The Trager® Professional Training: Sidelying Elective
In this Elective class for practitioners and students, we focus on reviewing and expanding on the tablework vocabulary with the client in the sidelying position. This material may be briefly presented in the rest of the Core Curriculum. The class highlights the importance of emotional support for your clients, as well as keeping clear boundaries and deepening Hook-up. You’ll be encouraged to develop or expand your own vocabulary of freer and easier movements through a deeper listening to the tissue and a playful balance of basic Trager principles.
Upcoming Training
Weekends
September 11-14, 2025
in Charlottesville, Virginia
Join us in Charlottesville for a Trager® Sidelying Elective, September 11–14, 2025, from 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM each day.
This four-day class offers an in-depth exploration of Trager tablework in the sidelying position, an approach particularly well-suited for clients with physical sensitivities, chronic pain, mobility challenges, advanced age, or histories of emotional and sexual trauma. Sidelying provides a sense of security and ease, allowing for greater access to breath, spinal movement, and deeper tissue listening while maintaining clear boundaries and supportive presence.
Through guided practice, discussion, and hands-on exploration, you’ll refine your ability to adapt Trager principles to meet the needs of each client. You’ll learn to cultivate more responsive touch, expand your movement vocabulary, and deepen Hook-up to facilitate greater freedom and ease. This elective also emphasizes practitioner self-care, helping you develop efficient and sustainable ways to work with less effort and more attunement.
Registration includes the training weekend, 24 NCBTMB-approved Continuing Education credits, and lifetime-access to digital resources including review videos of the material.
Prerequisites: At least Level One Trager Training and current membership in the USTA, or permission from instructor.
Cost: Sliding Scale Access — $450 — $600 — $750
Register Now
Spaces are limited—reserve your spot today!
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$750 Movement Arts Supporter Price
$600 Regular Price (Note: This amount reflects the “real” value of this workshop)
$450 Need a Hand Price
$150 non-refundable deposit to be paid at time of registration.
Our sliding scale payment model is inspired by and borrowed from the payment model of Bayo Akomolafe’s class, We Will Dance With Mountains: Into the Cracks.
This workshop offers a sliding scale based on your relative financial standing. In an effort to reflect disparity in economic condition and access to wealth, the following payment system is designed for those with more wealth to help cover the costs of those with less access to wealth and resources. We trust your discernment of your current financial situation and how you fit into the global economic context.
As you decide what amount to pay, please consider your present-day financial situation governed by income, but also the following factors: historical discrimination faced by your peoples; your financial wealth (retirement/savings/investments); your access to income and financial wealth, both current and anticipated (how easily could you earn more income compared to other people in your community, country, and the world; are you expecting an inheritance); people counting on your financial livelihood including dependents and community members; the socio-economic conditions of your locale (relative to other places in your country and in the world); your relationship to food & resource scarcity.
Please email Wilfred at wilfred.trager@gmail.com for more info, or if you are feeling challenged in any way by the financial requirements of participation.
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201 Douglas Avenue (corner of Lyman St.), in the Belmont Neighborhood of Charlottesville, VA.
An intimate sun-filled, private studio. Convenient street parking. Entrance at rear.
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Thurs – 10:30-1, 2:30-5:30 (6 hours)
Fri– 10:30-1, 2:30-5:30 (6 hours)
Sat– 10:30-1, 2:30-5:30 (6 hours)
Sun– 10:30-1, 2:30-5:30 (6 hours)
We’ll take an hour and a half for lunch each day.
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The Trager® ApproachCertification is a comprehensive training in somatic movement education and therapy. It consists of three progressive levels of instruction combined with fieldwork (practice sessions and mentorship tutorials). Each level builds upon the previous, deepening your understanding of touch, movement, and somatic awareness, while refining the skills needed for professional practice.
Level 1: Foundations of Trager® Movement Therapy
Learn a full Trager tablework session protocol
Explore Mentastics (gentle, mindful movement for self-care and client integration)
Develop touch sensitivity, presence, and ease in movement
Discuss ethics, fieldwork preparation, and foundational somatic principles
Training format: Discussion, demonstration, and supervised practice
Level 2: Expanding Skill and Application
Deepen Trager tablework techniques, with adaptations for specific client needs
Expand movement vocabulary in supine, prone, and sidelying positions
Develop greater skill in sharing Mentastics for client self-care
Learn variations that allow for more refined and responsive touch
Continue ethics discussions and fieldwork preparation
Format remains similar to Level 1, with a focus on broadening application and intention
Level 3: Integration and Professional Readiness
Refine Level 1 and 2 protocols, focusing on clinical adaptability
Learn to work in a client-centered way, attuning to individual needs
Explore Trager Movement Education and Mind/Body Integration
Discuss professional ethics, private practice development, and promotional strategies
Gain experience in giving demonstrations and communicating the work
Finalize skill integration and prepare for certification evaluation
Practice & Supervision Requirements
Between each level, students complete:
✔ At least 30 practice sessions with documentation
✔ Receive at least 10 sessions (at least 2 from certified Trager Practitioners)
✔ Supervised mentorship & feedback with Trager TutorsThis structure supports embodied learning, professional confidence, and readiness for certification.
