We will apply permaculture principles through somatic movement and awareness practices to cultivate physical freedom and flow individually and in community.

Wherever we find ourselves on earth, our bodies are always home to our selves–we are all indigenous to our bodies. There are countless ways that we all take care of our selves, and yet, ironically, these processes may not always help us feel at home. Applying permaculture principles to the somatic practice of moving with awareness we can cultivate our indigenous creativity: We can yield to the earth to feel supported. We can integrate our parts to find wholeness. We can observe and interact with each other and Gaia to find that we are not alone. The yield—at zone 0—is freedom: We belong here.

Yoga, dance, and meditation are all methods for perceiving our wild aliveness. We will integrate permaculture theory with these practices and others to cultivate our vital flow individually and in community. The workshop will alternate between movement/awareness exercises, discussion, and presentation, always with a focus on creative embodiment. We are living systems, made up of living systems, and participating in living systems: In this workshop we will explore our own resilience so that we can more fully step into community.

Sunday Oct 8| 9:30am| Mediterranean Garden

Presented by Matthew Nelson

Matthew Nelson is a movement artist, activist, educator, researcher, therapist, and entrepreneur. Particularly in love with the act of dancing, Matthew experiences movement as a way of aligning energy with form. Eternally curious, Matthew makes opportunities out of questions, and encourages others to do the same. He’s collected qualifications, including an MFA in Modern Dance and certifications in Laban Movement Analysis, Massage, and Pilates. Yet, Matthew likes to play between the lines of techniques and traditions, seeking solutions to the timely question of how humans can learn to live with resilience and in diversity, efficiently and easefully collaborating with each other from a base of compassion. He breathes embodiment as ground zero for the critical realization that we are living systems, made up of living systems, and participating in living systems.

Cultivating Physical Freedom