By: Meredith Zelman Narissi, MS, BCPP
A large, protective Malamute stands with her companion against the background of crashing waves on the edge of the continent. She smells the nearby forest and the rough coastal terrain as she listens to the ebb and flow of the waves that whisper and roar, day and night. They both revel in the raw, intense environment that they share, along with the rest
of the pack.
And who is in her pack? Lynne Ann Kogut and her husband and their kitty Cody. Perhaps they have a bit of the wild within themselves, living so near the largest ocean on the planet. Their adjacent city is called Florence, Oregon. Combined, they pursue things like jewelry making, Polarity Therapy, rockhounding, and beach combing.
It is amazing where one can find Polarity Therapy. Each unique Polarity School brings its own essence to the modality. Here is how Lynne Ann answered the call to teach near such a unique place.
Meredith: Tell us a little about the location of your school and about the area.
Lynne Ann: Dancing Bear Center is in Florence, Oregon. It is a tourist town where people come to ride dune buggies and play in the coastal range. It is a big playground. It is also a retirement community with about 10,000 people. Living on the Oregon coast gives people an awareness of what they call “the big one.” It is the ever-present knowledge of a possible tsunami. I came out West in 2001 because the mountains and rough terrain called me. With my interest in Shamanic knowledge, I felt called by my ancestors, represented by the mountains. It is a perfect background for teaching Polarity, this vast setting that somehow makes the small classes even more intimate with the full expression of the elements all around you.
Meredith: What makes the Dancing Bear Center unique in its Polarity teaching and programming, for example, what kind of electives do you offer that are particular to your school, or what teaching style do you use?
Lynne Ann: Dancing Bear Center offers electives in nervous system balancing and some Craniosacral Therapy. To me these are invaluable to any practitioner. We also offer small adult education classes for those who are interested in personal growth and development or seeking a career change into Energy Healing. Some classes and workshops are designed to explore a subject through basic introduction. Other offerings are in a series of classes which go deeper with time. Our APP program includes classroom time, out of class practice giving sessions, and out of class receiving sessions. The APP program content includes orthodox and energetic anatomy, principles and theory of Polarity Therapy and Energy Medicine, energetic evaluation and bodywork protocols, energetic communication skills, practitioner skills of engagement with the energy systems, Polarity stretching exercises, Polarity nutritional awareness, self-care and energy hygiene, and business ethics for the energy practitioner. Our APP group meets one weekend per month for three days over an eight month period. Each day includes lectures, demonstrations, and bodywork exchanges. Some classes are dedicated to Polarity nutrition and Polarity yoga. As we move along in the program, clinical practicums are included. Homework assignments and review questions are used to assure the student’s understanding of the material and the ability to apply that knowledge in clinical practice.
Meredith: What schedule, dates, and times of upcoming classes do you wish to share?
Lynne Ann: Currently, I am teaching one student in the APP program and we meet one weekend per month with a Winter break due to weather since she travels over mountain passes to attend class. I offer different one day classes locally, such as “Power up your Brain,” a class about Dr. Pearlmutter’s work on neurogenesis.
Meredith: Do you offer online classes for remote students?
Lynne Ann: No
Meredith: How big is the school, number of students? What other information would you like to share about it? Also, you said you have
taught in different States.
Lynne Ann: I teach small, intimate classes of 1-4 students. When I first began, I was teaching Polarity yoga classes. This increased interest in Polarity Therapy in general. That grew into my teaching an Introduction to Polarity Therapy, which I taught in several states: Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, and finally Oregon.
Meredith: Your classes are small, but far reaching. Each person in turn shares Polarity Therapy. How did you get involved with Polarity Therapy?
Lynne Ann: I am a retired licensed massage therapist with 30+ years of experience and I studied many alternative therapies. I found Polarity Therapy easy to integrate into my other modalities. My APP was with Gabriella Tal in North Carolina, and my RPP with Janice Marie Durand, and Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy with John and Anna Chitty. They were all wonderful teachers. I have been teaching ever since I finished my RPP in 2000. I mostly teach introductory classes in Polarity Therapy, Craniosacral Therapy, Nervous System Balancing, Working with Disabilities, Essential Oils, and Shamanic Practices and ceremonies.
Meredith: What does Polarity Therapy mean to you?
Lynne Ann: This has been a deep dive into the theme of BALANCE from the four pillars of Polarity Therapy — bodywork, nutrition, exercise, and self-awareness/self-care — which I was already doing for myself. Now I had a modality to offer to others. I kept going deeper with it. I found many statements from Dr. Stone’s books to be powerful for me including, “As above, so below. As within, so without.”
Meredith: What does that mean to you, “As above, so below. As within. so without?”
Lynne Ann: It means that what happens inside of you happens outside ofyou. To know thyself, is to heal thyself! If you know yourself first, then you can help others. You gain compassion for others on the healing journey when you have taken that journey as well.
For this reason, I like to teach self-care. For example, I had a client with Multiple Sclerosis, and I taught her certain nervous system holds that she could do for herself. She could use this knowledge at home when she was experiencing difficulties. It helped her immensely. In my work with people with disabilities, I always offer tools that they can do at home to help themselves, and they greatly appreciate this.
I also include essential oils and Shamanic ceremonies in my work. I am a perpetual student and always interested in learning new healing
pathways. Now I am studying Non-Violent Communication. I find it helpful with energetic listening. My new learnings “within” help others “without.”
Meredith: What would you like to say to APTA members?
Lynne Ann: Polarity Therapy is a life-long journey into balance, and it is constantly changing. It is dynamic, and it will change you if you allow it. Stay with it. The work is beautiful. People love it once they are exposed to it.
As the energy of the ocean swells and falls, it passes through this great body of water. The Malamute, Little Bear, must also be enjoying the energy that Lynne Ann shares and passes through her students and clients. Little Bear stands witness to Polarity Therapy being shared.
Contact information:
Dancing Bear Center
Florence, Oregon 97439
Dancingbearcenter.com
Lkogut@charter.net
406-270-8129
Meredith Zelman Narissi, MS, BCPP of Meredith’s Healing Arts
Enlightened Wellness. Meredith is a Board-Certified Polarity Practitioner,
meditation/yoga/dance teacher, and author of 7 Veils: Mystical Secrets
of a Feminine Path to Enlightenment. She loves to dance in the spiritual
realm!
Meredith’s Healing Arts
www.Meredithnarissi.com
Meredithsmessage@aol.com