DEEPENING THE JOURNEY:
Authentic Movement as Spiritual Practice
With Susan Bauer (MFA, RSMT/E)
September – May
Berkeley, California
New dates for 2018 – 2019 coming soon
Also available for booking in your area as a day-long workshop.
Program Description
Many spiritual teachers suggest developing a heightened state of awareness or ‘mindfulness’ through practices such as meditation. For over 25 years, I have found Authentic Movement to similarly help develop such inner presence and clear awareness. In this program, we will explore Authentic Movement as a mindfulness practice that engages our multi-dimensional selves as body, mind, and spirit.
This small, intimate group is for experienced movers to spend time practicing together, deepening your personal journey and your relationship to the discipline of Authentic Movement as both mover and witness.
Like a flower, we unfold our inner essence as we give time and nourishment to our inner life.
If you maintain mindfulness you will un-mistakenly know what to do and what not to do. Thus clear awareness is most important; it is your inner Buddha.
-His Holiness Garchen Rinpoche
If we continuously maintain self-awareness, we will be able to experience peace and happiness.
-Amma
The Practice
In this program, we will ground in the practice of Authentic Movement within a sacred container created by the witness presence, allowing movers to deepen their exploration of the worlds of movement, sound, imagery, myth / metaphor, and spirit. Silent processing time to draw, write, or rest will then be followed by verbal sharing and brief witness feedback.
As our group progresses, we will also engage in dyads and structured Authentic Movement-related exercises, such as those that help us learn to discern the various layers of our awareness. This includes exploring ‘tracking ’(such as tracking thought, emotion, imagery, and /or sensation), as well as discovering our tendencies–while expanding our potential for perceiving.
These sessions deepen our ability to move with mindfulness, as well as to witness insightfully–both for ourselves and for others. As we understand the various dimensions of the role of the mover and witness, we explore our role as a ‘clear seer’ for ourselves and those around us.
With an increasing capacity to concentrate, to listen to impulse, the mover learns to recognize the channel within which the creative or authentic energy flows.
– Janet Adler (from Who is the Witness?)
Dates / Times
8 Meetings
Second Saturdays of the month:
1 – 4:30pm; with 2 full-day meetings from 10am – 4:30pm
Oct 11*, Nov 8, Dec 13, 2014 and
Jan 10 (full day), Feb 14, March 14, April 11, May 16 (full day), 2015
Dates subject to change.
Note: As of September, the October date has been changed to October 18th. (third Sat of the month this one month only).
Location
Hatha Yoga Shala East Bay, 2050 4th Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
The Participants: Is this Program for me?
This workshop is open to all those with previous Authentic Movement experience and is limited to 10 participants. It is appropriate for those in the healing professions, somatic therapies, psychology, artists and others who have explored previous self-inquiry through movement and / or somatic practices.
[Those without experience in Authentic Movement who are interested in this program are encouraged to register for the Monday night Fall series, and / or to begin individual sessions, as a means to prepare for this program in the coming year].Registration and Tuition
Brief application is required.
Those who have not yet worked with Susan, or have not been a student or client in over a year, will also need to schedule an individual session in September before the group begins. Fee for this one session is at a discounted rate of $225 for a private 2-hr session.
Acceptance is on a first-come basis, so please apply early if interested!
Tuition: $990 if paid in full by October 1st; $1025 thereafter
The entire tuition for the series is due, even if you miss a session, and is payable at our first meeting. A monthly payment plan is also available, with 6 monthly payments of $150, plus your initial non-refundable deposit of $150 payable with your application. Please post-date your checks for the first of the month Oct – March and submit them at the first session.
Application Deadline: September 15th
Registration: download the Application as a Word document or a PDF.
For more information contact Susan at (510) 333-6415 or email to
Faculty Biography
Susan Bauer, MFA, RSME/T is a dance / somatics educator who has taught in both college and community settings in the US. and Asia for over 25 years, informed by her background in dance, Authentic Movement, and Body-Mind Centering®. Having practiced Authentic Movement since 1984, she is devoted to helping others deepen their experience in this inspiring practice. Susan has studied with Janet Adler, and facilitates groups in the U.S and Asia.
Susan developed her own form of dance improvisation, called Moving-from-Within™, that she founded in 1987. Susan’s articles have appeared in Somatics Journal, Contact Quarterly, A Moving Journal, Thailand’s Seeds of Peace, and Essays on Authentic Movement, Volume 2 (2007).
She serves as Adjunct Professor at the University of San Francisco and has a private practice in Berkeley, California as a Registered Somatic Movement Educator / Therapist. She is also a recent Fulbright scholar to Bali, Indonesia, and leads tours to Bali in Arts and Spirituality. Susan has served on the Board of Directors for ISMETA (International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association) since 2012.
See Susan’s full biography.