with
Laura O'Brien and Claire Osborne
July 4th-5th / September 26th-27th / November 28th-29th
Laura O'Brien and Claire Osborne
July 4th-5th / September 26th-27th / November 28th-29th
Informed by Somatics, Body-Mind Centering, Amerta Movement and Art Therapy, and shaped as a space for being, making and reflecting. This three-weekend course offers participants an immersive exploration of movement and art-making as embodied and relational practice, to support both personal and professional development.
The course is intended for therapists, movement practitioners, artists and creatives, and those engaged in personal, spiritual or creative development wishing to deepen their connection with body, presence and creative expression.
Held at the beautiful An Sanctoir in West Cork: a purpose built, wooden-floored building, surrounded by a 28 acre private nature reserve. We will work both indoors in the bright and warm studio, and outdoors in a variety of landscape settings (meadow, rock, woodland, river).
The course is intended for therapists, movement practitioners, artists and creatives, and those engaged in personal, spiritual or creative development wishing to deepen their connection with body, presence and creative expression.
Held at the beautiful An Sanctoir in West Cork: a purpose built, wooden-floored building, surrounded by a 28 acre private nature reserve. We will work both indoors in the bright and warm studio, and outdoors in a variety of landscape settings (meadow, rock, woodland, river).
COURSE CONTENT
Across the three weekends, participants will be guided to explore the body and creative process through elemental and anatomical themes:
This course offers time for both guided and self-led practice, including:
Between weekends participants are supported through personal movement and art journaling and an optional buddy system for reflection and continuity.
Across the three weekends, participants will be guided to explore the body and creative process through elemental and anatomical themes:
- July — Cell, Breath & Air
Cultivating presence and inner listening through subtle movement, breath, sound and creative response. - September — Fluids, Blood & Water
Exploring flow, rhythm and relationship through movement and making, including attention to emotional tone and connection with others and the wider environment. - November — Bone, Muscle & Earth
Working with structure, support and form to integrate experience through grounded movement and embodied expression.
This course offers time for both guided and self-led practice, including:
- Somatics (inspired by experiential anatomy and Body Mind Centering)
- Amerta movement
- 2-D and 3-D embodied art-making processes inspired by art therapy
- Reflective practice
- Shared dialogue
- Periods of outdoor work, supporting connection with the natural environment to embody our deep, reciprocal relationship with the natural world.
Between weekends participants are supported through personal movement and art journaling and an optional buddy system for reflection and continuity.
COURSE AIMS
The core intention of the course is to cultivate a deeper relationship with the body as a source of perception, connection, expression, containment, response-ability and creative intelligence, within a carefully held and supportive space.
You will be facilitated to explore and develop your movement vocabulary and creativity as tools for listening, assimilating and responding to our life experience in each moment.
You will be invited into sensory experiencing, bodily connection, embodied expression, curiosity, play.
Attention is given not only to practice, but to how we listen, witness, respond and facilitate — offering a context of presence, relationship and belonging. It is a process of being attuned to our bodily experience (of self, others and environment) and tracking and trusting that experience.
This is a time of slowing down and experiencing our own BE-ing, and the BE-ing of others.
The core intention of the course is to cultivate a deeper relationship with the body as a source of perception, connection, expression, containment, response-ability and creative intelligence, within a carefully held and supportive space.
You will be facilitated to explore and develop your movement vocabulary and creativity as tools for listening, assimilating and responding to our life experience in each moment.
You will be invited into sensory experiencing, bodily connection, embodied expression, curiosity, play.
Attention is given not only to practice, but to how we listen, witness, respond and facilitate — offering a context of presence, relationship and belonging. It is a process of being attuned to our bodily experience (of self, others and environment) and tracking and trusting that experience.
This is a time of slowing down and experiencing our own BE-ing, and the BE-ing of others.
ABOUT THE PRACTICES
Art-making:
This is not about achieving ‘good art’, but about the process and what one experiences whilst making.
Guided or self-led somatic art-making experiences will support experimentation, bodily experience, spontaneity and confidence with using varying materials through 2-D, 3-D and installation work.
Making is offered as a tool to support exploration of themes, digestion and processing of arising material, to prepare for, as part of, and in response to movement.
Movement:
drawing on established techniques on non-stylised movement, or ‘free movement’ Laura and Claire will offer themes and guided explorations to connect you with your body, present-moment attention and sensory experiencing. You will be invited to be curious about, be aware of and express your inner experience and your relationship with others and your surroundings.
The movement schools that inform this work:
Art-making:
This is not about achieving ‘good art’, but about the process and what one experiences whilst making.
Guided or self-led somatic art-making experiences will support experimentation, bodily experience, spontaneity and confidence with using varying materials through 2-D, 3-D and installation work.
Making is offered as a tool to support exploration of themes, digestion and processing of arising material, to prepare for, as part of, and in response to movement.
Movement:
drawing on established techniques on non-stylised movement, or ‘free movement’ Laura and Claire will offer themes and guided explorations to connect you with your body, present-moment attention and sensory experiencing. You will be invited to be curious about, be aware of and express your inner experience and your relationship with others and your surroundings.
The movement schools that inform this work:
- Somatic Movement: a space to connect with our own individual sense of embodiment and our bodies' stories without judgement or expectation. Participants are encouraged to allow their movement to be led by sensations, breath, sound and their inner process. This aspect of each weekend is informed by Body Mind Centering, embodied and experiential approaches to anatomy, deep listening, attunement and rest.
- Amerta movement: created by internationally renowned movement master Suprapto Suryadarmo (Prapto). Amerta movement is based on daily life movements, and draws us into a child-like inquisitive, spontaneous, present-moment expression of being. It is delightfully simple and profoundly moving. Prapto’s inspiration arose from Buddhist practice, observing the movement of children, studying the elements and movement in nature, the practice of Sumarah (a traditional Javanese meditation practice of ‘letting go’ or surrender) and, through his parents’ influence, Javanese mysticism.
Fees
Final payment due in full before first weekend.
Fee includes art materials, teas, snacks.
Lunch: 15euros per day (optional)
Venue
An Sanctóir, Bawnaknockane, Ballydehob, West Cork P81XF34
Accomodation
A limited number of spaces are available at Dan Gray’s house, which is on the land at An Sanctoir and within 5 minutes walking distance of the studio: single, double and dorm rooms available. Dan’s contact details available on request if you wish to book.
Bookings
Bookings are made through an application process using the following link :
https://forms.gle/iMmS4yG9qBrEoTcP6
Applicants for the full course will need some grounding in either personal or creative process, personal personal development or body-based/movement work. Newcomers to this type of work are welcome to the first weekend.
Participants may attend the full three-weekend series or join individual weekends as standalone experiences.
More information, please contact either Claire or Laura
Claire: [email protected]
Laura: [email protected]
- 280 euros per weekend
- 780 euros for the full course / Early bird 720 euros (paid in full before June 10th )
Final payment due in full before first weekend.
Fee includes art materials, teas, snacks.
Lunch: 15euros per day (optional)
Venue
An Sanctóir, Bawnaknockane, Ballydehob, West Cork P81XF34
Accomodation
A limited number of spaces are available at Dan Gray’s house, which is on the land at An Sanctoir and within 5 minutes walking distance of the studio: single, double and dorm rooms available. Dan’s contact details available on request if you wish to book.
Bookings
Bookings are made through an application process using the following link :
https://forms.gle/iMmS4yG9qBrEoTcP6
Applicants for the full course will need some grounding in either personal or creative process, personal personal development or body-based/movement work. Newcomers to this type of work are welcome to the first weekend.
Participants may attend the full three-weekend series or join individual weekends as standalone experiences.
More information, please contact either Claire or Laura
Claire: [email protected]
Laura: [email protected]
Your facilitators
Laura O'Brien
Laura O’Brien, B.A ,M.A, S.M.T, ISMETA .
https://embodiedlifesomatics.com/ Laura O’Brien is a registered Somatic Movement Therapist, an ISMETA-accredited practitioner, and a movement facilitator with over 18 years of dedicated study and practice in the field of embodiment. Her background includes extensive training in Amerta Movement with Suprapto Suryadarmo across Europe and Asia, as well as a three-year professional training with Joan Davis (Origins).Laura is also completing further training as a MindBody Somatic Coach, expanding her interdisciplinary approach. Her work supports individuals and groups in developing deeper body awareness, nervous system regulation, creativity, and presence. Laura’s approach is grounded, inclusive, and relational — offering a safe and attuned space for exploration, healing, expression, and transformation through embodied practice. |
Claire Osborne
Claire Osborne BA, MA, YTT, YTA, IACAT https://www.yogaandmovement.com/ Claire is a group facilitator of Amerta movement, yoga and women’s groups, as well as an accredited Art therapist and yoga therapist. Her movement practice is based primarily on Amerta movement, having studied with Prapto for 23 years. Accredited with IACAT (the Irish Association of Creative Arts Therapists) and the YTA (Yoga Therapy Association, UK), Claire has 30 years experience of facilitating groups, and has worked for 14 years as a therapist. The natural world is an important part of her life and work: running community gardening projects for many years, growing her own garden and teaching nature-based movement workshops. She works privately and within community groups and health organisations, and whenever possible in and with the landscape West Cork. Claire weaves together the sacred arts of Yoga, Art and Movement to create a unique multi-disciplinary, somatically informed approach to creativity, personal exploration, transformation and healing. Yogic philosophy and the Buddhist principles that underpin Amerta guide her work. |