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In Workshops / Workshop-Retreats, individual and group sessions, we practice the many-splendoured BODY SENSE ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE arts of Poise, Awareness, Relaxedness & The Art of Natural, Conscious Walking.
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Once, serendipitously, I gave Abdullah Ibrahim, one of our very wonderful musicians, an Alexander session when he was in extreme discomfort (headache etc) during recording. He rolled up onto his feet at the end – gave a huge smile - waved his arms - and said “I’M TUNED!” That’s the subtle process of the work – more like taking your car for attention & service, than to the panelbeater…
THE BODY SENSE ALEXANDER WAY
Gently and skillfully, we restore:
~ our inherent ELEGANCE, POSTURAL INTEGRITY and POISE (a state of conscious, constructive, effortless Being and Doing). Alexander Technique sustains attention to our human design iro self-carriage, good body management, Nature-al, Conscious Walking and Effortless Activity, ensuring these healthy, beautiful qualities throughout life, and in all our activity & performance.
~ We begin to understand and change the root causes of many of our ailments, from painful backs to anxiety and the stresses/challenges of modern life.
~ We develop BODY SENSE AWARENESS of our environment and an embodied ECOLOGICAL- AWARENESS (Eco-aware) PRESENCE where we are fully and intentionally Interconnected-Interdependent. We become ‘living beings of Nature’, ’ interbeing’ (Thich Nhat Hanh’s phrase) with Nature and our own Environments.
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WHERE WE’RE GOING – Cultivating the Vision - July-December 2017
McGREGOR POETRY FESTIVAL – AUGUST 25-27 - Presenting “Homage to Mary Oliver”; “Poetry Walks The Garden”
McGREGOR - Regular bi-monthly individual sessions – July, September, November/December
TEMENOS WORKSHOP-RETREAT – November 3-5 - BODY SENSE: OUR ORIGINAL INTEGRITY - THE ARTS OF GRACE - POSTURE - POISE – IMPECCABLE ATTENTIVENESS; the essential capacity to Stop/Pause – Think – Act; so that each moment, each step, each action, embodies the beautiful , conscious AWARENESS & CARETAKING of both our human Self and our Eco-environments.
POISE & POSTURE for TEENS - December
BOOK - ‘The Art of Walking’ book travels to the Beijing International Book Fair to attract international publishers. This is a massive event in the Book world - 79 000 square metres of stands.
ONGOING aspects of Alexander-work : Kleinmond: Individual sessions ( 1 hr ); ½ day, 1 day group workshops (3-6 people - lovely walks around here as ‘extras’); in McGregor, Temenos - individual session days bi-monthly; mid-week & weekend Workshop-Retreats. INVITE ME/ FORM A GROUP to discuss format, date. I am willing to travel.
TAI CHI/QI GONG classes in Kleinmond are guided by Body Sense Alexander Technique
WHERE we’ve TRAVELLED - Cultivating the Vision Jan – July 2017
McGREGOR - Regular bi-monthly Individual sessions - Feb, April, July,
POPLAR GROVE RETREAT - March
DURBANVILLE WORKSHOP – April
TEMENOS weekend WORKSHOP-RETREAT, McGregor – May: Poise, Posture, Presence, Conscious Walking as true Eco-Awareness
BUDDHIST RETREAT CENTRE, IXOPO KZN – June/July. Embodying the Arts of Attentiveness, Poise, Grace, Presence. Walking the Sacred Way, we restore our original integrity: Elegance, Symmetry, Good Body Management in the body; Conscious Awareness, Impeccable Attention and Compassion in heart and mind. In each footfall, each step, each moment.
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They say…
- I found your presence and instruction at the retreat most helpful, , keep dancing under the mountain!! … tis good to know that ‘the work’ can add value and understanding of ways in which we can craft our lives constructively and skillfully.
- You were my angel at the Poplar Grove Retreat.
-I am still carrying the wonderful feel of your workshop and the gentle adjustments in my body… so we can find peace and ease in our bodies. What a difference a hands-on session makes!
-Since arriving home I have been putting into practice some of what we worked with. Have lain on my back, knees up, books under my head... I am stopping and thinking as I sit and stand and when walking I am aware of … my foot, leading with my knee.
-Thank you for the most beautiful weekend.
-Thank you so much for your inspiring retreat, your care, compassion and friendship.
-I have come home feeling revived, uplifted and inspired – and have found myself treading so much lighter for it.”
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“Setting a long-term intention is like setting the compass of our heart. No matter how rough the storms, how difficult the terrain, even if we have to backtrack around obstacles, our direction is clear. The fruits of dedication are visible in the best of human endeavors. At times our dedications are practical: to learn to play the piano well, to build a thriving business, to plant and grow a beautiful garden. But there are overarching dedications as well. We might dedicate our life to prayer, commit ourselves to unwavering truthfulness or to work for world peace. Such overarching dedications set the compass of our life, regardless of the outer conditions. They give us direction and meaning.”
JACK KORNFIELD
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BODY SENSE
We humans of
beautiful bodies
lightning minds
fleeting smiles
and generous laughter
are wondrous living creatures.
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POISE – PRESENCE – POSTURE
Designed by great Intelligence,
our human body is bespoke for life on Earth
We are Poetry-in Motion –
magnificent - mysterious –
marvelous - magical…
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THE ART OF WALKING
The Art of Walking –
Tall ‘n Free ‘n Easy
Step by step
Aware
Alert.
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PRAISE-POEM GAIA
We are children of Nature, in Nature’s world
As the winds blow the leaves
thoughts may lift our spirits,
inspire us with freshness, loveliness,
and liveliness.
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LANGUAGING THE WORK – in print – a series of Praise-Prose Poetry booklets styled in inspiring, creative, lovely-to-hold ½ A4 vertical format. An inspiring, intelligent Gift, rather than chocolate or coffee!:
BODY SENSE – POISE, PRESENCE, POSTURE, POWER
PRAISE-POEM FOR THE EARTH
THE ART OF WALKING
Available from myself R50 each, or mailed as sets of 3 (R120 )
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Gary Snyder
…One word to you, to
you and your children:
stay together
learn the flowers
go light.
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Marguerite is a senior teacher of The Alexander Technique & Tai Chi, with 30 yrs experience in the mind-body-spirit domain. Author of ‘The Art of Walking – Path to Health & the Richness of Well-Being’. She conducts workshops, retreats and individual sessions throughout the country.
"No medical or other intervention can heal us from what we do to ourselves – to heal, we must bring back the body’s perfect mechanisms and functioning”.
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ENQUIRIES/BOOKINGS/INFO:
CONTACT MARGUERITE (OSLER) VAN DER MERWE
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FOOD FOR THOUGHT
South African-now international guitarist, muso extraordinaire, Derek Gripper, musing on his recent visit to HERMAN HAUSER guitar workshop in Munich:
“Visiting the Hauser workshop, which I do every few years, is one of the most inspiring things. You remember that even though we live in an age of microns and nanoparticles, you still need some guy to feel pieces of wood with his hands, to tap them and listen with his ears and to feel the exhale of air from the sound hole when he hits the top, and the cutting by hand of complex v joints that nobody knows how to make anymore, to measure unexplainable phenomenon with just touch and ears and eyes. I know humans are currently being upgraded and will probably be obsolete tech in a few years time, but people like Hermann and his daughter Kathryn (now making her 31st guitar) are really at the vanguard of what it may mean to be human and have a human body. For now.”
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