Find in yourself a sense of stillness. As your body grows more still, the world around you grows more alive. Can you feel that the present is not a moment frozen in time—but a process forever in motion?
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The Open Body is a practice and workshop series designed to break down barriers between ourselves and the world. It is based on the understanding that we are ecosystems within ecosystems, with the senses as our bridge. Combining mindfulness, neuroscience, and phenomenology, The Open Body engages practitioners in embodied exercises to awaken the senses. Each session focuses on a unique sensory phenomenon that is normally invisible but—when attended carefully—can reveal new layers of our inner and outer worlds.
The seed for The Open Body was planted in a moment of sensory awakening, manifesting as an overwhelming electric sensation coursing through my body. After that moment, light and shadow began to dance. Sounds buzzed with the textures of rich chocolate and coarse sand. As I walked the blocks of San Francisco, its patchwork materials and manifold emotional lives found homes within my body. And as I observed trees in wild places, my limbs too stretched out to breathe. I discovered a profound peace from the fleshly knowing that I am connected to everything else.
This transformation led me to a practice of deep attunement to nature, combined with methodical study of scientific, spiritual, and philosophical literature on the senses. After several years of solo practice, I developed The Open Body as a way to share these experiences with a community of practice.
