We have many senses beyond the 5 we have learned since childhood, and the ability to feel our relationship with the center of the earth, the felt sense of gravity, is one of them. And, when we can feel this support with an easy openness of sight and hearing, there is an experience of being held. This is very different from holding ourselves up, something that requires more tension in our bodies (bracing) and more activation in our nervous system than is necessary or helpful. When grounded in this totally natural, though often unfamiliar way, there is a sense of security and inter-relatedness in our bodies, our bones, our whole nervous system and everything around us.

Experiencing an openness of sight and hearing is not always easy for us raised inside buildings and in Western culture. We may not even realize that at some point we heard or saw something disturbing enough that we partially shut down our hearing or sight. That was likely in service to us at the time, but is it still present or necessary? Can we find the appropriate sensory responses, including relaxation, in our eyes and ears? Do we know the difference? How is our seeing when we are cozy and secure versus when we are afraid? How is listening different, how are we different, when listening to natural sounds outside versus mechanical sounds (almost every sound inside buildings.)

In this workshop we’ll experiment with a variety of embodied practices to explore these and other questions. As always, this is a come-as-you-are party. Bring your curiosity, your challenges, your strengths (are they really strengths or just bracing?)  Perhaps we’ll find out….

In person and livestream with recording available after class.

Bonus!  The first 10 people to sign up for this workshop will receive a free copy of Restorative Practices by Gabriel Kram! I am not able to mail these out so if you are signing up online you will have to be able to pick it up at Radiant (within a week) or my house (whenever.)

Teachers

Marcia Miller

Cost

$75