Listening With The Body

"There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."

- Anais Nin -

Listening With The Body is a physical practice that helps us discover the full meaning of communication. By applying its principles and practicing its exercises our behavior becomes less reactive and we find ourselves more connected with the world around us.

Whether on a personal or a professional level, communication can be quite a challenge. We are often left feeling frustrated and isolated. One of the major reasons is that we often are caught up in seeing communication as a one-way event - directed from one person towards another. In the emotion of the moment we lose sight of the other person or group. It is easy to forget that speaking is only one part of the communication equation. LISTENING, is certainly as important. How we listen determines the depth of our connection with our surroundings; it determines how and what we say.

True communication is an exchange between a person and his/her environment, a simultaneous giving and receiving. It is an easy flow of energy between us and the world around us that comes from a real connection. Through this type of  communication our connection actually deepens, and it leaves us changed: psychologically, emotionally, spiritually,... and finally also physically.

Listening With The Body focuses on the physical aspect of communication. We explore through a series of movement-and-sound exercises how the body functions as we communicate. We find out if our body supports or hinders this process. We experience what our body feels like when we are in true connection with the people around us. We then begin the process of building a physical instrument that supports this connection.

Listening With The Body's mission is to create, through classes and retreats, a safe environment for people to explore how the physical body functions in the process of communication. It is our hope that this sense of safety will carry over into daily life so that we can experience a fuller connection with the world around us and thus create a greater sense of community.