Since August, I started offering open sessions of Contemplative Dance Practice (CDP) and Somatic Movement once a month. After having three sessions, I am grateful for the consistency of engaging in this practice with others and I’m looking forward to future sessions. 

CDP was created by my teacher at Naropa University, Barbara Dilley (barbaradilley.com). The basic structure of CDP includes an opening sitting meditation, followed by a Personal Awareness (movement) practice, then a second sitting meditation, followed by Open Space (movement) practice, ending with a short sitting meditation for closure. I have added a Somatic Movement practice at the beginning of the session to help participants connect to their sensorial awareness, prepare the body for exploring physical possibilities, and to ground into the dance studio we are sharing. The level of presence and introspection by the end of the sessions has been healing and stimulating to witness the capacity of a collective experience to harness a subtle web of connection.

After the last two sessions, I have reflected on the growing potential of this monthly offering to provide a consistent space to explore my own movement individually with others and, also, collectively. Let me clarify this statement. During Personal Awareness practice I am surrounded by others exploring their movement and presence in the studio, yet, I will not directly engage with them while I explore my somatic awareness and movement impulses. During Open Space practice, however, I am expanding upon my personal awareness practice in tandem with others allowing for influence from their movement choices and even engagement to dance together directly or indirectly. Exploring the layers of possibilities contained within the contemplative dance space deepens my investment in this practice by continuing to track my tendencies and resistances both as a meditator and a mover while participating as a community member. As Barbara states, “CDP offers a place to observe and research, alone and together.”
 
Contact me if you would like more information and to join future sessions in San Francisco. 

The previous post from the beginning of 2020 is comically tragic in its expressions of potential unfolding and possible discoveries. Indeed, that year did unfold with many unexpected potentials for Somatic investigation and discoveries in isolation and loss. Moving through that year demanded a deep commitment to my physical practices and the embodied needs of my coaching clients.

Tango classes ended and Shadow yoga only had one weekend of the four weekends we were supposed to have from February to May of 2020. Yet, I found many ways of dancing through 2020 and facing the shadows with the support of my yoga and somatic practices. I returned to in person classes and practice with much gratitude for shared rebuilding of communal gathering and engagement. Here in 2025 we are clearly facing another struggle for community  investment and healing. With all the talking heads and fracturing of the social fabric, attending to the responses of the body will guide the way toward stability in action and restorative practices to endure another cycle of history.

After the past five years of shock and restructuring, I plan to accept the shifting landscape with more posts to reflect the benefits of Body Awareness Coaching for the journey ahead.  

2020 started with a surprise, this website went down. I was going to send a friend, whom I had not heard from in years, who sent me a Happy New Year's text a visual of my professional endeavors with this website, and all that appeared was an index page. I was alarmed, but not totally surprised. A new year, a new chance for change. 

After dealing with the web host for a few weeks, I finally discovered the error of a support staff member and realized I had to start all over again. Here we have the revised edition for 2020. Life is ever evolving. (This post may sound very calm about all the change, however, let it not fool you to the many vocal exclamations I made in the process-although centering myself during phone calls to speak directly, but with consideration.)

2020 is also offering me two workshop series for my physical practice. Last year I danced Tango in a play at Shotgun Players in Berkeley which whet my appetite for more experience. Tango is a new form for me and I am happy I am participating in a seven week series to continue opening up to this dance and to practicing Beginner's Mind again. 

I also started a First Year training course in Shadow Yoga. I have been exposed to some basic practices of Shadow Yoga from my yoga teacher with whom I've practiced with since 2005. Shadow Yoga is offering me a new way to structure my commitment to daily practice and progressive integration. I am also enjoying connecting my Somatic practices to supporting my Shadow Yoga investigation and allowing all the forms to speak to each other...sometimes literally through my vocal expressions in the release of tired muscles or releasing tensions in the deepening process. Grateful to the new gifts for the new year and decade!