THE FOUR PILLARS OF HEALTH

I was teaching a workshop this weekend at the NETC conference in Sturbridge and we discussed what kind of support a young actor needs to sustain the ruthless rhythm of rehearsals until midnight while going to school full time and getting up early to catch the 7 am school bus. No time to pack lunch or dinner, not enough sleep, not enough rest... sounds familiar? All of this packed with the ever-flying emotions of being in a show, new friends, pressure, expectations, tension, stress...and homework...
Leading to sure burnout and emotional distress when all of it is over...

So what can you do?

The four pillar of health are Nutrition, Sleep, Exercise and Self Love. Without one of these pillars, your whole foundation will collapse and your house fall down...

NUTRITION: Patty will soon write more on nutrition for rehearsals but if you dont' have the time to pack lunch or dinner, you can always get the 'grab and go' drinkable meal supplements. They are filled with vitamins and will be better than pizzas!. Watch the sugar content, use the natural ones, and choose the ones that do not have caffeine. You can get a 6 pack for your week of nightly rehearsals ahead of time.. add a banana, a granola bar.. and it can replace (for a few days) a healthy meal and will not take room in your school backpack.

Drink plenty of fluids, (water, not sodas!) and get a good breakfast to start your day.

SLEEP: you need sleep! 8 hours... if you cannot get it in one shot, try cat naps, and short relaxations in your day (5 minutes each) they can refuel your energy even if your night is too short. Catch up on sleep when you can...


EXERCISE: it is important to daily fit at least a short walk outside, a yoga stretch, a zumba dance, a running or bicycle ride... whatever is quick and easy. Oxygen is important when you spend your time in a rehearsal room. So bunddle up and go out! You will feel refreshed, revitalized and you will act better...

SELF-LOVE: When you put yourself on the line everyday by being onstage and performing in front of people, it is important to spend time to appreciate yourself. Your body (and soul) is the instrument you play. CARE for it with love and appreciation, as if you were the Steinway or the Stradivarius.. YOU ARE THE WORK OF ART, YOU BECOME THE WORK OF ART..
So dare to be introvert: you might need time alone, to recharge, you might need to write in a journal, listen to music you love, or take a long bath. You might need to play with your pet, take a walk, read a book... do what feels good as long as it is healthy.
You will recharge your energy and feel more confident later on stage...

To go further read the book A BALANCING ACT

Emmanuelle Chaulet,
RP III, acting coach, energy awareness counselor

THE WHOLE SOLUTION

I have worked as a Production Stage Manager for a long time, and I know all too well the challenges we face in the theater industry (onstage and backstage) with eating on the run and trying to keep up our energy levels through long days of auditions, rehearsals, and performances. The trouble we get into is that we are often looking to artificial sources of energy to keep us going through the day. Caffeine, sugar, junk food, processed foods. These all give us something in the moment, but how long does it take for the rush to wear off and leave you craving for that next fix? And if we know this to be a problem, how do we break the cycle?

The first step is to start to understand the benefits of whole foods. Most people have heard about the concept of simple vs. complex carbohydrates, but they can’t really describe the difference. Carbohydrates have gotten a bad rap in recent years, but the truth is not all carbs are created equal.

Simple carbohydrates have short chains of sugar that break down quickly in the body. Your body works overtime trying to burn up this extra sugar it doesn’t need. This is what causes that all too familiar sugar rush, but once it’s burned up we are left to simply crash. Even worse, the excess sugar gets stored as fat. Simple carbs include processed foods, white flours and breads, cakes, cookies, etc.

Complex carbohydrates have long chains of sugar that are bound within the food’s fiber. The sugar releases more slowly into your blood stream, giving you sustained energy and leaving you feeling full longer. Complex carbs are those found in nature like vegetables and whole grains.

So let’s start with whole grains, which are an amazing source of essential enzymes, vitamins B and E, iron, and dietary fiber. They are also cheap (especially if you purchase from the bulk section of your grocery store) and keep very well in the fridge to have on hand for a variety of delicious, inexpensive, quick to prepare meals. All things I know are important to us when working on a budget and always on the run!

A personal favorite is Quinoa, which is one of the fastest cooking and healthiest of all the grains. It contains all eight amino acids, making it a complete protein. There are many amazing ways to prepare quinoa. I love starting the day with a healthy, hearty breakfast that I know will keep me full and energized for a long time. Try trading in this recipe for your usual sugary cereal or donuts and feel the difference!


Warm Quinoa Breakfast Cereal
(Adapted from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition)

Yields 1-2 servings

Ingredients:
1 cup pre-cooked quinoa
1/2-3/4 cup milk or dairy alternative (depending on the consistency you like)
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup golden raisins (or other dried fruit)
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (or other nuts/seeds)

• Place prepared or leftover quinoa in a sauce pan.
• Add milk, honey, cinnamon and raisins.
• Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until the cereal thickens slightly.
• Garnish with nuts or seeds


Patti McCabe is a Certified Holistic Health Counselor who specializes in working with the performing arts community. She received her training at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City and is accredited through the American Association of Drugless Practitioners. She leads workshops on health and nutrition, and offers both individual and group counseling services in person and by phone. More information at www.pattimccabe.com and http://pattimccabe.wordpress.com

Workshop: Energy Techniques for Character Development:

Upcoming afternoon workshop with Emmanuelle Chaulet,

Energy Techniques for Character Development:

Introduction: The Mind/body/spirit connection.

Energy awareness, Pre-performance stress analysis, pre-show preparation meditation and focusing, visualization. Reclaiming your highest creative potential. Lecture and exercises

Characters’ Vibration and Blueprint: a new way to develop your character

Listening to the character, peak performance visualization, character blueprint, luminous cord, dual consciousness, letting the character lead. Lecture and exercises.

Sub-Personality Work: the Voices in our Head: Tuning into the Actors’ Inner Facets.

Archetypes, voice dialogue, sub-personalities Choosing the best vessel. Tuning the antenna. Lecture and exercises.

Please note: this is not a beginner acting class

Tuition: $75 (includes a free copy of A BALANCING ACT a $24.95 value)

Location: Acorn Studios, Dana Warp Mill, Westbrook, Maine.

Date: October 25: 1 pm - 5 pm

Pre-registration required before October 20 (send an email to: mailto:energize@starlightacting.org

and we will send you the link to register)

Check our two new websites!

http://www.emmanuellechaulet.com

http://www.starlightactingbooks.starlightacting.org

Fall 09 Energize e-news letter:

Dear Friends,

Fall just surprised us last week and we only have a few more weeks before the annual change away from daylight saving time, scheduled on November 1… Readjusting to darkness falling early is always a challenge for us up in Maine!

But looking at the ‘bright’ side of things ;=) we’ll get longer evenings, sitting by the fire or the stove, for writing, reading, knitting, storytelling, playing, rehearsing, watching good movies or plays, dancing, and for simply being…

Upcoming is a time of reflection inward and re-aligning to our inner-world. 2009 was a trying year for many. The earth is changing rapidly and we are called to adjust and re-align without question, or we will simply no longer be. It is now clear that we cannot continue on the path of self-destruction. As Eckhart Tolle justly points out: “we are running out of time!” The recent planetary catastrophes (tsunami again, along with earthquakes and various shifts) do not give us mixed messages, but say to us loud and clear: change!

So what are you willing to change? What are your new life-guiding principles going to be? Are you ready to walk the talk?

As you already know from your various acting teachers: actors should be able to walk and talk at the same time! The time has come to make the commitment to realign your beautiful selves and raise your vibrations so you can show the way to others. As actors, directors, performers, you have a responsibility to the world: the responsibility to show, demonstrate, educate, and teach, so the world can evolve to a better more peaceful place. You are so much more than entertainers: you are what Derek Rydall calls “Enlightened Entertainers.” You are the new “saltimbanques” (traveling acrobats) of the Italian and Molière traditions of theatre: you are the precious instruments of the change at hand and you are walking the tight rope of its creation.

So look-up, laugh, smile, balance and roll up your sleeves! The work of change is arduous and challenging but it is so much fun and so exciting…

Start it at the beginning: start it within….

F. Emmanuelle Chaulet

Starlight Acting Institute, director

Notes:

Eckhart Tolle’s website

Derek Rydall’s website

A BALANCING ACT gets reviewed in THEATRE TOPICS

The renown academic journal of ATHE (Association for Theatre in Higher Education) THEATRE TOPICS just published a wonderful review of A BALANCING ACT in its September 2009 issue, written by Barbara Sellers-Young of York University.


Excerpts:

"In fifteen chapter and six appendices, Chaulet's carefully crafted
method takes the actor on a journey from personal awareness of his/her energy system, to an application of that knowledge in the creation of a character."

"Since Stanislavski's initiation of this trend at the beginning of the twentieth century with his use of yoga to train actors, systems of body knowledge have increasingly become part of mainstream performance training.. [..] Chaulet's A BALANCING ACT is part of this transnational discourse in actor training. Its strength is in the insight it provides regarding how an actor can integrate these discursive fields within a personal approach to performance, and this is the audience for whom it seems to be written."

To read the review, please go to Theatre Topics/project muse website.

Theatre Topics Volume 19, Number 2, September 2009 E-ISSN: 1086-3346 Print ISSN: 1054-8378 DOI: 10.1353/tt.0.0064

Happy start of the new performance season!

As president Selma Botman of USM writes in her column, there are many calendars and we, in Academia, think in terms of School Year from September to May.

Performers too think in performance season, September to June; and then there is Summer stock!

Best wishes for the start of a new performance or academic season!

May you feel refreshed and energized by a wonderful summer of discoveries.

If you performed all summer, find the time to regenerate your strength and re-focus before hitting the ground and running!
Time alone, even a few days, writing, reading, resting sleeping...to be ready to start on the right track.

Personal health is so critical for good performance. To be creative, you need strength: physical strength, emotional strength and calm and grounding...

Focus on your heart and breathe deeply, and you'll be able to fly high...

For great exercises to bring your focus and energy to the next level: read A BALANCING ACT
10% discount until august 31... email energize@starlightacting.org
for more information or purchase via AMAZON at a discounted price.

New Actors for a NEW EARTH

Eckhart Tolle explains it so well: it is without ego, but with enthusiasm that we do the best transformative work to create a New Earth and awaken Consciousness.

Actors and performers, I invite you to read his wonderful books and develop your acting practice, far from the Ego, but with Joy and Presence.

By letting the flow of awareness of the Consciousness of the Universe pass through you, you become alive, present in the Now and can transform, educate and inspire others...

As he beautifully says:
"Awareness implies that you are not only conscious of things (objects), but you are also conscious of being conscious.[..] Can you feel your own Presence?"

To me, it is very close to the dual consciousness of the actor on stage, and actors should find this very easy to do.. yet, the Ego is the greatest obstacle for performers, as our training mistakenly develops it too often. Our challenge is to recognize this illusory sense of self and find our true I AM presence far from the Ego.

FMI: Eckhart Tolle, A NEW EARTH, Awakening to your life's purpose

Feel the VIBE....

Energize! A holistic approach to acting




an energy awareness training for performers
©2009 F. Emmanuelle Chaulet
[image : The Wave © JeanPierreRousset.com ]



In the beginning was the word … on a page, the intention, the idea, and the thought.
The thought vibrates as a wave, transforming the space and changing the atmosphere.
The vibration of the thought, as a wave, grows though space and time and creates manifestations of emotions, circumstances, events and stories. They unfold, unfurl, and break on the shore of the stage. The actor does not think but rides the wave –the vibration, the energy– and lets it grow, unfold, unleashing its power, its glory. The actor is the channel of this wave, flowing, fluid, moving through space and time. The actor-waterway lets the thought –the vibration– lead. He relinquishes full control. He lets go…

The actor watches the vibration-wave evolve through him, becoming fully human, becoming Character. The Character descends from the imagination of its creator, finding existence on the stage, and incarnating for a moment in the imaginary circumstances, in the actor’s body. The Character looks for flesh and bones to find its presence and lives for a moment, an hour, a few weeks. This fragile ball of light and thoughts suddenly becomes flesh, becomes real, and becomes a human story. The Character inhabits the actor’s body.

The actor, who is trained with the knowledge of energy awareness and has learned energy clearing techniques, has become skilled at using energy vibrations and does not get lost in them. The actor has learned to tune his instrument to the accurate channel and attract the Character’s frequency. The actor has learned to use his energy wheels of light and to process this vibration throughout his energetic body.

The actor’s body is invaded for a while and reflects the blueprint of the Character. A blank energetic canvas transformed into another being, the actor’s body changes like a chameleon, shape-shifting to reflect the new energy. Each cell, each bone, each muscle is transformed and takes on this new vibration… For a moment on stage, the Character’s love, pain, struggle, desires, challenges and fights become the actor’s ones.

The actor loves this sensation of being two. Like a mother carrying a child, being both and one at the same time, being one and being two. Being self and someone else, but still watching from the inside, from outside, beyond and above; watching closely to keep control and to let go at the same time. Like a dance with two partners, they intertwine and separate.

The actor becomes a Living Work of Art.

Then the applause breaks the magic and the actor must say goodbye, let the energy return to a ball and to the page, and let go of the mirage of the attraction, addition, and dependence. The actor must return to self and become one again…This is the dangerous moment when the actor is tempted to hold on, to keep the other self, and never go back to the monotony of daily normality. This is the risky instant when the self can be lost, and the Character wants to take over the flesh and merge with it.

But with willpower and energy clearing knowledge, with proper energy awareness training and practice, the actor can say goodbye for a while or forever, and return to his true self, to his joy, his happiness, his peace and his balance. The actor has learned to clear his instrument before and after the performance. The actor has learned to transform the Character’s energy and remove the negative pull at the end of a performance. The actor knows how to get rid of blocks and avoid the traps. The actor is an energy athlete.

Tomorrow it will start all over again.
It’s A Balancing Act.

An Actress with a Mission

How an Iranian actress uses her work, in spite of it all, to teach, inform and educate...
Oscar nominated Shohreh Aghdashloo ( House of Sand and Fog, 24) plays in the intense movie "The Stoning of Soraya M." the role of an Iranian villager who stands up for her niece, who is accused of adultery and sentenced to death.
Sometimes acting becomes more than entertainment...

read more here:
the movie:

Interesting questions on practicing your self-clearings

Images by Katheryn Caouette
© Chaulet 2008



QUESTION: I have noticed as I have practiced clearing the chakras, that I seem to have the most difficulty getting through the throat chakra and the 3rd chakra. What kinds of things can I do to work on areas that seem more stuck?

Emmanuelle Chaulet's answer:

Areas that are stuck are usually sign of a block. and when you reach a block you need to ask yourself: " What is this block telling me?" "Which part of me is trying to speak up?"

Throat chakra issues are about saying what you mean, expressing your truth, speaking up when something is a problem. Third chakra issues are about personal power, expressing oneself in the world with our will and our strength. The third chakra is also known as the "will center". It is our capacity to say no, to assert our authority, to assert our will.
So you need to ask yourself: "which are the issues when I don't speak up to say what bothers me and fail to assert what I want?"... I am sure something will come quickly to the forefront and you'll say to yourself: "Ah , that's it!"
Then, you want to keep clearing the issue by sending light, and raising your vibration above the block and perceiving the block clearing in your mind's eye.

Sometimes when blocks are too strong and too deeply entrenched, the help of a practitioner can really get you passed it.
To find practitioners in your area, look at the appendix of the book A BALANCING ACT.

Read more on clearing blocks on Chapter X. A technique using the polar opposite is quite efficient (read Chapter VIII).



QUESTION: [You express] the idea that the expansive feeling we experience on stage results in, or results because of, an expanding aura, and that we need to bring the aura back in closer to us after the show, to return to normal life. We all love that feeling of expansion. I think it's why many of us continue our lives in the theatre. The complication is that we don't want the feeling to stop afterwards! How can we protect the aura but keep the feeling of exuberance that accompanies the experience?

Emmanuelle's Answer:

This is a great question. The feeling of expansion is extraordinary, and we get addicted to it. You get it while performing, teaching, exercising, and also with sugar, alcohol and some drugs.
It is clear what the dangers associated with using sugar, alcohol and drugs are. However there are also real dangers associated with aura expansion while in a "normal" life setting such as in a dense grocery store, in a bar, or riding in a subway. The aura can rip and tear, it can collect lots of dirt and "parasites" so to speak. It can get real damaged. So it is very important to keep the aura closer to the body in normal day to day settings.

However, you can devote some time to expand the aura in safe situations like walking on the beach, hiking a mountain, or meditating...and keep getting that "high" in safe places.
The feeling of joy associated with it can also be called independently of the aura expansion. If you call on the vibration of joy to stay with you, and raise your vibration high enough, it will most likely stay with you throughout your day.

What is true however is that to keep your system clear is a way of life. As you become clearer and clearer, you will not want to do certain things anymore, such as go in dense and dark places. I myself cannot take the New York subway any longer. And I used to live in NYC and had no problems with it. I have a real hard time staying more than a half-hour in that energetic environment and had to adapt my timing and take the bus instead while I was in NYC last October.

So, in conclusion, to keep that feeling of expansion and stay safe, you need to find the right places to do it... I love expanding my aura while walking at the edge of the water on the beach where all the elements are fusing together: water, sun, wind, and earth. You should try it over the summer!! (and remember to bring it back closer when you go home)...


Warm Regards,

Emmanuelle

LAST CALL to register for the JUNE 13, 2009 workshop: Energize

LAST CALL to register for the JUNE 13, 2009 workshop: Energize: a Holistic Approach to Acting
The Mind/body/spirit connection


REGISTER NOW!
To register email: mailto:energize@starlightacting.org
to be connected to the paypal registration link.


The workshop will give an introductory class on:

-Energy awareness, What are chakras, aura, the Energy system (overview)

-Applications in acting, bridging inside-out/outside-in approaches,
(lecture and exercises)

with Focus on Post-Performance Blues: Finding closure after the emotional roller-coaster of performance

-Post-performance stress analysis,

-Post-show closure meditation, visualization, character withdrawal.
(lecture and exercises)

Please bring a yoga /gym mat (or blanket) and pillow, water,
and... your questions!



WHEN: Saturday June 13, 1 pm-5 pm

WHERE: Pierre Studio and Gallery

Dana Warp Mill,
Suite 350, 90 bridge street
Westbrook, Maine.

FEE: $60 /participants (students $50)

Pre-registration is required.. This is not a walk-in class.


Looking forward to having you in the class...

Emmanuelle Chaulet



Emmanuelle Chaulet
Starlight Acting Institute, director

Energize! a holistic approach to acting
http://www.starlightacting.org
http://balanceyouract.blogspot.com


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Do you feel the cloud too?

Do you feel irritable? anxious for no reason, upset, angry, frustrated, or overly emotional? It could just be that there is inbalance in your environment.. not just in you!
At HearthMath Institute there is a study about how to dissipate the dark cloud of negative energy that is currently around the earth energy field. By using our heartfelt intention and meditation techniques we can collectively rebalance the earth energy field and ourselves...
Just vizualise GAIA, the planet Earth in love and light... send positive energy and emotions of peace, harmony and love to the planet... every little drop can help get us to the tipping point...

For more information please check:

New Density Dissipation Lock-In
A cloud of mental and emotional distortion has built up in the earth’s planetary field environment from cumulative negative emotions, Institute of HeartMath founder Doc Childre observes in a new tool he has created to help people dissipate the cloud. Click to Article…

Did Kiefer Sutherland become Jack Bauer?

Obviously, the star of 24 is not seeing clearly the frontier between his own self and his character self. Behaving more and more violently as Jack Bauer does, he was charged with assault after headbutting a fashion designer at a party.

Now the two men have come to an understanding after Kiefer apologized, and charges might be dropped, but this reminds us of our ongoing question: isn't it a case of post-performance stress? Does Keifer Sutherland have a hard time letting go of Jack Bauer? After all, he has performed 8 seasons of 24 hours...killing, torturing and saving millions of people in the process. Has violence become so "normal" for him that in real life he has no discernment?

Does he drink because he can't shake the character off? 

Read more articles at:  Ottawa Citizen  

and at Buddytv

and let us know your comments.

Emmanuelle Chaulet and Bridgette Murphy: LATE NITE CONVERSATIONS, a radio show with Allan Holender

Last night Emmanuelle Chaulet was guest on the radio show LATE NITE CONVERSATIONS.
It was a fascinating discussion with actress and speaker Bridgette Murphy, and Allan Holender, author and founder, The Zentrepreneurship Centre (www.zentrepreneurism.com) on emotional balancing, passion, purpose, energy, higher self, and the future of the world ....


To listen to the radio cast:

LOG IN..JOIN IN ...http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Papa-Zen
click on:
LATE NITE CONVERSATIONS WITH ALLAN HOLENDER (Date: May 14, 2009)

A new kind of BlogTalk Radio for a changing world. Author, Futurist and radio personality, Allan Holender mixes his brand of "hot talk" with "cool jazz". Join Allan for some very cool late nite chatter with intelligent optimists and unreasonable people. "All progress depends on the unreasonable man or woman"- George Bernard Shaw. So grab a pillow, your slippers and a glass of wine (optional!) and log in. Your Thursday night will never be the same again!


LINK: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Papa-Zen

JOIN IN THE CONVERSATION....

SPRING CLEAN YOUR ACTING SELF! Holistic Acting Workhop - Saturday, June 13

Energize: a Holistic Approach to Acting

Introductory workshop with Emmanuelle Chaulet

(for committed actors)

• The Mind/body/spirit connection,

• Energy awareness, What are chakras, aura, the Energy system (overview)

• Applications in acting, bridging inside-out/outside-in approaches,
  

(lecture and exercises)

with Focus on Post-Performance Blues: Finding closure after the emotional roller-coaster of performance

• Post-performance stress analysis,
  
• post-show closure meditation, visualization
• character withdrawal.

(lecture and exercises)

WHEN: Saturday June 13, 1 pm-5 pm

WHERE: Dana Warp Mill, Westbrook, Maine.

FEE: $60 /participants (students $50)

Payment required by June 1.

REGISTER NOW: To register email: 

mailto:energize@starlightacting.org

THE BOOK: A BALANCING ACT, the development of Energize a holistic approach to acting will help students go further and retain a lot more of the presented information. $24.95 (Starlight Acting Books 2008)

Starlight Acting Books offer a 10% discount on the book for individual students attending workshops. to get the discount 

mailto:energize@starlightacting.org