Happy Spring!

Wow, each year I feel like Spring is more and more magical. It may be that my memory is just not as good as it used to be, or that this winter felt longer and colder than last, or it may be that life gets sweeter and sweeter the longer I am on this planet. In any case, what a beautiful, magical Spring it is! The air this morning felt warm on my skin and smelled sweet to my nose. I felt lighter and wanted to explore the yard to see who is poking up through the soil, whose leaves have unfurled, how many warblers and other feathered ones can I hear and how many lily pads have opened on my tiny little pond. Yep, I love Spring!

I am also happy to see people returning to the hills from far and wide. A few more folks coming into the office and I’m looking forward to seeing clients returning up in Highlands pretty soon. It’s going to be a busy Summer.

In the meantime, it was indeed a cold, long Winter here in the cabin. It was slow and quiet around here, as it normally is in Winter. But it was a rich time. I kept the home fires burning pretty well - breaking for a workshop in December in Florida with Deane Juhan - this time focusing on the upper extremities. As always, I learned so much from Deane, and slowly I feel I am integrating the work and my quality and kind of contact continues to evolve and change - becoming more fluid all the time.

In February, an opportunity came up quick for a 3-day Cadaver Dissection Workshop in St. Louis at St. Louis University. I jumped in the car next morning and drove all day to get there in time for an early morning start to another adventure in learning, this time into the body. What an intense and rich experience that was. I won’t go into the details, but to say that I now have a much deeper understanding of what I am touching when my hands are on the body. And a greater insight into what surgeons are working with and through.

Come March, an artist friend invited me to be Artist in Residence up in Paducah, Kentucky once again for a week or so. I enjoyed spending some time away in a big studio where I could put photos up and move them around on the walls. I don’t have space here at home to do this, and it is quite useful to spread out the images and see how they relate to each other. Some of them, like people, prefer to be alone, while others like to mingle with friends and relatives. I hope before much longer to put together one or more books for images and maybe words, too. But for now, my attention is back on the body work.



While I was in Paducah, another opportunity arose, this time an opportunity to work one-on-one with Deane Juhan, as he had some time open up in April. I was quick to respond to his invitation to do this work together, and the universe conspired with me in the form of free digs and a cheap flight to San Francisco, near where Deane practices. Wow. There is no way that I can possibly convey to you what it was like to receive several sessions of work from the master. All I will say here is that I have a new body. Nothing is the same, and everything seems to work and feel much better now. My body in space feels relatively weightless, and moving in gravity seems effortless.

As a result of receiving several hours of work directly from Deane, I have much better integrated - physically and intellectually - what I have been watching and learning about from him in all the workshops I have attended. And I am finding that I am able to translate this to my work at the table - so far with positive effect and feedback. My work has changed along with my body, and I’m looking forward to sharing this with you.

Happy Spring, and I look forward to seeing or hearing from you soon!