Authentic Movement is sometimes called the Tao of the Body, contemplative dance, the practice of incarnational presence and active imagination in movement.

It is an outwardly simple practice in which one person - a mover - closes his or her eyes and moves spontaneously in the presence of another person - a witness. The movement is not contrived, it is not a performance. It is a simple opening to what is, and then a following of what is living in the body at the present moment into movement.  It is the awake experiencing of ourselves in our bodies and the holding of ourselves and one another in this experience without judgment.     

Through the practice of authentic movement, dreams can be processed, body symptoms can be listened to and danced, transpersonal healing energy may be received, personal history stored in the body can be witnessed and lovingly held, and the sacred may be embodied through direct experience. The practice of Authentic Movement also fosters a respectful listening to the many voices of our selves and others through the cultivation of witness presence in the body - strengthening and deepening our capacity to hold and transform all experiences of Life with compassion and mindfulness.

The practice of authentic movement shares roots with Jungian depth psychology, dance, the healing tradition of shamanism, mindfulness practice, and compassionate communication - spanning many disciplines and offering numerous applications. 

In the arts authentic movement is used by artists, actors, writers, and dancers to inform, expand, and vitalize their creative process.

In psychological and emotional work it provides a direct link to the unconscious - including the archetypes, dreams, and personal history stored in the body - giving form to that which words can’t access, but which must be known.

As spiritual practice it offers the possibility of a direct, embodied experience of the numinous, as mystical posture and gesture unfold from deepest Source.

In physical healing it creates a space where deep listening to and moving with body symptoms can lead to insight and information, generating meaningful action toward wholeness.

In the tradition of compassionate communication it offers a respectful and non-blaming template for speaking from embodied experience. Because the work takes place in a context of relationship - between a mover and a witness - it offers the opportunity both to be and to see one’s Self more clearly in the presence of an Other.

The form of authentic movement is deceptively simple: The mover, with eyes closed, attends inwardly, waiting for an impulse, an image, a feeling, a sensation, an inner prompting - and follows it into movement, stillness, sound or silence. As movement unfolds, the mover’s intention is toward staying conscious and present to this experience. The witness sits to the side of the space with eyes open. The witness simultaneously tracks the mover’s experience as well as her own, with awake, aware intention and compassion. After movement, there is opportunity to share in words, to journal or to work with art materials so the experience can be grounded, integrated and understood.

Ultimately, the practice of authentic movement is about creating, strengthening, and enlarging our capacity, impeccability and compassion - with self, others, and community - as we aspire toward the wholeness of embodied presence.