EMBODYING NATURE, BECOMING OURSELVES
Somatic and Nature Retreat in the South West of France
led by Jamie MCHUGH
From Thursday 16 to Monday 20 May 2024
We are members of the natural world, individual microcosms of the landscape who can easily forget our wild nature and our relationship to the more-than-human world. In this retreat, we take time to immerse ourselves in the living presence of our bodies and the natural world to remember, to explore and discover more of who we are and what we can be. Tree, sky, rock, and water – all the elements in our ecosystem reflect parts of our nature that can be embodied, enacted and embedded.
Embodying Nature is a somatic-expressive process developed by Jamie McHugh for expanding and deepening our kinship with the natural world through the preverbal medium of our body's perception and expression. Each day begins by meeting our inner landscape with the five somatic technologies of breath, vocalization, contact, movement and stillness. (See video overview of the five technologies here: https://player.vimeo.com/video/170979436)
After cultivating this sensitivity to our inner ecosystem, we then move into relationship with the outer landscape through contacting, witnessing, mirroring, responding and resting. The combination of the somatic practices with these relational activities creates a unique state of being. As we settle more deeply into ourselves and connect to place, an effortless stream of spontaneous dances, intuitive songs, and silent contemplations unfolds in the present moment. These aesthetic expressions later become translated into words and images witnessed by others, creating a rich tapestry of individual poetics and collective creation.
This dedicated time with our nature offers psychic regeneration and self-reflection for stepping back into daily life – refreshed, renewed, and restored.
THE PLACE : THE HANGAR PROJECT
Jamie MCHUGH
is a Registered Master Somatic Movement Therapist (ISMETA) and an interdisciplinary artist. He is the creator of Somatic Expression® – Body Wisdom for Modern Minds, a user-friendly, integrative approach to the art and craft of embodiment; and NatureBeingArt, abstract contemplative photography of the natural environment for both fine art reproductions and video streams.
Jamie has studied with a variety of various master teachers (artistic, spiritual, and therapeutic) and taught body-based work for over four decades. The somatic-expressive practices he has developed for re-wilding the body, mending the mind and restoring the spirit have been inspired by his relationships with Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, Emilie Conrad, Anna Halprin, Thich Nhat Hanh, Pomo healer Lorin Smith - and the wild places of the planet.
From Thursday 16 au Monday 20 May
Arrival on the 15th and possible departure on the 20th or 21st
Closest Airports : Biarritz or Toulouse
Closest Train station Dax
500€ the retreat
440€ before March 16
Accommodation + vegan lunch and dinner : 375€ - breakfast not included