Well, the first weekend of the return of the Reconnects was a success. I wanted to share a bit about our time together for those of you who couldn't join us...and also remind everyone that another Reconnect will be happening again soon!
Reconnect Reflect
First off, the day was lovely. It was a small gathering, which gave us a chance to get to know each other a bit and share our stories of what lead us to the work: Those in attendance included some new students and practitioners, long-standing members of the community, and some folks in between; so it was wonderful for these diverse colleagues to meet and work together, in some cases for the first time.
We also held a group discussion and debate of some philosophical and theoretical principles; and a special extended lunch at Cafe Mosaic to kick off the Reconnects. We spent the rest of the day on hands-on practice and skills, as well as the commonly requested topic of assessment.
Personally, I feel like I gained some valuable insights from the day, and I definitely enjoyed having a chance to get to know fellow practitioners.
Moving Forward
Right now we're exploring with the optimal arrangement of these professional community events, and working towards creating something that will be sustainable in the long term as well as compelling and supportive of the community.
The current plan is as follows:
Every other month we'll hold a Reconnect in Northampton in person. The intention is to make a weekend out of it in such a way that there will be a movement class for the public on Saturday, and the professional Reconnect will happen on the Sunday.
This past Reconnect, Steve lead the movement class on Saturday. However, that is something that anyone can participate in! We are already eager for other practitioners or students to teach classes, so please get in touch (reply to this email or contact SSI at [email protected]) asap if you are interested.
On the off-months, when we're not all headed to Northampton, we are planning to offer remote support and continuing ed events such as webinars and conference calls. We also welcome your feedback and ideas about this, as we want to find the best ways to provide support and opportunities for everyone, no matter how near or far!
The webinar can be about anything compelling related to Somatics and again, anyone can sign up to make a presentation. Don't be shy! We're all very smart and interesting people with skills and ideas to share and discuss.
We hope that through these two formats -- of local, hands-on meetings and remote live events -- that we will grow and thrive together as a community of somatic educators, strengthening our own practices and supporting each other.
I look forward to meeting you all soon!!!
There are 2 Comments
I like the ideas of...
...a reconnect every other month (I didn't think they'd be that frequent...Nice!) and other opportunities in between.
I wasn't sure if this is a good place/way to share that. You can transfer this reply to a better place if you prefer.
It sounds like this May event was beneficial. I'm glad :)
All the best to all of you,
David
Thanks, David!
Thanks, David!
Yes, a Reconnect every month is the goal (and has been for a while) -- I think things are in place for that to be possible. I hope we will be able to keep this up through the each year, but it's possible where there will be seasonal events that occassionally pre-empt it temporarily.
The more people contribute, make suggestions or requestions, or even just attend, the more easy it will be to be consistent, and for them to become more and more rich and self-sustaning, self-correcting, and self-improving.
Most of all, as a remote community member who may not be able to make Northampton Reconnects at this time, your ideas for what kinds of remote events would be valuable and supportive for you and other remote community members would be very helpful and appreciated.
