An experiential 5 day workshop
ESALEN INSTITUTE, Big Sur, California
Sunday, Jan. 18 — Friday, Jan. 23, 2009
Give yourself a retreat, "just for you", in the beautiful coast setting of Big Sur, California.
We invite You to join us at Esalen Institute— a convergence of mountains and sea, mind and body, East and West, meditation and action.
Esalen- A center for alternative education, a forum for transformational practices, a restorative retreat, a worldwide community of seekers.
And there's always time for enjoying the hot mineral baths and the breath taking scenery overlooking the Pacific ocean...
IMPROV: EXPANDING YOURSELF WITH LAUGHTER
About our workshop
Just as our muscles can tighten with stress and age, so can our notions about ourselves. Indeed, if these core beliefs aren't stretched and made flexible, we run the risk of growing into the stereotypical narrow-minded “adult”, comfortable with what is and unwilling to try new things. One antidote to this is improvisational workouts.
Whereas children stretch their sense of self through the powerful medium of play, adults often don't, finding it too scary or foolish. This unwillingness, or fear, prevents them from experiencing this potent tool of being or acting without the serious consequences of real life.
In this positive workshop, participants will be guided through simple improv exercises aimed at personal expansion. Using the tenants of improv, such as trust and spontaneity, participants will be encouraged to say “Yes” to situations offered them by the group. They'll also be given the opportunity to try on new personas hugely different from the ones they use in their daily lives. We will also delve into one of improv's most compelling tools: status, the human pecking order. Participants will familiarize themselves with subtle clues they send out and receive defining their status, and get a chance to try out new body language and status choices. We practice learning through laughter.
You'll find us in the Esalen 2009 catalogue. Esalen Institute is a premier Retreat Center for the West Coast known for their alternative educational, transformational, and restorative workshops.
We invite you to go to their web site to find accomodation rates and make reservations.
Esalen Institute reservation information
"Join us in paradise and enjoy the good life!"
All arrangements and reservations are made through Esalen Institute.
For information, workshop fees or to register for a workshop call 831-667-3005
"The Middle of Somewhere"
Eadie T. Pratt sets out on a road trip in search of a new life and ends up in the middle of somewhere she never expected. Start with one independent, urban lesbian who cashes out her life in San Francisco for a second-hand travel trailer and sets off to the Michigan Women’s Music Festival in search of a new life. Add to this a broken down ’66 Mustang, a bunch of small-town Texas Baptists, a ton of fried food, and a church scandal. Pepper this with a hot love interest and a dash of greed and what you get is Eadie T. Pratt’s road trip gone awry.
For more information go to Bold Strokes Books