The Body Knows
somatic course-retreat
with Howard Sonenklaar & Constança Morais
28 December to 2 January, SerVivo (Palmela)
“Where attention goes
Energy flows.”
— Tibetan proverb
“How come we don’t know this?! How come nobody told me before that my body holds the wisdom to liberate me from suffering?”. We have heard many versions of this exclamation from therapy clients, dance students and people who have been learning to listen to themselves in a different way.
It is, for us too, astonishing. The body has its own intelligence and it is humbling to realize what it can teach us about how life works. When we offer our autonomic nervous system enough presence and safety, it starts doing its thing: regulating, restoring, integrating and reconnecting us to the flow of life.
We need spaces to re-member, to find again a pathway which we may have collectively forgotten. So this course-retreat will be about trusting our bodies to show us the way. Back Home. Back to Self. Back to Nature. Back to a deeper state of mind and being.
It is for anyone who wants to deepen their understanding of the body and develop practical ways of bringing this knowledge into everyday life and work. Whether you’re a therapist, a bodyworker, an artist, a teacher, a parent, a lover, someone caring for others, or simply a human being trying to stay connected to your body and keep your heart open in this crazy world... this is an invitation to discover new ways of relating to yourself, to others, and to life.
The course content will be a meeting point between a meeting point between contemporary science, somatic practice and non-dual contemplative traditions. An experiential inquiry through practices such as Somatic Experiencing, Body-Mind Centering, Life/Art Process, embryology, touch, movement, meditation, dance, compassionate inquiry and contemplative practice.
There will also plenty of self-time space to breathe, be in Nature, make art.
We will take the opportunity that the days around the turning of the year provide to slow way down, step out of our usual rhythms, and create enough space for ourselves to be met by life.
Course Content & Teachers
SOMATIC RESOURCES AND PRACTICES
Constança's classes will focus on bringing ourselves back to a more wholesome presence, rooted in trust and inner safety, from which we witness the miracle of life. We will listen, understand and follow the wisdom of our body-minds through individual, pair and group practices of meditation, intuitive movement-writing-painting and dance. Witnessing and holding space for each other will be a big part of it. There will also be some theory on the autonomic nervous system, stress responses and the ways embodied awareness can support us in meeting and integrating overwhelming experiences.
In practice, from this investigation you will bring home:
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a growing capacity to listen to your body with curiosity, trust and less judgement
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a deeper understanding of the inner relationships between your spiritual heart, rational mind and physical body
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embodiment scores to practice at home and/or work to support the digestion and integration of life events
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a clearer map on where in your body live undigested memories, and where lie your strength and resources
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simple practices and tools to support regulation in yourself and in the relationship with others
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more awareness about your own patterns of stress, protection and adaptation, and to the ways these patterns can show up in relationships and and life in society
Constança Morais is a somatic therapist, life-dance teacher and founder of Release — Embodied Arts Association. She is moved by a deep faith in life’s intelligence and awe for how it operates through our individual and collective body-minds. In her journey, the maps created by incredible pioneers such as Gabrielle Roth (5Rhythms), Joanna Macy (The Work that Reconnects), Anna Halprin (Life/Art Process) and Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) took her far and deep and opened many inner doors, as did her Vipassana practice and her studies at Tamalpa Institute and Associação Brasileira do Trauma. The learnings from relating with amazing human beings in communities around yoga, authentic movement, contact improvisation and conscious dance were also as important. In the heart of her work she likes to nurture freedom, community… and hope.
DEEP ANATOMY, AWARENESS AND TOUCH
Howard's classes will focus on...
....
Integration time
This course-retreat will be composed of (more or less) 60% guided practice in group, 10% theory and 30% free time for self time and integration.
Open space to rest, relax, reflect and create will be an important part of our days. We have a beautiful forest nearby, a cozy living room with a fire on and a studio with paiting and collage materials.
Daily Flow
In the first day we will arrive at 16h and in the last day we finish after lunch. For the rest of the days, we will roughly follow this structure:
8h - 9h Contemplative Dance Practice
9h - 10h Breakfast
10h - 12h Class with Constança and/or Howard
12h - 14h Self-time in Nature and/or Art Studio
14h - 16h Lunch & Rest
16h - 18h Class with Constança and/or Howard
19h - 20h Dinner
20h - 22h Free space for music, games, storytelling, dance, rest
The venue
This immersive workshop will happen at SerVivo, a lovely community-held venue that could not be a better fit for this work. Surrounded by the beautiful nature of Arrábida National Park, this special place has a great wooden studio and a cozy living room with a wood-burning stove , perfect for integrating and sharing sweet moments during the breaks.
Plus, it is close enough from Lisbon (30 - 40min) to give those who live there the chance to sleep at home. It also offers very affordable accommodation in bunk-bed dormitories for those wanting to offer themselves these days to go all-in (alternatively, there are airbnbs nearby if you want more privacy). See more information about accommodation below :)
Practicalities
Workshop Fee
The earlier you register, the less you pay. We have three pricing tiers:
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First Slot (10 places) = 560 €
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Second Slot (10 places) = 580 €
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Third Slot (10 places) = 600 €
Discounts on workshop fee:
- 10% discount applies for current members of the Release Embodied Arts Association whose annual membership fee is up to date. Not a member yet? You can become one by quickly filling in this form.
- 15% discount applies for students or people in situation of unemployment (send us an email to request this discount)
* these discounts are not cumulative
Accommodation Options
You have different accommodation options (price for 3 nights):
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Your home (if you live nearby) = 0 €
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Bunk bed in dormitory at SerVivo = 50 €
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Own tent / caravan at SerVivo = 40 €
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Airbnb or other nearby accommodation = find something that fits your budget :)
Note on staying at SerVivo:
- Dormitories are shared with up to 8 people. We cannot guarantee gender-separated rooms.
- Showers and toilets are accessed via outdoors.
- The facilities are simple, but you can count on clean spaces, fresh sheets and warm showers ❤️
Recommendations on alternative accommodation at a 5-10 min drive from SerVivo (price for 3 nights):
- Albani Hostel (dormitory or twin room) = 59 € - 237€, breakfast not included
- several AirBnb options = from 160€, breakfast not included
- Pousada Castelo de Palmela (twin bed room) = 333€, breakfast included
* Uber works well in the area and is quite affordable (5€ - 7€ from SerVivo to your accommodation)
** Booking and arranging accommodation outside SerVivo is entirely the participant's responsibility. Release Association has no formal partnership with any of these places.
Meals
To make this course more accessible, we chose not to contract a catering service. This means that each participant will help preparing lunch/dinner and help with kitchen clean-up at least once during the course. You will not have to miss any class for that.
The contribution for the meals for the full duration of the course-retreat will thus only cover the food costs:
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all meals = 50€
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only lunches = 30€
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bring own food from home = 0€
Getting to SerVivo
SerVivo is located 30-40 min drive from Lisboa, 15min from Setúbal and 5min from the town of Palmela.
We will share with all participants a ridesharing sheet so you can connect rides! You can also reach it easily by train/bus + a short uber ride.
It is also quite easy to take an uber from Lisbon airport, and it costs around 35€ - 45€.
>> Google maps location here
Registrations
Book your place by filling up the form at the link below!
For any questions, write us to releaseembodiedarts@gmail.com
Freequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
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