<![CDATA[skipperstone

<![CDATA[skipperstone - Blog]]>Thu, 07 May 2026 10:06:35 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[eco-somatix]]>Tue, 23 Aug 2022 23:53:05 GMThttps://www.skipperstone.com/blog/eco-somatix

EXPLORE MOVEMENT IN NATURE,
AS NATURE.

Tuesdays 9:30-11:30am, September 20th - November 1st
with Lydia Russell and Sarai Hinkley in Adamant, VT
Pre-registration is required.
Email skipperstonevt@gmail.com to pre-register.
Inspired by the practices of Authentic Movement, Contact Improvisation, Mindfulness Meditation, Sensory Awareness, and the work of Joanna Macy, we will explore somatic expression as a pathway to remembering our bodies as part of the earth. Through attunement and awareness-building exercises, we will discover how co-regulation with the more-than-human world can ease stress and promote resilience in our bodies and minds. Through nature-based movement and mindfulness, we can cultivate relationship with the other bodies in our ecosystem, – quartz stone, verdant moss, raven, cedar, rushing stream, cloud – and find that we are all part of the same breathing body of Earth.
We are excited to offer this group for a fourth season! All proceeds from this 8-class series will go directly to a yet to be determined cause having to do with ecology and social justice in Vermont. Suggested donation is $5-$20 per class. Ideally all participants will attend the entire series so that we can deepen our work together as a group over time. Please bring something waterproof upon which to sit (yoga mat, camping pad, tarp) and a blanket. Please dress so that you feel comfortable, warm, and at ease lying on the ground, getting muddy, and being outside in fluctuating temperatures. Bring water, snacks, a journal and pen, and anything else you need to relax into the space. There is a composting toilet, but not a bathroom with running water. This group will involve movement on uneven terrain and will be entirely outside except in case of thunder, very heavy rain, or extreme weather.

]]><![CDATA[dear resilient beings,]]>Sun, 15 Mar 2020 14:01:37 GMThttps://www.skipperstone.com/blog/dear-resilient-beings

How are you? Isolation can be hard on our mental health, but is positive for our own (& everyone's) physical health right now if we are able pull it off. Rather than canceling our weekly check in's I am making myself more available. I will be offering an alternative to coming into the office if you are not feeling well, caring for a loved one or unable to travel for whatever reason right now. We can schedule an online opportunity to connect from the comfort of your home. So stock up on art supplies. I am eager to support you in your healing process, in grounding, creating art, moving your body, nurturing your spirit and in listening deeply to what you need. I believe connection is a vital piece of staying healthy. I want you to take good care of yourself and please reach out. Let me know if you'd like to explore this possibility of meeting online. I am here for you.

]]><![CDATA[how to make creative Space in your life]]>Wed, 27 Feb 2019 15:37:54 GMThttps://www.skipperstone.com/blog/how-to-make-creative-space-in-your-life

3/6, 3/20, 4/3, 4/17 @ 4-6pm @www.theeverythin gspace.com
Creative space is a unique art-makers space. It is a rare winter gathering for crafty folx, knitters, painters, beaders, bedazzlers, doodlers, collagers, cartoonists, sculptors, upcyclers, felters, movers and the musically inclined. You do not have to be an artist.
We welcome people of all ages and abilities in exploring "art as therapy". This is an experimental space for making art and personally investigating how the process affects your mind/body/spirit.
Is art-making a stress release?
Does art-making help you cope?
Does art-making help you problem solve?
Can creativity play a part in your healing process?Creative space is an open studio for exploring your own creative process. Be prepared to make and witness simple, raw and authentic art-in-progress. This is not a product oriented art class. People are not necessarily trying to make the perfect piece of art to hang on the wall of a museum. We are interested in process. This is a space to dabble, sketch, stretch and get your creativity flowing. Making art in community will allow us to share about the process of art-making, while hanging out with playful folx and finding inspiration.
Research has proven that making art can significantly reduce the stress related hormones in your body and mind, so let’s carve out time for our creative selves. Let’s commit to the creative process together. Every neighborhood needs is a safe space for artists and non-artists to interact, to brainstorm, to play, to take risks, to try new mediums, to get messy and lost in the process of making art that is not necessarily pretty or useful. Art is an invaluable tool for healing trauma, and for creating much needed change in our lives, as well as in our communities. We want to support the artistic process of those who wish to become more fully alive, embodied and able to take deeper breaths.

]]><![CDATA[How movement therapy is creating change from the inside out.]]>Tue, 21 Aug 2018 13:52:33 GMThttps://www.skipperstone.com/blog/how-movement-therapy-is-creating-change-from-the-inside-out

There is something magical about the bugs here. I live deep in the woods and see radiant teal beetles and moths with fluffy poodle-like legs. Fireflies shine jubilantly and sparkle rhythmically into the dark night. Irridescent horse flies buzz around me now on my walks, but I can relax enough to stop and look closely at other bugs without being eaten alive. I can bend down in the tall grass to pick a tart black rasberry without fear. We have made it through the roughest part of spring and early summer when the black flies are fiercest.

Insect diversity would be missing if neighbors sprayed round up to grow perfectly green lawns. The bug eating bat family living in the eaves of my roof would be devastated. I try to take extra care of this wild place that so many call home. No matter how careful, I am still a giant in comparison. I squash so many creatures just moving through the world at high speeds. I walk gently as a giant can, seeing, appreciating and wondering about the meaning of life and the purpose hidden in these tiny, crunchy bodies.

How do I take care of this body that I call home? What does radical self-care look like? For me it involves moving my body to stay sane, feeling my growing edges, and refueling. Dancing is my therapy and it requires me to make big, bold and unexpected movements, but it also involves finding stillness and deep rest. When I close my eyes I can feel my limbs like a grasshopper, with sharp right angles and power in my well-oiled joints. I can leap and jump freely. When I dance I feel my world expand, yet I am reminded of how fragile this human body is.

I am finding joy in nature and wisdom in bugs. I have been busy investigating metamorphosis- this bug-like changing from the inside out, in my own movement practice. It is in the stillness of the cocoon that subtle adjustments take place. Bug belly cells migrate to bug eyes. Leg cells become brand new butterfly wings. Insects completely reorganize themselves. What kind of metamorphosis does the mind and spirit go through when the body changes shape? What happens to your mind and spirit when you engage in movement?

I invite you to join me in this opportunity to explore the slow unfurling of wings, the shedding of skin and the transformational capacity of insect bodies, as well as your own body. How can you become more of the being you are meant to be? How can you access this power to organically transform your own life?

]]><![CDATA[What does Pride have to do with mental health?]]>Sun, 24 Jun 2018 14:31:33 GMThttps://www.skipperstone.com/blog/what-does-pride-have-to-do-with-mental-health

   Pride can uplift sad queers for days. Seeing just how fabulous the family can be, is a vivid reminder to live out loud. Glamour is brought back to life. Bedazzled lovers on scooters, bright stars in satin, knee high boots, gender bending superheroes in rainbow capes and underoos.

   Despite corporate critique there is nothing more beautiful than this colorful sea of queers stomping, bumping, blowing whistles in my ears. Dancing as a community creates safety and interrupts habits of hiding.

  Celebrating being born this way takes courage. Trying not to fit in and act so damn straight takes courage. Moving in big ways, being simply glamorous and fully inhabiting gender non-conforming bodies takes courage. This is the practice of embodying pride.

  Here's to the fierce, black, NYC queen Marsha P Johnson, who threw the first brick. Lest we forget that attending pride was and still is a form of protesting the status quo and marching for those who don’t even have the option of going into the closet.

   We all need spaces to heal the self-hate that comes from growing up in a country that hates. Once a year it helps to celebrate that healing is possible. The rest of the year is drama, sadness, heartbreak and survival for so many in the LGBTQ community. But Pride in June, in any city, is as fabulous as spring in Vermont.

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