Session 2 Summary: Trajectory, Converge & Ascend
Group: Montreal Study Group: 2026 Spring Cohort Author: Patrick | Posted: 2026-04-13
**Spring 2026 Smart Movement Study Program | April 11, 2026
**Session Overview
Session 2 marked the transition from introductory contact to structured practical application. At the outset, we outlined the arc of the program: from three forms in Session 1 toward over twenty by Session 7. We also introduced Ignition and Assimilation — practices covered formally in the Primer’s later segments (6 and 7), but experienced in every in-person session. The in-person work and the Primer assignments are designed to reinforce each other; the sessions extend from the home study, not replace it.
After an Ignition practice, we reviewed four forms from Session 1 — Squat, Star Form, Star Tilt, and Simple Cross Inflection — with significantly more detail than during the first session. Two new forms were covered in detail: Peak Hold (Converge focus) and Front (High) Lunge Extension (Ascend focus). We closed with an Assimilation practice and a Q&A.
Key Concepts We Explored
The Trajectory of the Program. We framed the seven-session arc at the outset: Session 1 introduced three forms with extended discussion; from here forward, each session builds practical vocabulary toward a much larger body of forms. The Primer assignments coinciding with the in-person sessions cover the first five segments. The formal study of Ignition and Assimilation (Segments 6 and 7) falls outside the in-person window, but both practices are embedded in every session. We encouraged participants to spread the assignments across the week rather than condensing them — digestion between study blocks is part of how the material lands.
@james.murray asked whether it would be better to review previous material before starting the next assignment. The answer: keep doing Smart Revisits for everything already completed. The goal isn’t to move forward at the expense of what’s already been introduced, but to keep the entire body of work active. The Smart Revisit randomizes the application so it remains non-linear by design.
Converge. The Converge focus was introduced through a comparison of V-Sit and Peak Hold. The angle formed between the upper body and thighs is the same in both — but inverted. Where gravity pulls you forward in Peak, it pulls you backward in V-Sit. The shape is identical; the muscular dynamics are completely different. Converge is broadly about the flexion dynamics of the entire body. While many Converge forms overlap with what conventional training would call “core exercises,” Peak Hold maps differently from that framing. In Peak (Lesson 3.7), the work is not to collapse into the shape but to actively hold the convergence through Distributed Activation.
Ascend. The Ascend focus was introduced through the Front (High) Lunge Extension. The principle: establish a fixed foundation with the legs and build the upper body upward from that base, without the legs contributing to the lift. This is an application of Fixing-Separating-Isolating (Lesson 3.4) — the foundation stays locked, the torso moves independently, and the isolation is expressed at the waist.
Deconditioning Navel-to-Spine. A recurring check throughout the session, particularly during Star Form. Many participants arrive with a persistent habit from other movement practices: deliberately drawing the navel toward the spine. The distinction we kept returning to is between automatic activation that arises from drawing the shoulders down, stacking the rib cage and pelvis, and pulling the legs apart (a byproduct of Distributed Activation), and deliberate navel-to-spine engagement (a different nervous system pattern entirely). The first is expected; the second needs to be unlearned.
Fixing-Separating-Isolating in Star Tilt. The most prominent teaching point in Star Tilt is the fixing stage — connecting pelvis, ribcage, and arms into one unit through Distributed Activation. The common habitual error is the upper body turning further than the hips as the form sets up, and then, during the tilt, the arms move separately from the torso. In the fixed version, ribcage and arms stay congruent with the pelvis, and the tilt is driven entirely from the hip mechanics. Star Tilt is a more complex Fixing-Separating-Isolating example than Front Lunge (the movement occurs across both hip joints simultaneously), but the fixing of the upper-body stack is the prominent element here.
Assimilation as Calibration. We closed with supine spinal tractioning followed by stillness with attention to body weight — and the same attention task repeated in prone, with a different set of contact points and gravity acting on the body in the opposite orientation. This is calibration, not relaxation. Assimilation and Ignition are covered in their own dedicated Primer segments (6 and 7), which fall outside the five segments scheduled for this study group; participants who continue through the Primer after the study group will learn more about both concepts there.
The Forms We Practiced
1. Squat (Review)
Revisited with emphasis on the synchronized entry and exit: arms come forward as the knees bend, and on the way out, the arms begin to lower as the knees begin to straighten, meeting the sides of the body just as the knees reach full extension — “we don’t have the knees extended completely until the arms reach down.” Knees stay stacked over the ankles, not forward over the toes; if they start to drift forward, shift more weight toward the heels and use the arms to offset.
2. Star Form (Review — Extended)
This was the most detailed practice of the session. We built the form in layers — drawing the shoulders down, spreading the fingers, pulling the legs away from each other, extending the back of the neck — and checked repeatedly for habitual abdominal engagement (see Deconditioning Navel-to-Spine above).
Key emphases this session:
- Breath as intensity indicator. “If I was breathing deeply, I wouldn’t be able to talk so easily.” The ability to carry on a conversation is the calibration signal — if it goes, lower the arms. Body temperature rising is the same signal.
- Micro-movements on top of the held activation. Mobilizing the rib cage over the pelvis — and continuously re-applying the patterns (spreading the fingers, drawing the shoulders down, pulling the legs away) — are both expressions of Micro-Movements. A movement initiated in the rib cage should change the sensations you feel in the legs, arms, and trunk.
- Exaggeration as a tool for sensitivity. Eventually these movements become subtle in practice; at this stage, exaggerating them paired with Distributed Activation is what improves the sensitivity threshold in areas where nothing is being felt yet. 3. Star Tilt (Review)
Reviewed with a focus on the entry sequence and the fixing of the upper-body stack (see Key Concepts above). We practiced both sides, first with hands on hips for orientation, then with arms at shoulder height perpendicular to the pelvis line — Gridlines and Symmetry: the arm line stays congruent with the pelvis-ribcage orientation.
4. Simple Cross Inflection (Review)
Reviewed with emphasis on the flexion-extension-flexion dynamic and the tipping point on exit. Key points this session:
- Opposition of Forces in the flexion phase: “As you go forward, you feel like you’re being pushed backward at the same time” — pressing the feet into the floor opposes the upper spine rounding
- Exit through the teeter-totter — find the balanced tipping point as the legs lift, then extend into Reclining Transition
- Breath stays calm. If you feel challenged, take a break rather than deepening the breath Practiced on both sides, alternating the leading arm with the crossing leg.
5. Peak Hold (New — Converge Focus)
Introduced by way of its geometric relationship with V-Sit (see Converge in Key Concepts). Key emphases:
- Heels stay high; knees bend more. Several participants were adjusted on this point.
- Don’t open the chest. A common tendency in those with high shoulder mobility — the chest drops open and the armpits open out. The correction: draw the shoulders down, bring the armpits in, and keep the rib cage and pelvis stacked, exactly as in standing practice. “Whenever we are standing, we never open the chest — this is the same position the upper body is doing, only our knees and hips are bent here.”
- Stability test: lift one foot slightly off the floor — “just two centimeters” — without the shape changing. Then the same with one hand. The muscular work shifts dramatically, but the shape should not.
- Moderation note. Delayed onset is common — “you won’t feel it here, you’ll feel it when you go home. If you feel it when you go home, you’ve probably overdone it.” For the form’s mechanics, see Lesson 3.7 and the Practice Labs.
6. Front (High) Lunge Extension (New — Ascend Focus)
Introduced the Ascend focus (see Key Concepts). Intensity is modified through stance width — the full range was demonstrated, from the widest stance to a minimal stance barely wider than standing. The rule: as long as the front knee is above the heel and the back foot is high on the tiptoe, a short stance is acceptable.
Key emphases:
- Find a completely straight line from the back heel to the top of the head (Gridlines and Symmetry) before beginning the lift
- From that line, “wiggle the ribcage” and begin lifting only the upper body — legs don’t move at all
- “Distributed Activation in the legs and in the upper body, but the waist is liquid”
- If there’s compression in the lower back, lean slightly forward (Intensity Modification) Practiced on both sides multiple times. The most common issue was the back heel dropping.
7. Reclining Transition (Linking)
Used throughout as the linking position between floor-based forms. Participants who felt the tailbone against the floor were encouraged to roll the weight slightly above the sacrum, or fold a towel for padding.
Ignition and Assimilation
Ignition. We opened with a standing Ignition — feet slightly wider than hip-width, knees bent, weight to the heels (“you feel like you’re almost going to fall back”). Arms raised slowly with limp wrists (marionette arms). At shoulder height, the wrists torsion — turning the palms forward, engaging the forearms (the “squishy physio balls” cue from the Primer).
The wrist torsion is the only active element; everything else stays neutral. If the arms get tired, if the breath deepens, or if body temperature rises — lower the arms. On exit, the knees straightening synchronizes with the arms lowering. A small synchronization, easy to achieve, but increasingly relevant as the practice develops.
Assimilation. We closed with supine spinal tractioning — flexing the upper spine with the pelvis anchored to lengthen the lower back, then chin-to-chest for cervical traction — followed by stillness with attention to body weight. Comparable in function to osteopathic tractioning, but self-administered. After the supine phase, participants rolled prone and brought attention to the new set of contact points and the different quality of sensation.
Participant Questions and Discussion
The Q&A touched on several interconnected topics — body sensations during practice, how to approach the assignments between sessions, and the structure of the in-person format. A few are worth surfacing:
Facial tension. @caitlin.bartlett asked about facial tension during practice. General guidance: keep the face as relaxed as possible; opening the jaw wide and then releasing can help. As micro-movement practice develops, the subtle movements of the neck, shoulders, and rib cage begin to release facial tension as well. I mentioned that I have dealt with TMJ for most of my adult life — context for why this question is one I relate to directly.
Body sensations during practice. @nathalie.dore noticed small physical readjustments during standing practice and asked if they were expected. @noemie.normandin described feeling taller afterward, as though space had been created in her body. These are examples of what the practice is designed to produce, though the specific sensations will differ for everyone. There is no outcome participants are “supposed” to feel. What matters is following the movement instructions and moderating to a level that doesn’t feel invasive — if something feels strange but not harmful, that’s part of the immersion; if it feels overwhelming, stop and observe.
As the standing practice becomes more comfortable and holding the arms up takes less effort, a contemplative dimension tends to open naturally — noticing asymmetries in how the fingers touch the thighs when the arms lower, or counting distinct micro-steps of sensation as the knees extend. These emerge from sustained attention, not from instruction.
Questions during practice, and building a personal routine. @nathalie.dore also asked whether questions could be raised during the practice portion rather than held until the end. Noémie asked about going deeper into specific forms through repetition. Both connect to the same underlying question: how the in-person time is structured relative to the assignment work.
The in-person sessions are designed around practical application and immersion. Questions are held for the end of the session or for the forum, where more detailed answers are possible. This is not a workshop format where instruction pauses for discussion mid-flow — the questions are genuinely important, and we want them to receive real attention rather than rushed mid-practice answers.
The structural point we emphasized: most questions that come up during practice are already addressed in the Primer material. Spreading the assignments across the week, giving time for ideas to settle between Key Points and Practice Labs, and using Smart Revisit to keep earlier material active — these are the primary mechanisms. When the conceptual vocabulary has had time to land, the in-person practice builds on it rather than trying to teach it from scratch.
@asia added a complementary angle: holding the memory of a question about a subtle sensation until the end of the session is itself a form of training — the same subtle awareness the practice develops is the awareness required to hold an observation in mind while continuing to attend to the movement. This is covered formally in the Journaling segment of the Primer. At this stage — Session 2 — not being sure whether you’re doing something correctly is entirely normal. The effort to pay attention and try to understand is what builds toward eventual precision.
On going deeper through repetition specifically: there’s a distinction between repetitive drilling (which has its place in conventional strength training) and the Baseworks approach at this stage. The priority is to understand the theoretical and practical applications through the Primer first, then let that preparation inform the experience. The Smart Revisit feature is the primary tool for this — it randomizes the review of already-completed material, keeping the application non-linear. Participants who get the most from the program tend to have a revisit ratio of about 50%, visible under the PrimerPrint curve. Marta shared that she was at about 40% and found the visual tracking motivating.
Common Adjustments and Corrections
- Navel-to-spine deconditioning — checked repeatedly during Star Form, standing practice, and Simple Cross Inflection
- Star Tilt: turning the body too far forward — the pelvis should face diagonally between the legs, not square to the front leg
- Peak Hold: dropping the heels — heels should stay high on the tiptoes, with knees bending more if needed
- Peak Hold: opening the chest — a tendency in those with high shoulder mobility; armpits close, shoulders draw down, rib cage and pelvis stay stacked
- Front Lunge: back heel dropping — needs to stay high on the tiptoe throughout
- Sacrum discomfort — the bony protuberance of the sacrum may cause discomfort during Reclining Transition; adjust the position or use a folded towel
Next Assignment
The next assignment (for Session 3, Saturday April 18, 9:10-10:50 AM, Studio 2) is Segment 3, Lessons 3.9-3.14 — approximately 43 minutes. This segment covers the remaining foci: Inflect, Intent, and the relationship between Baseworks Focus and traditional exercise goals.