Lower your head. Just sense what that feels like for a moment. It tugs on your spine after a while, making you want to round your back, or stiffen up somewhere. Your walk becomes a shuffle, your mood becomes anywhere from introspective to utterly depressed. As you look up at someone with your head lowered, you appear submissive, impotent. This experience is not just psychological. When your head is down, your skeleton is compromised. Balance is more difficult, breathing is restricted. It is difficult to turn, let alone run. This makes you vulnerable and weak, both physically and psychologically. At the same time, your nervous system is translating this posture into information to your brain. Chemicals begin to affect your state - corticoids released during stress contribute to tension and depression. You end up in a body/mind loop of failure.

While there is some writing from the Greeks about posture, the evidence of their study remains in the form of their statues, who easily conjure up emotions as we observe them. Francois Delsarte, a master teacher of oratory in the 19th century, was the first person to codify and catalogue the range of human expression. His legacy has had a deep influence on contemporary theater. Scientists like Susannah Bloch and Paul Eckman have contributed a great deal applying contemporary research standards to this study. Moshe Feldenkrais developed many sequences that can help people identify their postural habits and develop a greater range of choices for how they manifest in life. He once said, "If you know what you are doing, you can do what you want."

The truth is, most of the time, we are unaware of our "body language." It is the result of habit, education, culture, trauma and much more. This workshop is an opportunity to approach the realm of expression from a multi-disciplinary perspective.

My 25 years of training in mime and theater have provided me with the tools for seeing character and expression. We will use these theater techniques, including mask and physical theater as taught by Grotowski and Decroux, to experience different possibilities of self-expression. My research has included extensive study of Delsarte's work, which I am thrilled to re-introduce to the 21st century. And I have culled from hundreds of Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement lessons, sequences that I have found particularly helpful in cultivating a more effectively expressive self.

The workshop is designed to offer a safe, yet stimulating environment that can open up greater possibilities for actors, movement teachers, therapists and the general public.

What some students said of a recent workshop:

"Energetic and inviting and warm and fun. Learned lots from this workshop. Thanks you for your generosity of spirit (and the handout)s."

"Thank you, this workshop was inspiring, engaging and thought provoking. LaviniaÕs humor and clear physical presence were an added bonus."

"Superb learning Ð rich, enriching Ð thanks!" "Wonderful job of expressing ideas and allowing us to discover and experience the ideas presented. Pure pleasure."