Groundswell and the Biodynamics of FLOW

Groundswell

Advanced Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy 4-day workshop.

Dates: May 1 – 4th, 2020
Times: 9:30am – 5:30pm. (Last day 4pm)
Cost: $700 CAD (non-refundable deposit $100)
Location: 365 Panorama Terrace, Lillooet, BC

About the Course:

In this workshop we will refine and deepen our skills of presence and listening by exploring the Groundswell — described by Franklin Sills as:

“a slow impulse generated by the Breath of Life from which specific expressions of primary respiration arise… mediates interconnection and mutuality.”

Dr Sutherland loved to talk about the ‘space between’ — reading between the lines of Dr Stills writings, the space between grains of sand, the pause-rest between musical notes, the space between the physiologic centers within the fourth ventricle and more. He felt that Dr Still wrote in a way to encourage people to do this, not spelling things out, but giving analogies, suggestions and other ways of pointing you in the direction while leaving space for your own experience and deep knowing to kick in and flesh out your understanding in your own time and in an embodied way that made sense to you. My impression, reading Dr Sutherland’s writing is he used this same technique. He loved finding ways to express the felt sense of the mysteries of the Breath of Life, Potency and the Tides without limiting our experience of them by saying it is this, or it is that. He liked to find many different ways to convey his deep experience of these expressions of Health.

When talking about the Groundswell he always referred to the dynamics of the spiral and the different layers of interconnectedness of these spiraling movements:

Go with me along a shore where there is a lot of seaweed growing. Watch this seaweed moving rhythmically in a coiling form, one going clockwise, another counterclockwise, spiraling with the groundswell. Look at the hurricane. See the potency in the eye of the hurricane, not the destruction around the outside. See the potency of the eye, the stillness of the Tide, the spiral movement.

Then you begin to understand something about the groundswell of the ocean and differentiation of the tide, of the waves and so forth. There is a sort of spiral movement. You have heard of the different movements of the brain. Let us explore another – a spiral movement of the Tide. Make a diagram with a pencil on a piece of paper. Make a dot at a given point. Starting with the dot, draw a line around in a curve and then around and around. Then, make a dotted line around the other way back to the original dot. Let these illustrate a spiral movement.

If you want to use this diagram to represent a material manifestation, designate a positive pole and a negative pole. Then we get something in between the positive and negative poles to see in that slow movement of the Tide, that coil, a moving out and a coming together. How many spiral movements can you visualize in the Tide? How many little coils?

(p16-17 Contributions of Thought – Dr William Garner Sutherland)

In this workshop we will approach the felt sense of these spiral dynamics in many ways: through working with the labyrinth, delving into an exploration of the threefold nature of fetus, umbilicus and placenta, fluid dynamics of spiraling which allows for fish to swim upstream, how the cilia in our CNS contributes to the movement of our cerebral spinal fluid, the way we grow our bodies as embryos, ancient understanding of how things grown in nature, a look at evolutionary forces in the development of our bodies and more.

We will also work with the dynamics of mutuality by working with our bodies as super-organisms and the symbiotic nature of how we grow and heal in sync with our microbiome. In deepening into this we will use the latest research into the dynamics of peak performance also called Flow.

Spending time exploring all of these relationships while in relationship to each other as a group as well as in relationship to the deep potency of the surrounding environment is orchestrated to connect us to the deep, ancient groundswell of Health in a multitude of ways.

Lillooet, BC, is located in St’at’imic Nation where people have lived continuously for more than 8,000 years supported by this rich and nourishing environment. Be prepared to have your ancestral material show up and be supported in ways you may never have dreamed possible.

Warning: There are cats that live at the venue if you have allergies. Although we do keep the place very clean.

Meet the Teacher:

Renee Hella, RCST®, CGP, is a Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy teacher and has been facilitating deep healing work for nearly 20 years. Renee is also a facilitator of Process Workshops (Pre and Perinatal Psychology) and a certified Gut and Psychology Syndrome practitioner.

Renee’s work is a path of feeling her roots and grounding into her own body by continuously exploring how she can more fully embody her ‘Deeper Self’. When supporting clients and groups she leans back into the support of the womb of the Earth and our ancient Grandmothers. This practice gives more depth, safety, wisdom and multi-dimensional support to the work the group does.

Renee is an approved teacher of Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy by the North American Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy Association.

Apply now:

Applications are closed.

Getting to Lillooet

You can fly to Vancouver or Kamloops, but not Lillooet. There are currently no public buses or trains directly to Lillooet.

We may be able to arrange transport from Whistler to Lillooet or you can check the Lillooet rideshare facebook group. If you fly into Vancouver airport there are several shuttles a day from YVR to Whistler (epicrides, ridebooker, skylynx and more). There are even more shuttles from downtown Vancouver to Whistler.

There is a $5 shuttle from downtown Kamloops to Lillooet on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Contact us for details.

Let us know if you would like to have your email address shared with other participants so you can coordinate arrangements for transport and accommodation with each other.

From Vancouver:

  1. Take BC-1 E out of Vancouver (through Hope) to BC-12 N at Lytton. Follow BC-12 from Lytton to Lillooet. Watch out for rocks on the road between Lytton & Lillooet.
  2. Take BC-99 N out of Vancouver (through Whistler). Turn right to stay on BC-99 in Mt Currie. Follow BC-99 the rest of the way to Lillooet (gorgeous drive). Watch for rocks, deer and other wildlife on the road between Mt. Currie and Lillooet.

From Kamloops:

Take BC-1 W, then in Cache Creek, follow BC-97 N briefly to BC-99 S. Follow BC-99 S to Lillooet.

Location

Lillooet, BC is an incredibly beautiful little town on the Fraser River, about 240 kilometres (150 miles) or 4 hours drive north from Vancouver (2 hrs north of Whistler). Lillooet has no airport but is only 2 hours drive from Kamloops. Nestled into the rivers and mountains, Lillooet is a rugged, natural location that is truly unique. There is something very special about this place for healing, culture, relationships and feeling the symbiotic interactions of human and non-human.

Lillooet is an important location in Aboriginal history and culture and remains one of the main population centres of the St’at’imc Nation. First Nations communities assert the land as traditional territory since time immemorial. Considered to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited locations on the continent, the area is reckoned by archaeologists to have been inhabited for several thousand years. The immediate area of the town attracted large seasonal and permanent populations of native peoples because of the confluence of several main streams with the Fraser and also because of a rock-shelf just above the confluence of the Bridge River which is an obstacle to migrating salmon. Many archaeological and heritage sites are in the vicinity of the town, including Keatley Creek Archaeological Site, one of the largest ancient pit-house communities in the Pacific North West.

Places to Stay:

You are welcome to stay with us at the venue, but know that you will be sharing a large room with anyone else who wants to stay with us and you need to bring your own mattress and bedding. Cost of staying with us is $100 for the whole workshop. You are also welcome to set up a tent on our hillside if you prefer a bit of privacy.

There are several lovely campsites with great facilities located in and around Lillooet as well as motels, hotels, B&Bs and quite a few Airbnb options in the area. More info here including an overview of price breakdowns. The first two motels on the list are within about 5 min walk to the venue.