Tuesday 16 December 2014

Dance for Mixed Abilities

Dance for Mixed Abilities


This four session program is for people of all abilities who love to dance.  Each session will introduce some basic building blocks of dance and support exploration of the unique language of each person’s body. Participants will learn how to communicate non-verbally with a partner and a larger group, explore contact dance, and work in self-directed small groups to create short dance pieces. The site is wheelchair accessible.

Wednesdays January 7 to 28th   3:30pm- 5 pm  

Royston Community Hall (Island Highway and Royston Road)

Cost:  $5-10 to cover costs. 

Preregistration required. For more info or to register contact  dnadeau@shaw.ca or phone 250-871-2401.

Facilitator:  Denise Nadeau is a dance movement therapist and somatic educator who believes that dance can be accessible to all bodies.  Her passion is to support all in experiencing the joy of dance. 

This program is an offering of Moving with Spirit.

Winter 2015 Programs Comox- Finding Presence, Transforming Loss



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.
To register, contact: Wendy - wmcniven@uuma.org (250-890-3213
or Denise - dnadeau@shaw.ca (250-871-2401)


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.

To register, contact: Wendy - wmcniven@uuma.org (250-890-3213
or Denise - dnadeau@shaw.ca (250-871-2401)



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.