1. Unity and Freedom

Starting with a Question
In brainstorming with Ebn, we decided we wanted to start with a specific question, "What's tefillah about?" as a prompt for a one word answer, and to think about that idea in terms of movement, and finally build the process of the session around that idea.  We took the "answer" of "close and distant" and explored how we could create a movement process with this theme.  Do we want to involve touch (sitting back to back - coming away and back towards the other person)?

Body Awareness
In any case, we wanted to keep the movement simple, and decided to start with body awareness - perhaps by doing a "body scan" and perhaps 5 Rhythms.  The way Ebn framed body awareness was using the image of a landing strip and talking about "how many bulbs are lit up around body".  Ebn  also brought up the idea of increasing people's "body literacy": how one movement affects other parts of body.


Making Movement Prayer
Ebn highlighted the importance of asking a "body question": a question you can only answer with your body.  He also suggested each session have the quality of keva ("fixity") to it - a specific way to open and close each session.  We played with the idea (in Talmud Bavli, Berachot, 28b) of everyone reciting a prayer on entering and leaving the beit midrash (or "study hall") as a foundation to explore reciting a prayer on entering and leaving the space we'd be using for the Movement Minyan.  Further exploring how we could frame the movement as "prayer", there's the idea in Judaism that learning is itself an act of worship.  We thought about how we could frame the movement experience with something that makes it a tefillah, perhaps by reciting a blessing after we do the movement.

Outline
Before the session, put a sign on the entrance to the space letting people know to take off their shoes, enter, and quietly find a spot to lay down. 

I. Introduce the theme
Body awareness 

II. Tefillah
Recite, together, the p'ticha ("opening") of the Asher Yatzar

III. Lead a guided meditation, leading into a body scan
Start with a breathing meditation, then let that move into breathing into different parts of the body.

IV. Movement
Guide people to explore the movement of their joints
Transition from moving body parts to letting them move you
Let this lead people into an improvised individual movement flow (with music)

VII. Closing
Recite the chatima ("closing") of the Asher Yatzar

Reflections
This is the one session that Ebn was physically present for, so he gave us some useful feedback based on his observations.

Language: A general suggestion he offered was that in facilitating the movement, we abandon phrases like "becoming aware" of the body, which is an intellectual process  - and instead instruct people to "breathe into" places in their body.  He pointed out that since breath oxygenates blood, we can actually guide people to picture oxygenated blood pouring into each body part
Music vs. Silence: Ebn voiced a concern about using music, since people maintain an external focus when they hear music or verbal instruction - so the combination of both music and verbal instruction could distract from people's internal experience.   If we're going to use music, we need to be intentional about its volume, turning it down when offering instruction at beginning of the flow, and turning it up when entering a movement flow.
Perspective: Regarding a particular pose, that we held during our warm up, Ebn sensitized us to our perspectives as relatively experienced dancers and yogis, and told us to keep our participants in mind, lest people stop being aware and become concerned about not falling over!