will focus on a combination & aspects of BODY SENSE ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE + BODY SENSE TAI CHI/QI GONG + THE ART OF NATURAL, CONSCIOUS WALKING
Integrating the principles & practice of Alexander Technique and Tai Chi-Qi Gong, Marguerite guides us into the shared perspectives of these significant Arts – of acting freely, without force or effort. Embedding Movements from these disciplines to let go of strain and tension, force and effort – allowing the body’s natural EASE to operate. Centering, balancing, grounding our bodymindSelf into Effortless movement, Alertness, and Vitality . Moving In accordance with the majestic intelligence of Nature – where our actions flow from the bodymind’s natural intelligent co-ordination and EASE.—Inspirational Mobility ! Through engaging our conscious awareness and innate intelligence, “MOVEMENTS OF MEANING & POWER” are revealed by their Effortlessness - and offer a means to enhance our coordination, our overall health, mobility, composure, and potential for learning. The process develops from restoring our birthright of Awareness-Attention - Poised Self-Carriage – Effortless Mobility – Supple Balance – EASE !
Temenos, with its peaceful, beautiful, spiritualized environment, and Alexander Teacher Marguerite, come together, where, gently and skill-fully, we restore EFFORTLESSNESS & FLOW in our Doing and our Be-ing. Alexander Technique - Is gentle, therapeutic, intelligent, absorbed courtesy of the Teacher’s hands-on guidance. Body knowledge of bal-ance, tension & ease through releasing tensions & unskillful habit pat-terns - and learning how to USE your body as Nature designed. Restor-ing the effectiveness of our body’s natural mechanisms facilitates im-provement in health, awareness and performance. T’AI CHI-QI GONG - the ultimate exercise-art & training. Slow, effort-less, flowing - in a beautiful sequence, or stand-alone movements - so important in addressing the ills of our western lifestyle. Smatterings of delicious food, music, meditation, me- time, deep & creative relaxedness - all support the process. With time and space for what-you-will – wander The Garden, listen to the silence or the birdlife, watch clouds, leaves and ducks, meander, write, sketch, simply ‘be’
PROGRAMME
Early morning : walks, meditation, Inspirational Mobility (Tai Chi, Qi Gong, Body Sense, other). Mornings :Workshop sessions - group Afternoons: Individual sessions - guided through the skilful, gentle, Alexander- hands-on process. Guided Activities. Free retreat-time Evenings: quiet richness of music, poetry, story, whatever the evening calls … Meals: wholesome, delicious, beautifully prepared vegetarian Meditations: in The Well, The Little Way, Temenos Garden, Mindful Walking
COST: R 3 950 - all-inclusive: single accommodation, all meals, facilities. Stay over Sunday night at no extra cost.
BOOKINGS/ENQUIRIES: CONTACT: Marguerite 028 271 4555; margsmerwe@telkomsa.net ; www.bodysensetechnique.co.za www.alexandertechnique.org.za
It’s like this …
‘watching some of the top performers in the world, in their dif-ferent disciplines, from acrobats to musicians, cirque du soleil, and many others, displaying perfect Alexander principles.’ G MThank you so much for your tender touch, clear instructions, compassionate heart and wonderful example of free movement in space.’ ( Karoo workshop)97% of people with back pain could benefit by learning the Alex-ander Technique – it is only a very small minority of back pain sufferers that require medical intervention such as surgery. — Dr Jack Stern, spinal neurosurgeon, founding partner of Brain & Spine Surgeons of New York, USA‘ i remember you asking me to stop Tai chi and yoga and after 2 or so more years when I did it again, it was a revelation. Al-though I had been doing them for many years each, it was as if I had never done them before, as if for the first time I was doing Tai Chi, understood the principles’. SOLO
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.. In June 2016, Marguerite was awarded the University of the Free State’s CHANCELLOR’S MEDALLLION “for excep-tional service to South Africa and the world beyond our borders.”.
Author: ’THE ART OF WALK-ING—Path to Health & the Rich-ness of Well-Being’; ’EVE-OLUTION—Enhancing Feminine Consciousness & Body Awareness’.
RELEASE THE TENSION -RESTORE THE EASE!
-nervous system steadying, becoming less reac-tive - anxiety, tension and effort drifting out - alertness, calm, settling in, filtering through the entire body.Now we're ready to think – feel - ‘Be - and Do.’
At Temenos we're always happy to host Retreats and Workshops, for more details contact Margaret