Move and Write with the Trees: A Tu Bishvat Workshop

Do you have a favorite tree you climbed as a child? A maple whose fall colors caught your breath as you looked out your kitchen window? Trees are our companions in this life, generously offering us shade, shelter, clean air, and so much more. Their long lives can, if we listen closely, offer us wisdom about living in deeper connection to the earth and the communities we are part of. Tu Bishvat is a chance to not just notice the trees around you, but to take the time to pause and celebrate them. In this unique Tu Bishvat workshop, we will create the space and time to listen to and connect to the trees, through a practice of embodied expressive writing called MovingWriting.

MovingWriting is a creativity practice where we move/dance to connect with our deep and creative selves and then see where our pens take us on the page, with no agenda and no judgment. There is no instruction on dancing or writing craft, just invitations and full permission to follow your own curiosity in the moment and share your creativity with a welcoming community. Absolutely no experience in dance or writing is required, and there’s no way to do this wrong!

Wear comfortable clothes for moving in and consider kicking off your shoes when you come into the room. Bring a journal and pen, a water bottle, and willingness to step into something new!

About Loretta:

Loretta earned her PhD in Literature from NYU and has been teaching college English for over 20 years. She is currently completing a Master’s degree in Depth Psychology & Creativity at the Pacifica Graduate Institute. She studied with Linda Trichter Metcalf (Writing the Mind Alive) and Natalie Goldberg (Writing Down the Bones), and is certified in Transformative Language Arts Foundations with the TLA Network as well as in Amherst Writers & Artists workshop leadership. Equally as important to her work in embodied writing facilitation is her many years of practice as a Zen meditator and conscious mover, especially Moving with Life (www.zuzaengler.com), Soul Motion®, and Gestalt Awareness Practice. Her passion is in bringing these practices of embodiment to writing in the context of supportive community, to deepen our capacities for presence and open new portals of creativity and insight. She developed MovingWriting as a creativity practice to foster these goals. You can learn more about MovingWriting at www.MovingWriting.com.

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