Rajal Cohen

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Training, Experience, and Perspective

Rajal in lab I am a 1997 graduate of the Virginia School for Alexander Technique, a 3-year, 1600-hour teacher training course certified by the American Society for the Alexander Technique and recognized by affiliated international societies. Since then, I have worked with many different kinds of students, including performing artists, athletes, equestrians, and people with pain or discomfort. In my teaching, I aim to incorporate careful analysis and subtle hands-on guidance with healthy doses of humor and compassion.

I received my Ph.D. in cognitive psychology, with a minor in kinesiology, from Penn State University in 2008. My postdoctoral research in the Balance Disorders Lab at Oregon Health & Science University focused on the relationships among cognition, posture, and gait in adults with Parkinson's disease.

I am an Assistant Professor at the University of Idaho, affiliated with the Department of Psychology and Communication Studies, the Graduate Program in Human Factors, and the Graduate Program in Neuroscience. My research laboratory, the Mind in Movement Lab, is dedicated to exploring the inter-relationships among cognition, action, and posture. I enjoy mentoring highly qualified and motivated graduate and undergraduate students. My research is guided by a desire to bring insights from somatic practices (including the Alexander Technique) to the scientific study of movement.


Rajal with a student

Endorsements

Rajal is a calm, open person with a ready smile. She listens well - which enables her to solve the real problems. She has a wonderful sense of humor. I liked all three of my Alexander teachers, but Rajal is my favorite.
- Allen Bachelder, Professor of Trumpet, Virginia Tech


Thank you so much, Rajal, for everything you have done for me. I truly believe that working with body awareness for the past year or two has given me the framework within which to tackle some old emotional stuff. But much better than that, it's given me a quality of movement and a sense of self that I love so much!!! What a gift.
- Sue Daniels, Wildlife Biologist and Equestrian


Rajal, I'd like to thank you again for the wonderful workshop. My students absolutely loved it; it was a wonderful educational opportunity for all of us. Your obvious thorough organization and planning helped to make the event even more interesting, especially for those who had had no prior connection with the concepts.
- Marianne Sandborg, Artist in Residence, Roanoke College