How often do you get to connect your creative self and your physical self? Probably not as often as you’d like. Or maybe you’ve never thought of it in these terms. Well, now you can. A friend and I recently started our ‘Refresh’ class series – a unique combination of art and movement.
This isn’t your typical mind/body class. During each of our classes, we create artwork as we learn techniques for better physical health from a movement perspective.
Bobbi Shupe and I have known each other for years and began talking about a new kind of collaboration this past winter. In one of those ‘Eureka!’ moments, we decided it would be fun to explore the connection between art and movement. Bobbi is a mixed-media artist with a degree in fine arts and experience teaching art to students of all ages. I’m a physical therapist and fitness instructor who loves to help people understand how to move better and stay fit. The only question we had was why we hadn’t thought of this sooner.
Although we’re not rigidly structuring the classes to pair each physical movement with the artwork, we do explore similarities between the two as we go along. We create. We move. We learn. And we do a little chatting as we go along. The classes are small so everyone gets to interact.
Our most recent class was “Refresh: A Breath of Fresh Air” which paired techniques for better breathing with wet-on-wet watercolor work.
Wet on wet techniques with watercolor allow the colors to bloom and move. It’s a beautiful process and Bobbi gave us just enough guidance to succeed and then let us enjoy the process. For me, it was pure fun to paint between my portions of the class.
Our format is to alternate teaching, swapping every 10 to 15 minutes. During my time, I helped the class assess their own breathing patterns and taught some stretches and methods for improved breathing. I also shared some of the latest research on why we breathe so poorly and how we can benefit from just a small amount of breathwork each day.
Our next class is “Refresh: Barefoot and Free” on June 8 at 11 a.m. (MT) – a new offering to connect your creative self and your physical self. In this class, you’ll work on foot strength, balance, and stretching with me as you free your creative spirit with Bobbi. You can sign up here.
Stay inspired in all that you do!
