Women's Earth Dance Retreat
Love being out in nature?! Love to dance?!
Join a spirited community of women and bring these two magical forces together!
This daylong retreat is for you if you are curious about bringing your dance/movement practice to the outdoors. Even if you are new to conscious dance and movement, we encourage you to join us. This will be a safe space held with the spirit of exploration, depth and play.
Nestled in the wildlands of Point Reyes National Seashore, the Commonweal Garden is a sanctuary for the body and spirit. We will spend the day breathing in the vitality and nourishment on this peaceful land, bringing our bodies home to their natural rhythms through movement and nature-based practices.
The flow of the day:
~We'll begin the morning with several activities that will connect us to our bodies, each other and the earth. We'll sit in circle and create space for each woman to voice her intentions, dreams and prayers for the day.
~Anna Swisher, who is experienced in Journey Dance and Authentic Movement, will guide the movement portions of the day. These will be guided explorations of intuitive movement, designed to get you out of your head and into your body. There is no right or wrong way to do it. The practices invite you to wake up in your body, come home to yourself, and let go of the things that keep you from moving the way you want to in the world.
~ After we have warmed up our bodies and shaken things loose, you will step through a sacred threshold into solo time with the earth. This is a precious and powerful opportunity to open to the natural world as a mirror and medecine. You will be safely prepared for this time.
~Upon your return, we will come back to our circle and each woman will share her experience. The leaders will guide several activities that will draw out the wisdom and gifts of each woman and will inspire steps for carrying the gifts of the day into your life. We will close by harvesting the gifts and wisdom, and offer guidance for integrating these gifts into your lives.
You can count on a bit of song, laughter and food sharing too!
Leaders
Amy Biesemeyer, MFT has been an Ecotherapist since 2004 specializing in transformational women's nature journeys. She also leads trainings in Somatic Ecopsychology and Wilderness Quest Guiding. 5Rhythms and Open Floor Dance has been a personal practice and love for many years and she is thrilled to be bringing this element to her nature work! Click here to learn more about Amy.
Anna Swisher is a wilderness and rites-of-passage guide, youth mentor, and certified Yoga Teacher and JourneyDance instructor. She holds an M.A. in East-West Psychology from CIIS, and spends her time facilitating wilderness quests and camping trips with teens and adults, dance journeys, yoga, meditation, ritual and ceremony, girls' and women's groups, retreats, and workshops in nature. Anna completed the Somatic Ecopsychology Apprenticeship Program with Amy and has gone to guide Yoga in nature retreats. She is passionate about using the natural wisdom of the body and the Earth to connect with the truest sense of self. Read more of her story and see her work here.
We will be joined by apprentices, all experienced in this work. So you will be well supported!
What Women Are Saying
"The day provided me with an opportunity to drop into a deep place within myself, listen to my body, and listen to the messages from the Earth. I found it to be nourishing and rejuvenating, and I am grateful for having the opportunity to spend the day with so many beautiful women. I found the small group councils really powerful for being seen and heard for where I am on my journey. I gained insight to next steps for healing on my journey and deepened clarity about my purpose. Thank you for a beautiful and memorable day!" ~Sylvia Hartowicz
"Thank you Amy and Anna for hosting such a magical daylong! I am so honored to have had the opportunity of connecting with such amazing women in one of the most beautiful places on earth! I felt the day had such a perfect balance of time together and solo time. It was a deep experience that allowed my system to slow down and to connect with my heart and body as well as with the natural world in such a focused and playful way. It was truly a healing experience that continues to have a ripple effect. I felt so incredibly safe that layers of self-consciousness, fear, and old wounds diminished, allowing spontaneous and organic movement, words, and impulses to emerge with grace, humor and sweetness. I am very appreciative for the assistants, Monika and Jana, as they so wonderfully held space for us and enriched the experience greatly with their wisdom and warmth. I look forward to future Earth Dance Retreats, and until then I will keep dancing and letting the gifts I gained from our day out in Bolinas to enrich and resource both my professional and personal life." ~Natalie Harvey
“My daughter and I attended together as we are preparing for the big transition of she going to college. It was a deeply delicious and sacred experience and a memory we will keep in our hearts for ever. The work we did in collaboration with the land and the other women was healing, nourishing, and inspiring. Thank you!” - Kathia Laszlo
"The Earth Dance Retreat was a cocoon of love, connection and Earth wisdom with amazing guidance from Amy and Anna. What an amazing day with other women, and with the beauty of the land. My experience left me feeling nurtured and filled up, with a new found clarity for the next steps of my larger vision. I also drew together some wonderful pieces of integration from a previous vision quest with momentum toward future Ecotherapy training and experiences woven in." ~ Audra Grady
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