a personal practice for integrating your life and body.
( what is the penumbra method? )
the penumbra method is a unique breath and movement practice that invites you to awaken the body’s innate intelligence, restoring a sense of wholeness and wellbeing. through group movement and meditation classes, and private hands-on sessions, the breath becomes a living bridge—connecting your body with your vital life force, creativity, and spiritual essence.
it’s based on the teachings of Ilse Middendorf and principles from the Alexander Technique.
Ilse Middendorf (1910 - 2009) was a Jungian and a breath therapist from Berlin, Germany. she made important discoveries about the laws breath follows when it is allowed to come and go on its own and when it is sensed rather than observed.
she clarified 3 ways of breathing:
breathing that is unconscious
breathing that is consciously controlled or guided
breathing that is unconscious but consciously sensed
she called this third way, the “perceptible breath”
breath that is consciously controlled
the perceptible breath
breath that is unconscious
the perceptible breath is in communication with the unconscious but is sensed consciously. this invites a powerful dynamic between the conscious self and the power from the unconscious for self development, insight, and creativity.
the perceptible breath moves with coherence, transforming dysfunctional patterns of movement and thought into an organized unity that reflects your uniqueness and personal direction.
( who is this practice for? )
this practice is for creatives, artists, actors, voice and movement teachers, meditators, martial artists, somatic practitioners, therapists, and anyone interested in movement and embodied meditation to align with their innate resources of power and creativity.
( how is it practiced? )
the work is practiced in group movement and meditation classes and individual hands-on sessions.
in both group classes and individual hands-on sessions, the practice is organized as a dialogue between you and the intelligence that moves the breath. this intelligence is aware of the whole and moves with coherence to bring all that is out of alignment into wholenesss.
the practice gives you tools to relinquish control of the breath allowing the sensitive and responsive nature of the breath to come into your unique and changing rhythm.
you experience the directions and laws the breath follows, which become the language you use to be in a meaningful dialogue with the breath.
you work with movements that bring breath and restore and develop breath space. you also practice letting breath lead movement, which brings a direct experience of your life force, vitality, purpose, and connection.
group classes & workshops
simple movements, techniques to stimulate sensation, and exercises using vowels and consonants, form the “working” aspect of the practice.
portions of the practice are done in stillness, listening to the body and learning to sense and be moved by subtle inner movements that occur without doing them.
TAKE A WORKSHOP
basics workshops provide an excellent introduction to the work. you’ll learn how the practice operates and how to engage with it.
weekend intensives offer a deep dive into themes that emerges from the experience of breath for each individual, and the group as a collective.
weekly classes
online every tuesday from 6:30 to 8:00 pm eastern time.
come to renew, recharge, and remember yourself.
private hands-on sessions
in an individual hands-on touch treatment session, you would lie on a low padded table, fully clothed. together, we engage in a dialogue with the breath.
I use my presence and light touch to offer “questions” to the breath and you allow it to move in response. together, we respect the movement of the breath to guide the session.
private sessions provide valuable support and an opportunity for individual feedback.