Greene Street Friends School Fall Fair

I spent most of the day, Saturday, Oct 23, at Greene Street Friends School Fall Fair.  It was a wonderful community event, organized by the school's Spanish teacher to raise money for the annual 7th grade class trip to Costa Rica. 

There was quite a large and diverse crowd of families, food, lots of games, great music, a large book sale stand, and vendors selling arts and crafts and more.

I set my mat up on the grassy area on the upper level of the school yard only slightly removed from the water balloon toss and the ticket sales booth.  There was a wonderful atmosphere of joy, friendship, and deep respect for young people throughout the day.  Greene Street is clearly a wonderful school which nurtures and challenges students.

Sandra, the Spanish teacher who organized the event and supported the 7th grade students and their families to pull it all off (with countless additional volunteers from across the school family) is an amazingly impressive person -- gifted at interacting with students, articulating a large vision with consistent positivity, and finding that of God in each person that she meets.

My own hope was to get to know the Greene Street Friends School community better, have another venue where people get exposed to Breema, and spread my name and my publicity materials a bit further.

Truth be told though, my offering of bodywork was probably not a very good fit for the event.  The crowd was predominantly families with young children and most of the parents were dutifully following their children's lead -- joyfully tossing water balloons and risking a drenching, running off to the haunted house, and cuddling on a pre-K sized couch with the school guinea pig.

The space I chose was good, but the location was too far out of the way so it was hard to draw a crowd, to have them watch, and by watching recruit the next recipient.

In fact I spent most of the first 3 hours watching the games, talking to the two or three people I knew from the neighborhood and the Quaker Meeting, and beginning to wonder why exactly I was here.

It was fun.  It was a beautiful day, but body work was just not happening.  There were some hints of a few people with a bit of curiosity. But there was not enough openness to overcome the hesitations. I did not feel right about going out into the crowd to aggressively solicit clients.

So I stood around, enjoyed the activity around me, watched the students have fun, and watched my inner dialogue and worked on the lesson of acceptance.

And then, in the last hour and a half of the fair, it all shifted.  First a good friend who had experienced my only short session earlier in the day outright instructed her husband to come lay down on the mat.  I found myself distracted by the fact that he went through most of the treatment with his eyes open.  I told myself the story that he was not very experienced in receiving bodywork, was not truly comfortable, and was resistant to relaxing.

Working with the Breema principles of "No Judgment" and "Single Moment Single Activity," I renewed my intention to come to the breath and the weight of my body.  My aim was to watch myself having these thoughts,  to give them no energy, and to let them pass away, so that I could return to a simply doing Breema.

I also learned a small lesson about judgment.  In our short debrief after the session, Tom commented about what a lovely place it was to receive bodywork, looking up at the trees and the sky and feeling connected to nature.  So much for the story I had been telling myself.

Before I could even finish the treatment with Tom, Sandra, the event organizer, came up with her partner Liza in hand.  Sandra wanted a treatment herself, but she had a few last things to take care of before the fair ended and she hoped to come back.  In the meantime, she wanted Liza to experience a session if there was time.  There was and I worked with Liza for about 45 minutes as the fair was coming to a close and volunteers began packing up the tables and other supplies.  It was a very sweet session and I felt deeply nurtured by Liza's receptivity to the work.

It took Sandra another 30 minutes to unhook herself from the details of pack up, but after almost everyone else had departed, she came over, lay down on the mat, and received a session with such gratitude and grace.

We worked together for almost an hour in the quiet of the end of day.  We shared some thoughts of the experience and some of our visions and hopes for our respective work.  It was such a sweet honor to share this time with such an inspiring and dedicated teacher after her long day of hard work, to contribute a small bit to her refreshment and renewal, to give and receive life from each other.

I certainly knew why it was that I had come to be part of Greene Street Friends School Fall Fair.  I could only be grateful.

Northwest Farm Fest

It has been a busy week and hard to find time to write this post. 

I did quite a bit of work with the Germantown Clergy Initiative – my first shift welcoming students outside of Germantown High School and half a day visiting upper-class English rooms recruiting students for our weekly men’s mentoring group.  I did my last two required hours of work at the Weaver’s Way farm and our family now qualifies for a 5% discount on all our purchases there.  I helped my friend JoAnn Seaver replace rotted wooden handles on her wheelbarrow.  It was such a joy to see her literally dancing around her garden pushing the grey barrow with its shining new red handles.  Well worth the $25 in parts and a few hours sweat labor.

Last night Grace returned home from college for the first time and is settling into the kids room in the new apartment.  Rebecca is on the train and arrives tonight. 

This morning I think I got a really good deal off of Craigslist for a used bike.  I’ve been looking for a long time, searching for something decent under $100, not too far away to go buy, and as best as I can tell not stolen and being laundered on the internet.

I am sure that the bike is not stolen – I talked to the seller, go his name, his home and cell phone, arranged to pick it up at his office.  The bike was his wife’s and she is just not riding it at all.  So it is a Huffy, but one of their high end models, the Superia, 15 speeds, great tires, runs great, ready for the road.  Bought it for $65.  The reviews give it pretty good marks.  The downside is that it is a heavy bike, the seat is a bit hard, and the breaks wear out pretty quickly.  But it feels really solid and is definitely in my price range.  I look forward to riding it to Chestnut Hill for morning worship.  We will find out if it, and I, really can climb the hills easily.

But this post is about Northwest Farm Fest.

I did my first public bodywork event last week at the Weaver’s Way sponsored public celebration.  I got the idea at the last minute and I almost backed out a couple of times.  But the lesson I keep learning is if I take a step forward in faith, the Divine and the universe want good for me, and I will find support.

So I only decided on Thursday to find out if it was possible, only spoke to farmer Dave while I was doing work hours at the farm on Friday afternoon, just barely had time on Friday night to get together a business card to hand out to people .  

Luckily I had almost everything I needed already – my Breema mat, some old blankets to put on the ground, literature to explain Breema to those who like to read before they do, spare socks for those who needed to borrow, a short stool and a small chair for folks to sit on while they watched, pillows for extra support.  I did buy a thin plastic drop cloth to keep the blankets and Breema mat dry. 

On Saturday morning, I was all packed and ready.  My only real hesitation was that I did not have a partner who was willing to be the first body to lie down on the mat or to fill in during a lull in the schedule.  Traci was out of town and the girls were off at college.  Last minute emails did not turn up a volunteer. That small critical voice within grabbed me by the back of the neck and planted the vision of me sitting there in the midst of a crowd, not knowing anyone, with no one on the mat, no one stepping forward, and finally at the end of a long day packing up feeling a bit sheepish.

I almost did not go. 

Silly me.

The weather was absolutely beautiful – warm enough to be comfortable lying still on the ground outside for an extended period of time without any chill, but cool enough for me not to get overheated while continuously working on people for a number of hours.

The setting was delightful.  I found a flat patch of clear ground nestled in a circle of trees, just off the road where folk walked into the festival, a bit away from the center of the crowd, but close enough to see and be seen easily.  It is wonderful to give Breema while connected directly to the earth.

The overall event was sweet. 

I was touched by the diverse mix of community members that attended – a very balanced mix of white folk and people of color, most, but by no means all, African-American.  There were lots of families with kids of all ages.  There were perhaps a half-dozen bi-racial couples with young children.  And there were elders -- one woman, using a walker, hiked patiently up the long drive from the main road and kept her spirit and her smile strong for the 15 or 20 minutes it took her to get there.

By far the most popular event of the day was the hay ride – a tractor pulling a long flat bed that ran constantly, all day, always filled to the brim with 40 – 50 people. Children dashed by with parents in hand to catch a seat before the tractor could pull off again.  There were also displays and information booths, cooked food and freshly harvested produce for sale, pumpkins to decorate, and face painters.  Farmer Dave gave guided tours of the farm and a series of local music groups kept the crowd entertained.

I arrived just before the event was scheduled to start, obtained final permission to participate from the event organizer, and set myself up as the first participants started to drift in.  And there I was, all dressed up at the party, with no one stepping forward to lie down on my mat, and a dry wave of shyness flowing over me.

But the lesson of the day was not to wait for someone else to step forward towards me. It was my time to step forward myself, in faith.  So I stood up, walked over to one of the display booths, and started to chat.  

 

This particular booth was a group of people from OARC, the sponsoring organization of the West Oak Lane Jazz and Arts Festival.  Weaver’s Way Coop has a store in the Ogontz Avenue corridor, a predominantly African-American neighborhood a few miles from the original Mt. Airy store.  They were giving out literature, free T-shirts from last year’s festival, and free compact fluorescent light bulbs.  The young woman working the booth had a bright energy and a warm smile, and after giving me her literature was eager to chat about who I was and why I was here.

 

I could not get more than about a sentence and a half out of my mouth before she started asking how my bodywork might relieve a persistent pain in her neck and shoulder area, and before I could really respond, she was on her way across the road to lie down, relax, and receive the nourishing energy of a Breema treatment.

 

I did not stop giving Breema sessions for three and a half hours.   

 

Each time a session was drawing to a close, someone else was watching from a short distance away, ready and willing to be the next recipient.  I worked on about seven or eight people.  They ranged in age from their late twenties or early thirties to their late sixties or early seventies.  I worked on both men and women, African-Americans and white folk, those with significant experience and comfort receiving bodywork, and those who were relative new comers.  None had ever heard of Breema before.  Each treatment was a gift where I received back as much nurturance as I provided the person I was working with.

 

One single dad gave his phone to his young daughter as entertainment while he lay down on the mat.  She snapped the picture below which he generously emailed to me right then and there in between the holds, leans, and brushes.  It was the first time I had ever given Breema to someone while they were actively connected to the world wide web.

 The last person walked up as the organizers started cleaning up the site.  She was an African-American in her late sixties or early seventies, a teacher, and a cancer survivor.  She asked what this whole thing was about.  I started to explain with words but stopped and said it would be easier to show her.  She said she thought that she could get down on the ground.  Our work together was sweet.  She was grateful for the release in her hips and lower back.  I was grateful for the direct and intimate connection to life across gender, age, and culture.

 

I was reminded again.  If I step forward in faith, God and the universe wants good for me.  I will find support.

 

Next post:  Breema and the Nine Principles of Harmony.

Business cards

It is very interesting to notice how much of a bodywork practice is business, publicity, and self-promotion. 

So much of me just wants people to call, find a time that works on both our calendars, come over and lie down on the mat.  Then we could do bodywork and delight in that.

But there are so many little aspects in preparation.  I am very lucky to have this wonderful apartment with light, high ceilings, and space in the living room to do Breema.  There are some logistical pieces that still need to be worked out -- primarily among them where does Traci go if I have booked a session and she is "home".  We have not yet had this problem.  Probably the apartment will still work well.  There is generous space in the bedroom area to leave us enough privacy to work.  But these are the kinds of details which need to be worked out  and then lived into to create a nurturing environment for the work.

Certainly this blog is a significant first step in reaching out.  I am very happy with the number of people who are visiting.  Keeping the traffic to the blog will be even another step.

The excitement of this week is that I decided -- pretty much at the last minute, while harvesting vegetables at the Weavers Way farm -- to participate in their Farm Fest Northwest community day Saturday, 10/09/10.  A number of times back in California I had been part of a group of Santa Cruz  Breema practitioners who set up some pads on the lawn for Earth Day and other similar events, offering free short sessions in order to let people know about and experience a taste of Breema.  (New post coming to say more about that wonderful experience.)

I pretty much had what I needed, except for something I could hand out about me, my practice, and information about how to contact me.

I thought about doing a flyer but decided that a piece of paper would likely get folded up, stuffed somewhere, and recycled (or just thrown away) -- if it even got home.

So the idea of developing a business card popped up.  It was actually a fun project.  Because I already had the basic design of the blog worked out, I had some basic elements of the branding in place -- a photo, a tag line, a look.  I was able to find simple instructions on the web.

When I was done at the farm it was 4:30, I had directions to Office Max to buy the business card stock, but the directions were from the apartment.  Not wanting to back track and up for an adventure, I set out to follow my nose to see if I could find my way to Roosevelt Blvd.

I thought I knew where I was going, but Washington Lane did not run into Roosevelt where I hoped it would, so I turned right (the correct direction, I thought).  Of course I ran right into Friday afternoon rush hour traffic.  I began to think this was a pretty bad idea and would be lucky to find my way home.  I actually felt lost and questioned my sense of direction.

So I turned around.

But, having already invested fossil fuels in this endeavor, I pulled into a small strip mall with a copy center, hoping they either had business card stock or could direct me to a local store that might carry them.  The copy shop was closed.

I went into the phone store next door.  The guy there did not know of a specific office supply store, but he thought that there might be something at Roosevelt Mall on Cottman Ave., just another 6 - 8 blocks down the road.  I pulled out my instructions to discover that the Office Max I was looking for was at Roosevelt and Cottman!

Well it was not in the mall exactly.  You know how commercial sprawl is these days, businesses stuck around the corner and down an alley, not visible from the main parking lot.  If I had approached from another direction, I might never have found it.  But there it was!

Next problem -- too many choices.  Not just one kind to choose from and none of the choices having the same reference number I had.  But I chose white card stock, ten to a page, 250 total, for an ink-jet printer, $14.99. Took a deep breath, remembered I had a body and that none of this was of particular significance, and walked up to the cash register.

The bonus!  I got to drive home down Roosevelt Blvd from the north and east which I had never done before.  The better to give directions for visitors coming from that direction.

Driving home, I felt profoundly grateful for the support of the universe.

So now I have business cards.  I like them a lot, though I am sure I will continue to tweek them a bit ( have already printed three slightly different versions.  Luckily I only have to print them 10 at a time.

So I am starting a bodywork practice

After studying and practicing Breema bodywork for 10 years, teaching bodywork and self-Breema for the past 4 years at Pendle Hill  http://pendlehill.org/ , and giving Breema freely to friends and family as way opens, I have decided to take a leap into the unknown and start a bodywork practice.

This opportunity was made possible when I decided to quit my job at Pendle Hill  as of September 1st.  I was clear to leave Pendle Hill.  I was less clear about what to do as a next professional step.  With the support of family and my clearness committee, I am taking a fallow time to listen to spirit and explore building a life that is both challenging and life-giving.  It will probably include salaried work of some sort.  I have two daughters to help get through college and I actually enjoy teaching, program development, and non-profit management.

But this fallow time allows me the opportunity to try on some new things.  I will be working with the Germantown Clergy Initiative supporting a more healthy environment in our local public high school.  http://www.germantownclergyinitiative.com/a-history.htm  I will be worshiping a few mornings a week with the local Evergreen Worship Group. http://whsbodywork.blogspot.com/p/evergreen-worship-group.html   I am enjoying doing my member hours at the Weaver's Way food coop and think I might volunteer at their urban farm even after our family's 12 hours are done. http://weaversway.coop/index.php?page=our_farms

And I am going to respond to the nagging voice in the pit of my stomach which wonders am I supposed to be doing something more with my bodywork?

I have given two sessions to friends in the past two weeks.  One to a friend living with a serious cancer diagnosis.  One to a professional massage therapist and bodyworker friend of mine.  The work feels clean, deeply nurturing to me and to the recipient.  I know that I have much to give -- but just as much to receive and to learn.  Mutual Support -- giving and receiving no difference.

I definitely have something to learn about fear and courage.  It feels a bit scary to put myself out there as a 50-year-old man, starting a bodywork practice with Breema -- an esoteric modality with a funny name that is deeply nurturing and delightful to experience, but unknown and hard to describe.  My mind is filled with the voice of the adversary -- you are not good enough, no one will want to receive your work, you are fooling yourself.

Still, we have a nice apartment with a big living room that fits a Breema mat.  I have to learn about controlling the heat in various weather because we do not have our own thermostat.  I have to stay very respectful of the neighbors but still get clients into the front door of the building.  Well, I have to find some clients first so that they have a need to get into the front door of the building.

I have applied to the Mt. Airy Learning Tree http://www.mtairylearningtree.org/ to teach a series of bodywork classes in the winter term.  I have always preferred to teach the bodywork, but it did not really feel right -- as Dean of Students, spiritual nurturer, and faculty member --  to teach partnered body work to students at Pendle Hill.  I hope they accept my application -- they seem quite interested -- and that some students show up.

I developed a tag line for my business -- simple. nurturing. enlivening. bodywork. I look forward to feedback from folk about it.  I hope it is descriptive and enticing.  Breema is wonderful, but it is hard to explain.  It is not massage, not energy work, and not well known.  Like any bodywork modality, it is not for everyone.  Some people want a more vigorous workout, the table, the oil, and working directly with the skin.  That is good and I like that too but Breema is a somewhat different species of bodywork.

Breema is the practice of being present in each moment, supported by the body, the breath and an ever deepening relationship with the nine universal principles of harmony which are constantly available to nurture life.  The bodywork is practiced comfortably clothed on a padded floor.  The recipient lies on their back, supported as needed with pillows for comfort.  The practitioner uses gentle holds, brushes, stretches, and leans with the natural weight of their body to create a nourishing atmosphere of acceptance which nurtures deep relaxation and awakens life.  To find out more, check the youtube video at the bottom of the page or the video on the home page of the Breema Center website http://breema.com/.

It will take people a while to hear about Breema and get to know me and my work and then decide whether to give it a try so they might find out if in fact it is for them.

I have developed a sliding-scale fee schedule (see the bottom any page of the blog).  I think it is very generous.  I am offering discounted rates for first time clients.  I hope it encourages you to try it out.

I have started this Blog.  I would appreciate feedback and comments.  Once you try a Breema session, I hope you will share from your direct experience. I have posted pages where you can do this http://whsbodywork.blogspot.com/p/what-people-are-saying-about-breema.html and http://whsbodywork.blogspot.com/p/what-people-are-saying-about-bodywork.html .

So I am very excited and I am a little bit scared.  I have taken a number of steps and there are a number more to take.  I do not know what it will end up looking like either during this fallow time between traditional employment or later should I take on some salaried work.

But I am starting a bodywork practice.  I hope to be faithful.  I look forward to learning the lessons what ever they are.  And I look forward to doing bodywork.  Perhaps with you.