SERPENT SPINE - ANIMAL BODY

A two-day introductory workshop in Ancestral Movement, exploring movement patterns and innate in the body due to our long evolutionary heritage, which form the basis of all human movement and which allow us to feel on a physical level our deep connections to the rest of our living family on the Earth.

Participants are welcome to attend either day separately, or both.

DAY 1: SERPENT SPINE will explore the evolutionary anatomy of the spine as the central axis of physical movement, breath, expression, sensitivity and connection to the world.

Movements to gain specific voluntary control of every spinal segment, releasing tension, relieving pain and developing powerful undulating movements through the entire muscular central axis of the body.

Practices to develop flowing, spontaneous movement through space, training the spine and torso to work effortlessly with the eyes and the limbs, developing serious leg strength and powerful, intelligent hips.

Breathing practices where we learn to direct the awareness and the movements of the breath with precision to every individual spinal segment, to massage out deep held tensions from the insides of the body and breathe freely without inhibition through the entire torso. Learning how to cultivate smooth and pleasant breathing to induce states of profound alertness and relaxation, to feel the insides of the body responding in real time to the activities of the mind to the living world outside.

With discussions of some foundational science of mind-body practice we will explore the links between body awareness, posture, breathing, physical tension and movement with the external spatial senses, different patterns of emotion and different aspects of character, empathy and nonverbal communication, social and ecological awareness.??

DAY 2: ANIMAL BODY will take the serpent spine and move more into the external world, exploring moving the body through space with quadrupedal movement, crawling patterns, and movement games exploring qualities like softness, strength, elasticity, relaxation, sensitivity, balance, stability, coordination, use of the eyes and overall physical intelligence.

The workshop is open to anyone who is interested. All of the work is very physical, but always with an emphasis on intelligence and sensitivity as the main qualities we are trying to develop. The practices are safe and can be scaled according to individual needs and abilities.

Time: 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Time: 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM