Workshop encourages relaxation through odd activities

Originally published Feb. 13, 2008 in The Orion.
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In a bright corner near the tall glass windows of the 1078 Gallery, Maria Navarro sets up a table and a few chairs and lays out a collection of colored pens and markers.

What looks like a children's coloring table is actually the working space where Navarro leads a workshop in "being a stranger."

The word stranger often has a negative connotation, but the word can also mean looking at things with a pair of fresh eyes, Navarro said.

She uses the idea of looking at things with a new perspective in her workshop to encourage awareness and creativity, she said.

Navarro was born and raised in Colombia and has kept a journal since the age of 11, she said. After moving to the United States, she was trained in the Alexander Technique at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, and has been teaching for 25 years.

Frederick Matthias Alexander, a Shakespearean orator, created the technique in the late 1800s.

The teaching technique focuses on body movement and the way some gestures, especially in the head and neck, can negatively affect thinking. The technique is usually taught one-on-one, but it can be structured to work in small groups.

Navarro moved to Chico when her husband, Laird Easton, was hired by Chico State as a history professor, she said. Navarro quickly became involved with the 1078 Gallery as a co-chair and member on the board of directors.

Her first workshop was Sept. 14, 2006.

While a lot of the workshop time is spent on writing in journals, Navarro uses the Alexander Technique to encourage participants to become aware and comfortable with themselves and the environment, she said.

The workshop is free, but Navarro asks for a $5 to $10 donation for the gallery, she said. Participants can also attend on a drop-in basis. The workshop is set up to welcome newcomers, but also builds up for participants who attend on a regular basis.

"I wanted to create an island in the middle of the day when people can be aware of their presence," she said.

The workshop routinely begins with an activity that Navarro refers to as "claiming your space." Participants sit down and take time to become relaxed in the environment.

Anything goes after the first activity, Navarro said. Each workshop session is different and she tailors them according to who attends.

Writing activities vary and are timed differently, she said. Some require quick unconscious thoughts while others require deep thinking.

"I use time in a playful way," Navarro said.

One writing activity gives participants three minutes to finish sentences like "Now I feel…" and "I welcome…" Another activity, called the "Dream Police" gives participants 11 minutes to list things, people and ideas they would save if they only had 11 minutes to collect them, she said.

"Just when you think, 'I don't have anything to write,' there is so much you can play with," she said.

Unlike most workshops, there is no pressure to share writings with others or the fear of being judged, Navarro said.

"You don't have to talk to people," she said. "You don't have to make eye contact."

Other activities require more movement. Navarro encourages participants to energize themselves by exploring five rhythms, identified by improvisational dancer and shaman Gabrielle Roth.

Participants are asked to move in ways that reflect the rhythms of flow, staccato, chaos, lyrical and stillness.

During all activities, Navarro either turns on quiet music or uses her voice to initiate rhythms.

Navarro's soft and inspirational voice is attendee Libby Shipley's favorite part of the workshop, Shipley said.

"She gains your trust," Shipley said.

The artist travels from Red Bluff to attend the workshop, she said. She learned about the workshop when she visited the gallery to look at an exhibit. The workshop was taking place and Navarro invited her to join.

"I enjoyed myself and didn't know why," Shipley said.

1078 Gallery director Pat Macias is often working in the gallery during the workshop and sees Navarro engage a lot of people who go into the gallery with no knowledge that the workshop is taking place, Macias said.

"Maria helps them fit right into this environment," she said.

Most of the participants are professionals with full-time jobs, but Navarro hopes students will start attending the workshop as a de-stressing activity, she said. Like yoga and Tai Chi, movement exercises and journal writing are creative outlets that increase awareness and clear thinking to enhance one's life.

"We are cultivating friendliness with writing," she said.