“At the intersection of WE and ME is a new kind of human. We are learning to be truly powerful as individuals while opening ourselves and expanding our ego structures to embody the motion of collectivity. We experience freedom in co-creation. In community, we come more alive.”
Community is a big part of what we co-create and cherish at our Winter Retreat. Each year we like to invite a guest teacher to deepen everyone’s experience. A big part of what makes our offering different than other events out there is the community of people we bring together as facilitators to hold space for our guests. The value of this collaboration is truly invaluable.
This year we are so lucky to have Teresa Reid joining us to lead a Conscious Dance session on Saturday morning. She is a true gift of a human, and I have had a number of opportunities to sit in circle with her as well as dance with her! The first time I met her was at a Dream Retreat we both attended as guests with Toko-pa in 2017, where I was immediately drawn to the way she noticed the Spring ephemerals at the bottom of the forest floor. She is attuned to the subtler forces of nature, a quality not preserved in many. The second thing I noticed about her was her grace and kindness held in her movements and speech, as well as her honesty and self-awareness. The way she shared herself opened something in the people who were present enough to listen.
Teresa and I recently ran into each other this past year over a series of meetings to deepen our work as facilitators who honor and face the crises of our time with open hearts. We sat in circle together with a shared elder, Kaia Svien as we went through her personal Work That Reconnects (WTR) training. The Work that Reconnects helps people discover and experience their innate connections with each other and the self-healing powers of the web of life, transforming despair and overwhelm into inspired, collaborative action. [excerpt from Joanna Macy, the founder of WTR]
Meeting each other on both sides of the pandemic—pre and post, we compared notes, and find ourselves yearning for more in person experiences that awaken ourselves to the basics. So much noise has taken hold of the wellness space, of our head, and heart space. Our shared desire to bring people together to be present to the times and the self, and each other remains true to our purpose. So it was a natural flow that we invite her to join us as our guest facilitator this weekend, as she aligns so much with what Christin and myself aim to embody as practitioners, teachers, and students.
We look forward to you meeting Teresa and experiencing for yourself what she shares with the world at our retreat. Through her teachings we all receive her love of movement in a way that allows ourselves to be more present and embody our own lived experience. Because her teachings come from her life, we all get to touch deeper into ourselves through the depth of her realization of the practice. Movement for Teresa is her sanctuary, and she offers “the joy of aunthentic expression” and the healing experience of the deep peace that results from “BEing in the body” through her classes, workshops, and 1:1 sessions she teaches.
At the retreat Teresa will share a transformative movement practice with us that activates the innate intelligence of our bodies and the season of winter for healing, self expression, and a return to wholeness. Together we will layer dance, music, and breath with intent and a co-creative partnership with the cosmic field of nature and our embodied experience. This offering will inspire, empower, and invite your wholehearted participation with life as an individual and part of a greater collective.
If you are still curious about what conscious dance is or want to learn more about Teresa, read on here or peruse her site to get a feel better for who she is.
Until then, please register soon to save your spot! Payment plans are available.
We cannot wait to see you <3
With love and a bow—until next week’s post~
Kali (written by), Christin + Teresa