====================================================================== Authentic Movement Guidelines for Practice and the role of Coordinator for Ottawa's "Authentic Movement Open Group" ====================================================================== Last edit: November 13 2016 - Ian! D. Allen - idallen@idallen.ca Our collective group has existed for a number of years. Gradually it has evolved its own set of guidelines to ensure an easy and natural flow to its authentic movement practice. We thought it would be a good idea to put them down in writing for quick reference by both old-timers and new members. These guidelines are not set in stone, and the finer points are not to be adhered to rigidly. They exist to provide us with points of common understanding. They could be questioned and changed at members' will, or with changing circumstances. A new person will take time to integrate them all. Nothing bad will happen if you forget some of the finer points from time to time. Be safe and have fun! Arrival/Beginning ---------------- When people enter our practice space, they do so in silence and quiet to allow all to come into space at their own rhythm and in their own way. For workshop events, this arrival period may last up to a half hour; weekly events start within a few minutes of the published arrival time, at the discretion of the collective and the coordinator. Once the event starts, the container is closed, which usually means that the door is locked. Late arrivals are sometimes permitted under special circumstances and with prior notice. An optional single bell ring brings all participants to sitting in a circle in the room. People are welcomed and introduced if needed. Facilitated by the coordinator, the people present share how they want the Authentic Movement practice to be structured this time: for how long, what form it will take, how will they share, how many rings will tell them of the steps in the process, who will ring the bell, and how many people will hold the safe container/space. Forms of Movement ----------------- Authentic Movement has many "forms". Some examples of forms we might use: - A Long Circle - Ottawa "Tuesday Morning Form" * Example - Long Circle with 7 people present: We might agree to move for one hour in a "Long Circle" format, with a minimum of two witnesses holding the container. One bell will start the circle; three bells will end. The witness nearest the bells at the end of the hour will ring the closing bells. To begin a Long Circle form, all participants start out as witnesses. The participants move to space themselves somewhat equidistantly around the outside walls of the room, perhaps standing or perhaps seated. Everyone raises their arms, outstretched at their sides, and looks around at the other witnesses in the room to establish that everyone is alert and "this is our safe container". When all the participants feel that the safe container is established, arms are lowered and the witness closest to the bell starts the circle, usually with one bell ring. During the time period of the Long Circle, participants may choose to alternate as many times as they wish between being an alert witness or being an eyes-closed mover out on the floor, as long as the agreed minimum number of witnesses is maintained. "Minimum of two witnesses" means that at least two witnesses must always be present. If only two witnesses are currently holding the space, neither of those witnesses may start to move until one of the current movers becomes a third witness. The number of witnesses in a Long Circle is usually about one third of the number of people present, rounding up. * Example - "Tuesday Morning Form" with 5 people present: We will have a single witness in what we have come to call "Tuesday Morning" form. We agree to each take turns being the witness, for periods of (say) 20 minutes each. One bell will start each period of 20 minutes; two bells will signal an end and a change of witness. The new witness will ring the bell once to start the new period of 20 minutes. The fifth and final 20-minute period will end with three bells rung by the fifth and final witness. The above are just two common examples of forms; the group may pair up in dyads (pairs of people, one mover, one witness); or, it may invent some other system. Witnessing and Moving --------------------- People cease being witnesses and start "moving" by entering the circle, making eye contact with at least one witness ("I see you"), and closing their eyes. They are now called "a mover", even if they do not physically move. They continue to move (or do not move) with their eyes closed. (Our agreement is to be seen by the witness(es), not by each other.) The remaining witnesses may quietly redistribute themselves around the walls of the room to preserve an approximate "circle" of a safe container. Moving means: internal or external movement, stillness, sounding, singing, chanting, talking, big or small, prompted by physical, mental, historical, emotional, internal or external impulses. Moving may mean not moving at all. Moving begins solo. While moving with your eyes closed, you may (gently!) encounter another mover. Pause for a moment to acknowledge the touch, and then decide together whether to stay and explore the eyes-closed contact or to move away. Anyone who would not want to move with others can gently withdraw from any contact. Respect the wishes of others for solo practice; do not pursue a lost contact. Since your eyes are closed, you may make your first contact with a sensitive or unconventional place on another mover's body. Both people should remember that this first contact is completely unplanned and accidental; there are no "wrong" places to first encounter another mover. The person being touched may always decide to shift the touch to another part of his/her body, or to move away. Be mindful of stopping witnessing and entering the practice space as a mover if your intent is to move directly toward and contact another mover or movers. This isn't respectful of the other eyes-closed movers, who are unaware of your eyes-open intent. As a witness, your "eyes open" consciousness does not mix with the "eyes closed" consciousness of movers. Always enter the practice space with the intention of moving solo. If, by chance, you find another mover, you both have "eyes closed" consciousness and the encouter is fair. While the container is held safe by open-eye witnesses, each mover is primarily responsible for his/her own safety and to be his/her own witness while moving. Always reserve enough attention to witness your own movement; don't fall into wild emotional discharge and forget where you are or what you are doing. Be mindful and aware of your movement. Be aware of your environment and the people who are near you while you are moving. To ensure everyone's safety and the safety of others, people should open their eyes slightly if they are making large or strong movements or sounds. One's own safety is one's own responsibility; however, nobody should engage in any activity that puts others at physical risk. Examples of safety issues: - Be mindful of all fast movements in all three dimensions! - Make sure you look down if you are about to stamp your feet. - Make sure you look up if you are about to rise suddenly. - Don't make a big noise into the ear of someone near you. People start being witnesses (after having been a mover) by opening their eyes from wherever they are in the room at the end of their movement, making eye contact with at least one witness ("I see you"), and returning to the outside wall of the room. The witnesses may then quietly re-distribute themselves around the room walls to preseve an approximate "circle" of a safe container. Witnessing means: having conscious attention and energy to see others. Except for slight redistribution around the circle, witnesses usually remain still in one location in the room; though, the group may vary this. (It can be unsettling for a mover to open his/her eyes and find that a witness isn't in the same place.) Witnessing is not the absence of movement; it is a conscious activity. If you don't want to move any more, just stop moving and stay as a "mover" in the container, without moving. Only return to being a witness when you actively choose to witness. Leaning back against a wall, slouching, lying down, or watching the clock may indicate that your attention is waning and that you should be moving (or in the circle but not moving), not witnessing. Only stay a witness when you have the full attention for it. Speaking Circle --------------- After all the movement and witnessing is done (after the three closing bells), people gather quietly in a circle again for verbal sharing about the experience. When sharing verbally, people speak in the present of how they move or what they witness, objectively and/or subjectively. "I am the mover who...". "I am the witness who...". No direct reference is made to others by name; people talk about seeing "a mover who" did some action, without names. People speak freely, without interruption or comments by anyone, until they touch one hand on the floor briefly to indicate this paragraph in their sharing is over. People may share several times, speaking of their experiences as both mover and witness. In some circles, the recommendation is to first speak as a mover, and second as a witness. This sharing period is not a dialogue or conversation. People are not witnessing each other while they are sharing; they are talking only about the experience of moving and witnessing. One does not normally make any references or comments on what others have said during sharing, except for a simple "I witnessed that" if you saw the movement described by the person who just finised sharing. Sharing could be silent, verbal, written, drawn, painted or in motion. (Details of special sharing will have been agreed upon before the session begins.) You may share in the language you prefer; it is not necessary that the others in the circle understand perfectly what you are saying, and much will be conveyed by your tone and expression. Oui; ici, on parle français. Ending ------ When all who wish to have had time to share, the group collectively extends all its hands together, palms down, in the middle of the circle, and then slowly lowers them all to the floor. This process is deliberately slow, to allow a chance for someone to interrupt the closing sequence and have one last word of sharing. At the end of one moving and sharing session, after the hands have touched the floor, the group decides what to do next. When all the sessions are over, the coordinator asks people to pay for the rent of the space, and tells the participants of the date for the next sessions. Any business can then be discussed, including business relating to the process, rules, and container itself. Sessions are confidential and limited in time. (The safe container applies to time as well as space.) Once the session is over and the hands have touched the floor, everything that happened is "sealed" from further discussion. You may not refer to what you witnessed, even to persons who were in the session. If you wish to talk to someone who was in the session about something from the session, ask permission first. These are guidelines that help make the practice safe and interesting. A new person will take time to integrate them all. Nothing bad will happen if you forget some of the finer details from time to time. Be safe and have fun!