Finding Presence: A Workshop on Embodied Spiritual
Practice
This 6 session workshop will explore how
the felt sense of being fully here and now with our experience can be a
resource for deepening spiritual practice.
We will bring together the worlds of somatics and meditation, sound and
silence, movement and stillness, in exploring the work of full presence. By
developing our bodily sense of ourselves through presence skills, breath,
sitting meditation, embodied meditation, movement, and expressive arts, we will
increase our ability to be in the present moment, to be present to the life
around us, and to find our place of connection with Oneness.
We will:
- Learn the
principles and practice of basic mindfulness
- 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
- Explore the Pause,
Gratitude and Walking as spiritual practices of presence
- Discuss the meaning
and effects of spiritual practice in daily life and in work for a just and
caring world
When:
Thursdays, 7pm—9pm; January 20 to March 10, 2015
Where:
Comox United Church – ground level room off parking lot- wheelchair
accessible
Cost:
By donation
Facilitators: Wendy McNiven and
Denise Nadeau. See www.movingwithspirit.ca.for
more information.
Transforming Loss
Whatever burdens that people carry, at times we all
face the challenges of isolation, pain, fear, and grief. People living with the
loss of a loved one, a diagnosis of a life-threatening illness, a chronic
disease, the loss of a job, the erosion of one’s abilities, or loss of hope for
a just and sustainable world —might benefit from participating in “Transforming
Loss”.
The
intention of this program is to help participants change their relationship
with pain and loss. It will combine spiritual
teachings, movement and presence skills, expressive arts and ritual.
Participants
will
o
Learn practical
body skills for being in the present moment
o
Be introduced to
different approaches to dealing with chronic pain
o
Identify and
share spiritual and faith resources that have helped us survive and even thrive
on our journeys
o
Explore the use
of ritual and ceremony in transforming suffering and loss
o
Learn expressive
arts approaches to explore one’s relationship with suffering
o
Experience
compassion and kindness for oneself and others.
Facilitators: Wendy McNiven and
Denise Nadeau with Guest Resource persons
Kazimea Sokil, Nicole Crouch, and Bonni Hanuse. See www.movingwithspirit.ca.org for
more information.
When:
Tuesdays 3:30 -5:30 January 20 to March 10, 2015
Where:
Comox United Church – ground level room off parking lot- wheelchair
accessible
Cost:
By donation
These programs are partly sponsored by the United Church Pro-vision
Fund and supported by
Comox United Church and the Comox
Valley Unitarian Fellowship.
Facilitators:
Denise
Nadeau ( DMin.,
MDiv. M.Litt.) 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 programs for women recovering
from violence and for people dealing with pain, illness and loss. Much of her work focuses on developing bodily
vitality and our sense of connection with the earth. She has trained in BodyMind
Psychotherapy, the Halprin Life-Art Process, and Moaiku Bodynamics. From 2006 to 2012 she was the Director of the
SFU Interfaith Institute for Justice, Peace and Social Movements.
Wendy McNiven
( MDiv. M.Ed.) 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. 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, has within us a depth of strength and
wisdom that can be tapped.
Bonni Hanuse is of the
Mamalilikala, from Mimkwamilis (Village Island), of the Kwakwaka’wakw Nation on
her maternal side and Coast Salish from the Musqueam Nation on her paternal
side. She has worked for many years in the inner city of Vancouver, most
recently as an Elder with Vancouver Native Health and also as an Elder with the
UBC Summer Science Program for Indigenous youth.
Nicole Crouch is an art therapist living in the Comox Valley. She has a Masters in Creative Arts Therapies from Concordia
University. She has been working in the arts and in community development for
over ten years. She is especially interested in arts-based mindfulness
approaches to chronic pain and wellness, and has worked to help clients with
these issues.
Kazimea Sokil holds an M.A. in Creative Arts Therapy from
Concordia University, Montreal. She is a registered clinical
counsellor with a private practice in Courtenay since 2005. She is the Music Director if the Comox Valley Unitarian Fellowship. Her work,
RESONANCEarts, encompasses counselling, the creative arts therapies and
community-building, arts-based events. Kazimea's counseling experience
includes grief and loss work, burnout prevention, and creative group
explorations. She has worked extensively with adults and youth with
developmental delays, seniors, and youth-at-risk. Her creative
background is mainly in drama and music, and includes maskwork,
improvisational drama, songwriting and ritual.