Listening With The Body

Listening With The Body - The Art Of Communication 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.

 

On a personal or professional level, true communication is a challenge. It often leaves us feeling frustrated, isolated, ineffectual... .The reason is that too often communication is treated as a one-directional event - from one person towards the other(s). We may feel called to convince, seduce, apologize, berate, sell, etc... and in the emotion of the moment we lose sight of the other person or group as we get caught up in our own argumentation. It is easy to forget that speaking is only one half of the communication equation. LISTENING, is the other half. How we listen determines the depth of our connection with our surroundings; it determines what we say and how we say it.

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In Listening With The Body the focus is on how the body behaves in the process of communication. We discover how our everyday physical habits and postures to a large degree dictate whether we are truly communicating, or if we simply are talking-at-someone.  Are we really listening or are we simply hearing and waiting for an opportunity to say what we came to say.

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True communication is an exchange between a person and their environment, a simultaneous giving and receiving. It is a flow of energy and information 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 physically.

 

Listening With The Body exercises are derived from the Williamson Technique, a technique developed by Loyd Williamson. Through a series of movement-and-sound exercises we explore how the body functions as we communicate. We find out if our body with its everyday habits 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. Jan has been teaching and coaching actors, singers, dancers, as well as attorneys, health care professionals, etc. since 1991.