Rubenfeld Synergy Practice
In times of confusion or pain, I have often called on Rupa and benefited from working with her. I find Rupa's approach flexible and deep. She has helped me emotionally, physically and spiritually in a variety of ways, and each time, Rupa has been able to help me re-center and access the healthy power within me. My favorite body-mind practitioner, the person I go to when my body gets out of whack, is Rupa Cousins.
Rupa has worked with me for way over a decade (I don't even recall when we began) using both the Alexander Technique and Rubenfeld Synergy, which incorporates emotional/spiritual aspects into the brilliantly subtle and effective Alexander Technique. I have only the highest regard for her over 30 years of experience, her gentle and safe presence. Yesterday I knew my back was out of whack. Should I go to a chiropractor, which my insurance would cover, or to Rupa? I asked my body, and it was overwhelmingly Rupa. I called her at 8:30am, she had space for me at 4:30 the same day. I felt such relief as soon as I hung up, knowing I'd made the right choice.
Our session was amazing, as they usually are. With Rupa's guidance I was able to connect with some uncomfortable voices from the past that needed review and response. Also with a supportive presence from my past that I need now to go forward, to help me with my next chapter. My body feels a lot better, too. It is worth whatever you have to do to work with her, if you need gentle, deep and wise womanly guidance on your journey.
Rupa also happens to be the most experienced teacher of the Alexander Technique in the area. Her hands are so wise. Alexander is for coaxing your body out of bad habits into graceful correct use. It's dynamite and long-lasting.
Caitlin Adair Sanctuary
Rupa- that was SO major ...I've have been continuing the conversation that started in your care yesterday. Thank you SO much. 46 years of painful thoughts de-commissioned in 1+ hours... Am loving my connected self!
With much love, Joanna R.
With the Rubenfeld Synergy work, I became aware of connections within my body and my mind while you gently held me and lead me along with your trustworthy hands and warm heart. I began to understand that my body had a lot to say. It was fun and very healing for me to work with you as my body unraveled in your hands in this way. Thank you for that work.
Susan T.
Alexander Technique:
I have been an Alexander Student with Rupa for over a decade. Work with her has kept me well aligned and free of back and other pain. She has been instrumental in my performing one person shows well into middle age. Thank you, Rupa.
Jerry Levy, Actor
Workshops
Paneurhythmy
I know you and your work and it is splendid. You are a master at holding a circle, bringing in the grace and the light, expanding presence, inciting joy and love in all who are present. Such a blessing! Thank you!
Hope J.
When Dance Becomes Prayer
At The Chaplancy Institute of Maine (ChIME):
In 2009, WHEN DANCE BECOMES PRAYER for women and men, with an emphasis on practices from different spiritual traditions. It was first presented at the Chaplancy Institue of Maine (ChIME) to students trained to be Interfaith Clergy. Here are some of the comments and feedback from the ChiME workshop.
I've been waiting to get back to you on how wonderful your teaching was for ChIME when I had a fair amount of student’s feedback. Below you can read their glowing reports. Many have shared that it was their favorite workshop yet.
Joel Grossman, Director, MA Campus
The experience can't be described with words! Incredible, growing, love - lots of comments about how special and unique it was to be dancing in our love, and how special it was to have the experiences. Breathtaking? Light? I feel so blessed to have taken part, and deep sorrow for my classmates who had to miss the experience. What a wonderful woman, an other wordly experience!
Up until this day, I had very little experience with movement from a spiritual perspective. I was transformed further into my new body-in-a-spirit perspective through Rupa’s dances and activities. She was very clear in explaining the background and history of each experience. She staged each one perfectly.
Thanks for this weekend. Great combination of personal movement, group movement, singing, working one-one.
I don’t know if I can put it all into words. She is sunshine. Her caring transmits through the way she teaches and what she teaches. It was deeply, deeply nourishing. She listened to the inner level and paced it just right. She radiated love. I realize looking back that the avenue of movement and dance gave us a group receiver, but that what I carry from it is the river of golden light that was sent. One friend said to me in the midst of the glow of the day, “I think this is the first time where everyone in the room is loving the experience.” Thanks for this weekend.
Rupa on Sunday. I loved this presentation. It kept my attention, my mind, body and soul engaged for the whole day. The two most moving parts of the day for me were both completely blissful. We closed our eyes and danced and this was awesome for me. The crowning activity was when we did the exercise of touher/touchee. We sculpted each other’s bodies in reverence and as if we were touching a god or godess. The touchee had his or her eyes closed.
The toucher moved each person’s limbs and put them in poses. Within this exercise, I felt total love for each person I worked with as the toucher. I felt moved to weeping because of the love that I felt. There was something about the trust and the relationship that was more open because the sculpted ones had their eyes closed. I would walk up to each one and notice some place within their aura that was completely vulnerable and open, and I would just send them love in my touch. It was a beautiful experience.
I also loved the oppositional dancing. The other part that I found blissful was when we learned all the different parts of the Sufi song of universal love and we sang them together. This process created great joy within me and I felt great power in the process. It was a great way to re-enter the workshop after lunch.
The three point turning was also powerful and I practiced it upon coming home. It was an amazing experience and full of its own meaning of meditation. Instead of the sitting still meditation, this would be a great way to meditate sometimes, especially after lunch or in a lull when our students get sleepy because of an extended day.
I also loved the Zikr chanting ceremony. It was a great, high energy moving the spirit kind of day. I found many practical uses for what we did as well.
The exercise where we moved each other as art objects was absolutely incredible. I have a much deeper love and appreciation for the human divine body than before. That was wonderful.
I also am much further along in feeling comfortable moving my body without extreme self-consciousness getting in the way of freedom. Rupa would make an excellent addition to the regular Chime faculty.
At Rowe Conference Center
Before doing your workshop, I had been asked to lead the December meeting of Soul Quest Men's Council, a local men's group I belong to. Among other things, the leader brings a topic pertinent to the goals of the group. Which as you might assume from the group's name, includes topics of spiritual interest.
I was waiting to see what topic my intuition would present to me. After your workshop, what came to me, not surprisingly, was the topic of the connection between prayer and physical movement. We begin our meetings with a 3-5 minute meditation. I suggested we spread out and shake for 5 minutes prior to the meditation. These men, who I judge to be fairly mainstream, agreed, bless their hearts. I had them agree that all would close their eyes and keep them closed for the duration of the shaking. Then we sat down to meditate.
At the end of the meditation I was curious about any effects. I requested them to pass the talking stick around once and only check in about the shaking. The second man chose to pass. I wondered, what’s up with that? The stick made its way around the circle. One man said the shaking made him aware how much he needs to get back on an exercise routine at the gym. Another side he had one of the best meditations ever. That man has in the past reported difficulty meditating. Another man said the shaking brought to his awareness how out of shape he is.
Eventually the stick made its way back to the man who passed. This time he spoke: When the stick first came to me, I was still so in touch with my Higher Power that I didn't want to interrupt the feeling. I have NEVER had a meditation this deep! I was amazed that a mere 5 minutes of shaking could have such an effect!
Then we did our usual check-in with the talking stick. This occupied most of the remaining time. I have come to believe the check-in is the most important part of our meetings, and voiced that belief. Another man said he had never thought about that, but agreed. Near the end I said I wanted to demonstrate Sufi whirling, and asked the men to sing, Ishq Allah Mahabu Lillah. I had printed the words out in large type on slips of paper and passed them out.
I had also recorded Linda singing the words to the melody from your workshop. (Since she was in Maine and I in Massachusetts, she sang into the phone and I recorded it on my computer by holding a lapel mike up to the phone!) So while we men in this group are not very talented singers, with Linda playing in the background, setting the tempo and melody, the men sang very well.
I had explained the whirling was intended as a form of prayer, connected to my topic of the connection between prayer and physical movement. Picture this: a circle of deep-voiced men seated in a room lit by only two candles, singing those words over and over again, while I turned in the center. I was able to turn for about 7 minutes. I began to get dizzy once or twice, but focused my thoughts on the intention of my turning being a prayer I was offering, and the dizziness went away. The men expressed their gratitude for my having introduced them to these two forms of prayer.
It was not until several days later that I was struck by the rare gift I had received: how many men in their entire life have the honor of turning in a circle of men singing Ishq Allah? Even now as i write this my eyes are misting up!
I'm also a member of two groups at my local UU church. One is known as the Bodhisattva Group, because when we began meeting 3 years ago we read Pema Chodron's version of Shantideva's Way of the Bodhisattva. The second group is called the Men's Breakfast group. The Bodhisattva group meets at 830 am and we meditate for 30 minutes, then share on the current reading (currently we're doing Thich Nhat Hanh's The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching).
I discussed with the minister the possibility of us shaking 5 minutes before meditating. He said he'd propose it to the group. Then I suggested it to the facilitator of the Men's Breakfast group. He pointed out to me that I was overlooking the fact that this group doesn't even meditate. But at the meeting he brought it up anyway, and these men, bless their hearts, agreed to shake 5 minutes and meditate 5 minutes.
Once again several reported extraordinary experiences. Again reinforcing my growing belief in the importance of linking physical movement with meditation or other spiritual doings. I don't know where this path of prayer + physical movement will next lead me. I look forward to it!
From Jim S.
One thing I did not share with you after the workshop was my most profound experience. I went expecting to learn about Sufi dancing, the Alexander Technique, Rubenfeld Synergy, and Paneurhythmy, - I expected to journal, listen to poetry, and draw. And I got all that! But the most surprising and moving experience? I fell in love with fourteen other dear human beings. Thank you for providing the possibility for that to happen.
From Linda
Rupa, you created a safe space for exploring new ways to get in touch with the divine. I'll never forget the way my daughter and I connected through sacred dance and song. Thanks for the lovely workshop.
From David M.
I am deeply grateful for any time I am able to spend with Rupa as the experience is so healing for me. Rupa is an authentic guide to the unseen realms. The Dancing as Prayer weekend at Rowe left me feeling better than I had in years. I felt lighter and more alive. I felt cleansed and nurtured at the same time. Many of us left Rowe with a renewed inspiration to live our lives as prayer. To eat, drink, and breathe gratitude and love.
From Lydia O.