 | "The heart that breaks open can contain the whole universe" (Joanna Macy) | The above lines by Joanna Macy have been with me for many years. And over the years my understanding and experience of this has grown and changed particularly through the dance. I have been in Europe since mid-February, assisting and working with my teachers Ya'Acov and Susannah Darling Khan at the School of Movement Medicine. On this trip (this particular journey now and this particular trip of life in this world at this time) my heart has been and continues to be stretched, broken and expanded over and over again. Unexpected news and changes, witnessing the illness of a family member, listening to a friend going through a challenging time, feeling humanity struggling to comprehend and take action about the state of the planet, ... the list of things to touch, grip, squeeze the heart never ends... I suspect you know what I am talking about. | What I have learned through many dances with my heart and those of others is that as much as we would like it to, this landscape of the heart does not get quieter or easier to be with. The more we delve into work with our emotions, work with our psyche, work with our individual, ancestral, collective and cultural stories, the more sensitive we get and the more we feel. But we might get more and more resourced, too. We may gain more ground to hold the complexity and seeming tensions between the different emotions we experience, we may be able to create more spaciousness and allow them to be rather than fighting them as wrong, inappropriate or too difficult. | Assisting on a recent workshop about the heart, I was surprised once again at how many different seemingly contradictory things I could feel at the same time. What a thing to acknowledge and let these emotions coexist. The heart is truly a remarkable yogi, able to stretch further than our minds can comprehend. And being alive as a human seems to mean dancing with and through the peaks and troughs of our emotional landscapes again and again and again. But as my teacher Ya'Acov sometimes reminds us, that is what the heart is made for: a heart that flatlines is dead. As I witnessed last week on and off the dancefloor, sharing the broken, uncomfortable, shy, uncertain, unresolved parts of ourselves , as counter-intuitive and vulnerable as it may be, is a healing balm in and off itself and the way to the kind of connection we long for. | Wishing you breathing space and a keen ear to allow you to listen to your heart's stories. May you be touched by the full spectrum of your own aliveness and that of those you meet. Until we next meet on a dancefloor,
Petra PS: Below info on opportunities to dance and connect in Cape Town in May ! More dates including an exciting fundraiser and info for the ongoing group starting in October coming soon | The next opportunity to take time out for yourself, in a safe space and the company of other women is coming up in May. The Nourish Retreats are a chance to reconnect with yourself, in body, heart and mind, to sense, express, release and resource yourself, whilst benefiting from the inspiration, support and care of others. After working with Earth, Fire, Water and Air, we now look to Ether, perhaps the least familiar element of the five element cycle for support, inspiration and insight. You can read more about the theme and find out how to book here
An early early bird rate is available until 1st May! In order to create a safe intimate space, places are limited, so please book early to avoid disappointment. | And don’t think the garden loses its ecstasy in winter. It’s quiet, but the roots down there are riotous. A warm invitation to join us for a Monday night dance at Body Intelligence to explore both movement and stillness and give space to what is present for us as we move deeper into winter. Everyone welcome, no previous experience required!!! | Bookings: R110 (R90 concessions) if pre-booked. R140 on the door.
Please book in advance here
Bookings are non-refundable but transferable.
Contact me if you have any questions 0784879107/ movingintoconnection@outlook.com | It is not an error that you have been born a sensitive human being, with a tender nervous system and a heart that is sometimes broken. Your vulnerability is not a mistake, but a portal back into life, into a world that has forgotten how to dream. Matt Licata | | |
