Workshops 2023

EASE ON SKIS 2023

workshops in Schladming, Austria

led by Erik Bendix, Christoph Bacher and Jana Boronova

  • January 7th – 13th, 2023

EASE ON SKIS

workshops in Schladming, Austria 

led by Erik Bendix, Jana Boronova and Christoph Bacher

EASE ON SKIS is a dramatically new and effective ski teaching method. It trains you to find dynamic stability, effortlessness and grace on your way down ski slopes. Skiers at all levels of skill can benefit. In 2023, two workshops will be offered, one for skiers who are no longer beginners, and one to train future Ease on Skis instructors. We hope to offer a beginners’ workshop the following year.

EASE ON SKIS “USE YOUR HEAD” WORKSHOP January 7th – 13th, 2023: This workshop is for skiers who are no longer beginners. Each workshop day begins with ski lessons and ends with group and private Alexander Technique lessons, local Austrian cuisine dining, and saunas for those who want them. You can expect ample personal attention, 5 full days of skiing, wonderful people to share this adventure with, and time to absorb your learning and enjoy the mountains. Maximum 12 participants.

Ease on Skis TEACHER TRAINING January 15th – 21st, 2023: This workshop explores the pedagogy behind Ease on Skis workshops. What is the role of the head in skiing? Why do we work both indoors and outdoors? How can both you and your students keep improving in skill? How can your hands-on guidance benefit their coordination? Future EOS teachers eventually need experience taking and assisting in regular EOS workshops, but can satisfy these requirements later. Maximum 8 participants.

LOCATION:  Schladming, Austria (www.schladming-dachstein.at/en)

In central Austria with direct rail links to Salzburg and Vienna, Schladming hosts an annual Alpine Ski World Cup race known as the ‘Night Race’. It has 4 linked ski mountains with 123 kilometers of ski slopes at altitudes of up to 2015 meters (6,611 feet), with expansive views of the Dachstein peaks. Nestled against a dramatic gorge, the town dates back to 1180 and has many excellent restaurants.

COST: Each 6-day workshop costs 1650 Euros/person. The price drops to 1400 Euros/person for registration before September 25th, 2022. To separately book your discounted EOS room contact the Biohotel Bergkristall at hotel-bergkristall.com (sharing a room reduces cost). The hotel provides generous daily breakfasts and discounted ski passes. Equipment rentals and other meals are not included. The hotel recommends taking out travel insurance in case you need to cancel for health reasons (please ask them about this). 

REGISTRATION: Register online at www.easeonskis.com before September 25th, 2022 for the best workshop price.

STAFF:  Erik Bendix, MAmSAT, developed Ease On Skis over the last 25 years as he applied Alexander Technique to his skiing (easeonskis.com). His book and film on his method are forthcoming. Jana Boronova (www.fundamentalalexandermoves.com) is certified as a snowboard instructor, and as a teacher of Alexander Technique, Smart Yoga and Shaw Method. Christoph Bacher  (www.christoph-bacher.com) is a certified Austrian ski instructor, an Alexander Technique teacher and a natural fitness instructor based in Berlin, Germany. He grew up in Schladming. All three instructors will lead the 1st workshop. Erik and Jana lead the 2nd.

REQUIREMENTS:  Participants need health insurance valid in Austria, and must comply with current local Covid-19 restrictions (www.austria.info/en/service-and-facts/coronavirus-information).

Register

Register for Ease on Skis 2023 Workshop

REQUIREMENTS: Participants need health insurance valid in Austria, and should take as many private Alexander Technique lessons as possible before they come.

The workshop is limited to a maximum of 12 participants, so please register early.

INFORMATION:  Please contact Erik Bendix at:  erikbendix51@gmail.com

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English or
German
This workshop is presented in partnership with Skischool Hopl in Schladming on the ski mountains Hochwurzen and Planai.

Workshop Structure

During an Ease on Skis workshop, short Alexander Technique classes are given at the end of each day to introduce different aspects of movement that will be needed on the slopes. After a brief warm-up the next morning, these same themes are reintroduced in a short group ski class. During the ski hours that follow, students get semi-private ski lessons (usually 3 people at a time for an hour). When not taking ski lessons, students are encouraged to ski together in small groups, and may get help from teachers or ski assistants. The afternoon winds down with a few guided yoga stretches back at our lodging, followed by the comfort and security of getting individual hands-on attention while lying down. We usually dine together, and evenings are unscheduled.

Ease on Skis Staff

ERIK BENDIX founded and developed Ease on Skis. In his own words,

“I started skiing at age 10 while attending school at the Ecole d’Humanité in Switzerland. Skiing scared me stiff at the time. I managed to reach moderate skiing competence by my 20’s, but was stuck at a plateau of skill until I began studying the Alexander Technique. Then, suddenly, my skiing began opening up and has been opening since. Every day on the slopes now brings further improvement. I have been experimenting with applying Alexander Technique to skiing for almost 20 years now. In 2004, I was encouraged to go public with this work by Steven Shaw (of The Art of Swimming), and began teaching and writing about it. Movement touches all aspects of my life. I am known as a teacher of world folk dance traditions, I practice Tai Chi, I swim and I have a private practice teaching Alexander Technique and Body-Mind Centering®. I also write and translate poetry, a movement form in words. Although I’m writing a book on skiing, my experience of skiing goes far beyond words, often into bliss. I teach it because I want to share that.“

Jana Boronova

Instructor

Jana Boronova has been a key member of the Ease on Skis since 2015, first as part of the film crew and now as an instructor. In her own words:

I grew up in a city but have always loved spending time in the mountains. In 2009 I became certified as a snowboarding instructor. The year after, I moved to Melbourne, Australia to attend Alexander Technique teacher training course and graduated in December 2015. I have been lucky enough to be able to join Erik’s Ease on Skis workshop in Switzerland many years in a row and cannot wait to come back.

Christoph Bacher

Instructor

Christoph Bacher is both an Alexander Technique teacher and a certified Austrian ski instructor. He joined our team in 2017. In his words:

I was born in 1975 and grew up with skiing in the mountains of Austria. Later I completed training as a fitness coach and personal trainer. As part of intensive explorations of body and mind, I studied yoga and especially the Alexander Technique. My life and my work are imbued with these experiences. I live with my wife and our two wonderful young sons in Berlin.”

Testimonials

What others say about us

“I had always been trying to master the perfect turn, thinking it was one elusive thing. Now as I ski down a run, I recognize that for the snow and slope in front of me, some turns are better suited than others, but there are many choices, and the one that happens may be dictated by the conditions, or by my balance at the moment or simply by which feels most fun. The freedom to accept that those different possibilities are OK, and to not worry about failing to find the perfect turn, is a lovely awakening.”

~Sheri Aggarwal~

I can ski the field with more relaxation and control, I look more graceful and organized, and I feel much better at the end of the day.

Sheri Aggarwal

…thank you for an inspiring week! I particularly liked the fullness and the simplicity of Erik’s ski program and how everything ‘clicked into place’ and matched my previous skills. Everything was understandable.

Rain Vainik

I was feeling almost no anxiety about falling. Instead I could enjoy the sensation of gliding, and the scent of the snow….I feel both vulnerable and safe.

Skiing is a great, fun way to experience this.

Beverly W.

Contact Info

Erik Bendix, 232 Bull Creek Rd., Asheville, N.C. 28805-8702, U.S.A.
0123456789
erikbendix51@gmail.com
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