Columbia Movement Gathering l

If the number of participants exceeds 7 the warm up will be done together and all further exercises will be done in small groups, taking turns. This will establish a rotating theme of participants and observers.

Clear space of all belongings, loosen clothing, be barefoot, remove jewelry and sit in circle.

We are creating a healing space and a safe space and closed circle of confidence.
This means what takes place here is kept in circle.
This movement gathering is about healing wounds that inevitably
release when given the opportunity to do so.
A way that we facilitate this release is through the use of movement, sounding,
toning and what I call "the-ating"
(the act of developing characters through release
of inner dances and inner voices).

During this event the affirmation is "I love mys'elf and
I am allowing of my creative and healing expression".
This safe space is absent of judgment for yours'elf and each other.
This gathering also requires that you affirm your commitment
to be here, to heal and take risks in new ways.
Just by be-ing here you have already done that.

A safe space is also about taking care of yours'elf
Honor your needs.
If you need to step out and re-center, please do so
but do not leave entirely.
I ask that everyone be here for closing circle.

This gathering will begin with a personal and guided warm up.
Then there will be essentially 3 parts;
Spirit/Etheric Clearing, Dance therapy Skills/Exercise
and Playfull Creative Exercise.

Brief Centering: Find a comfortable sit position, back straight,
focus is on your breath, breathe naturally and be watchful
of your breath going in and out, in and out,
spend a few minutes doing this...pause...

Now follow the breath into the top of your head, feel your breath fill your head,
move in and around your eyes, ears, nose, mouth, jaws, throat, neck,
down to shoulders, around to top of your back, chest, down arms to fingertips,
down torso around to mid back, to waist, hips, genitals, thighs front and back,
knees, calves, ankles, heals and toes.

Feel your entire body energized by your breath.


Return to your faces and stretch everything in your face (I demonstrate),
make faces, then use your hands and massage your face.
Proceed down your entire body, the same path as the breath exercise,
stretching and massaging as you go.
You know your body best and where your kinks are
so tend to them.
And take as much space as you need to do this.
Change levels as well, moving your body up and down as you need.

We have completed energizing our breath and our bodies.
Now we are going to energize our voices.

Everyone lie down on your backs.
Counting from 1 to 10 use a whole tone and hold #10 as long as you can
without force or strain.(I demonstrate).
Find the place that your tone comes out easily.
Start with a low tone and go up with each set of counting 1-10.
Also begin to hold each tone/number longer
always having enough breath to finish with 10.

Now begin to create different facings with your
number tones. 1, 2, 3...4......5...6,7,8,9,...10.

Drop the numbers, just make sounds, short and long. Oh,oh,oh,
ohhhhhhh, ohhhhhhh, oh, oh, oh, ahhhhhhhh, ah, ah, ah.....

Leave the one tone and vary tones still playing with pacing and rhythm.

Bring to a close, stand up, shake out, walk around space.

Come into circle. How is everyone feeling? Anything come up for you?


Clearing Spirit/Etheric Body

Find a place in the space that feels good in standing position.
Close your eyes and imagine/visualize your own spirit/etheric body
standing right in front of you.

Open your eyes.
Now we are going to focus on your present body for a moment
and keeping consciousness that
your spirit/etheric body is standing in front of you.

Rub your hands together and create warmth and energy, feel the tingling
of your circulation in your hands. When you feel that begin to touch yours'elf,
starting with the top of your head, down your face, neck, shoulders front and back
and proceed at your own pace touching and energizing your entire body.
When you feel you have completed this
stand still with your arms by your side
so that I know you are ready
to move on to the next directive....pause...

Now we are going to extend our energized physical s'elves
to our spirit/etheric body by using our hands.

Sense your spirit s'elves standing in front of you.
Silently ask what areas need energizing, attention?
Is it your head? Stomach? Feet? Whatever.
When you receive the information begin to activate that imagined area
of s'elf by placing your hands there, similar to psychic clearing.
You can smooth the area, pat it, give a gentle massage, move it around until it feels good.
Do whatever feels good to you. Trust your intuition and remember to keep breathing.
When you feel completion stand with arms by side.


Now our spirit s'elves are energized and ready to be reintegrated with our greater/whole s'elves.
We do this by imagining that there is a zipper all along the front of our spirit s'elves.
Reach over and unzip from head to toe.
Then as though you were putting on a long overcoat or a costume,
slip your arms and legs and whole bodies into the coat or costume.
Make sure all of you is in
and then zip yours'elf up and feel yours'elf fully integrated.
Walk around, feel your new s'elf and then find a place to sit in circle.

When we do this kind of work we occasionally bring parts of our s'elf in
that have been out there somewhere and not quite connected.
So it is not unusual to feel full in a new way.
Sometimes this may be overwhelming, scary or joyfull and
different from how we have experienced it before.
So take time to feel these new feelings and continue to affirm
that you are deserving of feeling good or feeling new or even feeling BIG.
This is your be'earth rite! BREATHE!

Share how we are feeling.

Movement and Sounding Score

Create two groups at either end of space facing each other across room.

Starting at one end of each line a participant from each side will move to center facing each other and when you get to center each do your own movement and sound and then return to your line.
This is cue for next 2 participants to go and do same thing continuing down the line and repeating at beginning when last 2 persons go.

Then pick it up so there is no delay between going to center.

2nd Part of Exercise

One side does movement and sound and other side mirrors it,
then return to line and next 2 go.

Change to other side initiating and repeat exercise.

Take a moment to process how you feel and share what you would like to share.

Dance Therapy Exercise,
Taking space, carving/shaping space

Create Groups

Observers will watch body language and give feedback at end of exercise.
These are not judgment! They are intuitive observations.
For example, is there an obvious part of the body that a person favors?
Or a part of the body that a person does not use?
Can you identify a person's strong part of a body? Where their strength is?

Participant's Group:
Walk in space, comfortable walk, use hands, fingers,
arms, toes, knees, legs and put them in the spaces
in front of you, behind you, above and below.

Make shapes in the space with your body.
Don't worry about how you look, no one is judging you.
Think of yours'elf as the artist, that you are, carving
a sculpture that is an extended image of yours'elf.
You can jump, skip, turn around, go in different directions,
pause, stop, go. Use your imagination.

Along with this begin to add what we did in the counting/sounding score.
Use your sounds while you move.
It may be awkward at first and that's o.k.
Just let yours'elf play.

Observers at this point begin to note what entertains you.

(Note to Mys'elf: This is where we begin to recognize our
combined sounds and movements as a performance art.
The earlier notation of body language and what we observe a
person doing internally is what I name a healing art, dance therapy.)

Bring to a close.

Feedback.

Next Group. Repeat Exercise.


Playfull/Creative Group
A practice in active s'elf awareness, presence and performance.

Create Groups: Participants and Observers

Now we are going to integrate all we have learned, taking space, sounding and having fun.
This time add one other thing and that is awareness of each other and interaction with one another's movement and sounding or impulse from one another's sounding and moving.

Feedback on what entertained you.

Next Group. Repeat Exercise.

Feedback.

Circle.

Feedback on whole gathering.

Announcement of next gathering and possibilities of creating
interest groups such as dance therapy, performance group, centering/clearing group.

A Columbia Movement Gathering ll to follow.

*Namaste*