Morning Embodiment Practice: Mindful Movement, Stillness, + In Between

Morning Embodiment Practices is a time to attune with ourselves.

If you experience trepidation either with movement (eg “I want to move but I could never take a dance class”) or stillness (eg “I’d like to meditate but I could never sit still”), this class is for you. We will gently and playfully explore the full spectrum of movement and stillness as contexts for our experience of being in our bodies. There will be many options provided throughout, and the intention of this class is to be accessible even if you are navigating a limitation such as an injury.

As an element of self attunement, we will practice making intuitive choices through a lens of self love, meaning that we are each making choices that are nourishing and responsive to ourselves as individuals in that moment. Part of this practice includes being very intentional and explicit about what kinds of choices we might consider, being curious about how it feels to try them, and having a chance to share your experience with others if you’d like to. Examples include moving at a different speed or simply pausing to feel your hands on your heart and your heart on your hands. There will be a corner of the room set aside in case you’d like to opt out of the facilitated structure and take a moment for yourself, whether to rest, journal/draw, stretch, etc.

Opening Circle/Grounding/Check In: 10 min. We will begin with an opening circle for some grounding and to check-in with whatever feels present for each of us when we arrive. While that might include pleasant feelings, you might also feel such discomfort that there is reluctance to show up to a facilitated space in community with others in the first place! This event is designed to support you in meeting yourself in whatever you might be experiencing, including but not limited to disconnection, ungroundedness, trepidation, exhaustion, restlessness, distraction, grief, self doubt, overwhelm, fear, etc. We get to welcome ourselves to come as we are.

Warm Up: 20 min: We will do a guided, full-bodied warm up, tuning the instruments of our bodies and our attention, giving ourselves plenty of time to shake it out, stretch, wiggle, and move through whatever feels stuck. Movements will be simple enough to follow along, giving us a chance to get out of our heads and drop into our bodies, regulating our nervous system. Drawing on modern/contemporary dance and yoga, there will be flow, rhythm, and music.

Movement Explorations: 20 min: After the warm up, we will explore movement in various ways. Movements will be guided step by step, such as taking a good morning stretch with the arms, feeling that tone, shifting the direction of the arms wherever your body would like to go, and then shifting to include the legs and the rest of the body.

Examples of movement explorations:

-Learn about the anatomy of the shoulder joint, partner exercises to release the shoulders, and mindfully explore letting the arms hang and swing while walking or dancing.

-Connecting with our breath through awareness, engagement, release of the diaphragm, the rhythms of the breath, and our alignment when we sit/stand/walk/move.

-Shifting our attention outwardly or internally by dancing or walking with eyes closed or open, either alone or being supported by a partner to guide you.

Meditation: 15 min: We will settle into meditation and rest. Finding stillness might be sitting/standing/lying down and might include cozy props, having eyes open or closed, and suggestions to make yourself comfortable, including allowing some body movement within that quiet space.

Closing Circle/Integration: 10 min: During the closing circle, you might choose to share, listen to others, and/or journal or draw to integrate the experience. A lot can come up for us in movement and in stillness. For example, sometimes letting the arms swing and hang can feel like a relief, experiencing the interplay of our bodies with gravity, and it also might feel uncomfortable or scary at first. Facilitation and community can be supportive to understand what we’re navigating, even as the work of embodiment and self attunement is deeply personal.

Please bring clothes you feel comfortable to move in. It’s recommended to bring long sleeves, long pants and socks with you, in case we are moving on the floor. Bring a journal if you’d like.

Tickets are sliding scale $15 - $35 with no on turned away for lack of funds!

*Facilitators’ note: This offering is new, but the practice is dear to my heart. It springs from years of showing up in the studio alone and thinking “I’m stumped! I’ve forgotten how to dance! I have to start from zero!” Tuning in to whatever’s going on- inertia, distraction, judgment, etc, and responding to that, I notice things start to shift and change, and I feel a sense of integration. This class is an invitation to join me in that practice of starting from where we are, which I humbly admit that for me– that often includes a lot more discomfort and guarding than I might have hoped to find when I chose to walk through the door. There’s a lot of potential in that space, and I’d like play/release/rest through some of that with you on Tuesday mornings!

With three decades of modern dance experience and 12 years of teaching, Suzanne Beahrs guides students in exploring movement as a pathway to deeper connection—with ourselves, our surroundings, and each other. Her classes blend technical training, creative expression, and guidance on being intentional with how we are each practicing. Her movement style was described by The New York Times as “grounded, silken.” In addition to modern dance, she is currently heavily influenced by house dance, contact improvisation, and mindfulness practices.

She is currently on faculty at Shawl-Anderson Dance Center and has previously taught extensively at ODC, Gibney, Elon University, ADF studios, and many more. She has shown her choreography in NY, NC, CA, AZ, MA, and MO, and performed in works by Ishika Seth, Mo Miner, and others.

Beyond the studio, Suzanne is a facilitator and has worked as a DEI consultant. She also enjoys exploring writing, visual art, nature, music, and belonging.

Education: MFA in Dance, NYU Tisch School of the Arts; BA in Geology, UC Berkeley

Thank you Stephanie Leathers for the photo used in the banner image

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