Rising Rooted: A Retreat for Women With Ruby May Exploring the Embodied Activism of Living Cyclically

In a world that feels increasingly chaotic and fragmented, whatever new story and new systems we long for, our body plays a critical role in both our ability to navigate these times, and the role we individually and collectively play in creating a better future. In our quest to respond to the challenges we face, many of us are aware of the temptation to adopt strategies that come from the same paradigm and disconnected ways of relating, that created the very mess we find ourselves in.

Faced with such a sense of urgency, we can forget that, as Adrienne Maree Brown says “it is urgency thinking (urgent constant unsustainable growth) that got us to this point, and that our potential success lies in doing deep, slow, intentional work”.

Through guided meditation, gentle bodywork, somatic practices and play, we will embrace the ‘Yin’ principle of life and practice slowing down, cultivating our curiosity and sensitivity in listening to the inspiration and guidance of our bodies:

*How does the story of separation live within our bodies and how can our body-connection support our sense of interdependence and unity with life?

What would life be like if we experienced ourselves ‘being’ a body, rather than ‘having a body’, and how can our body awareness support us to dismantle the ways that oppressive systems live within us?

What could listening to the cyclicality of our wombs reveal about wholeness and balance and how does that relate to activism, self-care, creativity and supporting the emergence of new systems?*

The danger of the cultural movement towards ‘wellness’ and ‘mindfulness’, is that we simply learn to resource ourselves so that we can continue business as usual. Let’s come together as women* who care deeply for the well-being of our planet and each other, who wish to experience life beyond the disconnection and scarcity that we’ve been ingrained with.

Through taking a step out of life, coming together in shared intention and focusing on how we relate to our own bodies, we can explore systems change from the ground up.

It is this time precisely, when the seeming darkness and chaos are bringing a collective death all around us, to tap into our life force to create new life, to respond to the call of evolution and become the bearers of new life. The power to do this requires we slow down, befriend our bodies and listen deep within; the joy and inspiration to create is activated through the liberation of eros – our creative life energy. This power is the same power that makes a seed blossom, same life force carrying nutrition from the roots of a tree to its fruits, same nectar the bee carries from a thousand flowers to her hive. It is the wisdom of the cycle: rooting deep into ourselves and our connection to life, and rising into inspired action, out into the world!

“and i said to my body. softly. ‘i want to be your friend.’ it took a long breath. and replied‘i have been waiting my whole life for this.”
– Nayyirah Waheed

This Retreat Will Include:#

• Guided meditations & gentle yoga from Christabel & Ruby Reed
• An introduction to Menstruality: the biological, psychological and spiritual aspects of the female body in its cyclical nature
• Embodied explorations into our relationship to the different phases of cycles
• Authentic Movement to free the body and explore the relationship between the principles of Yin & Yang
• Working with the circle as a way of harnessing our collective wisdom and speaking our truth
• Playful investigations into our inner critic and our inner tyrant
• Learning about the nervous system, stress, collective trauma, self-regulation & co-regulation
• Voice-work connecting with the womb
• Somatic practices for self-resourcing
• Guided bodywork exchanges to explore the activism of pleasure, and deepen our self- and shared connection

LOCATION:#

42 Acres, Witham Friary, Frome, Somerset, BA11 5HL, UK

DATE & TIMINGS:#

February 27th – March 1st 2020

We will start with dinner at 19:00 on Thursday February 27th.

Please arrive latest by 18:00.

We will end with lunch at 13:00 on Sunday March 1st.

Investment:#

£295 or £395
Paid by direct bank transfer or PayPal