Thank you for joining me and for taking the time to honor and nurture yourself.
In this practice,
We are going to slow everything down and really listen.
Listen not to my words or to sound or music,
But to your most authentic self.
This listening will allow us to move our bodies with a beautiful deference to the intuition we find within.
There is no need to be concerned about the degree of movement you produced or which parts of you are active.
This practice is intended for any and all bodies.
When I was a child,
My mother owned a dance studio.
Some of my earliest memories are of watching others create story and meaning through movement.
As a tiny child,
I was one of her many creative movement students.
In these classes,
I often felt freed from the constraints of decorum and aesthetic.
As a society,
We are more accepting of the seemingly random movements of childhood.
But as we grow,
It seems that our movement becomes more regimented,
Purposeful,
Intended rather than intuited.
Now,
As a full-fledged adult and psychotherapist,
I have found my way back to the freedom of movement in my youth through a practice called authentic movement.
For me,
This practice has created a deeper relationship with myself,
A conversation where I have learned to listen and respond,
A practice I have found deeply healing.
We will be doing a variation of this practice today.
Authentic movement was pioneered by Mary Starks Whitehouse in the late 19th century,
Incorporating Jungian depth psychology and dance movement therapy.
My journey to authentic movement began with joining the rooted global village where I began the lifelong process of somatic abolitionism.
There,
I met my teacher,
Weena Palitar,
Who has created an experience called SE and AM,
Or SEAM,
That interweaves somatic experiencing and authentic movement.
I would love to practice with you there sometime.
The traditional practice is typically done in small groups where people take turns in the role of mover or observer.
The mover listens closely to the calls of their whole self while their eyes are closed and moves intuitively following the instruction instinct has provided.
The observer does just that.
They observe non-judgmentally and paying close attention to their own responses.
In our practice today,
We will be experimenting with the role of mover and finding the healing play that comes from engaging our whole selves in intuitive conversation.
Now that we have been fully intellectually introduced to this practice,
Let's bring it into our bodies.
Take a moment to settle into your space.
Orient yourself by looking all around,
In front of you,
To the sides of you,
Behind you,
Above you,
And below you.
Experience the space that you have created here for yourself.
As you find the comfort and safety of this space,
Become aware of or move any obstacles that may impede your movement today.
Good.
Let's take a few deep breaths to feel into the quality of the space enveloping you,
Enveloping you,
Holding you,
Opening you to yourself.
Take a moment to practice a bit of gratitude.
You have shown up.
You have set aside time to be here.
You have created this space for yourself.
This space gives you the opportunity to commune with your very worthy self.
You are here.
You are supported.
You are grounded.
Let's start to bring your awareness into your body with your eyes closed.
From this place of stillness,
Just listen.
Listen for any impulse.
What does your body wish to do?
What micro or macro movements are calling to you?
Is there any sensation you wish to explore?
This is the practice.
It's a simple one.
Just listening and intuiting the requests of your body and recognizing the resource you have within yourself to answer these calls.
Continue to listen and respond to yourself for the next three minutes.
Begin.
As you are ready,
Start to bring your awareness back out into the space you have cultivated,
Perhaps blinking your eyes open,
Taking a large cleansing breath.
Take a moment to reorient yourself by looking in front of you,
To the sides of you,
Behind you,
Above you,
And below you.
Now that our session is coming to a close,
I would like you to consider taking a moment to contemplate how this practice felt to you.
You may wish to journal about it or just consider it.
Assess the condition of your body,
Your mind,
And your spirit.
I encourage you to come back to this practice at any time of the day to reconnect.
I appreciate your willingness to join me in this practice today and for taking the time to honor and nurture yourself.
Thank you.
