About Susan
Hi, I'm Susan and my pronouns are she/her. I'm inspired by the everyday magic of simply paying attention - whether that's attention to changing skies at sunset, to shared words with a loved one, to a cake rising, a cat purring, a flower blooming, or the feeling of cool river water on a hot day.
The late poet Mary Oliver gave instructions for living a life: "Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it." Wow. These instructions are pretty much what I'm doing here with you! Mindful embodied practices of movement, breathing, exploring with the senses, and creating with my hands offer me moments of full presence. And these moments not only astonish, but also nourish and heal. I love finding ways to support others in sourcing this experience of presence in themselves. In a world full of expectations for bodies and productivity, I believe that infusing our attention with kindness and genuine openness to all that we are is good medicine.
Learning, teaching, and transformation is a life journey! Over the past 30 years, I've had the opportunity to teach and learn with groups and individuals of all ages. In my early 20's I taught in elementary schools and then through my 30's shifted gears to home-educating parent and art instructor. In my 40's, varied experiences and interests came together in service as a Unitarian Universalist religious educator. I'm particularly grateful for the training I received in transformative learning in the course of this work. Early in that same decade, I began to teach Yoga. Now in my 50's, this embodied practice has opened into something that draws from many modalities - and I simply call it mindful movement.
Who are my teachers in mindful movement? I have studied Hatha Yoga with Sylvie Gouin and Yin Yoga with Biff Mithoefer, Yoga for Vulnerable Populations with Katherine Marr and Chair Yoga with Michael Hutkins. I draw on the flow of movement with hoops shared with me by Jennifer Anderson, the beauty and power of voice and sound as taught by Jeremy Sills, Chris McLean, and the late Barclay McMillan, as well as the quiet lessons of Contemplative Prayer. My experience with the late Diane Bruni's Movement Research Intensive and the combined wisdom of the teaching team opened new possibilities in my practice and teaching that continue to unfold.
Many artists have offered me insights and technical know-how over the years: my Mom who knit, sewed, and crafted, my aunt who wrote letters with stories and drawings, my high school and university art teachers, the instructors at Dundas Valley School of Art and the Mississippi Summer Art School in Almonte, Dodie Lewis who introduced me to polymer clay and offered space for still life drawing with my (now grown up) child...and the wonderful artists from around the world who currently share their brilliance through social media. I've also spent lots of time exploring on my own and I'm still learning how to play and experiment, to appreciate process over product.
I like the way author Mari Andrews describes reverence as "the key to living with wonder and appreciation." In her book, The Inner Sky, she reflects on how we prepare the ground for creativity: with awe, amazement, patience and devotion, receiving inspiration as a precious gift. I see reverence at the heart of mindful practice: paying attention, humbly knowing ourselves to be a small part interconnected with a greater whole, and living with gratitude moment by moment.
The late poet Mary Oliver gave instructions for living a life: "Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it." Wow. These instructions are pretty much what I'm doing here with you! Mindful embodied practices of movement, breathing, exploring with the senses, and creating with my hands offer me moments of full presence. And these moments not only astonish, but also nourish and heal. I love finding ways to support others in sourcing this experience of presence in themselves. In a world full of expectations for bodies and productivity, I believe that infusing our attention with kindness and genuine openness to all that we are is good medicine.
Learning, teaching, and transformation is a life journey! Over the past 30 years, I've had the opportunity to teach and learn with groups and individuals of all ages. In my early 20's I taught in elementary schools and then through my 30's shifted gears to home-educating parent and art instructor. In my 40's, varied experiences and interests came together in service as a Unitarian Universalist religious educator. I'm particularly grateful for the training I received in transformative learning in the course of this work. Early in that same decade, I began to teach Yoga. Now in my 50's, this embodied practice has opened into something that draws from many modalities - and I simply call it mindful movement.
Who are my teachers in mindful movement? I have studied Hatha Yoga with Sylvie Gouin and Yin Yoga with Biff Mithoefer, Yoga for Vulnerable Populations with Katherine Marr and Chair Yoga with Michael Hutkins. I draw on the flow of movement with hoops shared with me by Jennifer Anderson, the beauty and power of voice and sound as taught by Jeremy Sills, Chris McLean, and the late Barclay McMillan, as well as the quiet lessons of Contemplative Prayer. My experience with the late Diane Bruni's Movement Research Intensive and the combined wisdom of the teaching team opened new possibilities in my practice and teaching that continue to unfold.
Many artists have offered me insights and technical know-how over the years: my Mom who knit, sewed, and crafted, my aunt who wrote letters with stories and drawings, my high school and university art teachers, the instructors at Dundas Valley School of Art and the Mississippi Summer Art School in Almonte, Dodie Lewis who introduced me to polymer clay and offered space for still life drawing with my (now grown up) child...and the wonderful artists from around the world who currently share their brilliance through social media. I've also spent lots of time exploring on my own and I'm still learning how to play and experiment, to appreciate process over product.
I like the way author Mari Andrews describes reverence as "the key to living with wonder and appreciation." In her book, The Inner Sky, she reflects on how we prepare the ground for creativity: with awe, amazement, patience and devotion, receiving inspiration as a precious gift. I see reverence at the heart of mindful practice: paying attention, humbly knowing ourselves to be a small part interconnected with a greater whole, and living with gratitude moment by moment.