Hébert's méthode naturelle and natural movement (MovNat)

Domain X · Body, movement, breath & physical · Georges Hébert, Erwan Le Corre · 1904 · Lorient, France

What it is

The méthode naturelle (also called hébertisme) is a system of physical education built by French naval officer Georges Hébert (1875–1957). He began testing it at the Lorient naval school in 1904, replacing drill-style gymnastics with running, climbing, carrying, rescue and swimming; the navy…

Format

• Not a phased therapy. Neither system has therapy phases. Both describe a repeated session and a long-term progression of skill. No source cited here gives session counts.
• Session structure (hébertisme, Québec camp version). Five stages:

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• Credential routes.
• MovNat Level 1 (MovNat Certified Trainer). Format as published for a 2025 course: home-study materials, then a multi-day in-person course of lectures, beginner-level practice and competency tests. Completion requires passing three evaluations: a written exam, a physical competence test and a coaching (teaching) assessment. Minimum age 18. MovNat's overview describes Level 1 as the foundation, starting from ground…
• Hébertisme leadership. In Québec camps, the employer must provide training, module maintenance, posted rules, an age/difficulty classification of modules and staff ratios. In Belgium, a federation founded in 1948 by Marcel Beugnier continues today as Sport'nat; its training route is not described here.

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve intense or unusual breathing? Have you been told about the medical conditions for which that is not advised?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• shame or withdrawal. Working: the person stays in the group.
• drift towards challenge levels that suit the leader rather than the group.
• pairs becoming exclusive or coercive. Working: participants spontaneously help each other.
• people who did not hear or understand; check understanding by asking one person to repeat the rules.
• clients hiding injury to keep training; compulsive exercise. Working: clients report problems early.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.