Questions & Answers
What does it mean “Midwifing the Universal human”
Midwifing the Universal Human means creating the new story of the Universe in which the human species perceives him or herself as similar to, and connected to all other life forms, including the Earth itself. The Universal human has roots in the premise that life is an inherently intelligent evolutionary and developmental process, of which the human species is just one expression. There can be no sustainable vision of the future until we realize that we are all interconnected. The psychic and cellular fabric of our human being and becoming is therefore the woven tapestry of this Great Story of the Universe.
How do we do this?
Because we live in a speedy, mechanistic and disembodied society, we have to recover our philosophy of human life as an intelligent, evolutionary, developmental process that is inextricably linked to all of life. This means reclaiming the biological or “organismic roots’ of our human nature. This intelligence is recovered through a process of reclaiming our body as a living, evolving process that is intertwined with all of life. This “felt sense” of inter connection and resonance with all of life, is not only deeply nourishing, and deeply healing, but also necessary for our continued adaptation and evolution of our human species. Reclaiming our body from the mindset of a mechanistic and techno-industrial way of life, heals the deep alienation and separation we feel from ourselves, and from the Universe and puts us back in the game of evolution as conscious participants.
Why the body?
The body is the mode of articulation of our human species wisdom. It is the biological individuation of a14 billion-year-old planetary journey of becoming. It is an interconnected story of becoming that lives within our cells. It is the net result of 14 billions years of organism-environment interaction, adaptation and evolution. It is a species inclusivity that cannot be re-designed from scratch. It includes a variance of life forms, and life strategies that can only be articulated through this biological or organismic intelligence. So it means recovering our organismic intelligence by getting into our body. This means feeling and reclaiming our body as a living, breathing process of development and evolution inextricably linked with the environment.
To do this we have to differentiate ourselves from the inherited and patterned behavior of a disembodied, techno-industrial culture, and recover our true human roots. This involves movement, breath, sound, and body based exercises to dive below the level of cultural conditioning and patterned behavior, to meet and express the primal intelligence at the core of our cells. There is a transmission from the living the Earth that takes place when we open our senses (physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual) to this place from within.
What is the Body’s Organismic Intelligence?
The movement-based practices are meant to connect us to and bring to the foreground, the basic sates of our organismic intelligence: Cellular breathing and Consciousness, Pre- Vertebral Movement, Embryogenesis, Instinctual Movement and Developmental Movement. We also cultivate experiences of the body that bring a sense of safety, comfort, and freedom in the body.
How do I connect to my body?
In a container of trust and safety, Barbara helps you to connect to your body through gentle movement, breath and sound. Through the breath, sound, and movement explorations, your Body becomes a source of discovery and knowledge about the lived experience. This awareness and attentive participation with the body’s knowledge, becomes a source of wisdom that can have emotional and physical benefits. Immune function can improve, stress lessons, and disorders of attention can resolve. With continued practice, your bodily practice can develop into a source of wisdom and knowing that is vital in today’s world.
What should I expect in a workshop with Barbara?
In a workshop with Barbara you will be guided to use movement, breath, and sound to deepen into your body or ‘felt sense,’ and to connect with the embodied wisdom that resides within you.
With your attention on body and the breath, you become aware of the places that you habitually hold tension or emotions. Places in your body that you may not inhabit with your awareness. With the support of movement, sound and breath, you can learn to bring awareness to the places of bodily tension and dis-ease. Connecting with more comfort and ease in your body, you become adept at listening to the ways the body continuously evokes you towards healing.
How would this work affect my life?
This work helps you to feel safe and at home in your body. It also helps you to develop a trust in your body- so that you can hear its wisdom more clearly. How you embody your life affects everything, from how you are in relationship with others, to how you show up for work and creative endeavors. Being embodied helps you to choose behaviors that are more authentic, as opposed to behaviors that are patterned or impulsive. Being embodied also helps you to feel more energetic and alive, and present for those you love.
Why is this work important?
This work is very important for connecting bio-cosmic wisdom and healing that is wanting to move through us. The body then becomes a source of adaptation and healing that can help us evolve to meet the challenges of our time. The body becomes a bridge to the living intelligence within and around us.