The movement meditation was a 1.5 hours session conducted by Elizabeth in the beautiful botanical garden, amongst the tall trees, wet grass, gentle breeze and strong sunlight. The session could be divided into three parts. The first part of the session was focused on centering into the self and being in tune with the natural environment, our breath, our thoughts, our motions, our awareness, our emotions; our senses in relation to the external environment – the sounds, the smells, the sensations across the skin. We breathed, we walked, we looked, we felt at ease. The second part was the movement meditation, we brought out own mats and were encouraged to find a comfortable position; to close our eyes and surrender ourselves to the will of our body. The last part was a sharing of our personal experience.
Elizabeth
provided us with some guidance on how the movement meditation was like.
Ultimately, when one transfer the control from the mind to the body, the body
will naturally move to its own tune, its own rhythm, its own wishes and
desires. Movement has always fascinated me. Being able to move is like telling
a story, my story. It wasn’t easy to be able to move from within. It took time,
it took efforts, but it was worth it. Through movement, I came to understand
myself, and the world around me. It taught me self-love and to love the world,
to live authentically, and be true to the heart. Sometimes, this movement (from
within; the heart and the soul) can be difficult to achieve.
The idea of
movement meditation, if I may share how I view it:
1) being able to completely surrender the reign of control from the mind to the body
2) have a sub-conscious awareness of what the mind and the heart/soul wants
3) the body is our tool of expression and ultimately we want to achieve that peace by integrating the mind, body and soul into one.
1) being able to completely surrender the reign of control from the mind to the body
2) have a sub-conscious awareness of what the mind and the heart/soul wants
3) the body is our tool of expression and ultimately we want to achieve that peace by integrating the mind, body and soul into one.
Moving is a
joyous thing on most occasions, but moving amongst the nature is another thing
entirely. When one physically in contact with the earth and surrounded and
loved by the skies and trees, the inner, oldest, youngest, most authentic self
from within will be re-awaken, one will find renewed love for nature once more.
People can tell us, share with us and provide us with the best in the world,
but ultimately the only time change will occur is when we grab that opportunity
and to try everything new that comes our way.
In summary,
being able to move freely in the gardens was a liberating experience, and the
sharing session was also lovely. Kudos to Elizabeth for always being so supportive
and always encouraging us to monitor our personal journey with movement for
self-growth.
~ Wan Ting
Surprisingly, the way that
my feet feel under the wet grass is not that bad either. Elizabeth is a
wonderful facilitator. She helps me realize what is happening around my
surrounding, something that I usually never pay much attention to due
to the busy schedule of mine.
Next, she began her lesson in the
authentic movement. The instruction is clear and precise. I followed the
instruction and execute accordingly. True to what she said, my body
actually knows more than what I give it credit for. Through this 1 1/2 hour
authentic movement in the botanic garden, I have discovered a deeper
myself through my own body movement. ~ Guo Yi
