ONLINE SESSIONS THURSDAYS 10-12noon Cost £15
STUDIO SESSIONS MONDAYS 10.15- 11.45am Cost £15 (Venue: Masonic Hall, Budleigh Salterton, Devon)
At the heart of the Body Talk sessions is deep body listening and the ability to follow the internal movement impulses which organically arise. This is facilitated by verbal guidance which at times is specific and at other times more open. Throughout participants take responsibility for their own wellbeing adapting the guidance to suit their present bodily needs and desires. Influenced by Shiatsu practice, the movement is mainly explored at floor level drawing support from the earth through different body surfaces. However, this may be adjusted to a firm chair in studio sessions and in the comfort of a participant’s home, during online sessions, an easy-chair, couch or sofa could be used.
Each session encourages embodied imagination and includes a period of reflection whereby participants can draw, make or write in response to their movement exploration; see the top right-hand video and/or the following online publication, for examples.
Click to open the Monday morning studio poems and drawings celebrating a decade of Body Talk sessions.
Time is given afterwards for a group sharing of these reflections. Here rich and varied responses reflect the individual session journey which contributes to a sense of community spirit that connects with the wider-world. From the facilitator’s witnessing, this period might include insightful feedback. These sessions offer a springboard for further creative explorations; see the second video down on the right.
In relationship with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) each week there is a different anatomical theme which arises from the season. For example, in winter there is ‘Renal Renewal’, in spring ‘Sincere Sinews’, in summer ‘Blood Bliss’, in late summer ‘Digestive Desires’ and in autumn ‘Embracing Elimination’. For each session there is written support material in the form of handouts which can be accessed at the bottom of this page.
The approach in the facilitation of these ‘Body Talk’ sessions is greatly influenced by the experiential anatomy work of Bonnie Bainbridge-Cohen, Linda Hartley, Andrea Olsen, Bill Palmer and Miranda Tufnell. Some of the movement guidance has been informed by the practice of Awareness through Movement by Moshe Feldenkrais and the Effort Qualities of Rudolf Laban. The reflective period draws on multimodal art mediums found in the movement, metaphor and meaning work of Anna and Daria Halprin.
Participant’s Comments:
"Thank you very much for your continued imagination and inspiration as well as the expert understanding of the human body as it unfolds in the moment." Trevor Ives
"Sessions are alternative, affirming, creative, nurturing, and healing." Jenny Grey
"Wow! Would you believe it! I found myself moving freely and fluidly around the floor both on my feet and rolling, aches and pains forgotten! My lower body movement at the start of the workshop, had been stiff and stilted, my legs somehow not wanting to travel across the room." John Fullwood
"My relationship with the garden, and the way I move whilst tending it, is shifting and deepening. I’m realizing the possibility of learning to dance with it, to be more open to the earth’s support as I work and focus less on results. Thank you for creating the space for these realizations to germinate." Lesley Davies
"I often reflect on the extraordinary movement sessions and the richness of experience they provided." Shelagh Todd
"I appreciate the ‘held’ space, the safety, trust, respect, honesty in which we worked and shared." Helen Goodman-Payne
