By Katharina ‘Kathi’ Havlicek
There was no hesitation whether or not I want to attend. As soon as I heard that Sporthalle Wien – MovNat licensed facility in Vienna and conveniently my working place – will host the first MovNat Level III Certification in Europe I was in. At that stage, I wasn´t aware that I would be the only female participant, but even so, it wouldn´t have altered my excitement to work towards and be part of this opportunity.
Starting from the first day, it was obvious that there was a group of like-minded people gathered at Hohe Wand in Austria. Various main professions from different countries and movement backgrounds, but we shared the excitement towards this event, the curiosity to advance further in our Natural Movement practise and as human beings throughout. Over the course of those four days, I had the honour to get to know and deepen the connection with the four trainers and my peers.
Bernd, with his straight and detailed approach of progression and regression, I knew since my first contact with MovNat. He supported the Sporthalle Wien team from step one, starting with holding the first Level I and II certification back in 2016, where I got certified as well. I was really touched by noticing how much he believed in my abilities and his support.
Erwan I met once before for a brief and busy visit at Sporthalle Wien opening. During the Level 3 event, I admired his ability to gather the whole group at once into the mindset of “stop attempting, put your whole competence into it and make it count”. He also provided me with a symbol that appealed me: a transparent vase containing mud – movement degradation, unfocused mind with negative thoughts. If you consistently add clear water – functional movement, focused mind and positive thoughts – eventually the substance will become clear again, which is what I would like to achieve with my teaching and my own practise.
The whole event was shaped by the challenge to constantly move in new context – known as well as unfamiliar patterns of ground movements, lifting, carrying, throwing and catching, climbing, balancing, jumping and vaulting, but in a variety that – putting aside the many advantages of a well equipped indoor facility as I am used to – can only be met “out there” in nature.
It so happened more than once that I personally entered my mental and physical battle areas due to certain heights, weights, circumstances that pushed me out of my comfort zone. In these crucial moments, it was Danny with his amazing perception and sensitivity when and how to adjust exercises and tests who made them possible. His parameters always hit the sweet spot where the tasks were still challenging for me as the only female and overall lightest and shortest participant, but where I could still manage them with the right mindset and focus.
With Jerome, I was most unfamiliar from the trainers even though he lives quite close to Austria. But this didn´t keep us from quickly connecting through movement fun, and I was impressed by his to the point cue for my Power Up, which helped me to achieve it much easier than expected. As a trainer, I am aware that with some people, especially unfamiliar ones, it can take awhile until you find the right wording for a cue for this person, but he had it right away in a pressure situation directly prior to testing.
I would like to thank all my fellow participants and the trainers for this amazing experience, for your support, the fun we had sharing our different-to-modern-world-society-thinking, the growing together and the trust to grow individually in front of the rest. – Kathi
The MovNat Level 3 Certification
Master level. For the passionate. For the committed.
About the Author
Katharina Havlicek is a Level 3 MovNat Certified Trainer at Sporthalle Wien, one of MovNat’s licensed gyms located in Vienna, Austria. Kathi carries our MovNat fitness concept in her heart and knows playful and creative training elements lure even adults into practice. She relies on coffee, but even without a caffeine kick, she’s always full of energy. You can follow her on Instagram at @KatharinaHavlicek.