Wisdom Practice Day: Working with Gurdjieff's Contemplative Exercises and Movements

Saturday, September 5th from 9:30am - 5:30pm 

snacks and a light lunch will be provided

Hybrid: In-person at Mary & Joseph Retreat Center in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA and Online

This is a day to step out of the momentum of ordinary life and enter more deeply into the practices of attention, letting go, presence, and inner transformation.

Working with Wisdom themes, Gurdjieff’s Contemplative Exercises and Sacred Movements, along with periods of reflection and sharing, we will have an opportunity to discover what becomes possible when the whole of us—body, feeling, and mind—is present, open, and available.

Contemplative Exercises are primarily seated practices that invite us to gather and direct our attention while bringing the intellectual, feeling, and sensing centers into a more unified presence. Sacred Movements are practiced primarily standing and involve precise sequences of movement that engage the body in ways that are unfamiliar to our habitual patterns. Together, these practices can become a doorway into a different quality of attention—one that is more awake, collected, and receptive.

Our gathering will be about creating the conditions in which something deeper might become available: a more collected presence, an opening to the mystery of our own transformation, and a greater sensitivity to the Divine Life moving in, through, and as us.

No previous experience with Gurdjieff’s Contemplative Exercises or Sacred Movements is necessary, though some familiarity with these practices is recommended. If you have encountered these practices before, the day will offer an opportunity to deepen your practice and explore them in a new way. All are welcome to come and practice, listen, and discover.

Tentative Rhythm for the Day

9:30am     Introductions, Contemplative Exercise & Sacred Movements (with breaks)

1:00pm     Lunch w/Observations

2:15pm     Contemplative Exercise, Sacred Movements, & Closing (with breaks)

5:30pm     Day Ends

Suggested Cost (In-person): $75 - $125

Suggested Cost (Online): $50 - $100

Click here to register.