Our ability to move confidently through the world depends on many systems working together—our eyes, inner ears, feet, strength, mobility, coordination, attention, and nervous system.
Balance isn't something we simply “have” or “don't have.” It is a dynamic process that changes depending on what we're doing and what the environment asks of us. Walking across an uneven trail, turning quickly, stepping over an obstacle, navigating stairs, or simply moving through a dark room all present different challenges for the brain and body.
The good news is that many of the systems and skills involved in balance can be explored, challenged, and trained.
The Neuroscience of Balance is a six-week progressive class series designed to help you better understand how your balance works—and give you practical ways to improve it.
Through education, movement, and progressively more complex challenges, we'll explore how the brain gathers information, organizes movement, and continually adapts to help us remain upright and moving through the world.
The goal isn't simply to get better at “balance exercises.” It's to develop greater awareness, adaptability, and confidence for the activities you love.
What We'll Explore
Over the course of six weeks, we'll work with many of the interconnected systems and skills that contribute to balance, including:
Sensory awareness and how your feet and body receive information from the ground and your environment
Vision and the vestibular system and their roles in orientation, stability, and movement
Strength and mobility in the feet, ankles, hips, trunk, and other areas important to balance
Walking and gait, including changes in speed and direction, turning, backward movement, and navigating obstacles
Proactive and reactive balance—how the body prepares for movement and responds when something changes unexpectedly
Coordination and multidirectional movement to expand your movement options
Attention and dual-tasking to challenge the brain and body together
Practical exercises and strategies you can continue using beyond the six-week series
This is a progressive series, with each class building upon the skills and concepts introduced previously. We'll begin with foundational work and gradually add complexity as the course progresses.
Is This Series for You?
This series is designed for independently mobile adults who want to better understand, maintain, and improve their balance.
Maybe you're active and want to stay that way, but you've begun noticing subtle changes. Uneven ground may require a little more attention. Hiking, stairs, quick turns, or unfamiliar environments may not feel quite as effortless as they once did. Perhaps you've become more cautious with certain activities—or have quietly stopped doing a few things you used to enjoy.
Or perhaps your balance feels perfectly good and you'd simply like to keep it that way.
You don't need to have a “balance problem” to benefit from balance training. This series is also for people who are curious about how their bodies work and want greater knowledge and agency around maintaining the physical and neurological skills that support an active life.
What's Included
Your $349 registration includes:
Six 90-minute small-group classes
One 20-minute individual pre-assessment
One 20-minute individual post-assessment
Course materials and home practices
The individual assessments give us an opportunity to look at your starting point before the series begins and revisit key measures after the six weeks. They also allow for a little individual attention within the context of a small-group program.
Pre-assessments will be scheduled September 28–October 7. Because appointment times are limited, early registration is encouraged.
Dates & Details
Thursdays, 2:30–4:00 PM
October 8–November 12
Movement 360
1570 Pacheco Street, Suite E-12
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Investment: $349
Enrollment is limited to 10 participants, allowing us to keep the group small enough for individual observation and instruction. A minimum of 5 participants is required for the series to run.
Is This the Right Level for Me?
The Neuroscience of Balance is an active small-group training series for independently mobile adults. It is not intended as a rehabilitation program for individuals currently at high risk of falling.
Participants should be comfortable walking independently and participating in standing movement exercises without continuous physical assistance. Chairs, walls, and other supports may be used during particular exercises, and challenges can be adapted to different ability levels. You should feel comfortable getting down to and up from the ground for strengthening and training practices.
This series may not be the appropriate starting point if you:
Experience frequent or unexplained falls
Regularly depend on a cane or walker for safe everyday walking
Require another person's assistance to stand or walk safely
Experience significant unexplained dizziness or vertigo
If you're uncertain whether the series is appropriate for you, please contact Movement 360 before registering. We're happy to help determine whether this program—or a more individualized starting point—would be a better fit.
Your Instructor
Shannon Elliott, Founding Director of Movement 360, brings more than 25 years of professional experience in dance, movement, teaching, and curriculum development to her work.
A former professional dancer, choreographer/director, and university educator, Shannon transitioned into health and wellness in 2018, earning certifications in personal training and group fitness and developing a particular interest in balance, neurological health, and joyful movement throughout life. She spent four years with a national Parkinson's organization, developing and teaching movement and leadership programs for people affected by Parkinson's and the professionals who serve them.
At Movement 360, Shannon combines her lifelong understanding of the moving body with ongoing study of neuroscience, balance, strength, mobility, and embodiment. Her work focuses on translating complex ideas into practical movement experiences that help people better understand their bodies and develop greater awareness, adaptability, confidence, and playfulness.
Ready to Explore Your Balance?
The Neuroscience of Balance begins Thursday, October 8 (deadline to register is Friday, October 2). Save your spot then book your private pre-assessment!
Six weeks. A small group. Individual pre- and post-assessments. And a chance to understand and train balance as the complex, adaptable skill that it really is.
$349 | Maximum 10 participants
Register early to allow time for your individual pre-assessment before the series begins.
Questions about whether the series is right for you?
shannon@movement360.com