Newsletter Winter/Spring 2016

Greetings of the Season as we approach the end of the darkest time of the year and greet the returning of the light!

Yes

It could happen any time, tornado,
earthquake, Armageddon.  It could happen.
Or sunshine, love, salvation.

 It could, you know. That’s why we wake
and look out — no guarantees
in this life.

But some bonuses, like morning,
like right now, like noon,
like evening.

 ~ William Stafford ~

 (The Way It Is)

 The “Yes” poem by William Stafford above speaks to what so many practices encourage us to “Be Here Now” (remember Ram Das’ book.) Truly that is important as so much of our attention is focused on the past. Deepak Chopra states that we have 10,000 thoughts a day (not sure who counted them), 97% of them are from the past. When we attend to ourselves in a sensory awareness, mindfulness way, we tune into what is happening here and now and allow the past to be the past and not influence what is in the present. Research studies show that when we attend in this way, we increase the resiliency in our brains and help to shape new pathways, especially in the empathic and sensory areas.

Recently, however, I have find myself reflecting on my personal past. Having visited my only brother who is very ill, I found myself perusing old photo albums, school yearbooks and thinking of those early years growing up in Saskatchewan. Yes, it is preferable to live in the present but also important to acknowledge that the present is built upon the past. That is the nature of evolutionary and embryological development. Our genes that we inherit, are dependant upon the environment in which we find ourselves in order to be manifest. In studying Bruce Lipton’s “Biology of Belief,” I understand that even our cells are activated by our perceptions, our beliefs which we learn from our environment as well. So, in a sense, we are what we attend to. Thus it is relevant to acknowledge and understand from whence we are in the moment. This is true not only of our minds, but also our nervous systems.

In the words of Emilie Conrad, the founder of Continuum, “The primary characteristic of any fluid system is the ability to keep transforming itself.” I remember Peter Levine stating that what was now a defence mechanism was once a resource. The artfulness of awareness is to be able to uncouple the past from the present so thatrather than being stuck in the past and responding to situations from than perspective, we acknowledge and honour what came before , and move on in a trans formative process..

Exciting news – we have another Continuum Movement teacher in Vancouver! Daphne Georghiou has recently moved here with her family from Los Angeles. Daphne comes to us with a wide range of skills and experiences. As well as being an authorized Continuum Movement teacher, she is a licensed Psychotherapist, a Marriage and Family therapist, Somatic Movement Therapist, and a Tamalpa-Halprin practitioner. Check out her website: www.TherapyofMotion.com. As soon as she gets settled in her new home and community, she will be updating her web site and offering therapeutic counselling and movement classes. Keep tuned.

With love and blessings, Doris

December 22nd, 2016

Offerings for the Winter/Spring 2016 season:

Practice Group sessions will be held at 3192 E 3rd Ave., on Fridays from 10:30 am-12:30pm: January 22nd, February 5th & 19th and March 4th & 18th. By donation.

If interested, want more information and to be on the reminder list, please contact Janey @ janeycm@telus.net.

Sunday workshops will be held @ Yoga on 7th, 156 E 7th, from 2-6pm. Investment: sliding scale from $45-65 for each.

February 21st Be-Longing – through the tools and processes of Continuum, we will explore all the various ways in which we belong and the ways we disconnect, as well as the longings, desires and needs that arise.

March 20 – Fresh Start – Tuning into the Waves Within.

(More details to follow.)

This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.