Meditate & Create, Miniature Dream Altar
Meditate & Create, Miniature Dream Altar
Saturday, June 22, 9am-4pm
Instructor: Megan Bisbee, MA, CYT
$160.
art making materials included
Dreams connect us to our creative wellspring at the depths of our unconscious. When we work with dreams they work with us in our process of knowing and becoming our fullest most creative selves.
In this workshop we will work with our own dreams—night dreams and waking visions—through meditation, art, gentle movement, and writing to create our own beautiful dream altars that can be used after the class is over for personal dream, creative, and contemplative practices. We will use mixed-media art processes including drawing, collage, assemblage, and basic sculptural construction. We will explore the relationship between mindfulness and creativity, practice basic dreamwork methods, play with what it means to create your own altar.
Please bring:
A journal
A dream (from any era of your life—“good” dreams and nightmares are equally welcome!)
Any objects or art materials that seem to resonate with your dream or the experience of dreaming for you. (optional)
A yoga mat
About Meditation: As we sit in chairs around the art tables, the group will be guided through four types of meditation: progressive relaxation, guided visualization, vipassana or "clear seeing" meditation, and metta or "loving kindness" meditation. Each kind of meditation offers a different way to bring the mind to the present moment with relaxation and awareness. As a bonus, many experience meditation as a way to befriend or surpass our inner critic when it comes to making art. No experience or special props are necessary. New and seasoned practitioners are welcome.
About Contemplative Art: In this workshop we will focus on the processes of self-expression, cultivating creativity, and the experience of using art to explore our present-moment experience in order to create beautiful and interesting altars that can be used after class is over. Although there is not right or wrong way to make art in this class, this workshop gives clear guidelines, goals, and material demonstrations to work with. All materials are provided. No experience is necessary. New and experienced artists are welcome.
Embodied movement: This part of the workshop weaves together yoga and embodied dreamwork practices. Yoga means "yoke" or "union" and simply refers to the bringing together of body, mind, and breath. The movement in this workshop will be very basic and does not require any body to bend into a pretzel. Instead, movements will be offered as another tool for creativity, embodied dreaming, relaxation, and self-knowing. It will also be used as a way to enter and work with our dreams and for idea development for our altars.