The stages by which a child learns to achieve upright posture and the full range of motor skills is a remarkable journey from the most primitive to the most advanced forms of balance and locomotion. As adults, studying these developmental movements makes it possible to effect improvements in the working of the muscular system, to gain insight into how to move efficiently, and to progress from more basic to more advanced forms of balance and support.

This Fall, Ted Dimon will be offering an in-depth course on the principles of developmental movement.

Topics to be covered:
  • Observation and description of developmental stages
  • Vertebrate evolution and design (head/trunk, tensegrity)
  • Neural organization and sensory systems (touch, proprioception, autonomic nervous system)
  • Anatomical systems (extensor/flexor systems, spirals of trunk and limbs)
  • Embryonic and infant development
  • Pedagogical elements
  • Observation and the practice of non-doing
  • Directing and the organization of awareness
  • Study of infantile sequences
  • Exploration of postures and their relation to sensory and autonomic function
  • The study of movement, proprioception, and inhibitory control


This will be an intensive course, with both practical and theoretical material. There will be readings from Ted's book, Principles of Developmental Movement: A Manual on Bodily Awareness and Control, and a great deal of practical exploration in every class. We will explore five key stages:

  1. Prone and supine, or lying fully supported on the ground
  2. Primary crawling and foetal positions (elbows, knees, forehead)
  3. Crawling on all fours
  4. Clambering and four-footed support of the trunk
  5. Rotational movements


Course overview: Beginning Tuesday, September 15, 2026. Classes will be held at 10:00 AM NYC time, Tuesdays and Thursdays, with a review each Friday, for a total of 16 classes and 8 review sessions. Classes will be 90 minutes long; reviews will be 60 minutes long.

Each live session will be recorded, and the recordings will be posted here to allow students to view them later.

Tuition: EARLY-BIRD PRICING DISCOUNT IS IN EFFECT. Tuition cost will be $250 till August 15, when it will increase to $300. Please note the options above to make use of extended payment plans.

Weekly Schedule

Classes Tuesdays and Thursdays 10-11:30am, with review on Fridays 12-1pm

Week 1. Basic Principles of Sensorimotor Awareness
Topic: Review of basic principles
Tuesday (9/15): The organizing principle of movement and the background function of muscle
Thursday (9/17): The role of thinking and awareness in restoring the natural system
Reading: Chaps. 1-2, Principles of Developmental Movement; see also Chaps. 4-5, Sensorimotor Awareness: A Kinesthetic Guide to the Body in Action

Week 2. The Sense of Touch 
Topic: The role of tactile feedback in movement
Tuesday (9/22): The prone position and total body support
Thursday (9/24): Feedback, cranial nerves, and autonomic function
Reading: Chap. 6, Chap. 8, pp. 93-95, Chap. 9, Principles of Developmental Movement

Week 3. Proprioception: Identifying Tension
Topic: Kinesthetic awareness: What is it and how do we use it?
Tuesday (9/29): The role of support in kinesthetic awareness
Thursday (10/1): The preventive role of kinesthetic awareness
Reading: Chap. 7, Principles of Developmental Movement

Week 4. Crawling 
Topic: The mechanics of crawling and how we interfere with our natural design
Tuesday (10/6): Breaking down the movement: homolateral crawling
Thursday (10/8): Breaking down the movement: contralateral crawling
Reading: Chap. 10, Principles of Developmental Movement

Week 5. Clambering 
Topic: Clambering, upright posture, and lengthening in stature
Tuesday (10/13): The head/trunk relationship and four-footed movement
Thursday (10/15): Clambering sequences
Reading: Chap. 12, Principles of Developmental Movement

Week 6: Vertebrate Evolution and Our Tensegrity Design
Topic: Our vertebrate design and its importance to movement
Tuesday (10/20): Primary crawling, resting on your haunches, and fetal position
Thursday (10/22): Crawling on elbows and knees
Reading: Chaps. 4, 5, and 11, Principles of Developmental Movement

Week 7. Rotational Movement and the Spiral Musculature
Topic: The double-spiral arrangement of the head and trunk
Tuesday (10/27): Rolling over
Thursday (10/29): Reptilian posture and rotational movement
Reading: Chap. 13, Principles of Developmental Movement

Week 8. The Spirals of the Limbs 
Topic: Moving the arms and legs and the embryology of the limb spirals
Tuesday (11/3): Flipper movements of the arms
Thursday (11/5): Flipper movements of the legs
Reading: Chap. 14, Principles of Developmental Movement

Wrap-Up, Review, and Follow-Up Classes

Course curriculum

    1. Sept 15 - The organizing principle of movement

    2. Sept 17 - The role of thinking and awareness

    3. Sept 18 - Weekly Review

    1. Sept 22 - The prone position and total body support

    2. Sept 24 - Feedback, cranial nerves

    3. Sept 25 - Weekly Review

    1. Sept 29 - Proprioception

    2. Oct 1 - The preventive role of kinesthetic awareness

    3. Oct 2 - Weekly Review

    1. Oct 6 - Breaking down the movement

    2. Oct 8 - Crawling

    3. Oct 9 - Weekly Review

    1. Oct 13 - Primary Crawling

    2. Oct 15 - Clambering Sequences

    1. Oct 20 - Clambering

    2. Oct 22 - Clambering Sequences

    3. Oct 23 - Weekly Review

A course on bodily awareness and control