Moving on East Beach – Second Sundays
The next Second Sunday is July 14th - 4:30–6pm
These sessions are about being and moving in nature-time and nature-space. Receiving and interrelating with the elements and with each other. It is simple – like meditation without the still posture, or Qi Gong without the set form. It is dance without the ‘dancing’.
We cultivate awareness of our bodies …resting on the rocks …swiveling in the sand …listening inside and out …moving with the waving of the ocean …
We move for around an hour, and then share our experience.
Please contact me if you are interested in coming along to this group, and I will give you the details of how to find us.
These sessions are about being and moving in nature-time and nature-space. Receiving and interrelating with the elements and with each other. It is simple – like meditation without the still posture, or Qi Gong without the set form. It is dance without the ‘dancing’.
We cultivate awareness of our bodies …resting on the rocks …swiveling in the sand …listening inside and out …moving with the waving of the ocean …
We move for around an hour, and then share our experience.
Please contact me if you are interested in coming along to this group, and I will give you the details of how to find us.
February 2019
There was a brisk and chilly wind on East Beach for February’s 2nd Sunday. The stalwart movers persevered – exploring how to remain present and meet this environment with openness and a sense of discovery. Speaking personally, the speed of the wind became manageable as I found a close relationship with the large stones bordering the beach, many more than usual. I could lie on and around them for shelter, support and stillness. The stones were warm and strong, allowing me to relax and to stretch. They weren’t going anywhere in the wind; so they helped me slow down, listen to the ocean, and find my own way, in my own time, despite the speed of the wind. And there’s nothing my spine likes more than discovering comfortable positions on the stones. I felt a couple inches taller by the end.
There was a brisk and chilly wind on East Beach for February’s 2nd Sunday. The stalwart movers persevered – exploring how to remain present and meet this environment with openness and a sense of discovery. Speaking personally, the speed of the wind became manageable as I found a close relationship with the large stones bordering the beach, many more than usual. I could lie on and around them for shelter, support and stillness. The stones were warm and strong, allowing me to relax and to stretch. They weren’t going anywhere in the wind; so they helped me slow down, listen to the ocean, and find my own way, in my own time, despite the speed of the wind. And there’s nothing my spine likes more than discovering comfortable positions on the stones. I felt a couple inches taller by the end.
August 2018
Low tide meant that there was the wonderful combination of powdery soft white sand below the large stones, giving way to the cooler more compacted wet sand, leading down to the ocean, with its gently lapping waves and perfectly immersible water. So many choices of where to be. So as not to be overwhelmed by the possibilities, we started with each of us having a beach stick, to draw a circle in the sand round us, to define our personal space. Beginning like this focuses the mind, making it easier to relate to our bodies, each other and the space. Once we had settled into ourselves, feeling the calming effect of the breeze, the rhythmic ocean sounds and the entire exquisite setting, we felt comfortable leaving our small circles in the sand to explore our movement (and stillness) in water, sand and rocks. Though we each followed our own choices, we always felt supported by the atmosphere of concentration we created together. A couple walking down the beach said to me “You really have a good vibe going here.” And a labrador came weaving among us, giving a similar message.
Low tide meant that there was the wonderful combination of powdery soft white sand below the large stones, giving way to the cooler more compacted wet sand, leading down to the ocean, with its gently lapping waves and perfectly immersible water. So many choices of where to be. So as not to be overwhelmed by the possibilities, we started with each of us having a beach stick, to draw a circle in the sand round us, to define our personal space. Beginning like this focuses the mind, making it easier to relate to our bodies, each other and the space. Once we had settled into ourselves, feeling the calming effect of the breeze, the rhythmic ocean sounds and the entire exquisite setting, we felt comfortable leaving our small circles in the sand to explore our movement (and stillness) in water, sand and rocks. Though we each followed our own choices, we always felt supported by the atmosphere of concentration we created together. A couple walking down the beach said to me “You really have a good vibe going here.” And a labrador came weaving among us, giving a similar message.
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April 2018
We worked with skin this month. This invited an opening of the pores, stimulating a sensory awareness of our largest organ. Someone spoke afterward about contemplating how skin divided inside from outside, creating a semi-porous boundary, the water inside resonating with the ocean outside. Someone else spoke about the sensation of the air on her skin. Feeling the warm sand on skin was particularly delicious. A random dog came and sat beside me in the sand, just to pass the time for awhile. I felt we were not only on the same level, but on the same wavelength.
We worked with skin this month. This invited an opening of the pores, stimulating a sensory awareness of our largest organ. Someone spoke afterward about contemplating how skin divided inside from outside, creating a semi-porous boundary, the water inside resonating with the ocean outside. Someone else spoke about the sensation of the air on her skin. Feeling the warm sand on skin was particularly delicious. A random dog came and sat beside me in the sand, just to pass the time for awhile. I felt we were not only on the same level, but on the same wavelength.
March 2018
The prompt for this month was succinct. Just one word: SINK. No more needed to be said. I was already sinking when the others arrived, and they got the message instantly. One participant said I made lying on rocks look like lying in a feather bed. This simple prompt to let go, to relax the body, mind and feelings, allowed us to soften into the atmosphere where so many natural forces could then touch us. We moved slowly and observed deeply. We were affected. So simple, yet so profound. When we finished we sat together in silence for a good while before anyone felt like speaking. Then we talked about our experience. What a relief to allow ourselves to sink! One participant said "I felt I had sunk to the bottom of the sky."
The prompt for this month was succinct. Just one word: SINK. No more needed to be said. I was already sinking when the others arrived, and they got the message instantly. One participant said I made lying on rocks look like lying in a feather bed. This simple prompt to let go, to relax the body, mind and feelings, allowed us to soften into the atmosphere where so many natural forces could then touch us. We moved slowly and observed deeply. We were affected. So simple, yet so profound. When we finished we sat together in silence for a good while before anyone felt like speaking. Then we talked about our experience. What a relief to allow ourselves to sink! One participant said "I felt I had sunk to the bottom of the sky."
February 2018
Having cancelled our sessions in December and January due to fire and mud, it was a poignant relief to be back to the beauty of East Beach. Everything was the same and also different because of what had transpired in between. One participant commented that we now know that the large rocks which we always took to be so strongly planted and wholly supportive can be jostled loose and become mobile if the forces of Nature intervene. We started by recognizing that we are in between the Earth and the Sky, and we can feel our connection to both – to Earth body and Sky mind. We each used a stick to draw a small square of our own design in the sand, to feel ourselves safely contained in that small space. From there we followed our own impulses to move further afield, but always mindful of our connection to each other within the larger ‘square’ of common ground.
Having cancelled our sessions in December and January due to fire and mud, it was a poignant relief to be back to the beauty of East Beach. Everything was the same and also different because of what had transpired in between. One participant commented that we now know that the large rocks which we always took to be so strongly planted and wholly supportive can be jostled loose and become mobile if the forces of Nature intervene. We started by recognizing that we are in between the Earth and the Sky, and we can feel our connection to both – to Earth body and Sky mind. We each used a stick to draw a small square of our own design in the sand, to feel ourselves safely contained in that small space. From there we followed our own impulses to move further afield, but always mindful of our connection to each other within the larger ‘square’ of common ground.
November 2017
This month’s theme was the meeting of our sensory/motor awareness with the natural elements. Participants articulated their responses afterward with great sensitivity: One said the support she felt from the rocks allowed her to feel suspended. And she contemplated the word ‘suspension’ in a wider context. Another became intrigued by footprints in the sand, her own and those of others. Another spoke of the waving of her body as she moved with the ocean waves; it gave her a feeling of surrendering. And another recognized that his expectation of what was true was disrupted, when he leaned on a rock only to find it was partly sand. It led him to contemplate how we deal with unmet expectations in life. Hearing these experiences touched me deeply, making me aware once again that we are exploring the movement of life.
This month’s theme was the meeting of our sensory/motor awareness with the natural elements. Participants articulated their responses afterward with great sensitivity: One said the support she felt from the rocks allowed her to feel suspended. And she contemplated the word ‘suspension’ in a wider context. Another became intrigued by footprints in the sand, her own and those of others. Another spoke of the waving of her body as she moved with the ocean waves; it gave her a feeling of surrendering. And another recognized that his expectation of what was true was disrupted, when he leaned on a rock only to find it was partly sand. It led him to contemplate how we deal with unmet expectations in life. Hearing these experiences touched me deeply, making me aware once again that we are exploring the movement of life.
October 2017
A perfect day for the beach group. Warm but not too hot, the water cool but not too cold. The gentlest of breezes, and low tide provided a nice wide beach. My suggestion was ‘there is space inside your body’ and ‘let the sound of the waves fill the space’. I try to make my initial suggestions useful starting points; but also open to interpretation, so they don’t inhibit people’s individual experience and discovery. The seven participants had great energy and were supported by each other’s presence.
A perfect day for the beach group. Warm but not too hot, the water cool but not too cold. The gentlest of breezes, and low tide provided a nice wide beach. My suggestion was ‘there is space inside your body’ and ‘let the sound of the waves fill the space’. I try to make my initial suggestions useful starting points; but also open to interpretation, so they don’t inhibit people’s individual experience and discovery. The seven participants had great energy and were supported by each other’s presence.
September 2017
We all know weather is unpredictable these days. So thunderstorms in September was just another circumstance to adapt to. It didn’t actually rain or rumble while we were on the beach, though it had done earlier in the day and also later that night. Someone in the group said we had all four seasons in one and a half hours. Lots of wind, dark clouds and finally the sun shining silvery on the water. The tide was high. The intrepid core group was there, ready to meet the weather. The theme I suggested was to work with the quality of stones, sand or water – to know which was influencing you at any time.
We all know weather is unpredictable these days. So thunderstorms in September was just another circumstance to adapt to. It didn’t actually rain or rumble while we were on the beach, though it had done earlier in the day and also later that night. Someone in the group said we had all four seasons in one and a half hours. Lots of wind, dark clouds and finally the sun shining silvery on the water. The tide was high. The intrepid core group was there, ready to meet the weather. The theme I suggested was to work with the quality of stones, sand or water – to know which was influencing you at any time.
August 2017
We resumed the beach group this month, having skipped July because some of us were on vacation; and so it felt appropriate to come back to the simple exploration of what each element in this amazing landscape can offer us – the stones, the sand (both wet and dry sand), the water, the wind, the light. I suggested we try to recognize which element or elements are inspiring us at any moment and really receive our relationship with that element. To see how the elements affect us: our movement, our minds, our feelings, our sensing … There was a suggestion that we could locate this exploration within the realm of healing. As we’ve done before, after an extended period of moving, we shared some of our experiences in words.
We resumed the beach group this month, having skipped July because some of us were on vacation; and so it felt appropriate to come back to the simple exploration of what each element in this amazing landscape can offer us – the stones, the sand (both wet and dry sand), the water, the wind, the light. I suggested we try to recognize which element or elements are inspiring us at any moment and really receive our relationship with that element. To see how the elements affect us: our movement, our minds, our feelings, our sensing … There was a suggestion that we could locate this exploration within the realm of healing. As we’ve done before, after an extended period of moving, we shared some of our experiences in words.
June 2017
There was a strong, warm wind, which provided a great opportunity to work with the air, to feel its strength and our own as we faced into it. Holding out arms like sails, and feeling the body tack this way and that, slowly revolving on its axis, almost supported by the wind. The wind was a partner, and it also unified the group. The waves were our music as we danced with the wind. Or as one person described it, ‘I felt I was swimming in the wind’. Another felt the wind washed away cobwebs, cleansing her aura. Standing on the edge, where the water washed in and out, moving patterns of bubbles guided my steps toward the ocean and away, counterpointing, crossroading with the direction of the wind, which blew across the beach. So much natural movement of the elemental forces today. We each found our way to have a moving dialogue with them. And then, afterward, in words, with each other.
There was a strong, warm wind, which provided a great opportunity to work with the air, to feel its strength and our own as we faced into it. Holding out arms like sails, and feeling the body tack this way and that, slowly revolving on its axis, almost supported by the wind. The wind was a partner, and it also unified the group. The waves were our music as we danced with the wind. Or as one person described it, ‘I felt I was swimming in the wind’. Another felt the wind washed away cobwebs, cleansing her aura. Standing on the edge, where the water washed in and out, moving patterns of bubbles guided my steps toward the ocean and away, counterpointing, crossroading with the direction of the wind, which blew across the beach. So much natural movement of the elemental forces today. We each found our way to have a moving dialogue with them. And then, afterward, in words, with each other.
May 2017
What seemed to strike everyone after we moved was the way being in this environment slows down time. The sound of the waves creates a rhythm that is also timeless. One person was put in mind of the time when the Chumash Indians lived here, before the European settlers arrived. Another was fascinated by the lady bugs and their presence on the beach. We each began in our own sense of time and space, some preferring to start with walking; others starting in stillness, on a rock, or in the sand. What struck me so strongly this time was that by the time we were ready to finish, there was a strong sense of everyone in sync with everyone else. We had been tuned together by the atmosphere of the beach.
What seemed to strike everyone after we moved was the way being in this environment slows down time. The sound of the waves creates a rhythm that is also timeless. One person was put in mind of the time when the Chumash Indians lived here, before the European settlers arrived. Another was fascinated by the lady bugs and their presence on the beach. We each began in our own sense of time and space, some preferring to start with walking; others starting in stillness, on a rock, or in the sand. What struck me so strongly this time was that by the time we were ready to finish, there was a strong sense of everyone in sync with everyone else. We had been tuned together by the atmosphere of the beach.
April 2017
It was windy in Santa Barbara, but conditions on East Beach were perfect for the small group that gathered. The sun was warm, the sand was silky, and something about Spring must have invited us to move in and with the sand – to crawl, lie, swivel and draw in it, to sift it through our fingers. To mix with it, and let it mix with our clothes and skin, as focused and serious as childs-play, supported by the ocean’s music, as always, the clear light and a delicious light breeze. We were renewed and uplifted as we brushed ourselves off and ambled back to our cars.
It was windy in Santa Barbara, but conditions on East Beach were perfect for the small group that gathered. The sun was warm, the sand was silky, and something about Spring must have invited us to move in and with the sand – to crawl, lie, swivel and draw in it, to sift it through our fingers. To mix with it, and let it mix with our clothes and skin, as focused and serious as childs-play, supported by the ocean’s music, as always, the clear light and a delicious light breeze. We were renewed and uplifted as we brushed ourselves off and ambled back to our cars.
March 2017
Thick fog lent a mysterious (and cool) air to the beach. We settled on the rocks, which takes some time. Slowing down to the sound of the ocean, quieting the thoughts, releasing the tension – it can be an uncomfortable transition. But after a period of time, things become synchronized, and the body begins to move all by itself. Without prior decision, as in ‘I’m going to shift my position’; it’s more like ‘oh, I’m shifting my position’…. Slowly the body starts to find its own way, using the shapes and angles of the rocks to define, to loosen, to open. Others found their way onto the sand. I caught sight of two, at one point, lying like starfish. After 45 minutes of practice, we were strengthened and renewed by the experience. Bodies and minds more aware, joyful, and somehow cushioned and protected by the fog.
Thick fog lent a mysterious (and cool) air to the beach. We settled on the rocks, which takes some time. Slowing down to the sound of the ocean, quieting the thoughts, releasing the tension – it can be an uncomfortable transition. But after a period of time, things become synchronized, and the body begins to move all by itself. Without prior decision, as in ‘I’m going to shift my position’; it’s more like ‘oh, I’m shifting my position’…. Slowly the body starts to find its own way, using the shapes and angles of the rocks to define, to loosen, to open. Others found their way onto the sand. I caught sight of two, at one point, lying like starfish. After 45 minutes of practice, we were strengthened and renewed by the experience. Bodies and minds more aware, joyful, and somehow cushioned and protected by the fog.
January 2017
Pelicans were swooping up fish, dolphins were diving, and there was a steady chill breeze. In this active setting, the rocks were especially steadying for support, anchoring and stillness as we found our own rhythms in the movement of life on East beach. The first 2nd Sunday of 2017, the near-full moon suddenly appeared, even as the storm clouds were gathering. It is so valuable to practice in all kinds of weather – it helps our ability to not only go with the flow, but to be present within it.
Pelicans were swooping up fish, dolphins were diving, and there was a steady chill breeze. In this active setting, the rocks were especially steadying for support, anchoring and stillness as we found our own rhythms in the movement of life on East beach. The first 2nd Sunday of 2017, the near-full moon suddenly appeared, even as the storm clouds were gathering. It is so valuable to practice in all kinds of weather – it helps our ability to not only go with the flow, but to be present within it.
December 2016
For the last 2nd Sunday of 2016, there was a haunting silvery light on a comparatively still, smooth ocean. Overhead the sky was a rather dull grey, until close to sunset when surprising shades of hot pink and orange lent a sense of awe and drama. We recapped on themes of feet and place and support, as well as that of connecting to our own constellation of movers in the aliveness of the natural beauty and spaciousness. There was a solemn atmosphere of presence among us as we experienced the year’s end.
For the last 2nd Sunday of 2016, there was a haunting silvery light on a comparatively still, smooth ocean. Overhead the sky was a rather dull grey, until close to sunset when surprising shades of hot pink and orange lent a sense of awe and drama. We recapped on themes of feet and place and support, as well as that of connecting to our own constellation of movers in the aliveness of the natural beauty and spaciousness. There was a solemn atmosphere of presence among us as we experienced the year’s end.
November 2016
This month we worked with a theme of creating and moving in a small space, before trying to relate to the whole environment. To do this each person used sticks to designate personal place or draw it in the sand. The space could reshape itself as we moved our bodies and our sticks. Everyone agreed that this beginning fostered a greater sense of presence all round and a greater sense of the group. We saw the sunset as we chatted afterward, shortly before we ended the session.
This month we worked with a theme of creating and moving in a small space, before trying to relate to the whole environment. To do this each person used sticks to designate personal place or draw it in the sand. The space could reshape itself as we moved our bodies and our sticks. Everyone agreed that this beginning fostered a greater sense of presence all round and a greater sense of the group. We saw the sunset as we chatted afterward, shortly before we ended the session.
October 2016 - Fall Feet
Fall was in the air, the tide was high, the wind was a perfect level of briskness in the autumn sunshine. I suggested the theme of FEET. You can never go wrong with an intention to be in your feet, on the Earth, or in this case, specifically, the sand or the water or the stone. Or indeed feet on the air, if you were lying down. The feet could enjoy at least two kinds of sand, the cool wet sand and the silky dry sand. Sometimes, swiveling in the dry sand, feet could find themselves deepening into the wet. Feet enjoying the edge, as the waves came in, covering feet, ankles and, for the more daring, knees, thighs and clothes. Hands dipping to carve in the sand, to slip into the water. A feeling of childhood, and parents remembering their own children at the beach. Sharing the field of movement, while each doing our own exploring.
We stopped a little early to share in words, and be home in time for the 2nd debate – a very different kettle of feet.
Next month we’ll meet at 3:30, following the end of daylight saving time.
Fall was in the air, the tide was high, the wind was a perfect level of briskness in the autumn sunshine. I suggested the theme of FEET. You can never go wrong with an intention to be in your feet, on the Earth, or in this case, specifically, the sand or the water or the stone. Or indeed feet on the air, if you were lying down. The feet could enjoy at least two kinds of sand, the cool wet sand and the silky dry sand. Sometimes, swiveling in the dry sand, feet could find themselves deepening into the wet. Feet enjoying the edge, as the waves came in, covering feet, ankles and, for the more daring, knees, thighs and clothes. Hands dipping to carve in the sand, to slip into the water. A feeling of childhood, and parents remembering their own children at the beach. Sharing the field of movement, while each doing our own exploring.
We stopped a little early to share in words, and be home in time for the 2nd debate – a very different kettle of feet.
Next month we’ll meet at 3:30, following the end of daylight saving time.
September 2016
One of the nice things about this small, evolving group is that it is multi-generational, younger people and older people all together, each person a support to the involvement of everyone, as a constellation of movers.
This month, two friends, new to the group, and to ‘free movement’ came; they were more or less still, sitting, relaxing on the sand throughout. I think we all felt them as a strong anchor for the rest of the group, whose movement on the stones and at the water’s edge was more active. These friends were touched by the atmosphere, and the opportunity to slow down, and feel present.
After moving for close to an hour, we sat together. We each gave a title for what we had been exploring. This set the tone for further sharing of the highlights of our discoveries.
One of the nice things about this small, evolving group is that it is multi-generational, younger people and older people all together, each person a support to the involvement of everyone, as a constellation of movers.
This month, two friends, new to the group, and to ‘free movement’ came; they were more or less still, sitting, relaxing on the sand throughout. I think we all felt them as a strong anchor for the rest of the group, whose movement on the stones and at the water’s edge was more active. These friends were touched by the atmosphere, and the opportunity to slow down, and feel present.
After moving for close to an hour, we sat together. We each gave a title for what we had been exploring. This set the tone for further sharing of the highlights of our discoveries.