Drop-in movement class in London
Saturdays 10am-12pm
Hampstead Heath
Drop-in - £25
Class packs available
Forms, Games & Trees is a movement class that delves into your remarkable "ecological body." - embracing the interconnectedness of body, people, and place. We explore three main pillars: guided individual movement practice (FORMS), interactive games and tasks (GAMES), and moving with trees (TREES).
We shift attention between working with your own body, with others, and with the environment surrounding us. We explore our own bodies' patterns, delving into ancestral movement patterns, joint articulations, and whole-body coordination patterns to foster awareness and resilience. Our movement patterns in communication with others with fun partner games and situations and how the movement within our body negotiates the environment.
Our focus on movement co-created between the body and the environment includes tree climbing, underscoring the challenge, creativity, and rewarding playfulness of interacting with the space and places you move in. We explore the evolutionary and biomechanical story of arboreal locomotion and the expressive artistry of tree-dancing and tree-running while developing mobility, strength, and awareness in a uniquely playful way.
This class is suitable for all, offering a supportive and relaxed atmosphere that nurtures adaptability and promotes continuous, curious learning. We create a space where participants can reawaken their innate, childlike wonder, forging a deeper connection with their own unique physicality, with others, and with the majestic outdoors—all through the most natural teacher: play. Embracing play as a pathway to learning, we champion a playful ethos in our training that we believe is essential for lasting, impactful movement practices and transformative personal growth.
Read more below…
Forms
A balance between human ancestral movement patterns and whole-body forms from traditional arts and practices, to provide awareness and feedback to our dialogue with gravity and how we age.
Including:
Joint Articulations: To maintain joint health / preserve joint functionality and help better understand your own architecture.
Archetypal postures and Floor Play: to retune our bodies building strength and fluidity by refining the archetypal development patterns we made throughout our infancy and evolution.
Whole Body Coordination patterns: to promote harmonious movement, rhythmical connections and springiness.
Games (& Alive Practice)
Test, play and stay engaged with what you learn in a safe and joyful environment. Explore the individual practice further, consolidate and discover new creative possibilities using tasks, games and diverse situations to encourage adaptability
Games and tasks using:
Creative games to test your body intelligence
Simple tools and objects
Collaborative partner games and interactions
Play as an optimal learning state to stay focussed, consistent and find joy in movement
Trees
Movement co-created between body and environment through climbing and moving with trees and reconnecting to our ancient arboreal heritage. Creating a safe space is a priority, as is showing there is as much depth to climbing and interacting with with trees as you would like.
Why trees?
-The challenge, problem solving and athleticism of rock climbing/bouldering
- Overcoming obstacles, mapping space and building flow with Parkour like approaches and technique
- The creative expression and fluidity of dancing through or with trees… kind of like your contact improv partner and certainly could be your creative muse
-Developing mobility, strength and awareness in an intrinsically rewarding and playful way.
Tree climbing is playful at it’s heart yes, but there is certainly scope for ‘serious play’ too. The trees we use can accommodate anyone (unique trees at ground level) but there are also plenty of ways to challenge even though most experienced mover.
Themes Include:
Arboreal Locomotion: Explore the evolutionary and biomechanical story of the 5 forms of arboreal locomotion: Quadrupedal, Quadrumanus, Bipedal, Brachiation and Clinging/Leaping and various movement styles inspired by trees. Open to to all levels of experience, whether you are not sure you are ready to climb to those looking for one of the most diverse ways to challenge and nourish your body.
Tree-dancing: Leaning more towards creative tasks and the expressive elements of flow and emotive impulse
Tree-running: Using Parkour techniques and mindset in the trees
Traditional Tree climbing: All things climbing up and in, with specific techniques unique to trees
Want to go deeper into the practice?
I have small group training available that goes deep into all of myMove With The Seasons Movement Practice. The Small Group Training Membership gives access to all classes, SERiES of classes (i.e. courses), 1 day workshops and more.
More About Move With The Seasons Practice
Body - People - Place. Moving in, about and with the Seasons
Movement With Rhythmic Living
Move with the Seasons explores movement practice more aligned with the body’s inherent rhythmic nature and that of the changing seasons. The natural rhythms of the body, the day, the year, life, if honoured, can help us adjust and oscilate our practices to reconcile our ancient bodies in a modern world to better connect with body, people, place and the wisdom of the season.
Stability Through Change
MWTS is primarily an outlook on observing, coordinating and adapting (moving) with change. Moving with the rhythm of the changing seasons of our inner and outer landscapes. Viewing the moving body in a changing environment through the lenses of movement practice, connection and community.
Explore Together
MWTS serves as a map to help us sort through the noise of collecting, curating and crafting a movement practice. With the classes/workshops and group acting to lead and guide one another as we co-create our own compasses to better navigate life’s challenges.
Collectively we are going to become skilled creators of our own movement practice, that meets our unique needs, whilst adjusting to the rhythms of the seasons.
In-person practice and Online Community
MWTS is an online community as well as an ongoing in-person practice, via workshops, weekly classes and 1:1 coaching (in-person or online). Check out my coaching offerings or the online community via the links below and get in touch if you have any questions.
Body - People - Place. Moving in, about and with the Seasons