Workshop Details

With the use of experiential exercises, theoretical material, and group discussion, this workshop will explore unique approaches to body cultivation that are possible for elders in ways that are not available in earlier years of life. The leader will demonstrate specific strategies of movement, body awareness, breathing awareness, and balance exercises, with emphasis on how they are contextualized within the advanced experience and subtle intelligence of elders. Participants will see methods for how to develop a daily regimen of exercises that might be used by elders designed for their own bodily capacities. These methods might be used for teachers working with elders in an individual or group setting. Attention will also be given to attitudinal notions to be cultivated as the soul of these exercises. The workshop includes strategies for:
• Cultivating the more intricate and subtle explorations of movement in the joints
• Focusing on muscular toning
• Exploring and expanding breathing capacities
• Refining senses of balance
• Doing this work with an emphasis on pleasure, inquiry, and creativity, rather than effort and obligation
Recommended reading: Johnson, Everyday Hopes, Utopian Dreams.