Temenos, with its peaceful, beautiful, spiritualized environment, and Alexander Teacher Marguerite, come together offering a unique opportunity to participate in either, or both Workshops – Body Sense I May 1-4 Midweek (Tues to Fri) & Body Sense II May 4-6 Weekend (Fri to Sun). Each Workshop is complete in itself – they can be experienced separately or together: Stand-alone or Run-on. Participating in both expands and complements aspects of the work in a powerful way. Each participant moves through the experiences as her/his particular and natural evolving process. Temenos offers Free accommodation Tuesday night for May 1-4 WORKSHOP; free accommodation Sunday night for May 4-6 WORKSHOP. Presenter Marguerite brings 30+ years experience in Body Sense Alexander Technique, Tai Chi, The Art of Walking and the richness of the Arts of Music, Story, Poetry …With the unique hands-on guidance of an experienced Alexander teacher, steeped in the body-mind-spirit landscape.
SCHEDULE
in both is a Workshop/Retreat format:Early Mornings: Limbering – Walking – Meditation
Mornings: Workshop Sessions
Afternoons: Individual sessions, Optional Guided activities, free time
Evenings: Meditation, Music, Story, Poetry (focus: mystic , nature poets)as relevant to the ritual and focus of the Workshop-Retreat.
Meals: wholesome, delicious, beautifully prepared, vegetarian
Meditations: in The Well/The Little Way/ Temenos Gardens/WalkingSilence – most of the time, excepting during Workshop sessions, and asdirected. Relaxedness & Restfulness grow!
COSTS:
Body Sense I May 1-4 Midweek (Tues to Fri) : R3 400
Body Sense II May 4-6 Weekend (Fri to Sun): R4 200
ENQUIRIES/CONTACT:
Marguerite (Osler) van der Merwe : 028 271 4555; margsmerwe@telkomsa.net, www.bodysensetechnique.co.za or TEMENOS 023 625 1871, temenos@lando.co.za www.temenos.org.za
'To find Freedom amid challenging times, we have to start where we are.
How do we manage our own bodies?’ JACK KORNFIELD
Managing our bodies and our thinking - to find Poise in life – we alsoenter the territory of Balance, Openness, Intelligent self-care, and Serenity. BODY SENSE ALEXANDER work offers a scientific- artistic- Nature-al way to-ward such Lifeskills. Working through our BodyMindSoulSpiritual Self - making constructive choices - so that we may manage & direct each moment, action, step of the day in Poise, Good Use & Care. These Skills are built throughpractice – just as a dancer, singer, artist, leader or athlete does.
BODY SENSE Alexander Technique
“Somehow we in the West have lost our God-given, regal self-carriage, and the free, poised uprightness, ease and mobility that we see in young children and animals. Therefore, over-civilized, bowed down by too much sed-entary work, tension & anxiety, we usually have to learn to use our bodies again.”
~ IS ABOUT ~
Learning how to USE your body as Nature designed—with gracefulness, relaxedness, ease, true alignment, alertness, vitality. Good self-carriage (posture) and moveability. It is a way of becoming aware of and enhancing our activities.—how we ‘use’ ourselves naturally & constructively in daily activities. It is gentle, therapeutic, intelligent. Body knowledge of balance, tension & ease.
~ WHAT IS IT FOR? ~
Release excessive tension, strain and stress—Restore good self-carriage, movement, flexibility—Regain natural, effortless, upright coordination—Remove the cause (Poor Use of the body) of many ailments (eg back/neck/knee pain, tension, respiratory problems, anxiety …) - Enhances health, natural fitness, strength, suppleness, body sensitivity, awareness and vitality. Improves performance in many areas.
Through restoring the body’s sensitivity, alignment, release of excess tension, and awareness , we bring the whole of ourselves back into balance and harmony.
MARGUERITE (OSLER) van der MERWE is a senior teacher of Body Sense Alexander Technique and Tai Chi, with more than 30 years professional experience in the mind-body-spirit domain. She presents individual sessions, workshops and retreats countrywide. Author of ’THE ART OF WALKING—Path to Health & the Richness of Well-Being’, and ’EVE-OLUTION—Enhancing Feminine Consciousness & Body Awareness’. In June 2016, Marguerite was awarded the University of the Free State’s CHANCELLOR’S MEDALLLION “for exceptional service to South Africa and the world beyond our borders.”
Alexander Technique is a way of becoming more aware of balance, posture and movement in everyday activities – overcoming unconscious habits that cause physical and emotional stress - restoring the effectiveness of our body’s natural mechanisms and facilitating improvement in health, awareness and performance. it is a practical way of helping us to do things more freely, effortlessly, in accordance with the way our bodies are designed to work.
At Temenos we're always happy to host Retreats and Workshops, for more details contact Margaret