Vicky Evans
Wellbeing from Within: Creative Movement Explorations
Wellbeing from Within: Creative Movement Explorations was a participatory, creative movement and mark-making series of five somatic movement workshops for adults held in Monmouthshire in the winter of 2022. Participants explored ways to improve their mental and physical wellbeing through a range of reflective, contemplative and movement experiences which embraced aspects of gentle choreography and Eastern energy theories. By learning more about how our body and mind can feel better through movement and reflective activity, participants were able to nourish themselves and support their wellbeing.
I was curious about the similarities between Shiatsu and somatic movement and how by using simple choreographic approaches, participants could learn to create embodied, movement sequences. The project was aligned with 5 Ways to Wellbeing (NHS, 2019) ensuring participants could: connect, be active, take notice, give themselves time and try out new approaches. Qualitative and quantitative evaluation methods featured in the inquiry, and overwhelmingly evaluative data confirmed improved wellbeing along with a range of personal insights.
“Connecting with new people, learning new skills, noticing little changes in my physicality, being active in a completely different way and sharing this whole experience with some lovely people has made such a positive impact on my physical and mental wellbeing.”
“Everyone was so friendly, and we got to know each other over the 5 weeks. It was good to meet new people, chat about what we were doing during the session and also find out that we all had other things in common.”
“I would have never considered that I would enjoy being creative through dance but the way it was presented enabled me to understand the connection between movement and feelings.”
“Your body can help to heal your mind. I’m really remembering the importance of movement and breath.”
