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!

The music and movement of life

Hello again, friends!
It's nice to be back in this space, sharing with you. It's also great to be home again, although I walked into a huge mess..which became even more gigantic as we unpacked. While we were gone, Jay had ripped up the last bit of carpeting going up our stairs, knocked down some walls in the basement, repainted the dining room, and installed sconces in our living room. Our wood floors were also oiled; I have been slipping and sliding all day long. A lot went on while we were gone, including fraud on my bank account..eek! Someone attempted to pay for escort services in the UK using my PIN number and debit card. That's the one perk about having an almost always negative balance...no one can steal money you don't have:)

  During my week at Sunbridge, we began every morning in the Eurythmy building exploring spatial dynamics and Eurythmy. Much of this time was spent getting to know our strides, personal space; the energy we put forth when entering a room. We did several Eurythmy exercises, which were relaxing but very focused. I noticed that each exercise called us to concentrate on a specific energy force within the room...sometimes it was the person across from us, sometimes it was a spot on the ceiling which beckoned
 to me.

We experienced gravity as we fell forward towards the Earth; hands and heads hanging...and also as we rose upwards; hands reaching for the sky. In the middle is where we truly are; the Earth below us and the heavens above. In this stance, our arms were raised as if a horizon; or floating on the water; holding us there.
I hope to continue studying Eurythmy in the future! I can see how this expressive movement can be therapeutic...I do wish I could say more about it, but I know so little!

...My very first pair of Eurythmy shoes.

During the afternoon, we discussed child development and what an important consideration this is in Waldorf Education. We talked about the physical, etheric (or "life") and astral (or "emotional") bodies, which remains a fascinating subject to me. We spoke of how children ages birth-7 are so completely "in" their physical bodies; it is a phase of "willing" and imitation. Underlying this is the concept that is so important for us as parents and caregivers to relay...The world is good. The world is good! The environments we create should project this.

We spoke of the early introduction of academics and how damaging it can be to the physical body. Early academics; flashcards, choices, excessive information and explanations, and even too many books can bring a child out of the physical and prematurely into the etheric body. The goal of Waldorf education is to insure that these three bodies, the physical, etheric and astral bodies, successfully develop in each child.

What do we commonly find advocated? That children should have the same sort of relationship with each other as is usual among adults. But this is the most spurious thing that can be done in education. People must realise that a child has to develop quite different powers of soul and of body than those which adults use in their intercourse with each other. Thus education must be able to reach the depths of the soul; otherwise no progress will be made.

                                          Rudolf Steiner. The Study of Man, Lecture IV

During the evening, we discussed storytelling and fairytales and how they indirectly teach precious lessons to children through archetypal characters...when they are developmentally ready. For very young children, it is best to tell simple and descriptive tales; stories they can identify with. (i.e, "a little boy went to the park with his family, and there they saw rabbits and trees....") Nature stories are wonderful, and pedagogical stories follow. Fairy Tales aren't introduced until the kindergarten year, which makes sense when you consider the phase of development they will soon enter into.

 Our evening classes ended at 8:45, which was very late for W and I. I usually left 20 minutes early to make bedtime a bit smoother. I arrived back to the house to find W and my father wandering around outside, walking the dog we were caring for, or, one night in particular, hysterical over the sound of the dog lapping up water in the hot summer evening. I can't say enough how relieved I am that W fared so well during this week. He was happy to be outdoors for entire day--my poor father blew out his sneaker from walking around outside all day long! (hello, duct tape! haha!) He slept incredibly well at night, and napped for at least 2 hours every day. He nursed during my breaks from class and happily waved, "bye bye, Mommy!" as I left again. As we approach his 2nd birthday in just 2 weeks from today, I'm feeling in awe of the changes he has undergone, the paths we have taken, and the promise of our unbreakable connection.

1 week old...