“People say that what we’re all seeking is a meaning for life. I don’t think that’s what we’re really seeking. I think that what we’re seeking is an experience of being alive.”
Joseph Campbell
A Zen Pilgrimage (kind of!)
I loved the idea I heard from Henry Shukman that pilgrimages in the Zen tradition weren’t about getting to a particular destination. There is nowhere to get to, no finish line. It’s not for anything else: Like dance, meditation, laughter or love, it’s a good thing in itself.
These improv classes will have a light Zen theme – koans (paradoxes to trip up linear thinking), meditations and poems – that link up with our improv games and the silliness, sweetness, laughter, messiness and joy of being together here, now.
Sessions will include
- long form creations where you’ll create whole stories and worlds from nothing
- clowning – extending physical expressiveness and connection through movement
- short form games – like you might see on Who’s Line Is It Anyway?
- skills practice – like skateboarding, better skills help you have more fun. For example:
- Beginnings and Endings – An inexhaustible treasurehouse. Confidence, starting scenes without a “good idea”
- No Mistakes – Happy accidents that lead us somewhere delightfully new
- Mattering and not mattering – Joyful indifference and making what happens impactful for the characters so you end up with more dramatic, funny scenes
- No Self – leave yourself out of it and let your alter ego(s) out to play 🙂
- Not trying – Relaxing. Getting out of your own way to let your natural spontaneity through
- Chopping wood and carrying water – Finding fun choices through actions
- Not About You – Taking your attention off yourself and putting it into listening and responding to what’s happening around you
- Not talking – The dynamics of silence, what’s not said, and what’s behind the words, movement, clowning and physical comedy
- Zen themed koans, meditations, poems and reflections
To get the most from the classes, you should have done an introductory improv course like my The Delight of Surprising Yourself or similar.
The classes will help you discover more freedom and creativity in your improv and expression but there are no marks and no prizes. There’s the experience itself. There’s nowhere else to get to, nothing you have to be.
Like how trying to get to sleep is guaranteed to get in the way of it happening, there’s a weird paradox in improv (and Zen) that the more we detach from outcomes, the easier they come.
Zen Mastery 🙂
A student of Zen went to his teacher and asked earnestly, “I am devoted to studying Zen. How long will it take me to master it?”
“Ten years,” the teacher said.
Impatiently, the student answered, “But I want to master it faster than that. I will work very hard. I will practice everyday, ten or more hours a day if I have to. How long will it take then?”
The teacher thought for a moment, “20 years.”
The story of the three laughing monks. The narrator talks in quite a self important way but it’s a nice story 🙂
I love this little poem by Zen master Hakuin Ekaku. It was originally written about enlightenment, but to me it also connects with the wonderful, hilarious, joyful moments we discover when we let go of our planning “branch” and open up to what wants to emerge. <3
The Monkey Is Reaching
The monkey is reaching
For the moon in the water.
Until death overtakes him
He’ll never give up.
If he’d let go the branch and
Disappear in the deep pool,
The whole world would shine
With dazzling pureness.
Hakuin. Image by Ohara Koson.
Photo Credits
Young woman in sunglasses – Brooke Cagle on Unsplash.
Monkey reaching for the moon in the water – Ohara Koson.
Others are me monkeying around on Copilot.
“I loved, loved, loved the taster session. It’s more like a favourite pair of jeans that makes me feel fab physically and emotionally- that will carry me well through life. That I can wear for any occasion, feel comfortable and supports me to express myself through language, movement and somatic sensations.”
“This week I hosted my first, “Inner Play Lab,” where I helped others play around with different ways of defusing our thoughts, feelings, sensations, and judgments. It’s had rave reviews!!! Your class helped me to have the confidence to be spontaneous, to tolerate being in the space of the unknown, and feel into what’s alive in the moment – and in doing so, you are helping me to support others in doing the same.”
“If Mister Rogers, Ted Lasso, and Wallace (of Wallace and Gromit) had a baby, the result would be Andrew Cain. Andy is kind, compassionate, patient, safe, and inviting…and he’s really expanded my definition of what it means to be human. Over the course of three months, I’ve cried, laughed, smiled, and surprised myself more than I ever thought possible. What started as a mission to lighten up instead turned into a deep acceptance of self. I’m not perfect, and that’s OK. And as Andy points out, that might even be what makes me amazing. Thank you, Andy.”
Debbie talks about overcoming her initial fears and how it’s helped her in her coaching business.
“I can’t tell you how much I’ve loved this class. Andrew’s teaching, the games we’ve played, and my new friends from all over the world. I think the title for the class is perfect because you do end up surprising yourself and just plain having fun! I never would have dreamed of signing up for an improv class a year ago, but Andrew makes it so joyful and so safe to be as you are, to try things out, to take chances! This class has been the highlight of my week for 9 weeks now. I get to play and laugh and be human with others who are doing the same. I always leave with a smile on my face!”
“I was everything Andy said he liked to work with – uptight, perfectionist, stiff, and self-judgmental. The 8 weeks of his course was nothing less than transformational for me!
I feel more comfortable in my own skin in a way that I haven’t before. I trust myself in the moment. I have already noticed my anxiety go down when things don’t go according to plan. I laugh and play in a way that I haven’t for years.
He built connection and a sense of trust, ease and fun in the group. I felt connected to everyone and it was great to meet people from around the world! I highly recommend any of his courses and can’t wait for the next one!”
“I come to class feeling like a boiled zucchini and leave feeling like everything is possible.” 🙂
“I always felt welcome, no matter how I showed up. The course has helped me to notice many patterns and train new ones in a safe and fun environment. I absolutely recommend it, even if you are slightly terrified of improv and you’ve never done it before (like me). Andrew will inspire you, with tact, enthusiasm and kindness.”
“Andy holds a beautiful container for the people in his groups. He helps with his own presence to bring connection between his participants so we all felt relaxed with each other. I originally signed up as the last 1.5 years made me forget easiness and lightness. Doing the course, I remembered this crucial side of myself, which I consider in the end one of the strongest gifts a person can have and share with others: Creating ease and fun in the present moment. I don’t believe we’re here to worry all the time about the future… I already signed up for another class!”
“Andy has this phenomenal capacity to meet you exactly where you are and welcome you safely and gently into a journey of discovery filled with joy, lightness and connection. The sessions are fun, supportive and insightful in the most organic way. As a therapist, what I appreciate more than anything about what Andy shares is how deeply therapeutic it feels in its invitation to playfulness and curiosity.
I can’t recommend improv with Andy highly enough!”
“I was very reluctant to try improv at first. I imagined that I’d be put on the spot to tell jokes and that sounded like the opposite of fun. I was afraid of doing it wrong or looking silly. Little did I know that these would be two of the things I would find utterly joyful about the classes. The penny quickly dropped that this is exactly what I need to work on as a recovering perfectionist who uses seriousness as a comfort blanket. I soon found that the impact went way beyond the two hours in class, into how I face uncertainty in my day-to-day life, how comfortable I am to follow the flow in coaching, and the way I converse with people.
Andrew is a marvellous teacher – through his gently encouraging facilitation and the community he builds around the classes, I felt really at ease and able to step into the limelight more than I’d ever imagined. It really feels like you have a whole team cheering you on every time you give it a go. Wonderful stuff!”
“I am so glad I took the plunge to do the course. I love the sessions. I have really found another side to myself.”
“I really, really enjoyed it! It was fun, connecting, revealing, challenging and liberating.”
“Andrew’s class was an invitation to explore myself on a deeper level. I’m glad I went.
Being able to feel at home within the gentle, playful and somewhat stretching environment meant that I could explore more of what has been holding me back from showing up as myself in the moment, and that need to get it right – that being me wasn’t or hasn’t been enough could pass on through.
It’s so much more than what my understanding of improv was. It’s like a game in which you get to play lots of different aspects of yourself.
It’s definitely designed with fun and laughter in mind. If you allow yourself, you will not help but laugh.
Andrew is a gifted host and facilitator and brings so much fun energy to the space. Worth exploring if you haven’t been!”
“I’ve just completed ‘The Delight of Surprising Yourself’, Andy’s beginners’ improv course, which I hugely enjoyed. Andy was great at helping us all develop as well as connecting us together as a group. Apart from being great fun it has helped me to slow down, really listen, be more comfortable with uncertainty and more spontaneous. I would hugely recommend it and am looking forward to the follow on course.”
“I absolutely loved your introductory class! Improv is definitely outside my comfort zone, but you created such a welcoming environment, and you very skillfully calmed everyone’s nerves. I had a lot of fun, and it was wonderful to uncover a playful aspect of myself that had been buried for a long time.”
“It was a very safe and playful environment that you created during the workshop. I really appreciated the care you took with all participants.”
“I had always been terrified of improv. When I finally took the plunge in Andrew’s highly safe and encouraging workshop, it was a joy to meet my playful side. I amazed myself at what I did and how much I enjoyed it.”
“I love how you are so open and honest about yourself. The sessions are so helpful on all sorts of levels, as well as really fun. Would love to do more!”
“I joined Andy’s Play / Connect online session without any experience of improv or even knowing what to expect. I just knew that I needed a healthy dose of playfulness, laughter and connection. Andy and his session did not disappoint. He was able to bring strangers together in an online format with ease and grace. We all had the luxury of being with each other in such a fun way and forget for a short time the current perils. I highly recommend him and his fun-loving work.”
“I was nervous but Andrew skilfully led the session which was really fun and flew by. It left me wanting more and I’ll be back as soon as I can!”
“I enjoyed it a lot and it opened a window to the world of improv. There are opportunities for us to get out of our comfort zone yet it remains fun and safe. I left the session energized, proud of my journey through my fears and slowly accepting and taming my troll(s).”
“I loved today so much. The timing was perfect for a zoom session although I actually really wanted it to go on longer in many ways! To have two hours of freedom from mind talk and a sense of play was heaven! You facilitated it like a true craftsman.”
“Thank you for providing such a warm and welcoming spot to explore.”
“I wanted to give it a go as it seemed fun and I was not disappointed! Andrew is a wonderful host with a great sense of humour. Everyone feels welcome. Looking forward to play and connect again :)”
“It was really fun – very supportive and encouraging 🙂”