"Everything flows from your own heart ." -Fa-Yen

Exploring the wilderness of the heart can be a courageous journey. To allow everything we feel and all that we have felt and stored in our bodies, to move through us, is both liberating and daunting. In Heartbeat we will be tracking what we are feeling right now, right here and fully expressing that feeling, letting it move through us freely or perhaps noticing our resistance.

Our emotions are fascinating states of being, especially if we realize we are not in control of whether or not we feel, only in how we express that feeling for ourselves. What would it be like to befriend our emotions, letting them be our teachers? Often it seems we are too distracted, in denial or too scared or shamed to let an emotion arise completely and be our teacher.

In this map of the heart, we will move through the territory of our own hearts as we explore the emotions of our everyday lives, including fear, anger and grief. Freedom arises when our emotions move fluidly and we can track their messages to us, as we gain deeper access to the whole of our being with its powerful wisdom and guidance. Finally this Heartbeat exploration will lead to to compassion, the emptiest and clearest expression of love.

"The heart has reasons of its own that reason knows not of." -Pascal

 

We will gather to dance as a community amidst the wonders of the Marsh House on Whidbey Island, WA. This is the 14th year we are returning to dance at Aldermarsh which is a sanctuary for us all, as we settle into 4 days together. Every year the workshop is called "Sanctuary" and has a 5Rhythms exploration supported by the sense of peace and unity found at Aldermarsh. This year we will be delving into "Open Floor and the Group Body."

Created by core 5Rhythms faculty member, Andrea Juhan, PhD. and presented by Christine Havens, this is the Open Floor where authenticity, creativity and vulnerability come together in motion.This is where we dance in a sacred mirror, reflecting and revealing with humor and compassion the truth of our beings. Arising in the wake of these revelations is the potential for healing, wholeness and joy. The Open Floor is a form of group mindfulness meditation that supports openness and trust within a contained, guided and definite structure. After dancing the 5Rhythms, the form begins with a group of witnesses sitting together; the dancers are invited to take the open floor and move in any way they feel in that moment. Others will come up to support this mover by mirroring exactly his moves and words. In this process dancers explore a sense of an ever unfolding self and can become aware of their own character structures and patterns of protection. This ability to witness each other within the group is helpful in allowing and supporting each participant's capacity to change and become more fluid, having a profound impact on the individual as well as the group.

The Open Floor supports embodiment in every aspect of our lives. It fosters intimacy and depth and benefits the individual as well as the community. Join us for this very special opportunity to come together in a meaningful and beautiful practice.

Aldermarsh is a natural beauty of 16 acres of woods and meadow, an intentional environment created for spiritual exploration. We dance in a 6-sided glass dance space in the midst of open fields. This is a unique opportunity to deeply explore the practice of Gabrielle Roth's 5Rhythms Moving Meditation with lots of time and space to renew your spirit and rest in emptiness. At Aldermarsh we experience a togetherness and quiet that is life-giving.

As one dancer said, "Aldermarsh is Heaven! I can't wait to return."

About Christine:

Christine has studied with Gabrielle Roth since 1989 and has taught the 5Rhythms for 14 years. She is certified to teach both Waves and Heartbeat levels and is the founder of Wavesdance in Seattle, WA. Christine is known for her passion and ability to intimately connect with every dancer and to facilitate deep bonds of belonging and community.

Libido On-going

Our generative, sexual energy is a powerful and essential part of our body’s natural energy flow. It can bring us great pleasure and can be an amazing source of healing, connection, and creativity. Ideally, our experience of this energy is an organic and joyful part of our human experience.

As we open our hearts and bodies through the 5Rhythms® movement practice, our sexual energy is also naturally awakened. Often, we experience this opening as physical sensation, mood, attraction, or fantasy. We may move through a wide range of sensations, feeling juicy and desirable one moment and awkward or shy the next. Some of us might feel overwhelmed by our own experience - or by the sexual energies around us – while others may feel flat, disconnected, or just plain invisible.

LibidoOn-going is a committed workshop series designed to focus on the sexual feelings and sensations that arise in a healthy, moving adult body. By using the map of the 5Rhythms® to ground and explore the full spectrum of our sexual energy, we can learn to tolerate, express, and enjoy a wide range of experience, both subtle and intense. As we open to the essential, instinctive energy that runs through all of our bodies, we support ourselves - and one another - as sexual, sensual, creative beings in every aspect of our lives.

Note: this workshop is not about mating, dating, or sexual performance - you do not need a partner in order to participate. In recognition that the sexual arena is generally private, each person is supported to honor their own boundaries in regard to whatever they choose to discuss or express.