Workshop

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" rowspan="2" width=250 BGCOLOR="#FFFFCC" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>SANDTRAY</B></div> <div> <B>Jean Patterson</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>People yearn for a place to express themselves; however, many have problems opening up.  Also, some do not have the verbal skills to communicate effectively --especially when expressing emotions.  The Sandtray Experience allows participants to express themselves non-verbally by placing miniature objects into the sandtray in any configuration that feels right.  They are encouraged to create a meaningful experience, goal, dream, wish, etc.  They can dig into the sand's depths or build up to its heights.  There is no right or wrong way to play.</B></div> <div> <B>The meaning of the play emerges as the participant experiences and shares it with the teacher and others in the group.  The outcome is often a feeling of rightness and truth and of truly being heard.  Play is their language and the miniatures are their words.  Just as an empty canvas provides a place for artistic expression, so the sandtray provides a place for pleasant imaginings to become so concrete they are perceived as real.</B></div> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#000099" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Lucida Sans" ><B>AWAKEN & SEE</B><B> </B><B> </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Lucida Sans" ><B>  </B></FONT><B> |</B><B>   </B><B> </B><B> </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="AWAKEN SEE"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About Us"><U><B>About Us</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Goal"><U><B>Goal</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><B>Workshop</B><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id6.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us"><U><B>Contact Us</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>WORKSHOP</B></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" rowspan="2" width=250 BGCOLOR="#CCCCFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>WRITING</B></div> <div> <B>Becky Cooper</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>People can feel deeply moved by a poem or story that shows them another way of seeing the familiar, transporting them from their ordinary reality into a realm of heightened perception or satisfying their need to identify with the sublime.  Journaling to see beauty, express gratitude, and share their gifts enables all writers to discover their inner and outer paradises.</B></div> <div> <B>In the Journaling Experience, the facilitator will read an inspiring passage to prompt participants to write on one of several suggested topics.  After writing for an assigned period, volunteers will share what they have written with the group.  </B></div> <div> <B>Participants will be encouraged to continue the Journaling Experience on their own in the following weeks until they have written about all of the topics on the list.  Some writers will want to add their own topics to the list, and they may even enjoy creating a beautiful cover for their journal.</B></div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=500 BGCOLOR="#FFCCFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>ART</B></div> <div> <B>Tatyana Siomina</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Art has the power to expand self-understanding, to offer insight not available through other activities, and to extend people's ability to communicate.  Part of the transformative power of art is that it allows people to lose themselves in the activity and to express previously unrealized aspects of themselves. </B><B> </B><B>Art images can alleviate emotional stress and anxiety by creating a psychological response of relaxation or by altering mood.  It is known that creative activity can increase brain levels of serotonin.  People may discover insights about themselves, achieve an increased sense of well-being, enrich their daily lives through creative expression, or experience personal transformation.  Other people experience art as a form of meditation, finding inner peace and calm through art expression.  </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The Art Experience, </B><B>designed to provide freedom of expression and self-exploration,</B><B> takes place in an environment free from judgment or criticism.  It allows participants to be self-directed, creative, and fully themselves, helping them focus on their positive energy and opening their eyes to the beauty around and within them. Participants are given the opportunity to make an artistic representation of their happy memories or pleasant dreams.  Watercolors, pastels, and different paints are available for them to create their stories on paper.</B></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>