“Thank you for being such a gentle and effective teacher. I really enjoyed doing the classes and I hope my journey will bring me into the same space again sometime.”
“Participating in a dance class is something that I have thought about for at least 5 years now … but I had no idea how valuable I would find the experience ... a special experience with special people … the class to me has been about connection and engagement. It has been a wonderful guided journey … with huge appreciation I say thank you to the universe and women”
“Thank you again for a most interesting and again revealing day of movement. It is unusually challenging, engaging and gets all my body and mind cells pinging like mad! ... I would like to go deeper and more often”
“Loved the morning Claire. Thank you” |
What is it?
Since 2003 Claire has been developing Moving Presence Embodied Movement- a free form practice influenced primarily by Amerta Movment, as well as Dance, Voice-work, Yoga and Meditation.
It is very simple and profound practice, focusing on developing Bodily awareness and Presence, and exploring our relationship with ourselves, each other and our environment.
It gives us a place to witness, express, explore and enquire. It frees up our bodies, loosens our attachments to our patterns, and stimulates compassion and joy.
We move indoors and outdoors.
There are no steps to learn, no techniques to master.
Its simple principles make it profoundly moving and helpful for complete beginners as well as experienced professionals of meditation, therapy, bodywork or other movement backgrounds.
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What happens in a class?
Classes are playful and explorative, releasing vitality and enabling participants to move more freely. Sometimes I chant, sing, drum or use music. I may also sometimes include drawing, painting or writing.
This is a rough guide to how a class might go;
- starting with breathing techniques and body scanning or meditation, to ground and arrive in the body.
- Guided warm ups - stretches and movements to prepare physically, mentally and emotionally for deeper explorations. e.g. waking the nervous system, spine, feelings and senses, muscles and joints. As I become familiar with a group these exercises can be geared towards people’s personal needs.
- Movement exploration where the participants are supported in free movement to deeper explore certain themes. Examples of explorations;
- Nine basic postures (sitting, kneeling, lying, crawling etc. related to
developmental movement patterns)
- With objects e.g. cloth, instruments, chairs
- The senses
- Laban 4 efforts – space, weight, time/rhythm, flow
- Environmental awareness
- Relationship dynamics (leaving/not leaving, active/passive etc.)
- One-to-one work and witnessing
- Sharing / moving in smaller groups
- One-to-one work and/or personal guidance (if appropriate).
- Finishing with guided relaxation or meditation to assimilate the session and relax.
Who is it suitable for?
Everybody – able bodied or less able, old or young, experienced professional or complete beginner. Claire holds a safe and grounded space, guiding classes with a gentle a deep presence to support each individual in developing from where they are.
Because Movement is Body and Experience based it fills a gap that is often missing in many other movement or awareness practices and so is used by many to compliment their own work or personal growth E.g. psychotherapists, practitioners of meditation, yoga, tai chi etc, dancers, actors, artists, filmmakers, therapists, health professionals and body workers, and so on.
What are the Benefits?
It is many things; liberating, expressive, playful, revealing, compassionate, healing.
- Link body, heart and mind
- Be more in you body.
- Release vitality and expression
- Understand who you are and your potential
- Deepen acceptance and compassion.
- Become aware of patterns in personal behaviour and relationships
- Deepen your connection with the environment.
- Be nourished by the support of a shared experience
- Develop a creative response to your life.
- Become more expressive, vital and engaged with life
- Working in groups or in pairs means that participants can develop communication and relationship skills.
- At its most basic it is a form of relaxation and exercise, using muscles, loosening joints and releasing tension.
A note on Amerta Movement and Suprapto Suryadarmo
Suprapto developed Amerta Movement over 25 years ago from his background in Buddhism, Javanese Sumara meditation, martial arts, Being in Nature and watching children playing. Amerta means ‘the Nectar of Life’ so Amerta Movement is the ‘Movement of the Nectar of Life’. Amerta Movement is about something more than ourselves. It is a tool for self awareness and expression, but also a way to become more part of Life itself and ultimately of service to Life Itself.
As we become more familiar with our own life story, habits and tendencies, we begin to see their blessings and how to use them wisely and skilfully, be less identified with them and more compassionate towards the human condition.
As we develop our ‘fine-tuning’ we become more sensitive to ourselves, others and our environment. We develop a capacity to move with awareness and honouring of all of these.
We also free ourselves up from conditioned responses…therefore over time moving more freely and creatively.
Awareness and expression begin to occur hand in hand.
Beyond that it is also a form of channelling life, of doing service to something other than our on personal story. In this way it becomes Art, Meditation, Healing, Gardening … or whatever each practitioner has a particular skill to create in the world.
www.lemahputih.com
Recommended reading:
Bloom, Katya (2006). The Embodied Self: movement and psychoanalysis. Karnac Books
Lavelle, Lise (2005). Amerta Movement of Java 1986-1997: An Asian Movement Improvisation. Lund University Centre for Languages and Literature
Reeve, Sandra (2009). The Ecological Body. Exeter University PhD Thesis |
