"The major problems of the world are the result of the difference between how nature works and the way man thinks." – Gregory Bateson

“Ecstasy is the accurate term for the intensity of consciousness that occurs in the creative act.” -Rollo May

“To stop your mind does not mean to stop the activities of the mind. It means your mind pervades your whole body." – Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Master

Somatic Movement Skills Lab Series

	More Information: Calendar Individual Sessions Personalized Retreats

Spring 2021

April 25, May 9 & 23, June 6 & 20
9-noon Pacific Time online
Group Size Limited - Register by April 18

"You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves."
- from "Wild Geese by Mary Oliver

Over the past 20 years, I have curated a template of simple, accessible, and effective somatic practices for tending and befriending the soma – the body of nature. These practices have arisen out of what I have identified as the five somatic technologies indigenous to all bodies - breath, vocalization, contact, movement and stillness.

The investigation of these natural technologies offer us the ability to renovate, cultivate and refine our somatic foundations as a way to inhabit more fully our presence and power. Just like technologies invented by humans, these somatic technologies can extend and amplify our evolutionary capacities and capabilities as human animals seeking to be fully born.

In this series, we will explore and discuss these five somatic technologies, and then apply them to our personal practice and to our work as somatic movement educators, therapists, coaches and guides between meetings. This lab is for committed learners, whether for personal or professional practice.

Please be prepared to dedicate 10 hours of practice & study between each session.

Each session, while related to the larger topic of movement, will have a distinct focus and a repertoire of specific practices:

#1 Breath - April 25

#2 Contact - May 9

#3 Stillness - May 23

#4 Vocalization - June 6

#5 Integration - June 20

Each session is recorded for playback. You will also receive a 45" individual consult with Jamie online during the program.

For continuity between sessions, I highly encourage selecting an online lab partner for weekly check-ins.

I will provide selected readings from my manuscript and from others' as well as offer prompts for embodied practice and reflective writing.

Participants can augment this concentrated learning experience with simultaneous enrollment in the 1 hour, 2x/week Thinking Body, Sensing Mind series to soak in the experience, and/or with additional individual online sessions.

To apply:

1) Send a statement of intention along with a brief summary of your experience in the somatic, expressive and/or contemplative arts to naturebeingart@gmail.com

2) Pay What You Are Able Sliding Scale: $250-550

Payment is through Paypal, Transferwise, or with a check to: Jamie McHugh, PO Box 250, Albion, CA 95410

Jamie McHugh

For more information about the five somatic technologies, view this video HERE