The cobbler’s shoes: baseworks experience as a teacher/practicioner
Group: Author: Matthew McIlhenny | Posted: 2025-11-16
I’m curious is if I will ever be able to do a baseworks session without the aid of a video ? If it’s sustainable to freestyle sessions and how much I should expect to improvise, or if I need to follow videos with audio guidance.
That makes me curious how the inventors of baseworks do the practice. Do you watch videos or yourselves practicing with audio of yourselves telling yourselves what to do ?
I’m curious what your daily practice of baseworks looks like
Replies
Section titled “Replies”Reply by Asia — 2025-12-26
Section titled “Reply by Asia — 2025-12-26”Hey @mmcilhenny
Interesting question! Different people will have different answers, so I’ll give you broader context, my perspective, and a few words on what I know others do.
Historical context
Baseworks wasn’t strictly speaking *invented. *Rather, it evolved over 10+ years in a studio environment where 10-15 teachers taught thousands of students (and each other). Classes ran 6am-10pm, 7 days a week. Teachers regularly attended each other’s classes, including senior teachers attending junior teachers’ classes. So historically, if an instructor wanted to practice, they’d simply attend a class at the studio.
Post-pandemic, post-studio, that shifted. “Practice of full sessions” often means either guided online sessions or self-guided, unless you have a chance to attend our in-person programs.
How instructors approach full sessions
While Baseworks is fundamentally about how you move rather than what you do, it’s true that you still need to decide which movements to perform before you can apply the Baseworks movement principles and patterns. Instructors are trained to sequence forms, so if they want an unguided session, they can easily compose a plan the same way they would when teaching.
A full practice session is more than just any forms through together. Composing a Baseworks session is like writing a song: there’s form order -logic-, transitions, long-distance relationships, which foci to emphasize, temporal dynamics of phase transitions, etc. Instructors learn this theoretically, then develop functional “poetic competence” through mentorship. This enables skillful self-guided practice.
That said, many instructors still choose guided sessions. These don’t just “tell you what to do” but establish rhythm and structure while you contribute about 70% of what’s unsaid.
Practice beyond full sessions
Your question focused on “sessions without video,” but practice sessions are just one format. There are many ways to “practice Baseworks.”
Many students apply Baseworks while waiting for a bus at a bus stop or at their desks—not full sessions, obviously, but applying movement patterns or quality of awareness to whatever position they’re in. Standing ISOLATE transitions, for example, work perfectly at a bus stop without attracting attention. Some students apply Baseworks in other guided classes or their gym workouts, when our approach feels more organic. Some students perform Baseworks forms on a PRN basis to address physical issues like muscle tension/sciatica or integrate them as a form of warm-up before their physical practices. Some students reported applying “Baseworks breathing” when running. So, it’s very flexible actually.
I personally often start mornings applying Distributed Activation + Micro Movements to whatever position feels right (often not a Baseworks form). When walking, sitting, or standing, I’m constantly aware of Gridlines and Symmetry—it’s integrated into my ongoing perception. I broadly apply Intensity Modification to all activities.
I also do guided sessions (usually not my own because hearing my own voice is distracting). I personally never do full self-generated sessions, though I know people who do. It’s a matter of preference.
As we often emphasize, the Baseworks Method is about acquiring skills (perceptual, physical, self-regulatory) that can be applied anywhere. But you can also stick to the Baseworks Practice (the structured application of the approach, organized in “practice sessions”) as your regular physical practice.
So, to answer your specific question (“will I ever be able to do a baseworks session without the aid of a video?”): this is definitely possible and has been achieved by many people, but it typically requires much more commitment than simply practicing. Is this a theoretical question, or is this something you actually wish to achieve?
Other commenters may have different perspectives.
Thanks again for the question. We’ll consider materials to facilitate self-initiated practice in future programming updates.