retreats
Unbroken:
Wildness, Grief & Joy
Originally scheduled for May 2 & 3, 2020, this retreat has been postponed due to Coronavirus.
Join Jennifer Dopierala and Barbu Panaitescu for a two-day urban retreat where we explore and begin to dismantle the internal stories and structures that block our joy, in a space deeply rooted in embodiment and love.
Come sit with us.
We've all been raised with conditioning and unspoken, restrictive rules on how to be a “correct” human. Subsequently, we carry the grief of what we could be, what our community could be and what we've lost, in a way that is hidden and dismissive. This layer of grief can damper our capacity for joy and the full expression of ourselves and our wild, unrestricted natures, and our ability to find freedom and ease in our lives.
What if we could honor our grief in community, allowing it to be seen
and allowing it to dance with our joy?
What if we could bring it out of the shadows so it was no longer a hidden restraint on
our behavior, but something to respect, process and release?
Experience a reconnection to your wildness that comes
from meeting your grief and honoring it.
Wildness is inherently kind.
It is life longing to live. It desires expression and places to move. It heals. It is unbroken, untamed. We are, by nature, wild. We long to feel unrestricted in our bodies and energy. We have internalized shame and conventions that prevent this, that we can access and bring out of the subconscious, whose impacts on our lives we can mourn. When we are able to feel this freedom and empowerment, our ability to honor boundaries and share our hearts becomes easeful and full of love.
What we'll be practicing
Embodied Meditation:
Using our bodies to work with our meditation, rather than against it, we'll explore the places that are ready to release and the places ready to burst with life. Meditation will be the foundation of our work together.
Time to Share:
We'll use both one-on-one and group connections as a way to process our discoveries.
Writing/Journaling/Creating Art:
Getting out of our conscious minds and into our subconscious,
where we can express and process freely.
Ritual:
Time for formal acknowledgment of what we have, what we are
letting go of, and what we are allowing in.
Joy:
Bringing in intentional movement practices for joy and expressions of wildness,
which will include a 5-rhythms-inspired dance practice. This can be
done laying down or sitting as needed.
The retreat will be offered at:
Balance Art Center
151 W 30th St, 3rd Fl, Manhattan
Saturday, May 2, 10am to 6pm
Sunday, May 3, 10am to 2pm
Please note this retreat does not offer food or lodging.
*Accessibility: Elevator. Sound amplification if needed. Chairs and cushions. ADA-accessible restrooms and access to water, microwave. We strive to create a space that is as inclusive and as accessible as possible. Scholarships are available. Contact us directly for this or other accessibility needs or questions.
**We recognize we are white, cis-gendered, able-bodied humans. We are working to dismantle our internalized biases and systems of privilege, and are actively looking and engaging with finding ways to weave this into our teaching. We believe in liberation for all beings and offer scholarships for BIPOC, disabled and other marginalized community members-and will do our best to hold the complexities of group dynamics in mixed spaces.