Sound & Sensation: Releasing into Spring (Online + Off Screen)
With Loretta (Lo) Laurin and David Yates
February 26, 2021
Immerse yourself in an intimate sensory experience, coming home to your body with the support of live music and gentle guidance. Let poetic words and curated sounds caress your ears as you tune in, off screen, in the safety and comfort of your own home.
We are nearing the end of winter after a year of global and personal challenge, isolation, and uncertainty. For so many of us, anxiety or grief have wound themselves in our bodies, filling us with tension. The coming of spring is a time for renewal – taking stock of what has been, integrating our experiences, gathering ourselves into the present, and opening to new possibilities.
Loretta will be drawing from a range of somatic and mindfulness practices to encourage you to connect to sensation, release your nervous system, and center in the present moment. These include release technique, developmental movement, and yin and restorative yoga. Guidance will be gentle and optional, allowing you to discover and follow your body’s innate wisdom and intuition.
For the musical offering, David will use the power of technology to layer a wide range of acoustic instruments including the handpan, native flute, didgeridoo, percussion, and beyond. Bathing in the relaxing auditory vibration of such instruments can help untether the mind from daily concerns, and allow the entire nervous system to achieve a state of profound rest.
At the time of this session, we will have just passed the Chinese New Year, and will be welcoming the first full moon of the year. We are coming into the year of the Ox, when gentle patience and dedication may support us in moving forward with ease and grace.
This session will be live on Zoom, with the option of being on screen for the opening and closing. The main experience will be off screen with an auditory focus, and all videos will be turned off. See below for details.
Online + Off Screen
We encourage you to keep your device somewhere where it will not be a distraction, so you can focus internally on your own experience. We also suggest that you wear high quality bluetooth (cordless) headphones or earbuds, or to be playing the sound on good speakers. You will need floor space to lie down and may use a yoga mat or other comfortable and supportive surface. We encourage you to be as cozy and comfortable as possible!
Recordings
A recording of this session will be made available within 72 hours (or 3 business days) to all registered participants and will be available for 30 days. You do not need to attend the live session to receive the recording.
Cultural Appreciation
Loretta and David’s approach comes with an immense appreciation for the cultures from which these instruments and practices originate, with the acknowledgement of the many harms that are perpetuated by cultural appropriation. They are both engaged in questioning their own complicity as well as reclaiming practices from their own Ancestral lineages, knowing that the process is not perfect as they continue to be influenced by a wide range of teachings. They will be livestreaming this session from the unceded, traditional, and Ancestral territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
In recognition of the economic considerations of cultural appropriation, 10% of proceeds from this workshop will be redirected to specific organizations, details, TBA.
Enjoy a 1 minute teaser with Loretta and David:
Tune in to this improvised live stream with David, where he weaves together the hand pan, Native flute, Native frame drum, shaker, and looping:
Presenters
Loretta (Lo) Laurin (they/she) facilitates meaningful and moving experiences. They have taught a variety of embodiment modalities for over 15 years along the West Coast, including yoga, pilates, fitness, and partner dance. Lo’s unique fusion classes, workshops, and retreats strike a balance between grounded depth and light-hearted play. Lo is…
Learn more about Loretta (Lo) Laurin
David Yates has a B.A. (2001) from The Evergreen State College, with equal time spent studying writing, theatre, music, and dance. He has worked in elementary schools as a support educator for special needs programs, as an anti-violence facilitator for high school students, and is now an instructor for performance-based…
Learn more about David Yates