Storytelling:
Begin It Now

“A story is like the water you heat for your bath.” Rumi

This workshop opens the door to the magical world of storytelling and invites you to step in. Telling stories is how we define who we are. How do storytellers remember the stories?
What makes a story compelling?
What does a storyteller need to encourage the art of listening?

The Storytellers World

In this workshop we will explore the four different sources storytellers use in their art.
We will also learn how storytellers remember their stories. Find their own voice in the stories they tell. Respect and get to know story they have chosen. Develop sensitivity to their listeners.

Storytelling and
the Twelve Senses

We‘re familiar with our five sense but what are the remaining seven and how can they help us as storytellers? How do the senses of temperature, life, balance, thought or word play their part in the storyteller craft? This is a workshop for you to discover parts of yourself you may not have been aware of before and how these additional senses can enrich your skills as a storyteller and a human being!

The Skills
of the Storyteller

This workshop will help you to practice the skills of the storyteller.

It is for beginners and experts alike and will feature playful exercises to strengthen your foundation in storytelling or to stretch your existing abilities.

Themes will include developing new senses, spatial awareness, the storytellers voice, authentic presence and the four sources from which storytellers draw their inspiration.

When Silence Speaks

We talk a great deal as storytellers but silence also speaks. The experienced storyteller knows what to leave out as much as what to tell and is not afraid of silence.

Here’s an opportunity to discover the language of silence and what presences live there, to risk doing less so that your listeners will go away with more.

Storytelling and
the Eightfold Path

How can the Eightfold path, central to Buddhism, be an inspiration to storytellers?

Where does the practice of Right Speech or Right Action have a place in the life of the storyteller? What meditative practices can assist a storyteller? This workshop wil provide you with a spiritual compass for storytelling and daily living.

No previous experience as a storyteller or a Buddhist necessary!

The Voice of the Storyteller

“Listen are you breathing just a little and calling it a life.” Mary Oliver

The last thing that storytellers seem to give attention to is their voice and yet it is the one thing that accompanies every story they tell.

How can we bring out the colours in our voice to serve our listeners and the stories we tell? Explore the hidden potential you have in your voice and just what it can do to reach others. Here are some simple and powerful tools to bring some change and range to your speaking.

Storytelling and
the Seven Planets

In traditional astrology each of the planets have particular qualities, strengths, shadows and, of course, stories to tell.

Look at any story in the oral tradition and you will soon discover, if you know what to look for, the influences of Mars, the Moon, Venus or perhaps Saturn.

The seven planets are a fabulous resource for storytellers that will help you breathe new life into your stories and extend your range of telling possibilities.

Speaking Rumi and
Other Sacred Poetry

“Who speaks these words with my mouth? ” Rumi

To speak the sacred poetry of Rumi, Hafiz, Mirabai, Lalla or any of the other great teachers of times past is to enter into a process of transformation.

Ashley will guide you into experiencing the inner artistry necessary to embody the inspiration behind the words of these and other inspiring spirits.

The Seven Gazes of the Storyteller

“Listen are you breathing just a little and calling it a life.” Mary Oliver

“Who looks out with my eyes?” ~ Rumi

In the Indian dance tradition many years are devoted to perfecting the gaze of the dancer,where to direct the eyes? when? and with what range of expression? As storytellers we have yet to develop the subtlety and language that belongs to this area of our craft and this is an omission as the eyes are often referred to as the windows of the soul. Here is an opportunity to explore the different gazes of the storyteller, the nuances we convey with our eyes, the inner and outer worlds we inhabit and what we as tellers somtimes have to face!

“My eyes look at me too” Namibian proverb

How can we bring out the colours in our voice to serve our listeners and the stories we tell? Explore the hidden potential you have in your voice and just what it can do to reach others. Here are some simple and powerful tools to bring some change and range to your speaking.