In the summer of 2013, my colleague Cort Worthington and I convened a 3-day inquiry into the many connections between Improvisation and Spirituality. We were joined at the Green Gulch Zen Center north of San Francisco by nine other wonderful improvisors. This post marks the first in a three-part series sharing some continuing reflections from [more…]
A Deeper Kind of Play—Three New Exercises to Link Improv and Spirituality
A merry band of daring pioneers recently gathered in the coastal hills north of San Francisco for a workshop exploring the many-layered relationship between improvisational theater and spiritual practice. A few exciting exercises came out of our time together—check out these three and see what you think. I’d joyfully welcome any and all feedback from [more…]
Mindfulness Momentum: 7 Reasons to Start (or Boost) Your Practice Now
If you listen carefully, you can hear multiple streams of mindfulness growing into a larger tide. Here are seven good reasons you might want to start surfing the mindfulness wave. 1) It’s simple. Jon Kabat-Zinn, the founder of the famed Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program at the University of Massachusetts-Worcester, has defined the practice [more…]
Improv Wisdom for a Meaningful Life
IMPROV WISDOM for a MEANINGFUL LIFE A Playful Path to Courage, Creativity, and Connection Green Gulch Zen Center, Sausalito, CA * Mon-Wed, July 22nd-24th, 2013 Enrollment limited to approx. 14 participants In the long history of humankind (and animal kind) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed. –Charles Darwin Dig [more…]
The Diversity-Unity Double Helix
Teachers at Northfield Mount Hermon met this week to work through concerns about equity and justice raised by our faculty of color. While at times difficult, the honest conversation opened up some previously blocked avenues for healing. I wrote the following as a continuation of that conversation. Hello all. I’m very glad that I [more…]
Improvisation and Spirituality: A Personal and Collaborative Inquiry
My friend and colleague Cort Worthington and I were delighted to offer this inaugural Improvisation and Spirituality workshop at the Green Gulch Zen Center in Marin County, just north of San Francisco. We came with some provocative questions and exercises to get us rolling and the group dove in with full commitment to find all [more…]
A Curious Resolution
Historically, I’ve considered curiosity among the list of core virtues. I’m drawn to those who demonstrate the quality; I aim to cultivate it in myself. When we wonder—or wander—about the world with open, welcoming eyes, we see differently. Life gains a vitality, a playfulness, a sense of possibility. Curiosity leads us to learn, to grow, [more…]
4 Reasons We Avoid Our Inner Knowing–and 7 Things We Can Do About It
In you are natural powers. You already possess everything necessary to become great. –Chief Crow The above quotation hangs over the sink in our kitchen, a quiet touchstone for a truth so easily forgotten. It’s a message I want to pass along to every young person (and adult) I work with. It’s also a [more…]
The Death Show: A Perspective-Giving Production
This past weekend, my partner Melissa and I attended The Death Show (A Recital), an intriguing community theater production in Hudson, New York. Simultaneously provocative, poignant, peace-giving, harrowing, and hilarious, the evening has left me thinking about the impact of death in my life—and how to bring its air-clearing quality into my classroom more purposefully. [more…]
Improv and Contemplation: Partners on the Path
As one who lives in both the extroverted arena of improvisational theater and the introverted realm of contemplative practice, I sometimes feel a bit schizophrenic. Earlier this fall, I traveled directly from a San Francisco conference with the Applied Improvisation Network—more than 220 charismatic, rollicking folks from all walks—to a quiet group retreat on Bainbridge [more…]
