Spreading to the space, finding a comfortable place, laying down in a comfortable position

Closing the eyes. Letting the thoughts pass by. Relaxing. Listening to the breath.  Imagining it caressing the heart and lungs, all tensed places in the body.

Letting the breath grow, go deeper.

Letting the breathing grow into voice. Voice keeps on caressing the whole being.

Slowly the voice takes the body into movement. Having internal duet with movent and sound.

After a while I suggest the participants to move closer to someone, and forming a duet together, still with both, movement and voices. If wanted, they can imagine a bubble around them, which is closing the sounds of other couples outside, softening into soft landscape.

In the next phase the participants move away form the partner, letting the bubble fade away as well. Now the participants are creating a common sound field, continuing the movement if wanted.

Finally I ask people slowly to quiet down back to the breathing, and letting the movement as well go smaller and smaller, finding the back in resting position

Listening to the body, listening the whole being, listening to the silence and internal movement

Coming to the circle, sharing the experiences, thoughts.

Total lenght of the class was about 50 minutes

 I was sharing the class during the first study week in the Education for dance and somatics in august 2013. As one of the main aims in emphasizes in the education was in the pedagogy, idea for the first week was to present oneself´s emphasizes and interests for the year in a form of a class.

In last couple of years I´ve had strong interest in working with the voice (as a way of self-expression, healing) and I wanted to share something that I have found valuable.

This kind of class was something very new for me and in that sense a great challenge.

I wanted to create peaceful, safe atmosphere were there is space for sensitive self-listening, play, and to give an impression of how powerful tool voice can be.

I hadn´t been leading that big group before (19 people), and I think that the biggest challenge was about the trust. Other issue was my speaking – I´m usually speaking really silent, and for some participants it was sometimes difficult to hear what I was saying. On the other hand I got also feedback that the soft and silent voice was also creating very special atmosphere, and for someone it made it easier to get into the thing, as hearing the guidance was needing sharpening the senses as well. That was teaching me a something valuable- my biggest strength and weak point are really close, and it´s a sensitive thing to get things work in an optimal way. Softness and sensitivity are values for me, but how to make it in a way that the atmosphere is not restricting? I guess they come somehow together – the trust and “right speaking”. The voice does not have to be loud, but from self-trust comes the intensity which makes the voice well hearable.

In the middle of the class I was feeling like completely failing – I was so nervous (sharing something personally deeply valuable and putting myself into the place where also lie my biggest challenges) and when feeling so nervous, my body was really tensed and I felt like being in the void, feeling really lost with the thing. But as the feedback was showing and as I could see when looking from distance, the thing was still carrying itself. Many participants were feeling inspired by the class and showing interest to work more with voice things. For someone the class was challenging, someone was enjoying especially much. The combination of movement and voice seemed to work well. Also I found that simplicity and clarity are helpful virtues. I had had some more exercises in my mind but it seemed better to do less and give more time. I could have given even more time for different phases.

In a way this was a kind of key class for me. Almost one year later I still feel that elements shared on this class are something that I want to continue developing and sharing. As a teacher, like as an artist, I feel like being a provider of space. I´m there to initiate something, creating atmosphere, but overall giving space. And giving my presence.