Inhabiting the Body

~ A Contact Improvisation Laboratory into the Assisted Body Scan ~

Inhabiting the Body is a collective investigation into how touch can enhance our bodily awareness, and how, in turn, this can shape how we move and dance.

• Date: Saturday 28th September, 2024
• Time: 11:30am-3:30pm
• Where: Transform Pilates Aerial Yoga Studio, Balgowlah
• Contribution: $45, or Bring a Friend $40p/p*

*To avoid booking fees, email info@luminousflow.com.au to register your interest

Please note: this workshop is for those who are familiar with either dance improvisation or contact improvisation.

More details + preparation:

The inspiration for this laboratory comes from a number of somatic practices, including: meditation, yoga nidra, body scanning, Authentic Movement, bodywork, and contact improvisation.

In a supported space, with an extended sense of time, we will take turns assisting each other in a body scan. We will investigate the following:

• How we can cultivate a sense of total body awareness through mindfulness and intentionality
• How touch can change our experience of the body scan, and whether it can enhance the sense of our body from the inside (i.e. our sense of interoception)
• Whether we can maintain this sense of total body awareness in solo movement, and how it shapes our ability to sense our body positioning in space (i.e. our sense of proprioception)
• How this awareness may translate to dancing in contact with others; the final hour will be reserved for open dancing.

At specific moments, we will discuss what we have researched, and at others we will be in silent dance, witnessing, or assisting. Before we begin the assisted body scan practice, we will take time to discuss consent, communication, injuries, and preferences in touch.

In the weeks or days leading up to the laboratory, try a lying down body scan. This is both to prime your somatic awareness and focus, and to be able to more accurately distinguish the difference between a solo and touch-assisted body scan. This could be guided (e.g. through audio on YouTube, Spotify etc.), or self-guided.

For those looking for a deeper dive into the more spiritual side of somatic awareness, meditation, and the wisdom of the body, I highly recommend the book and practice Somatic Descent by Reginald Ray. You can find the accompanying audio here.

What to bring:

• An optional yoga mat (there will be some in the space)
• A light cushion or towel for the head
• Other cushions if needed for knees, lower back etc.

Please arrive no later than 11:45am.

Secure your spot by booking here, or if you would like to avoid booking fees and pay via bank transfer, please email info@luminousflow.com.au