held: The somatics of belonging

A body-based workshop exploring relationship with
land + lineage through relational movement
+ politicized somatics

February 11th, 2024
3pm-5:30pm
Moonlight Yoga
Guelph, Ontario

This workshop is now full and registration has closed.

from our very origins, our bodies are living systems oriented toward relationship

Relational movement shows us that our bodies are inherently wired for connection with the earth and with each other. Through exploring the primitive movements of yield, push, reach, grasp, and pull, we will sense into the origins of our journey with belonging. We will feel for interruptions to this cycle due to familial, social/ political, cultural + environmental forces, and where healing and repair are needed.

Systems of domination have relied on severing our embodied sense of connection with each other, the land and more-than-human-world, our lineages, and ancestors.

Through exploring our somatic capacity for yielding into gravity, we will listen for the stories our bodies carry about belonging across generations — both the wounds and wisdom we carry.

How we interact with our physical environment directly relates to our capacity for presence and our availability for connection. This workshop offers simple movement practices that support somatic exploration of our relationship with the land we are on, as well as the lands and people we come from. As we deepen our embodied capacity to feel land and lineage, we also cultivate our capacity to stand for Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination in the here and now.

This workshop offers:

  • Practices to develop and deepen somatic awareness

  • embodied skills for living in relationship with the land in a good way

  • principles + exercises to develop an embodied sense of belonging with the earth

  • Experiential practices drawing on somatic movement, ancestral reconnection, and creativity

  • An introduction to integrative somatics, drawing from: BodyMind Centering, generative somatics, and Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy.

facilitation team:

This workshop is taught by Marika Heinrichs, you can read more about me here.

Assisted by: Amy Soberano
Amy is a queer mixed race social worker who has been working at the intersections of identity, forced migration, and mental health for over a decade. Her clinical practice centers 2SLGBTQ+ asylum seekers, survivors of political repression and gender based violence. She has completed trainings in somatic approaches to healing through Somatic Experiencing International, the Strozzi Institute, and the Neuroaffective Relational Model. Amy recently moved to Guelph from Toronto, where she was born and raised.

who is this workshop for?

You do not need to have a background in somatics or movement to participate in this workshop, although some previous experience is helpful.

You don’t need an extensive knowledge of your family background or genealogy, we will be focusing on embodied explorations of our ancestry.
This introductory workshop focuses on sharing tools and practices and will not emphasize sharing or processing personal histories, and while healing may happen, this is not a psychotherapy group.

This workshop is open to all.

pricing + registration

This workshop is now full and registration has closed.

All profits will be donated to Middle East Children’s Alliance.

Please bring a blanket with you on the day of the workshop

location + accessibility:

Moonlight Yoga Studio: 17 Gordon Street, Guelph (inside Found Coffee)

The studio is wheelchair accessible. It is on the ground floor and there are no stairs upon entry or throughout the space. There are two gender-neutral washrooms, one is wheelchair accessible. Some exercises are done on the floor, facilitators will support you to adapt any of the practices if needed.

Masking is encouraged for participants. Since we are in a studio behind a coffee shop we cannot make this a fully masked event. Feel free to reach out with any questions, and please stay home if you are experiencing any COVID-like symptoms.