BodyEarth is a project I’ve developed since 1988.

My early refuge in the woods near my home led me to study biology and ecology at Brown University. I went on to graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania to study an ecological approach to land use planning. I also worked at the Harvard School of Public Health, documenting the connection between patterns of land use and air pollution.

Working as a regional planner, I observed that government’s attempt to regulate land use would be largely ineffective.

In 1979, seeking another path, I trained as a yoga instructor and bodywork therapist. As I’ve taught yoga, tai chi, and other movement arts through the years, I’ve learned first-hand: As we truly inhabit our bodies, we understand and appreciate the nature beyond our skin as the body of the world.

How will BodyEarth evolve?

I’m currently developing a movement experience entitled Deep Body, Deep Earth. The narrative accompanying each belly-energizing gesture speaks to the connection between our body’s center and the earth’s core. In this way, body and mind delve into the intimate relationship between self and the natural world.

I envision gathering a core group of women and men who take Deep Body, Deep Earth as an intentional practice — a pleasurable and practical way to sustain ourselves as we devote our energies to restoring our reverence for and reciprocity with nature’s reality.