Joerg Hassmann

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Witta, QLD
Joerg Hassmann

I am dancer & a Zenthai Shiatsu practictioner, a passionate explorer of the moving body with touch as an essential tool. 30 years ago my dance career began by tumbling into a Contact Improvisation class. This danceform has incubated my life with more openness, fluidity, connectedness, health and community - and it let me travel the globe. For many years I have been among the leading figures of the

European Contact Improv Scene before moving to Australia in 2020. At my new home on the Sunsine Coast I fell in love with Zenthai Shiatsu, the best body work modality I have ever come along. It is wonderfully compatible with what I have developed in me profession as a dancer and teacher of Contact Improvisation. I am delighted to offer customised Zenthai sessions now. My Contact Improvisation Workshops & Classes you find on my calendar https://www.joerghassmann.com/event-directory/

03/11/2022

For a while l have been longing to share my passion for the moving body as an anchor for human connection beyond the little Contact Improvisation world. Now it is happening!⁠
Co-organising Workshops and Retreats with Joanna Lin has been so inspiring over the last few years. I am very excited to take the next step of co-facilitating with her, learning from her vast knowledge of nature and group processing work.⁠

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23/10/2022

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13/10/2022

GRATITUDE
I was struck by a moment of gratitude when doing yoga in my Zenthai space this morning. Gratitude for my privilege to be exposed to the Zenthai Shiatsu practice. Gratitude that I was accepted into the Zenthai Therapy Programme and for the support of my family to spend all this time learning and delving into this nourishing world. Gratitude for having a sacred space for it in our house. And I just noticed that most things which make my practicing room cosy and inviting are gifts from friends. So nice to have their warmth and support around me and my work.

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05/10/2022

I got a bit lost lately in the overwhelm of life and dissolved in a world of necessities. The Zenthai work and a beautiful Contact class around „aesthetic sensations“ made me reappear.⁠
When I went for a walk I saw my shadow mirroring this experience… almost like talking to me.

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16/09/2022

Contact Improvisation at The Academy of Grounding in Brisbane is a delight as we get to play on soft Brazilian Jiu Jitsu mats.

Gabriel Sol: Alchemist, Grace & I will be back THIS Sunday in Brisbane for a CI workshop titled 'Basics Spiced with Backspace'.

We would love you to join us!

Sunday 18th September
10am-5pm
Basics Spiced with Backspace
https://fb.me/e/1rGFRcgPf
TICKETS: www.trybooking.com/CBEHT

Video credit: thankyou to Kory Mcavoy

10/09/2022

"What is Contact Improvisation?" I get asked regularly. Such a big question, where I don't have a fixed answer. But I love thinking about it :)

At my upcoming workshop in Brisbane, we will get in touch with other essential Contact Improvisation questions such as...

"How can I get into a flow while moving with this partner?"
"How can I take weight without loosing the dance?"
"How can I give weight to this person?"
Especially when moving backwards, where we can’t see where we are going!

Sunday 18th September
10am - 5pm
DETAILS: https://fb.me/e/1rGFRcgPf
TICKETS: trybooking.com/CBEHT

At The Academy of Grounding, Brisbane

09/09/2022

CHAOS OR PARADISE?
From the outsiders eye it might look like Chaos. We call it a "Contact Improvisation Jam". Very often it becomes a magical space, where many people dance together, having their individual journey through this two hour long period of meetings, dialogues, moments of being lost and phases of deep engagement. It can feel like we are becoming one highly intelligent organism together, where everyone belongs while keeping their independence and integrity.
A Jam creates and demands a huge amount of freedom, respect and self-responsibility. These are all ingredients our society would greatly benefit from 😃

PS: we're starting a monthly Jam now at the CWA hall in Maroochydore/ Sunshine Coast, each 2nd Sunday of the month, 10am-12pm!

Photo by Arkadiusz Kasperczyk

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07/09/2022

MEN IN TOUCH⁠
Men touching each other in heartfelt ways is still a rare thing to see in the australian shoulder bashing culture. After a beautiful workshop on the Sunshine Coast we talked about the lack of male role models, where caring, listening and playful touch is normal. �I am grateful to be part of this Contact Improv Community, where men meet in the dance with energetic play and gentleness - and let’s us grow into the needed role models. ⁠
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26/08/2022

Mindfulness and embodiment is high up on my agenda. Letting go of unnecessary tension in my body & mind, softening protection patterns … it is vital for me personally and also in my dance and Zenthai Work.
What a contrast watching my son playing football! I was exposed to this amazing outburst of energy, the willingness and joy to give everything! I see blocked energy getting back in its natural flow, tension releases by strong breathing.
It reminded me of balancing Yin & Yang and how essential physical activity with full engagement is. Where do I get it myself? How can I trigger the urge for it?

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22/08/2022

MANY ELEMENTS TOGETHER
Zenthai Shiatsu is the best bodywork modality that I have ever experienced. On a purely physical and structural level it is soo satisfying! But when I saw this patch of a creek: Water, Earth, Sun, Plants and Sky … all together, it reminded me of the richness, that I am beginning to grasp through the Five-Elements Theory. It includes the meridians and a fascinating interplay of qualities, organ systems, energies, habits & prefences, strength and malfunctions. In the Zenthai work the Five-Elements Theory provides an understanding of the complexity to balance our physical, mental and emotional being. Very foreign to our western, linear ‘cause & effect’ thinking. Inspiringly challenging.

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19/08/2022

ZENTHAI SHIATSU - IS IT A DANCE?⁠
Zenthai Shiatsu is the best bodywork modality that I have got across in my life. That's why I became a Zenthai Practioner. Gwyn Williams – founder of Zenthai Shiatsu – often refers to the practice as a dance. Which is a bit funny, since the receiving person is more or less passive, trying to let go of tension on a physical, emotional and mental level. ⁠
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But I think Gwyn is right.⁠ A Zenthai treatment feels like a dance.⁠
⁠We are alive in our bodies. There is always movement. Our body is this magical creature, that is born to be responsive, to relate to what’s happening around. “When you touch one part of a body, you touch the whole being” is another guiding idea in Zenthai Shiatsu. In the touch I listen to this magical creature and I let my body talk to it, ask questions, make invitations. The body is responding, especially when not restricted by fear. Little twitches, a change of tone in the tissue, a sigh, a sound, eyes opening or closing, motions in the face, a finger moving. Motions that come mainly from the unconsciouss with an honesty and integrity. Movements that are close to the core, the soul maybe. When the body is not consciously controlled it has surprisingly clear ways to say yes or no, more of this – or not. And I am listening and getting inspired. This conversation is my passion and luckily it is an essential part of my job. It is a dance! Two alive creatures in a dialugue through movement and touch. And I am blessed to discover how similar these dances are is in the Zenthai world an my Contact Improvisation universe. ⁠

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16/08/2022

PRACTICING FEELING SAFE⁠
In Contact Improvisation and Zenthai Shiatsu we are practicing feeling safe. An amazing, ground braking practice! It is a weird thing that in most parts of our days we don't even notice, that we don't feel safe.⁠
Which keys are there for me to start trusting and to drop into myself, my “sensing being” when I am close to another “sensing being”? And what does push me into control or checking out mode? I am constantly curios about these question of how to create a safe container in my work and beyond. That includes the tone of my voice, the temparature of the space, engagement of the eyes, the rhythm of the words, the breath, little gestures, familiar rituals. So many details in things we usually don’t notice. It seems to be a combination of a general attitude and many non-spectacular details that open the path to more trust. ⁠ ⁠
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Photo by Arkadiusz Kasperczyk⁠
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15/08/2022

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29/06/2022

I AM ...⁠
I am a dancer & a Zenthai Shiatsu practitioner, a passionate explorer of the moving body with touch as an essential tool. It started 30 years ago when my girlfriend lovingly forced me to go with her once to a Contact Improvisation class, so that I would get an idea why this dance form was so important to her. I think I got the idea now 😋⁠
It was very foreign to me, confronting but highly inspiring and opening for my body, mind and heart. Soon expression and performance became a driving force. Over the years the experiencing of connection and aliveness moved into the foreground. I am grateful that my wife and son are so supportive of my path, which expanded lately into the Zenthai Shiatsu work – nourishing and maybe even healing the body through touch & movement.⁠
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26/11/2021

For 30 years I have been working with touch and the organisation of the human body as a dancer and movement teacher around the world.
Recently, I have commenced training to become a Zenthai Shiatsu Therapist. So much of my knowledge gained through the decades of embodied practice is already sinking into the Zenthai work. It is a unique blend of Zen Shiatsu, Thai Massage and elements of Osteopathy. Ultimately, it can be a custom-designed body therapy, that balances the body-mind system on a physical and energetic level. Different kinds of pain, exhaustion, digestive issues, anxiety amongst other ailments can be addressed.

At this point in my learning, it is mainly a bodywork method that helps release muscular blockages and that enables deep relaxation, leaving clients somatically nurtured and more at peace. A session is usually 60 or 90-minutes long including a brief check-in before and after the session.

The treatment is donation-based, on a sliding scale between $40-$90 – as feels good for you.

The FIRST SESSION I offer FOR FREE to anyone who is local to the Maleny area.

Contact me via messenger, email - joerg.hassmann@gmail.com or phone: 0492803149

More information about Zenthai Shiatsu: https://zenthaishiatsu.com/about/

Address

Witta, QLD

Opening Hours

	9:30am - 11am
	11:30am - 1pm

Telephone

+61492803149

Website

https://www.joerghassmann.com/

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