Starting Time
Class Matriculation: Saturday, February 15, 2014, 9:00 AM
Studio Helix, Northampton, MA (click here to see below for address and directions).
Classes Begin: Saturday, February 15, 2014, after Matriculation.
Module End
Final class sessions for the first module end Sunday night, February 23, 2014, at or before 7 PM. Any travel arrangements you make should allow you to leave the classroom at 7 PM or later. If leaving earlier than 7 PM due to travel plans, students should be aware that missed time will need to be made-up at an additional fee.
The first semester ends Sunday night, April 13, 2014, at approximately 8:30 PM. Any travel arrangements you make should allow you to leave after 8 PM. The final day includes an end-of-semester dinner for the entire class.
Location
Your first training module takes place at Studio Helix, 150 Main Street, 3rd Floor, Northampton, MA 01060. Studio Helix is a beautiful movement, bodywork, and physical therapy center, which also happens to be founded and operated by a graduate of our Somatics Professional Training Program.
Studio Helix is located on the top floor of Thornes Marketplace, a old-fashioned New England mini-mall built in an old-time former New England department store. Thornes is filled with movement studios, holistic services, book stores, clothing and other retail, health food, and dining. Additionally, Thornes is at the center of downtown, surrounded by food and shops of all kind, providing you with quick and easy access to virtually every local convenience. There are even several food markets both in Thornes and around Main Street, if you are in need of stocking up on food for your stay when you arrive.
Inside Thornes, there are both elevators and stairs running from the lower basement all the way up to the top floor. When you enter Thornes from Main Street or from the back entrance, you can walk a few hundred feet straight to the stairs (visible from the Main Street entrance) or the elevator (to your left just before the stairs) and head on up to Studio Helix.
See the map below or click here for a map.
Parking
Parking can be hard to come by on the streets of Northampton (although it is relatively easy early in the morning), and meters on the main streets limit parking to an hour or two. Fortunately, Northampton's main E. John Gare Municipal Parking Garage was designed for long-term daily parking downtown, and it is located behind and connected to Thornes. You can park in the Parking Garage and from there, directly enter into the ground floor of Thornes. Here are some additional links for parking information:
- Thornes Marketplace parking info, including the E. John Gare Municipal Parking Garage
- City of Northampton's parking lots info page
Classroom Attire
Please feel free to come to class dressed comfortably. You will be working with classmates as clients, and taking the role of clients for your classmates. You may wish to wear clothes that you would wear when receiving a Somatics session in your regular life. Typically, this means loose fitting pants and shirts and/or other attire that allows you to move comfortably and without significant restriction; and that does not impede either client or practitioner from feeling tactile feedback. (Denim jeans are usually problematic, for example.) This is a two-way street: It is important for you as a practitioner and exerciser to be able to learn, explore, and perform at your best; and it is fair to your classmates to be available as a fully mobile client. Remember to be considerate with your hygiene — keeping your body and breath free of excessive odor (including perfumes) and wearing clean socks and other clothing. Just as you should wear clothing that allows you to move without discomfort for you or your classmates (e.g., no skirts or dresses), because your classmates will be moving your legs and feet during practice times, you should pack enough socks to wear them to class everyday. If you have any questions about class attire, please call or email us for assistance.
