Authentic Movement
The discipline of Authentic Movement was developed by Janet Adler. Immersion in the discipline pushes us towards the edges of the unknown. Trusting only in the experience of our bodies. Stumbling into clearer seeing.
"The architecture of the discipline of Authentic Movement is based on the relationship between a mover and a witness, the ground form. For each, work is centered on the development of the inner witness, which is one way of understanding the development of consciousness. In this discipline the inner witness is externalized, embodied by a person who is called the outer witness. Another person, called the mover, embodies the moving self."
Janet Adler, Offering from the Conscious Body
Authentic Movement (AM) Class
In this embodied, contemplative practice, movers are invited to awaken to their unique experience of eyes closed, free movement (which includes stillness) in the presence of a compassionate, not-judgmental, eyes-open witness. In this enlivening practice we become more and more aware of our physical, emotional and spiritual experience of relationship, to self, to others, and to All that is outside us. Choosing what to pay attention to, we are movers with a developing inner witness, aware also that a kind and discerning outer witness is holding the space and witnessing us move; we notice more and more what we know in this moment, and what we do not know. Movers and witnesses explore and heal, seeing themselves, and being seen.
After moving there is a speaking and listening circle.
Authentic Movement practiced this way opens doors to creativity, healing into Wholeness, and a sense of the sacred.
Wendy Goulston Bio
Drawn first to twenty years of academic Literary studies and teaching. Wendy Goulston Heligman came across something quite different in 1991. Authentic Movement (AM) startled her into seeing worrying splits between body, mind and spirit, in herself, in academia, and in western culture. She had grown up and studied in Australia, studied in Oxford and for some time studied and taught in the US. AM opened her to the world of somatic and spiritual experience. Eager to find wholeness and expand her sense of Reality she has pursued body-mind-spirit healing (her own, others’ and the world’s) since then, with long term studies with teachers Janet Adler in Authentic Movement, Harvey Sober and Ed Young in Tai Chi, Jason Shulman and Brenda Blessings in Non Dual Kabbalistic Healing. Her teachers, clients and fellow students, friends and growing family all invite daily learning about what most interests her: the fullness of life, the challenges and profound impact of the ways we are aware of and speak of our many levels of experience, the deep longing we all have to be seen compassionately, and to see others more fully, the elusiveness and ever-presence of Love and resistance to it.
If you are interested in a 90-120 minute Thursday morning workshop of up to 6 movers, men and women, 2 classes a month, spoken in English, at Hanaton please contact wendygoulston@gmail.com or Hillel at drhillel@somaticwell.com.