On January 26th, Petra Feldbinder, a German Trager Instructor, interviewed Roger Tolle, a Master Instructor in the US, in her podcast "Touched by Life." The interview was conducted in German, and the following excerpt is translated here for our English-speaking community.
Introduction
Petra: Roger, welcome! It's such a pleasure to have you here today. At 74 years old, you've been active in this field for over 40 years. You haven't just witnessed the developments in this work but have also shaped them. Your work has been taught in 16 countries across five continents and translated into languages like Dutch, French, Spanish, Italian, Finnish, Japanese, Arabic, and even Hebrew. In addition to being a somatic movement therapist and bodyworker , you have a background as a dancer and singer – qualities that make your teaching style so unique.
Twenty-five years ago, I attended your elective course "Breath and Voice," and it was immediately clear to me: I had to pursue Trager training! That spark is still alive today, and I've had the great fortune not only to assist in your courses but also to teach alongside you.
Roger: First, I must say, it's such a pleasure to be here with you. I also want to mention that my German is, of course, a bit clumsy. I hope you'll help me if I can't find the right words...
From Dance to Deepening Discovery
Roger: ... At the start of my journey, I was a modern dancer in New York City. When I first encountered this method, I was part of a group of friends deeply interested in personal growth. We attended various seminars and workshops focused on touch, movement, and sensing energy. One day, I saw a small sign in a restaurant advertising a method that worked with flowing movements. I thought, "That sounds interesting." As a dancer, I already felt quite fluid, but I was curious whether I could bring even more flow into my movements.
I booked a session with a man who had studied with Milton Trager for nearly two years. Within the first five minutes of that session, I felt something entirely new in my body. I thought, "Wow! I suddenly feel at home in my body. I want more of this! I think I've found new work for myself." Although I had never imagined stopping dancing, within the next five years, I dove deeply into Trager training. I attended courses and practiced with my friends, their friends, and their friends' friends – literally hundreds of sessions in a very short period.
I found so much joy in both experiencing touch and offering it. I don't fully understand why it fulfilled me so deeply, but it was exactly what I needed. Over time, especially through studying with Milton Trager himself, I realized this work isn't just about specific movements or techniques – it's about creating new sensations and possibilities in the body and mind. This realization inspired me, and my background as a dancer allowed me to incorporate these movement qualities directly into my work.
Milton often posed questions like, "What would be softer? What would be lighter?" I first learned to explore these in classes with him. Then I developed my own questions to explore other qualities in my body. When I started this training, I had my own dance company in New York, but within five years, I also established a Trager practice. Initially, it wasn't about making a living but rather about living my life – deeply connected to my body. Eventually, though, it also became a source of income.
Connection Leads to Expanding Possibilities
Roger: I was fortunate to work closely with Milton Trager during the last twelve years of his teaching career. Through him, I learned not just techniques but also a deeper understanding that this work is more than bodywork – it's a way of connecting with people and offering them new information about their own bodies. Over time, I expanded my knowledge in areas like anatomy, physiology, and later neurology. This work has evolved into something larger for me, which I now understand as "somatic movement education and therapy." It's no longer
just bodywork but also about providing new information that can be perceived verbally, visually, or through movement in the body.
In my practice, I ask clients questions like, "How does your body move more freely now? How does an expanded lightness feel?" These questions invite exploration, allowing us to discover and unfold what can change and develop in the body. I find this process incredibly inspiring.
Milton Trager used to say that movement allows us to have a "conversation" with the body's unconscious. Information flows directly from my inner unconscious, through my body and hands, into the body of another person. It's wonderful to observe this, to work with this intention, and to see the effects it produces. So much newness can be felt and integrated into everything life brings – into everyday living.
Petra: Exactly. It's as if the unconscious is gently lifted into the light of consciousness. This allows us to develop new movement patterns and create new ways of being in our daily lives.
Roger: Yes, you always express it better in German than I do!
Roger has shared the following video of his dancing days – enjoy!
Note: Roger has two Mentastics classes scheduled in March – one in Charlottesville, VA, March 6-9, and one in Ashton, MD, March 13-16.
These classes can also serve as prerequisites for professional Trager training. See https://www.tragerapproach.us/upcoming-classes-1 for more details.