Janet Adler 1941 – 2023
“Teach us to treasure each day,
that we may open our hearts to your wisdom.”
–Psalm 90
This was the opening hymn led by a Rabbi at the Memorial Service for Janet Adler, held on October 8th, 2023 by her family in Northampton, MA. As I sang along, I felt this was just the perfect verse to honor Janet, who through Authentic Movement taught us to treasure each moment, each breath, each gesture–and open ourselves to the wisdom of our moving bodies.
Since her early work with Mary Starks Whitehouse in the 1960’s, Janet continued to develop the practice over her lifetime, naming her work the Discipline of Authentic Movement and forming a training program in 2013. (Janet’s full bio can be found on her website). Many of us can trace our lineage in the practice of Authentic Movement to Janet’s profound and gracious teachings.
I was fortunate to work with Janet in Northampton, MA in the 1980’s, and later in California over many years, before she moved to Canada in 2006. She touched my life deeply, and inspired my continued devotion to the practice of Authentic Movement, in my own life and in my work with others.
I last saw Janet In 2019 when she returned to Northampton to be honored at the Somatics Festival (along with Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen and Nancy Stark Smith) for her 50 years of devoted work within the field. Here is a photo of the amazing group of individuals–many of whom studied with Janet and teach the form–who gathered together for Janet’s workshop in the Crew House at Smith College during the Festival:
But back to the service:
Many beautiful tributes were given at Janet’s memorial service. Because Authentic Movement is both a personal inquiry and a collective process, I felt to share with you some of the phrases I found most moving as person after person–friends, students, and family members–opened their hearts to speak of her. Inspired by the title of Janet’s early and well-known article, “Who is the Witness?”, I offer these reflections:
Who is the Witness?
What will we remember in our hearts and bodies, of Janet, the One Who Witnessed Us?
Being loved without judgment
devotion to presence
meticulous and ethical
not leaving a trace behind
she knew intuitively that we need each other to open…
becoming more human, more ourselves, under her loving gaze
bowls and vessels
warmth, generosity
embodied presence
vessel that received others
pioneer on the frontier of embodied consciousness
feminine mysticism
noticed the Grace in all of us, even when we did not feel graceful
inspired me to slow down and be in the present, notice the smallest thing &
take it in
so complicated, yet so simple
curiosity, fun, celebration
ritual
capacity to receive so much beauty, light, love—and offer it right back
she knew that her life mattered, and that everyone she met,
their life mattered
♥
The Service ended with Psalm 23: Lord is my Shepard. The Rabbi encouraged us to stand in the ground of our authenticity, as Janet had done. And to have the courage—as Janet also modeled–to walk through life, whatever it is, with the feeling of being accompanied and witnessed by the Divine.
May it be so.
(Photos of Janet Adler by Jens Wazel)
(Also see his beautiful film, Light: Five Days with Janet Adler)
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And a heartfelt thank you also to my Authentic Movement teachers Alton Wasson, Susan Schell, Mary Ramsey, and Joan H. Miller.
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(Crew House photo courtesy of Andrea Olsen, producer of the Somatics Festival)
Event Category: Authentic Movement