Returning to Ourselves: Moving Rasa with Southeast Asian Student Leaders at Century College

Moving Rasa Workshop Builds Embodied Coping Skills

Written by Bee Moua -AANAPISI Assistant Director, Century College (inside their college newsletter)

On Thursday, May 22, 2025, Century College’s AANAPISI (Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions) program hosted an all-day workshop with Andrew Suseno of Moving Rasa for Southeast Asian students. Moving Rasa is a dynamic, movement-based framework that helps individuals and communities reconnect with their bodies, emotions, and lived experiences through guided practice and mindful awareness. Formerly known as Parcon Resilience, the approach draws on movement across obstacles and contact improvisation, using inquiry to integrate physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual dimensions. Rooted in the Indonesian concept of rasa—“taste” or “essence”—the practice invites participants to explore their inner landscapes and relationships with others to deepen personal and collective identity.

While the activities were challenging at first, students grew more comfortable as they practiced and engaged with one another. The workshop opened space for candid conversations about the pressures of navigating college while balancing intersecting identities as Asian American students. By day’s end, participants reported discovering new, embodied ways to manage stress and anxiety—strategies they can continue to use throughout the semester.