"Boundaried and boundless
Alive and aware,
In this my human body
I am at one with The All that Is.
Breath in my body,
Breath of Sky,
Movement in my body, movement of sand and water,
Weight in my body, the density of creation is alive in me.
Alive in stone, wood, the heavy waterlogged weight of bull kelp.
Inner, outer and in between,
I am alive and
Aware in The All That Is." - Kate, September 2011 retreat

Embodying Nature Retreats

"Whenever we touch nature we get clean. People who have got dirty through too much civilization take a walk in the woods, or a bath in the sea. Entering the unconscious, entering yourself through dreams, is touching nature from the inside and this is the same thing, things are put right again."  - CG Jung

	Courses: See course calendar See course list

We are nature, our bodies a microcosm of the outer landscape. In this 7-day retreat, we temporarily leave the modern world behind by immersing ourselves in the living dreamscape of our bodies and the natural world of the northern California coast.  

Each day begins with the five somatic technologies of breath, vocalization, contact, movement and stillness for settling into the inner landscape of the soma and the sensory mind. Then we venture out into the larger landscape and use these somatic tools as springboards for exploring the magic of personal kinetic artistry. We expand our states of mind and being by witnessing, mirroring, and responding to what is outside our own skin, so that then both inner and outer environments equally provide the impulses for spontaneous, creative expressions. Whether manifesting as dances, songs, or silent contemplations, these embodied explorations become your own personal movement medicine. We complete our week together with a special ceremony conducted by a local healer at the Pomo Indian Roundhouse to re-integrate back into life.

Away from the distractions and constraints of daily life, this simultaneous immersion in your interior, in creative community and in the natural world offers renewal, regeneration and inspiration, as well as resources for ongoing somatic self-care. Having guided these Embodying Nature retreats for the past 25 years, I have found this approach resonates with a wide cross-section of people, and is of particular interest to dancers, environmentalists, movement educators, and eco-psychologists.  

Click here to read an article from Conscious Dancer magazine about Embodying Nature.

Spring Residential Retreat
April 21-28, 2013
Retreat begins Sunday @5pm and ends Sunday @1pm

$1050 - Early Registration by March 15
$1200 - Regular Registration
Price includes tuition, shared accommodations, and food

Fall Residential Retreat

September 22-29, 2013
Retreat begins Sunday @5pm and ends Sunday @1pm

$1050 - Early Registration by July 15
$1200 - Regular Registration
Price includes tuition, shared accommodations, and food

To register for a retreat, send a $250 deposit to hold your place: Jamie McHugh, 5242 Sunset Dr NW, Olympia, WA 98502

The balance is due at the beginning of the retreat

Credit cards via PayPal and payment plans also accepted.
Contact Jamie for details.

Embodying Nature Leadership Training
September 30 - October 4, 2013
Training begins Monday @11am and ends Friday @1pm

This training is dedicated to providing an in-depth reflection on the explorations in the natural environment, as well as spending time deciphering the specific somatic tools, the expressive articulation, and the creative method used. Lawrence Halprin's RSVP cycles will be used as a model for generating innovative leadership strategies that can foster creativity and cultivate group cohesion through a person-centered process. Practice and theory will dance together as we follow a sequential progression of accumulating tools and developing resources to take people deep inside themselves as well as simultaneously bringing them out into relationship with the larger body of nature.

Having taught these workshops for the past 25 years, I am now interested in training a new generation of practitioners to use this work in the world.

The Leadership Training is open to people who have completed an Embodying Nature retreat

$775 - early registration by July 15
$850 - regular registration

Price includes tuition, shared accommodations and food,
+ hand-outs and a follow-up Skype session with Jamie

To register for the training, send a $250 deposit to hold your place: Jamie McHugh, 5242 Sunset Dr NW, Olympia, WA 98502

The balance is due at the beginning of the training

Credit cards via PayPal and payment plans also accepted.
Contact Jamie for details.