behalf of family members or friends.

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