Collaborate with the Body: a practice group
Preamble (to be read at the beginning of every session)
We are joined in this circle by our interest in generative somatic and embodied practices for our own healing and transformation. We understand that trauma, experiences of intersecting oppressions and identities come in many forms and impact people in diverse ways. This practice space embraces all that we are: the ways we identify and name ourselves and the choices and struggles each of us have faced. For some people, the journey has included trauma or significant life disruptions in one form or another. For some, the path to these practices began with our own work to care for ourselves while caring for others, being in solidarity with our kin, and becoming accomplices in justice-making across spheres of difference. It has not always been clear to identify how our bodies are intertwined with our experiences and relationships, nor how to explain these connections to others. During this practice session, we are welcome to disclose our experiences to one other, but focus our sharing on our more immediate experience of the practices themselves.
We gather here to get support through practice and presence: trying on practices in the moment, bearing witness (often in silence) to the practice of others, and sharing what we notice along the way. Our support to one another is in our own participation and respect for the group time.
If it is your first time, please use the drop-down menu in Zoom to include an * next to your name so we can welcome you. Two “stacks” (A and B) are announced by the group moderator at the beginning of the session. During each session, the moderator will announce “Stack A” or “Stack B” after each practice to ease the flow of dialogue and provide equitable sharing time. Copy down or keep the stack in another window on your computer. You are encouraged to speak when it is your turn but passing to the next person is always acceptable. Limit your sharing to under a minute, focusing on the immediate experience of the practice.
We refrain from giving feedback, coaxing another’s participation, or offering advice. Following the practice time, we may ask for more support or discussion relevant to the practice group. For that purpose, a chat window will remain open for 15 minutes more. If you have a question you would like to ask or a topic you would like to discuss briefly either to anyone or someone specific, you can include it there. If your wish is to offer a resource or wisdom from your own experience, you might say “I’m going to stay after the session in case anyone would like to hear about X, which has been helpful for me.” Thank you.
We are asked to abide by the following guidelines:
Moderator: As the moderator, I am a participant and volunteer, not an expert or responsible to the group beyond this session. I start the session, read aloud this preamble, as well as each practice’s instructions. I keep track of the time remaining in the session and of individual sharing. Each hour will have three practices available to participants, but in some cases, we may only try two practices if the session is full. I thank you in advance for your support and patience with me as I start our session. Our stack A today is: [read names or #s in order]; stack B today is [read names or #s in reverse order]. Welcome.
We gather here to get support through practice and presence: trying on practices in the moment, bearing witness (often in silence) to the practice of others, and sharing what we notice along the way. Our support to one another is in our own participation and respect for the group time.
If it is your first time, please use the drop-down menu in Zoom to include an * next to your name so we can welcome you. Two “stacks” (A and B) are announced by the group moderator at the beginning of the session. During each session, the moderator will announce “Stack A” or “Stack B” after each practice to ease the flow of dialogue and provide equitable sharing time. Copy down or keep the stack in another window on your computer. You are encouraged to speak when it is your turn but passing to the next person is always acceptable. Limit your sharing to under a minute, focusing on the immediate experience of the practice.
We refrain from giving feedback, coaxing another’s participation, or offering advice. Following the practice time, we may ask for more support or discussion relevant to the practice group. For that purpose, a chat window will remain open for 15 minutes more. If you have a question you would like to ask or a topic you would like to discuss briefly either to anyone or someone specific, you can include it there. If your wish is to offer a resource or wisdom from your own experience, you might say “I’m going to stay after the session in case anyone would like to hear about X, which has been helpful for me.” Thank you.
We are asked to abide by the following guidelines:
- Help the practice space be a circle of care and empathy and participate with curiosity and patience with ourselves and others
- Speak for ourselves and from the heart (Use “I” Statements), refraining from comment, debate, dismissal or argument.
- Welcome our own bodies’ response to a given practice in a particular moment, whether it be a “yes,” “maybe,” or “no,” and stop or shift a practice that is “no” or brings pain
- Monitor our own participation so others have opportunities to speak
- Mute our devices during times of practice and reduce environmental noises when we are sharing; if we wish we may turn off our camera during practices, but will turn it back on, if possible, during the group sharing.
- Refrain from interruption during times of sharing. The moderator may interrupt with a gentle reminder if individual sharing goes long.
- Ask for support we need and ask if we can offer support using the post-session chat window
- Say goodbye if we have to leave early for any reason using the chat window (when at all possible)
- Believe one another; accept our stories/experiences as true
- Attempt wholeheartedly to release judgment of our own and others’ bodies, pain or limitations
- Honor and hold gently experiences shaped by our multiple identities and life histories
- Leave space for silence
- Respect the privacy of others by keeping all personal information confidential, including the names/identities of those who attend (note your technical environment for participation and creating a confidential space in your home/office)
- Affirm the creative spirit needed to include all who wish to be here, and prioritize that creativity over the value of efficiency
- Accept that practice sessions are not a replacement for regular, on-going and crisis support for our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being
- Read this preamble and guidelines aloud each session to orient new members and allow ourselves to arrive to the practice space.
Moderator: As the moderator, I am a participant and volunteer, not an expert or responsible to the group beyond this session. I start the session, read aloud this preamble, as well as each practice’s instructions. I keep track of the time remaining in the session and of individual sharing. Each hour will have three practices available to participants, but in some cases, we may only try two practices if the session is full. I thank you in advance for your support and patience with me as I start our session. Our stack A today is: [read names or #s in order]; stack B today is [read names or #s in reverse order]. Welcome.