Eurythmy weekend

What an amazing weekend I am returning from...
It is hard to describe what I took away from the past 72 hours, but it is something very real and powerful.
Physically, I am tired. My back hurts and the arches of my feet are quite sore....but emotionally and spiritually, I feel well fed and rested. Very rested.

The whole weekend was beautiful....the courses in various aspects of Eurythmy were enlightening and lifting, but the amount of time we were given in between the courses to digest, wonder, and feel were so very helpful, too.
We had 2 hours for lunch on Saturday, and I just stood on a bridge and watched the water moving along in the stream below me. (this was also the bridge my W liked to stop at when we were in town for the Waldorf EC intro. course I took this summer. I brought back a hanfdul of rocks from the location for him, which we well received, of course..) I also walked through the bare woods surrounding the school which was such a sensory experience...also, considering that I spent the whole weekend concentrating on movement; on each part of a single step, made the experience even more rich for me. And quiet.

During the weekend, we experienced tone eurythmy, therapeutic eurythmy, and speech eurythmy.
Tone Eurythmy proved to be the practice which spoke the most to me..

Rudolf Steiner:
That is the essential point — that Eurythmy is visible speech, visible music. One can go even further and maintain that the movements of Eurythmy do actually proceed out of the inner organisation of man. Anyone who says: “As far as I am concerned, speech and music are all-sufficient; there can surely be no need to extend the sphere of art; I, for my part, have not the slightest wish for Eurythmy”; — such a man is, of course, perfectly right from his particular point of view. There is always a certain justification for any opinion, however conventional or pedantic. Why should one not hold such opinions? There is certainly no reason why one should not — none at all; but it cannot be said that such a standpoint shows any really deep artistic feeling and understanding. A truly artistic nature welcomes everything that could possibly serve to widen and enrich the whole field of art.
Lecture of 26th August, 1923 

Describing eurythmy is so, so difficult. (Maybe even impossible?) It is such an experience that is beyond words. We did a few rhythm exercises, which I expected, but there was so much that was a surprise to me. It really is a soul experience and a practice of letting go. There were so many beautiful moments. Kind of similar to waldorf EC, it is more about doing rather than explaining. And in the case of Eurythmy, also, more doing than thinking. I could see how a certain aspect of the form is lost when too many questions about logistics are brought forth.

(da Vinci's Last Supper hangs on the wall. No intention or reference, according to the instructors....)

During speech eurythmy, we learned gestures which relate to sounds and rhythms of speech. For example, each consonant has an accompanying gesture.. instructors often give rich imagery to bring the gesture to life and form...

I felt connected to the gesture for B, as I pictured it as an encompassing and protective hug given to a small child. As I rocked W to sleep upon returning home on Saturday evening (I commuted about 2 hours each way every day!) I realized how the gesture for B plays a huge role in my life as a mother.

 

copper rods and soft balls used for Eurythmy exercises

I am hoping later in life to possibly train as a student of Eurythmy...the training is about 4 years. I can't focus on it right now, but it is something I would love to continue experiencing whenever I have the chance. As a teacher, I feel that there is much I would be able to offer by the way of gesture and intention. 

I'm so grateful to have had this experience....it's hard to get away for the weekend; there are so many factors to consider. But it's so worth it. Most of all, I'm so lucky to have a supportive family!

Below is a beautiful video of a performance by Eurythmy Spring Valley.

Blessings!