As a community manifests well being through focusing on wholeness, cooperation, mutual nourishment, relationship, balance, and integration; so it is that as individuals we must remember these inherent qualities that exist within our own bodies. Living Body and Soul focuses on connecting the physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual patterns of development and expression. Our bodies are the vehicle through which spirit is made manifest.

Historically, our culture has ingrained upon us the perspective of separate parts and systems; this perpetuates our own feelings of separateness. The intention of The Living Body and Soul Series, is to educate, inspire and impassion us while encouraging an embracing of the wholeness that already exists. The structure and function of the physical body is an indispensable tangible metaphor that mirrors and strengthens the energy models that many of us have been exposed to.

Our lives are lived through our bodies. The fullness and richness of our lives is based upon our ability to deepen, contain, and express our embodiment. Our journey is toward the body, toward bringing our humanity and divinity into fruition. This journey includes our relationships with ourselves, others, and the web of life which informs us. Life is experienced through the body. Through this lens we may begin to challenge out-dated belief systems that no longer serve us, while supporting healthier ways of relating to our bodies, our lives, and our spiritual journeys.

The Living Body and Soul series is an experiential mindbody study that serves to deepen our contact and relationship with our own and each other's bodies, to touch that place where matter and energy merge. As a culture, we are deprived of healthy touch. One of the primary causes of disease is stress and one of the primary causes of stress is touch deprivation. It is well documented that infants deprived of touch will die. Learning to touch someone mindfully must include knowledge of the landscape of the human form. The study of the human body is imperative to know how we function, regulate, and respond in our lives. For example, depression and anxiety have rapidly risen within our society. Depression, as we all know, brings with it a staggering prevalence and cost, both personally and financially. The rise in anxiety over time may be less well known and studies have shown that the average American child in the 1980’s reported more anxiety than child psychiatric patients of the 1950’s. This is sobering news and fortunately the solution is known. The three elements which are known to increase well being while decreasing depression and anxiety are: the presence of community, relationship, and movement in our lives. These elements are the focus of the Living Body and Soul Series.

We find ourselves living in a remarkable time in which our knowledge has become greatly differentiated. The price we have paid is the experience of increased separation, alienation, and isolation. Concurrently, we find ourselves on a threshold in which diverse schools of thought are being recognized as different flowers in the same meadow. Science, theology, medicine, philosophy, psychology, etc. are merging into exciting new fields that are inclusive of one another. In the words of Ken Wilber “Instead of science telling us about the lower 2 floors and religion the highest 2 floors (in a 5 story building); what if they both told us something different about each and every floor. What if science and religion were related not as floors in a building, but as equal columns in a mansion? Not one on top of the other but rather each alongside the other, all the way up and down.” Living Body and Soul offers a ground in which to rest the spectrum of human consciousness. The rewards lie in the opportunity to weave and evolve our lives into greater understanding and wholeness. My intention is that each student is supported in his or her own path to wholeness. Our focus in this series will include meditation, movement, experiential exercises and hands-on techniques.

“If you look for the truth outside yourself, it gets farther and farther away.” - Tung-Shan