The Embodied Artist: Course Components
INCLUDED IN THE 8-WEEK OFFERING:
-2 live classes a week on Zoom, which you can access the recordings to if you can’t make it live
-A weekly group discussion call
-1-2 individual check ins with Rosie throughout the course via zoom
-Access to 2 pre-recorded yoga classes a week (16 total)
-Short weekly written course work that will be emailed to you weekly
-Suggested readings and podcasts
-Journal prompts
-Guided meditation and breath work recordings
-Short exercises that go along with the course work
THE PRACTICE
Weekly Pillars:Each week, we will use the following four devices in our research. These concepts will be explored in the context of breathwork, meditation, movement, and journaling practices.
Blueprinting: Kriyas (intentional repetitions) of a given action, form or sequence, in order to map disconnections, reveal habits/patterns/triggers, notice subtleties, and draw macro comparisons that apply in other mediums. Blueprints are repeatable sequences that we use in order to reveal synaptic gaps in our understanding of mind-body connection, in order to discern truths about our intellect, spirit, emotions, and state of being. The mind craves this process, in order to develop efficient patterns of brain activity. Blueprinting slowly maps the most effective and efficient pathways that we can take in order to move forward, much like a river flowing over a rock.
Indexes: We are building a movement practice as a reference of comparison for each of our professions. Therefore, we need consistent tools that we can use as measuring devices to track our progress and make more effective decisions. Indexes are practices that we can revisit over time (over the course of a session, or over the course of a given period of time) with varied contexts depending on the circumstances. By returning to a given exercise, pose, or practice, we are able to track progress and compare the nuanced elements at play in order to get to know ourselves, our habits, and our tendencies more intimately.
Duration studies: I’ve noticed across the board that there is a compelling tendency to stop or decrease effort in anticipation for the end of a set duration/time period being near. Duration studies are a form of research in which time is used as a constant variable, in order to reveal our relationship to both mental and physical stamina and thereby increase our capacity to sustain a given action with grace.
Diversity practices: All systems are beneficial, it’s just a matter of where we put the attention. If we create a duality of right or wrong, good or bad, we negate the whole being. As we expose our bodies and minds to various disciplines, we will focus on studying our adaptability and noticing inherent resistance. Adding diversity to our routine also allows for pattern disruption, which prepares us for unexpected changes in our environment. When we are used to disrupting habits and patterns, we are more capable of building new solutions to problems, as well as diversifying the solutions that we already offer.
(SUGGESTED) SUPPLEMENTARY READING:
“Women Who Run With the Wolves” by Clarissa Pinkola Estés
You’ll see me referring to this book often, as the female archetypes it unpacks have really resonated with me throughout the process of creating this course. We all have feminine aspects of our psyche, so this has nothing to do with what gender you identify with. I recommend reading the book as you complete this course, but even if you choose not to, you’ll notice me occasionally “tipping my hat” to her expertise on creativity, art, and authentic expression in the context of personal development.
“Man’s Search for Meaning” by Viktor Frankl
A short but poignant read, this book dissects the concepts of mindset and motivation amidst utmost resistance and oppression. It definitely provides perspective.
“The Miracle of Mindfulness” by Thich Nhat Hanh
Also a short one! Great to supplement the idea of integrating a meditative mindset into everything you do, not just seated meditation, and not just “moving meditation.”