Moving
Body Awareness is a form of moving meditation and a way to
true improvisation. It explores the mechanics of movement through
presence. While helps develop strength, balance, coordination and
absorption, the inevitable result - a meditative state beyond the
thinking mind.
In class Galit
teaches basic movement technique and drills, with focus on body alignment,
mechanics of movement and balance. You will be taught
simple patterns which will enable you to let go and trust the natural
flow of movement. Through slow moving and deep listening a spontaneous
dance will emerge taking you to a place beyond thoughts or words some
describe as a meditative state.
A wonderful journey of exploration for dancers and non dancers alike!
Moving
Body Awareness is ideal for those who want to experience a meditative
state but find sitting meditation a challenge. No Dance or meditation
experience required.
For the more experienced 'meditate'Moving Body Awareness is
an opportunity to explore a different way of meditating.
Galit discovered
the meditative nature of slow, focused movement while working on strengthening
her technique as a dancer. Slowing movement to almost stillness in
order to better understand its mechanics and improve its quality,
Galit found herself in a meditative state. This fascinated her and
she went on to explore this further, first on herself and then with
other people. In 2007 Galit started teaching Moving Body Awareness
to people with and without dance experience, guiding them to awaken
their "dancers' awareness" and to trusting the flow of their
own body's movement
"To
learn to dance, you learn the particular steps, one at a time. That
is the world of fixed / state orientations. But once you know those
steps, you can truly dance, and dancing is different from repeating
the proper steps. In dancing you forget the steps and just flow; the
steps more or less disappear as you enter another orientation. Your
awareness is no longer on steps. now you have another awareness, the
awareness of a dancer!" Arnold Mindel
/ Quantum Mind
More
information
Testimonial:
"...the framework of free-flowing rhythmic movements
stretches and strengthens my muscles . Emphasis on posturing techniques
enables me to feel grounded, maintain my balance and stand taller.
Meditative qualities of relaxed and gentle motion, alignment of breath
with movement and creative visualization help shift my focus away
from pain to one of a purposeful and mindful manner. Not only have
I learned valuable elements that have improved my dance, my body has
begun to breath, heal and feel alive again" Annie.K from Brighton
Private
lessons are available, email
Galit for information or to book or call 07957636151
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Moving
Body Awareness can also be described as mindful dancing and spontaneous
dance.
Benefits
of Moving Body Awareness:
* Natural improvement of posture & quality of movement
* Increased flexibility and strength
* An improved ability of listening & responding
* De-Stress and Relaxation
* Shift in state of Mind
* An overall alignment that goes beyond the physical
The
elements:
Posture/standing
Flow
Balance
Breath
movement /Stepping/walking
Stillness
Rotation/turns
Moving from the inside out
Moving from the outside in
Retracing steps / moving in reverse
Mirroring
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The
drill practice (technique):
In order for us to be able to relax enough to get to a meditative
state while moving, physical training is required {even sitting meditation
requires physical capability of sitting up right, some claim that
the main purpose of Yoga postures is to train the body to be able
to sit up right for a length of time for meditation.
Posture, flow, balance, movement and stillness are the main elements
which are practiced and drilled in Body Awareness classes
repeatedly.
Other movement elements which get interwoven into the practice are
Rotation/turns
Moving from the inside out
Moving from the outside in
Retracing steps / moving in reverse
Mirroring
Cannon
Breath
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The
Cyclical movement pattern (choreography):
You will be taught short cyclical repetitive moving patterns. These
act as warm up and technique drills and also serve as a means of focusing
your mind. A kind of a 'mantra' you can go back to whenever your thoughts
start taking over. Focusing on the repetitive movement pattern instigates
a meditative state which can then lead to you following your body.
The
spontaneous dance - Following your body (Improvisation):
In every class there will be 10-15 minutes allocated to spontaneous
dancing. When we start moving spontaneously our ability to trust and
follow our body's lead from one move to the next is key.
The cognitive faculty of the mind will try to take over at first and
this will result in us directing the move, trying to think of what
movement to do next and worrying about what we may look like or about
our ability to execute certain movements which require more skill.
Once you become aware that you're mind has taken over in a cognitive
(rather than spontaneous or intuitive) manner, the best thing to do
is go back to a set pre-determined movement pattern (given by the
teacher). The pre-determined pattern acts as a kind of 'mantra', something
for you to focus your mind on so that the brain can calm down and
relax into an absorbed state in which the body can take over.
Your body will never lead you to do anything that might harm you (your
brain might). It will not cause you to over stretch or stumble. If
you do find yourself on one leg and wobbly follow the body, what you
may perceive as falling is merely your body stabilizing itself on
the ground if you do not resist coming down onto the floor this downward
movement will be a graceful and harmless one and will naturally lead
you to the next move.
The slower you move, the better you can follow your body. Imagine
following someone else, if they move too fast - it's harder to follow
them, the same rule applies when you follow 'yourself'. Pausing/waiting
when not sure where the body is leading is a good idea. Sometime the
body will want a pause to create space for the next movement. Trust
that. Do not insist on constant movement.
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The
meditative state:
Meditative here refers to a state of absorption, relaxed awareness
and focus without getting caught up in anything, it's about being
fully present. This requires flow, trust and a certain level physical
capability which is taught and trained in this system
The
music:
Even though this type of meditative dance can easily be done without
music. The music gives another layer of depth for us to get absorbed
in. Of course like anything it could act as a distraction - in which
case, going back to the the cyclical movement pattern is the thing
to do.
They say music has the power not only to change consciousness but
also to create it. You will not need to consciously focus on the music,
the body will respond to the music. When you are in the meditative
state of listening to, and following your body, you are at a state
of unity, you, your body, your mind and the music are one, there is
no separation. Trying to actively 'listen' to the music in order to
respond to it will only take you out of the meditative state into
a state of separation, you will know when this is happening as you
will be thinking and trying to figure out what to do next.
This is bound to happen and when it does you always go back to the
movement pattern.
As you get more experienced, you will find that you can stay in the
absorbed state for longer.
Dance
like no one's watching:
Moving Body Awareness is NOT a performance dance it offers the
dancer a very personal meditative experience through listening to
& following their body, the music and the space they are in. Having
said that, if there are spectators, they are likely to have a meditative
experience as well. The depth of this experience will mostly be in
direct relation to the depth of the meditative state the dancer is
in.
©Galit
Mersand 2017 All Rights Reserved
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