Gaia: Movement Awareness Practices

Simple Practices

http://theplayground.gaia.com — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 02:32:07 GMT

this could be a space for people to discribe simple practices that they explore so that others can explore them as well.

This is one that I've been using to help develop awareness of the body in space:
    Lie, sit or stand.
    Take a minute or two to just bring your attention to your breath coming in and out.
    Notice the shape of your spine - is it straight, curved, twisted, bent?
    Notice the shape of your right arm, your left arm.
    Notice the shape of your right leg, your left leg.
    Sense how these 5 lines (spine, 2 arms, 2 legs) connect as a whole.
    Take a couple of more breaths.
    Slowly change your position into your next stillness.
    Repeat sequence.

enjoy! daniel

Bellates(TM) Pilates for Bellydancers at TQNW

http://bellydanceyourbliss.gaia.com — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 18:17:38 GMT

My husband, Greywolf, and I are pleased and honoured to be invited to teach a workshops in BellatesTM (Pilates for Bellydancers) and World Fusion Drumming at this year's Tribal Quest North West in Portland, OR August 1-5, 2007! Check out www.gypsycaravan.us/tqnw_main.htm to find out more details as they are made available! Hope to see and meet some of you there! Wednesday, August 1, 2007 Bellates(R) (Pilates for Bellydancers) 4:30 PM Having an extensive musculoskeletal anatomy background as a Licensed Massage Therapist, in addition to being a lifelong dancer (ballet, tap, jazz, modern,middle eastern, folkloric and Irish), and a classically trained and certified Pilates mat instructor; Bhrigha developed and trademarked Bellates!TM (Pilates for Bellydancers.) This truly unique class will really improve your dancing! You will learn to connect to your core, tone and strengthen your powerhouse, lengthen and elongate for a lean body, as well as learning proper bellydance body mechanics, stomach isolations, authentic belly rolls, proper breathing techniques, and basic bellydance moves done on a yoga-type mat. This class is challenging & open to all levels and assumes the student can get up and down from mat without assistance. DVD's will be available for purchase. We will also be performing one night as well - waiting for the schedule! Bright Blessings, Bhrigha www.bhrigha.com

Re: What's your modality?

http://bellydanceyourbliss.gaia.com — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 22:49:31 GMT

Hi all~ Everyone is in to such cool things! Let's see, where do I begin? LMT (Shiatsu/Thai Yoga/Craniosacral/assisted stretching)" I love how I can help someone else to feel better at the same time that I can energize myself during a session, without feeling like I've "worked!" Classical Pilates, creator of Bellates(R) (Pilates for Bellydancers): I love the mind-body connection with Pilates. I like Yoga, but feel more grounded and balanced with Pilates, so I love Pilates! I created Bellates after seeing what great complimentary practices they are for each other and I wanted to share the benefits I've reaped from Pilates with my bellydance students, friends and colleagues. Pilates kept me dancing and I am ever so grateful! Pilates is accessible to everyone; if you are limited in your mobility there are modifications of most of the exercies that can still reap rewards. Just make sure you are studying with someone who has had adequate training to avoid injuries. Tribal/Fusion Bellydance:This is a passion in my life (I have several!) Bellydance unites women and especially Tribal Bellydance with the focus on group dancing which is largely improvisational within a common dance vocabulary. I love the tribe vibe from a group who's worked together for a while and I love the freedom of expression that Fusion bellydance allows for more choreographed works of art. Classical bellydance focuses more on the soloist and that is very beautiful and elegant and celebrates feminine beauty and grace. Anyone can bellydance - all shapes, sizes and ages! Bright blessings, Bhrigha http://www.bhrigha.com

Re: Complimentary Practices

http://cuddleparty.gaia.com — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 19:12:34 GMT

Great thread! My background began with black belts in Tae Kwon Do and Isshin-Ryu, with an emphasis on street combat (then a quick dabble in Aikido) and off into the worlds of yoga and massage, the later being my exploration of how to put people back together once I got good at taking them apart. : ) Massage and healing lead to me creating the Cuddle Party workshop (www.cuddleparty.com) which has spread across four countries to date and has blessed me with the opportunity to cuddle and discuss touch with thousands of people. Believe it or not, I've found cuddling to be a whole universe of movement awareness, and I would recommend taking your body awareness practices, putting some pajamas on 'em, and exploring the areas of touch, affection, and intimacy. Just think of it as contact improve Aikido for lazy people! : ) It's amazing. Hope this adds something! Cuddly yours, REiD

Re: Complimentary Practices

http://theplayground.gaia.com — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 04:18:25 GMT

Carolina, Thanks for your thoughts! I have thought of AQAL-ing dance improvisation - I am a professional dancer and most of my performance work is improvisational. When I'm in rehearsal I have done some basic graphing of the different exercises/practices and where they fit into AQAL. Many seem to exist in multiple areas at the same time, though this isn't that surprising. I have not spent time trying to divide up different physical practices into different Quadrents and Lines. Again, I image many would cross divisions, but it could be a very interesting investigation!

Re: Complimentary Practices

Fri, 29 Dec 2006 19:09:04 GMT

Dear people,
It's a pleasure to see what you all are writing ans love to contribute to this thread.
After 2 years of Pentjak Silat I started practicing Aikido 9 years ago. Approx 3 1/2 years of it my Aikido time I trained fulltime, because I wanted to go deep into the exploration. Aikido for me touches upon more then only techniques, in fact it's just a part of the big cake. From the beginning on it was clear to me that the practice helped me with the relationship towards me and others. Through touch, connection, feeling sense, interaction and listening a hugh world opened up. Like the lines of development, states, stages, etc.
Together with the Aikido practice I did Yoga (incl. partner yoga), AT, CI, BMC, Feldenkrais as far as movement and awareness. But a major important element always is the meditation and contemplation, within or outside movement.
I'm still practicing Aikido, Yoga, Feldenkrais, Meditation, Contemplation and they all make a important overal practice. The discoveries never end, the openings follow, the spectrum widens. The challenge is to respect the ground each art is coming from, staying open for its view without inmediately comparing. But at the same time I enjoy understanding and seeing similarity and differences, as principles are principles but differ in expression by intention, beliefs and motivation.
I'm happy to read the threads and topics, to learn and share.
Curious if some one ever thought of AQAL-ing movement...
Take care,

Carolina

Cuddling as a modality: Cuddle Parties...

http://cuddleparty.gaia.com — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 21:58:19 GMT

If you've been curious about Cuddle Parties, I'm the guy who created the whole thing. What originally grew out of workshop I was running for massage therapists to practice getting more touch back in their lives, CP's exploded into a global conversation within five weeks of launching it. Now, almost three years later, we've got trained and certified facilitators leading Cuddle Parties on three continents and four countries. I've seen what amazing things people have gotten out of rediscovering non-sexual touch and intimacy and affection, and my mind contiues to be blown away by all of this. We're even recognized by the American Massage Therapist Association (Cuddle Parties and our weekend training programs count towards CEU's for AMTA massage therapists - crazy, but true!) So, yeah, I'm a cuddler. My movement awareness practices consist of the horizontal hugs and the subtle movements of spooning! I'm blessed to call this one of my modalities. For those of you who might want to explore getting certified to lead these workshops, we're running a holiday registration special till the end of the year. Here's more info on that... Hugs, REiD Register by Dec 31 and save $300 on any of 2007's Cuddle Party FACILITATOR TRAINING and CERTIFICATION PROGRAMS! March 2-4, San Francisco, CA June 8-10, Seattle, WA June 22-24, Montgomery, AL Sept 28-30, New York, NY Whether you are new to running events for groups, or have been facilitating for years, this interactive, hands-on training will provide you with the tools you need to enhance your confidence, create new depth to your presentations, and improve your ability to create relatedness with just about anyone. Already happening in four countries on three continents, Cuddle Party's unique approach to blending workshop with social event has everyone talking. Come learn the inner workings behind facilitating these communication and intimacy workshops from the creators themselves and see what's made Cuddle Party a global conversation in less than three years. Register by Dec 31 and receive $300 off the Training Weekend, or the Training and Certification program. Go to cuddleparty.com/training to learn more and to register today... If you are a member of the American Massage Therapy Association, the Training Weekend counts towards 24.5 CEUs! Fulfill on your CEU requirments while taking the first step towards a valuable add-on workshop to your exiisting masage business. A great idea for any and all healers, instructors and workshop leaders looking to expand their offerings, come be a part of our community of certified Cuddle Party Facilitators and a growing phenomenon! "Of ALL the workshops I’ve attended, the Cuddle Party Facilitator Training has given me the most practical and useful tools to create and maintain direct, open and honest communication with EVERYONE in my life DAILY." - Tracy Ross, massage therapist & certified Cuddle Party Facilitator More information at cuddleparty.com/training or call Cuddle Party co-creator Marcia Baczynski at 212-737-6368

hi all you yoga mommies!

http://watersyoga.gaia.com — Sat, 25 Nov 2006 19:16:59 GMT

Hi, all you yogis and yoginis!!

my name is katrina waters and i live in austin, texas. i am a yoga instructor and practitioner, AND a mommy of a brilliant two-year-old son with another sweet child on their way! yoga is a passion of mine, it continually brings peace and a sense of well-being to my life. i'm sure many of you share this same experience! if anyone would have told me that i would be a yoga instructor now, i would have never believed them! why? i was the MOST unflexible girl you ever saw and i hated my body growing up. it was a sweet journey through the emotions and tears that brought me to where i am today. and i thank god, and everyone who has passed this art on for the differences it has made in my life!!

ahhhh. on that note, i feel very responsible in passing this art on to others who could benefit from it like i did. and, being pregnant right now has me very aware of the needs pregnant mommies need physically and emotionally. sooo, i am creating a dvd early next year called, Yoga For Mommies, appropriately enough! and, to ensure it's success, i am enrolling into a 6-month, intensive internet marketing program..and, i really could use your help! i need to raise $500 to secure my seat in the program…any amount would help. in fact, if you donate $30 or more, i'll send you a dvd upon completion..yae! will you help give the gift of yoga? thanks for considering!

Oh, and come by and visit us at http://pods.zaadz.com/yoga_for_mommies a baby pod just born a few days ago!

love, peace and cheers to you all!
katrina

Re: Complimentary Practices

http://theplayground.gaia.com — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 02:46:33 GMT

If you're interested in The Feldenkais Method a great place to start is www.feldenkrais.com, it is the National Guilde's website and has articles and such about the method. You can also find practitioners in your area. I do know a number of martial artists who also do Feldenkrais - in fact, he has one of the first Black Belts in Judo in Europe, wrote 2 books on Judo and started the first Judo school in Paris, which is still in operation. So, might be a good fit. If you have any questions ask and I will do my best to answer.

Re: Complimentary Practices

http://greentea.gaia.com — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 16:37:36 GMT

I would love to learn more about The Feldenkrais Method. Do you have any suggestions about where to start? I do Tae Kwon Do and Yoga. Both make me feel incredibly connected to my body and calm. Although I've found that the more I do Yoga the more I have to work to stay focused.....

Re: Complimentary Practices

http://monadnock.gaia.com — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 11:55:43 GMT

I have found that the practices of yoga and Tai Chi complement each other wonderfully for my body's needs. I have begun to do my Tai Chi in the morning as a form of sun salutation. In the evening I do gentle yoga to prepare my muscles for bed. I am 50 years old and started experiencing leg cramps at night. I find that the yoga prepares my body for bed and I sleep much easier. Both practices provide a means for me to communicate with my body and determine its needs.

Re: Changing Body/Changing Awareness

http://monadnock.gaia.com — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 11:53:03 GMT

My body awareness changed significantly when I started doing Tai Chi in the Spring of 2005. I do the Longevity form most day so of the week and find that the energy surrounding my body feels cleansed and my body feels more supple. I am not a small woman, by any means, and I have found that moving my body in concert with the energy system has made me feel graceful and in partnership with my body.

Complimentary Practices

http://theplayground.gaia.com — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 02:39:46 GMT

I find that, for me, no one practice satisfies my movements interests or needs. My current two main practices - The Feldenkrais Method & Contact Improvisation - both build my awareness, but in different ways. This is similiar to what I've said before, but The Feldenkrais Method is very personal, even private. It is something I can do and only focus on myself - certainly and inward practice. And Contact Improvisation is about communicating - through touch - with another person. So, I have to connect this inner awareness with outer communication. So, I connect this inner and outer awareness through these two practices. And, then to support these practices I also do some Yoga and Pilates - both of which are - at least how I practice them - form practices - ie. developing an awareness to accomplish something specific - or, doing something correctly. Connecting inner, outer, relationships, form, process and product. Do you practice complimentary forms? Do you only practice one form of movement? Why?

Changing Body/Changing Awareness

http://theplayground.gaia.com — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 14:06:22 GMT

In 1998 I moved from DC to the San Francisco/Bay Area (why I would ever move back, which I did, is a longer seperate story...). For a number of years I had been exploring improvisation dance performance and Contact Improvisation. But, I had not been intensly studying Contact in DC. When I got to SF I immediatly started spending much of my time going to Contact Improv classes, workshops and jams. My body seemed to soak it up. Even though this is kind of a cliché, I had found a home for my body. What I didn't immediatily realize was how it was changing me, changing the sensitivity of my skin. After about a year I came to feel the aliveness in that first layer of my skin, that presence and awareness only available through touch. I think I have always been attracted to touch, but this was a new depth to that awareness. I think just spending time, and then more time opening myself to touching and being touched by many individuals - people I knew intimately and people I did not know at all - caused me to release whatever last holding or resisting that I was doing. My skin, my ability to sense touch becase more and more detailed and percise. When I moved back to DC one of my close friends, who is a Laban Movement Analyst, commented that my "movement signiture" had significantly changed - so much so that she was rather shocked. I was so much more embodied, aware and moved with a fullness that wasn't always present before. My movement vocabulary shifted - was more daring and percise. This study of Contact Improvisation that I embarked on really shifted many things about my body and movement - it was, and continues to be, quite amazing.

Underscore poem

Thu, 24 Aug 2006 04:38:37 GMT

Man, I don't understand how these blog things work - i'm responding to my own post! Anyways, I thought I'd share a poem I wrote after my first time doing the Underscore - a score devised by Nancy Stark Smith that outlines possibilities in a contact improv jam. Despite the score, or perhaps because of it, I spent the entire time just laying on the floor! Here's the simple poem I wrote. Everything is in its right place The floor, and my body face down, on it The people moving, the impulses being followed, ignored The big vase of flowers, lilies and pine branches Waiting for me. I am in love with you gravity. You pull me towards you constantly Hug me, Hold me, Kiss me, Support me Constantly. Meaty, earthy, loving, complete. Will I have to let go of you too someday? Even the security of gravity, The delicious, hearty, sensuous, forceful, erotic, clinging kiss Of gravity? If I must, I will. But for now I am falling into you And you are catching me, perfectly. We are stillness together, and everything else is Waiting. The humans, the pine and lilies, the plan… Just me and the floor – Deeply In love.

Post-movement Musings...

Thu, 24 Aug 2006 04:23:21 GMT

Insights, reflections, and ah-ha's harvested from our personal exploration of movement

Re: What's your modality?

http://greentea.gaia.com — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 06:41:47 GMT

I practice Tae Kwon Do and Yoga. Used to do contact improv and loved it. Haven't done it for ten years but would love to get into again. Look forward to learning more here about other times of movement awareness....

Re: What's your modality?

http://paulmontgomery.gaia.com — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 22:37:12 GMT

Hi out there,

I have explored some BMC, and find it to be amazing work! Daniel, in response to your curiosity around the relationship of constucting the body and BMC (Body Mind Centering) I don't know if there is a formal connection, but there is definitely a similar quality in my experience. In the process of constructing the body seems to come completely alive as we inhabit it more fully. This is something that I find happens in BMC.

Peace out,
Paul

Re: What's your modality?

http://theplayground.gaia.com — Thu, 03 Aug 2006 17:09:22 GMT

I'm curious about this development of awareness of cells, organs, muscles, etc.. Have you ever looked into Body Mind Centering - it is a form developed by Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen. And one of the main studies of this method is exploring and experiencing the "mind" of each body system - ie. skeletal, muscular, organs, nervious, etc.. And that each system has a way that it initiates, influences and informs our movment and consciousness. It is very movement based - you actually move these systems. Very interesting work and challenging.

Re: What's your modality?

http://paulmontgomery.gaia.com — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 03:10:08 GMT

hey there,

A little more about the work of sensationand form that I mentioned before.The practice of sensation and form as I learned it begins with what Andrew calls constructing the body. This is kind of like moving from the expansive place of cellular awareness gradually moving to awareness of individual muscles, and organs, then moving more and more outward experience of the body to our senses and finally our contact with the outer world. Up until this point our focus is internal our eyes are closed and little attention is paid to the outer environment. When we finally open our eyes we begin to recieve influence from the outer world and continue to explore our relationship to the outer world.

So we naturally begin to be influenced by the outer environment and we move naturally in response to what the outer world offers us without leaving behind the sensitivity to the information and inspiration that our bodymind is offering to us. Naturally we begin to work with who or what is in the space. So I guess this form is similar to Feldenkrais in that it begins with the inner world. Anyhow I find this to be a helpful guide to moving authentically with my body and letting myself be influenced from the outside world.