Saturday, November 2, 2013
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
today
15 sit
10 bodywork
20 personal awareness practice
30 open space
bodywork, a new element requested by julie, grew without plan into an organic linkage of women touching feet, touching heads, silently choosing to touch or receive touch
open space was especially deep (how do you describe it?)
julie, sheri, victoria, cara, jana
15 sit
10 bodywork
20 personal awareness practice
30 open space
bodywork, a new element requested by julie, grew without plan into an organic linkage of women touching feet, touching heads, silently choosing to touch or receive touch
open space was especially deep (how do you describe it?)
julie, sheri, victoria, cara, jana
Monday, November 5, 2012
After the Introduction to Contemplative Dance Practice Workshop at Studio Current, November 4
There was a lovely, small group ready to learn about Contemplative Dance Practice last Sunday. While I have facilitated a regular meeting for some time now, I have never "taught" about CDP, and felt the open questions ... how? what? why?
I began by asking questions of them. Why were they there? Did they want meditation instruction? Did they need guidance into personal awareness practice? What do they need to be comfortable with open space? I received some clear, reflective responses from them. Wonderful. It was such a great feeling not to know everything. So often when I teach (yoga, Feldenkrais), I have to hold everything. In this case, I could relax and just be with everyone.
We began with meditation. I counseled on posture, then guided them through abdominal breathing (borrowing R. Ray's teaching). We continued into samatha (calm-abiding), the meditation practice I have the most experience with. Vanessa reported afterward that her mind's movements seem like the coming and going of tides—toward the breath, away from the breath.
We transitioned organically into personal awareness practice as everyone came out of meditation and began to stretch and move. "You are doing it. This is it," I told them. I proceeded to guide to them toward self care, listening to the body, moving toward pleasure (ode to Mary Reich), and "kinesthetic delight" (Barbara's term). I eventually tossed out choices, places to rest their attention if they so desired: breath, skin, bones, movement/stillness, sound/silence, stay/travel, eyes open/closed, etc. I was happy to see all choosing to stay with their own explorations, not always jumping on my offering immediately. The quality in the room was patient, deep and willing. Further on, I wondered if there was too much of a work ethic, so I invited them to play. I added in the reminder that we would do open space next. What do you need to prepare? See, hear others, etc. Afterward, we heard a report from one participant who was reminded of being a child. He rediscovered the sensation of holding his arm plumb with gravity while lying on his side, as though it could be there forever without effort. He was so delighted!
Funny, I had totally forgotten to prepare how to introduce open space—what scores to use. I was delighted to stumble into all I needed. In pairs, one showed the other (a seated witness) something of what had happened for them during personal awareness practice. Then, in trios, one witnessed two showing what had happened during personal awareness, this time opening the awareness to include the other, sensing "being with" the other. They were right there with it, even our one participant who was really very new to all of it.
Then, we sat on the edges of the space, each with an object, and we did a little mini open space with a limited movement score: bow in; place, remove or resituate an object; bow out; do all any number of times, with any number of people. It was beautiful! I hated to ring the bell! One participant report after about noticing his self-consciousness, now being in front of others. We talked about different ways of dealing with that feeling.
We finished our time with one full, simple practice. I did not share with them the timing, but it was approximately 15 minutes per part. We spoke afterward. There was less to say now, it seems. We were tired and satisfied. Thank you to Vanessa DeWolf for hosting the workshop, and the weekly CDP meeting, Wednesdays 12-2.
 |
| An image from dancing at Studio Current |
We began with meditation. I counseled on posture, then guided them through abdominal breathing (borrowing R. Ray's teaching). We continued into samatha (calm-abiding), the meditation practice I have the most experience with. Vanessa reported afterward that her mind's movements seem like the coming and going of tides—toward the breath, away from the breath.
We transitioned organically into personal awareness practice as everyone came out of meditation and began to stretch and move. "You are doing it. This is it," I told them. I proceeded to guide to them toward self care, listening to the body, moving toward pleasure (ode to Mary Reich), and "kinesthetic delight" (Barbara's term). I eventually tossed out choices, places to rest their attention if they so desired: breath, skin, bones, movement/stillness, sound/silence, stay/travel, eyes open/closed, etc. I was happy to see all choosing to stay with their own explorations, not always jumping on my offering immediately. The quality in the room was patient, deep and willing. Further on, I wondered if there was too much of a work ethic, so I invited them to play. I added in the reminder that we would do open space next. What do you need to prepare? See, hear others, etc. Afterward, we heard a report from one participant who was reminded of being a child. He rediscovered the sensation of holding his arm plumb with gravity while lying on his side, as though it could be there forever without effort. He was so delighted!
Funny, I had totally forgotten to prepare how to introduce open space—what scores to use. I was delighted to stumble into all I needed. In pairs, one showed the other (a seated witness) something of what had happened for them during personal awareness practice. Then, in trios, one witnessed two showing what had happened during personal awareness, this time opening the awareness to include the other, sensing "being with" the other. They were right there with it, even our one participant who was really very new to all of it.
Then, we sat on the edges of the space, each with an object, and we did a little mini open space with a limited movement score: bow in; place, remove or resituate an object; bow out; do all any number of times, with any number of people. It was beautiful! I hated to ring the bell! One participant report after about noticing his self-consciousness, now being in front of others. We talked about different ways of dealing with that feeling.
We finished our time with one full, simple practice. I did not share with them the timing, but it was approximately 15 minutes per part. We spoke afterward. There was less to say now, it seems. We were tired and satisfied. Thank you to Vanessa DeWolf for hosting the workshop, and the weekly CDP meeting, Wednesdays 12-2.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Palindromish CDP, Wed. Oct. 10
20 min sit
20 min personal awareness practice
30 min open space
10 min personal awareness practice
10 min sit
cara victoria sheri jana
20 min personal awareness practice
30 min open space
10 min personal awareness practice
10 min sit
cara victoria sheri jana
Saturday, October 13, 2012
I have just finished a journal,
and I am reading through it to see what I learned this year. Here are some of my notes from our CDP weekend with Barbara et al on Vashon.
warming up courage
("(" "Personal Awareness Practice" ")")
What is self-care?
Ooº°˚=== Different Kinesthetic Boundaries
__________
| the group |
| is teaching |
| each other |
Meditation expanding through constraint/opening space of mind
Personal
Awareness
Practice
integrating/mingling body+mind, alone, but together
Open Space
perceptual word goes from inner -> body/mind -> outer
Ensemble inseparability
this room
this movement
this space
these people
this fear
this wretchedness
here with you
becoming sane
"Emotions are thoughts dressed up in fancy clothes."
(conscious(grace)subconscious)
Grace the structure
of the inner
+ the outer
Play-mind is the definition of liberation.
Daily strategies for the personal journey - restrictions on accepting + rejecting impulses.
6-8-12
CDP @ Hanna Barn
warming up courage
("(" "Personal Awareness Practice" ")")
What is self-care?
Ooº°˚=== Different Kinesthetic Boundaries
__________
| the group |
| is teaching |
| each other |
Meditation expanding through constraint/opening space of mind
Personal
Awareness
Practice
integrating/mingling body+mind, alone, but together
Open Space
perceptual word goes from inner -> body/mind -> outer
Ensemble inseparability
this room
this movement
this space
these people
this fear
this wretchedness
here with you
becoming sane
"Emotions are thoughts dressed up in fancy clothes."
(conscious(grace)subconscious)
Grace the structure
of the inner
+ the outer
Play-mind is the definition of liberation.
Daily strategies for the personal journey - restrictions on accepting + rejecting impulses.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
In Current, October 3
Our practice today:
25 Sit
5 Write
25 Personal Awareness Practice
5 Write
25 Open Space
5 Write
15 Read from writing/share
Cara, Jana, Victoria, Sheri .... Present
falling tumbling random tumblings
pick up sticks crayon in a line in an arc
in a post and beam standing one on the other
random order on the blank white page
...(This is it, don't jump ahead!)
random order
the colors like the bones in my body
like the lines of the room
like the rhythm of order
meter—syncopation, yes—but meter
there's a pulse to the falling
anything can happen but only these things do
25 Sit
5 Write
25 Personal Awareness Practice
5 Write
25 Open Space
5 Write
15 Read from writing/share
Cara, Jana, Victoria, Sheri .... Present
falling tumbling random tumblings
pick up sticks crayon in a line in an arc
in a post and beam standing one on the other
random order on the blank white page
...(This is it, don't jump ahead!)
random order
the colors like the bones in my body
like the lines of the room
like the rhythm of order
meter—syncopation, yes—but meter
there's a pulse to the falling
anything can happen but only these things do
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
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