Saturdays, 9:15 – 12:00 pm
At Links Hall (Map)
$10 (OuterSpace Frequent Flyer Card Accepted)
Contemplative Dance provides a container for cultivating awareness and acceptance of what is arising in the body. The practice is simple and free of prescribed movements one needs to learn to participate. Each session is open to all ages and levels and begins with 30 minutes of Sitting Practice then moves into 40 minutes of Personal Awareness Practice and finishes up with 40 minutes of Open Space.
In Sitting Practice we recall our intention to relax more deeply into what is arising and remember to release our grip as things pass away.
In Personal Awareness Practice we encourage kinesthetic delight and a growing curiosity for what is unfolding. We continue listening deeply to the movements of the breath and consciously trust our own not knowing what will arise as larger movements of the body begin to move us out into space at our own pace.
In Open Space we return to our cushions and enter individually, bringing with us all that has been stirred up thus far in our practice. We stand and bow to enter the space and invite ourselves to host this moment as a guest right here, right now. We come and go from our cushions as often as we like and practice sitting when we need to sit, standing when we need to stand and resting when we need to rest.
The practice concludes with a short closing circle with each person who wishes to speak expressing what they experienced and what they saw. This particular sequence was developed by teacher and meditator Barbara Dilley and is hosted each week by dance artist Jessica Marasa.
Dilley says about the practice, “there are two rules: take responsibility for yourself, and don’t cause harm. Sitting around the edge of the room, we become Well-Wishers and On-Lookers. We enjoy the presence of others and the room and the light. We witness without judgement or comparisons.”