Friday 29 August 2014

Finding Presence: A Workshop on Embodied Spiritual Practice




Finding Presence: A Workshop on Embodied Spiritual Practice



Recent developments in mindfulness practices and body therapies indicate that the benefits of embodied practice are critical to health and well being and can be a resource for living life graciously rather than in anxiety and fear. 

The Finding Presence workshop will benefit those who want to deepen their spiritual practice and who need tools and spiritual resources to do so.  It will also support those who are overwhelmed with the busyness and confusion of contemporary times and would like resources to stay clear, focused in the present and connected with what some call Oneness, the Divine, Mystery, or Being.
 
We will bring together the worlds of somatics and meditation, sound and silence, movement and stillness, in exploring the work of full presence.  We will

·         Learn the principles and practice of basic meditation
·         Explore movement and stillness as resources
·         Learn basic psychomotor  body skills to aid being in the present moment
·         Expand and deepen awareness of sensory perception as a resource for embodied meditation
·         Reflect on spiritual teachings on presence from  different faith traditions
·         Look at the value and practice of the pause
·         Use Gratitude as a spiritual practice of presence

When:    Thursday evenings 7pm – 9pm. October 23 to December 4 (no class November 20)

Where:    Comox United Church –250 Beach Ave. Comox- lower level room - wheelchair accessible

Cost: By donation

Facilitators:
Denise Nadeau is a dance-movement therapist, spiritual companion and educator whose work in the past twenty years has combined expressive arts with spiritual practice in the recovery of the sacredness of the body.  She has led retreats and workshops for people dealing with chronic pain, cancer, or recovering from violence, as well as community healing workshops that focus on developing bodily vitality and our sense of connection with the earth.  She has a Doctor of Ministry and a Masters of Divinity, as well as training in BodyMind Psychotherapy, the Halprin Life-Art Process,and Moaiku Bodynamics.  From 2006 to 2012 she was the Director of the Interfaith Institute for Justice, Peace and Social Movements at Simon Fraser University. 

Wendy McNiven is a Unitarian Minister and certified counsellor.  Her experience over the past twenty years has included pastoral care with people in life-compromising situations, counseling with individuals and families, energy clearing and healing work, and leading small groups in both workshop settings and interpersonal support and growth.  Wendy has a Masters of Divinity degree and a Masters of Education in Counseling Psychology. She has studied energy work, and has a regular meditation practice.  She is dedicated to the belief that each of us, with the right kind of support, can tap into a deep well of strength and wisdom within ourselves.

This program is sponsored by the United Church Pro-vision Fund and supported by
   Comox United Church, and the Comox Valley Unitarian Fellowhsip.