CLASS / WORKSHOP
UNIVERSE SOMATIC
Monthy On the 1st Sunday of the Month @ SomaSpace in PDX
1 - 3pm
Register and pay for the class by Venmo @jogen-salzberg or
Paypal (friends and family, please!) jogen.salzberg@gmail.com
$20~45, sliding scale
Universe Somatic is a monthly practice led by Jogen Salzberg, Sensei that integrates meditation, movement and imagination with a spirit of experimentation and playfulness. We explore the union of spaciousness and energy and find that contemplative practice can be embodied, expressive and fun!
The heart of our class is a gentle flow between the stillness of sitting meditation to the dynamism of movement. The meditation practice is open awareness meditation supported by guided instructions.
From the stillness and openness of the sitting sessions, we transition to multifaceted movement phases. The movement phases of Universe Somatic are multifaceted. They're a time to appreciate the simple miracle and joy of the living body, a time to connect with energies and emotions we have difficulty inhabiting and an opportunity to cut through hindrances to awakened awareness on an energetic level. We then resume the seated practice with our subtle and gross bodies enlivened and optimized for spacious abiding.
Each month we are invited to explore different polarities such as feminine and masculine, dream and waking, sky and earth. Polarities are different each week, keeping the practice lively and engaging.
An example of a movement session may be working with one of the 5 elements such as Water, inviting and embodying the quality of fluidity in order to soften rigidity in ourselves. The movement sessions open and enliven us in various ways and we bring those qualities back into the sitting sessions.
Following the main practice, we close with a check-in about our work of the evening.
This practice draws on its vision and methods from Dzogchen and Zen with movement and polarities practices brought in from Paratheatre and Butoh.