Category Archives: moving, breathing, feeling

May28

a poem for Tuesday

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DSC02525Screen Shot 2019-05-28 at 1.36.51 PMCopyright © 2016 Audrey Gidman. All rights reserved.

I received this poem from my new friend Andrea Kozol.   It took my breath away and so I share it.  It captures everything about the common body, our connection to past, present, blood and bone.

 

 

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May21

Mountain Horse Farm

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I am at the beautiful Mountain Horse Farm in Naples, NY in the Finger Lakes region, teaching a Conscious Touch & Conscious Movement with Horses workshop.  The farm itself is beautiful, inviting, expansive.  Suzanne Vullers, the owner, is welcoming, wise and playful.

This morning I met the herd, and had the gift of an impromptu, improvisational dance with the lovely mare Cricket. Statsen, the Morgan gelding, formerly a breeding stallion, reminds me a bit of Nelson (above) and of my stallion, Capprichio.  Something about both the sensitivity and the confidence.

Teaching is never a display of what I know.  It is sharing questions, being open to what is unfamiliar, practicing what the brilliant Pauline Oliveros calls the “unique” strategy, meaning that every moment, every experience is new, subtly different from anything that has preceeded it.

 

 

May12

Authentic Movement

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Authentic Movement is perhaps the most profound and nourishing part of my personal practice.  It has reshaped my inner landscape in mysterious and unexpected ways.  It continues to nourish, unravel and reveal me to myself, after 30 years.  The echoes of that ritual exploration send their ripples out into everything I touch and perceive.

Some years ago I wrote this about my first experience of Authentic Movement:

Dropping into the vastness the stillness, the silence, and finding there an emptiness, a balm, and then an eruption, a commotion, a chaos. Wild ropes of movement that had laid dormant, waiting –  woven like ganglia into the spaces between the cells, knitted into the ligaments, wrapped around the tendons, sewn into the fibers of muscle, soaked into the bone, into the marrow.

Entering one’s movement is a leap of faith. That you will survive the cellular tintinnabulation of your stillness, as well as the storms of your movement. Entering knowing that you can dive into the abyss and emerge to have lunch and a cappuccino across the street; as if you had not just feasted on your own moving dreams in the corner of a sunlight studio.

I will be teaching an Authentic Movement Workshop in June, open to all.  I hope that you will join me.  Here are the details:

Moving from the Source:  an Authentic Movement Workshop

June 29, 1-5 pm

$85

Danica Center for Physical Therapy and Movement Integration

101 Gay Street
Sharon, CT 06069

information and registration:  pjj@paulajosajones.org

508-627-1752

 

Mar18

conscious connection with horses

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IMG_5741Mountain Horse Farm Retreat

Conscious Touch, Conscious Movement with Horses

a workshop with

Paula Josa-Jones

May 21 – May 24, 2019
Naples, NY

Reservations

This experiential workshop focuses on developing our ability to use mindful, embodied touch and movement as a way of deepening our connection with our horses.Conscious Touch, Conscious Movement supports ease and balance in the bodies of both horse and human, helping us become more aware of what we are signaling with our bodies (and minds), and more open to what the horse is offering.
 
Conscious Touch, Conscious Movement helps us experience and understand:
  • How to use movement and touch to create congruence between what we are feeling inside and what we are expressing outwardly.
  • Deepening connection, awareness and attunement with yourself and the horse.
  • Simple movements to create ease and flow in your body and that of the horse.
  • Letting go of habits of body and mind that may create unnecessary tension in you or the horse.
  • Becoming more trustworthy to yourself and the horse.
  • How to feel both giving and receiving with your hands and body.
  • Noticing when our movement and touch is transmitting inadvertent or unintentional messages.
  • Specific strategies for settling the nervous system when activated.
  • How to integrate conscious touch and conscious movement into your day-to-day activities with horses.
The clinic includes 3 overnight stays. The delicious meals start with dinner on the first evening and end with breakfast on the last morning.  You will work with our herd of horses. It is not an option to bring your own. The clinic does not involve riding horses.
For sleeping, you have your choice of elegant rooms with fireplaces and outdoor hot tubs, to glamping in tipis (yes, tipis!) – your choice.  The maximum number of participants is kept low at 10 and we don’t accept auditors. To interact with the horses, you will be asked to sign waivers. Make sure you wear shoes with closed toes (no flipflops, slippers or sandals) and it’s always a good idea to dress in layers.
Mountain Horse Farm is located in the beautiful Finger Lakes region, famous for its wineries and breweries, gorgeous lakes and waterfalls. You may want to consider adding a few days to your trip to explore the area.

Reservations