Early bird price of $197 held until August 8, 2025 / $247 thereafterPlease join us for this innovative new webinar series focused on working with women postpartum, with Anatomy Trains Senior teacher Michael Watson.
This series will be 4 x 2 hour zoom webinar livestream sessions, with a combination of anatomical principles and demonstrations on a live model for postural assessment, strategy, cueing, and manual and movement therapy for women postpartum. Students will have lifetime access to the recordings.
This course will be provided over Zoom webinar with live chat and Q&A.
Course schedule
Session 1: Saturday, August 9, 2025
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM EDT
Session 2: Sunday, August 10, 2025
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM EDT
Session 3: Saturday, August 23, 2025
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM EDT
Session 4: Sunday, August 24, 2025
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM EDT
Session 1: Goals & Principles of Structural Integration in the Postpartum Body
Duration: 2 hours
Part 1: Foundations of SI in the Postpartum Period
- Introduction to Structural Integration: Ida Rolf’s legacy
- Understanding postpartum physiology and fascia: changes in the body’s tensegrity model
- Why SI matters postpartum: the role of gravity, structure, and sensory awareness
Part 2: Core Goals of Postpartum SI
- Reestablishing core line and grounding
- Reorganizing pelvic-lumbar relationships
- Supporting myofascial decompression and hydration
- Enhancing somatic presence and psycho-emotional integration
Part 3: Fascial Adaptations During Pregnancy & Birth
- Myofascial elongation and shortening patterns
- Pelvic diaphragm strain and tailbone torque
- Scar tissue impact (e.g., cesarean, episiotomy)
- Visceral repositioning and breath limitations
Part 4: Body Mapping & Assessment
- Hands-on fascial listening
- SI-style body reading in standing and walking
- Identifying asymmetries in the pelvis, legs, and breath
- Postpartum timeline: when to begin and contraindications
Practice Demo: Postpartum fascial glide tests and pelvic tilt assessment
Session 2: The Pelvis, Core & Breath
Duration: 2 hours
Part 1: Pelvic Floor Integration
- Layers of the pelvic floor: anatomy, fascial connections (via the Deep Front Line)
- Addressing pelvic pain, prolapse, urinary incontinence
- Re-establishing tone and lift without over-contraction
Part 2: Abdominal Wall & Diastasis Recti
- Fascial sheath of the rectus abdominis and transversalis
- SI strategies to support natural closure
- How to work without reinforcing splinting or bracing patterns
Part 3: Breath & Core Coordination
- Rib cage mobility and postural restoration
- Relationship between breath, pelvic floor, and thoracic outlet
- Breathwork as a fascial decompression tool
Practice Demo:
- Pelvic lift with breath awareness
- Fascial work around the pubic arch and iliacus
- Diaphragmatic decompression techniques
Session 3: Reclaiming Spine, Ribs & Upper Body
Duration: 2 hours
Part 1: The Breastfeeding Body
- Forward head, collapsed sternum, internally rotated shoulders
- SI techniques to support spine length and thoracic decompression
- Working with the intercostals, serratus anterior, scalenes
Part 2: Repatterning Arm & Shoulder Use
- Upper limb strain from carrying and lifting
- Fascia connections from shoulder to pelvis (Superficial Front/Back Lines)
- SI strategies for scapular release and clavicle opening
Part 3: Restoring Spinal Continuity
- Lumbar compression patterns from birth positions and carrying
- T12, sacrum, and coccyx relationships
- SI work to restore spinal wave and segmental articulation
Practice Demo:
- Rolfing-inspired side-lying spinal decompression
- Arm line fascial glide work
- Breast tissue and pectoral myofascial release (with consent & draping)
Session 4: Integration, Movement & Psycho-Emotional Recovery
Duration: 2 hours
Part 1: Fascial Integration through Movement
- From table to movement: why movement is crucial postpartum
- Gait, posture, and dynamic balance restoration
- Rebuilding the spiral lines: contralateral movement and rotation
Part 2: Psycho-Emotional Landscape of Postpartum
- Somato-emotional patterns in the pelvic floor and diaphragm
- Touch as safety: trauma-sensitive SI practice
- Listening touch and the importance of pacing
Part 3: Creating a Personal Integration Plan
- Mapping a 5–12 session SI sequence for postpartum clients
- Adapting the 12-Series or Principles Model
- Home exercises and movement prescriptions
Practice Demo:
- Standing wave exercise
- Embodied cueing for core and pelvic floor
- Partner touch practice: listening hands on sacrum
Michael Watson’s journey of self-discovery has led him around the world, teaching and sharing his passion for anatomy and alternative modalities of exercise and therapy.
Beyond yoga, Pilates and Anatomy Trains teaching certifications, Michael leads advanced training programs, retreats and clinics worldwide. He has worked with athletes with disabilities at the Paralympic level of training and continues to develop ideas that bring an integrated approach to health, movement and wellness. As a certified teacher of Yoga, Pilates, functional anatomy and with a degree in Sports science, Michael brings an in depth awareness to his clients based on a strong understanding of anatomy, the body and its function.
A proud father of 3 home birthed children, Michael is also a natural birth advocate and works progressively in his home base of Bermuda alongside his wife in bringing awareness to birth and reforming birth options for women.
