Coming Home to Your Body - Somatic Day Retreat
Description
What would it feel like to spend a day experiencing your body - rather than thinking about how it looks?
Coming Home to Your Body is an intimate somatic day retreat by The Human Gallery, created to explore body image beyond appearance.
So much of our relationship with our bodies is shaped by how they look, how they're perceived and whether we believe they're acceptable. For one day, we're stepping away from that.
This retreat is an invitation to experience your body as something you live in - something that moves, feels, connects and carries you through the world.
There is no expectation to love your body. You don't need to feel confident, know how to dance or have any experience with somatic practices.
Curiosity is enough.
Rather than moving from workshop to workshop, the retreat unfolds as one continuous journey, held collaboratively by four experienced facilitators.
Through movement, music, connection, creativity, reflection and The Human Gallery's intimate approach to portraiture, you'll be invited to explore your body in different ways - without pressure to reach a particular outcome.
There is no "right" way to participate. Move, rest, connect, spend time alone, create, be photographed or don't, share or simply listen.
Coming Home to Your Body is intentionally open to all genders. Body image isn't something experienced by one gender, age or body type.
Whether you feel at home in your body, disconnected from it, are learning to accept it, navigating changes, or are simply curious about experiencing it differently - there is space for you here.
Held by four women, bringing four practices into one experience
Katharina Thoma - Founder of The Human Gallery
Katharina is the founder and photographer behind The Human Gallery, a project exploring body image, vulnerability and what it means to feel at home in our bodies. Her work combines intimate portraiture, personal stories and shared experiences to create space for people to be seen as they are. Throughout the retreat, she will weave The Human Gallery into the experience through reflection, connection and an optional intimate portrait experience.
LadyFem - Somatic Dance DJ
LadyFem is a soundscape creatress crafting multi-genre musical journeys that guide bodies into different forms of movement and expression. As a dance-floor activator and container creator, she uses sound to invite people beyond familiar patterns and into fuller, more authentic expression.
Jody Brown - Somatic Dance Facilitator
Jody has spent years exploring and facilitating embodiment and inquiry practices that deepen our ability to know ourselves. Her work lives somewhere between somatic devotion, ancient knowing and "oh wow, I did not expect to feel that today." A lover of depth over noise, presence over performance and connection over everything, Jody creates space to soften, explore and stay curious.
Sonya Lyn - Sharing Circle Facilitator
Sonya Lyn, The Quiet Mage, is a Soul Coach, Sacred Circle Facilitator and founder of SisterMoon Women's Circles, with more than two decades of experience holding space for self-discovery and deep listening. She brings a steady, gentle presence to honest sharing, witnessing and reflection around how we see ourselves and what can emerge when judgement begins to soften.
Come as you are.
This is an intentionally small and intimate retreat, creating space for genuine connection while allowing you to follow your own needs throughout the day. Everything is opt-in. Consent and choice sit at the centre of the experience.
No pressure to perform. No pressure to share. No pressure to love your body.
Just an invitation to get curious about what it might feel like to come home to it.
🫶 Better Together
Coming with a friend, partner or favourite human? Book 2 tickets together and automatically receive 10% off both tickets. No code needed.
Agenda
- 10:00 am - 11:30 am
Arrival & Coming Together
Arrive, settle into the space and connect with the group. We’ll begin gently with grounding, introductions and an invitation to arrive in your body.
- 11:30 am - 12:30 pm
Somatic Movement & Dance Journey
Guided by Jody Brown with a live sound journey by LadyFem. Explore movement, sensation, expression and connection in whatever way feels right for your body.
- 12:30 pm - 2:15 pm
Shared Lunch & The Human Gallery Experience
We’ll come together for a relaxed bring-a-plate shared lunch. Please bring something to contribute to the table, along with anything specific you’d like for yourself. This is also a spacious part of the day to eat, rest, connect and explore, with optional creative and reflective experiences including art, body exploration, quiet spaces and mini Human Gallery portraits.
- 2:15 pm - 3:45 pm
Meditation & Sharing Circle
A guided meditation followed by a gently held sharing circle with Sonya Lyn, creating space to reflect, witness and integrate what has emerged throughout the day,
- 3:45 am - 4:00 pm
Coming Home
We’ll come back together for a simple collective closing, allowing time to notice what you’re taking away from the experience.
- 4:00 pm
Retreat Ends
The agenda is intentionally spacious and may flow slightly differently on the day. Everything throughout the retreat is optional - you're always welcome to participate, observe, rest or step away.
FAQs
- Who is this Retreat for?
Coming Home to Your Body is open to all genders and bodies. You don't need to already feel comfortable or confident in your body - in fact, you may have a complicated or disconnected relationship with it.
You also don't need any previous experience with somatic practices, dance, meditation or sharing circles.
Coming Home to Your Body is strictly R18 and a child-free event.
The retreat explores body image, vulnerability, embodiment and connection in an adult space, and there may be partial or full nudity during parts of the experience.
All attendees must be 18 years or older.
- Will there be nudity?
There may be nudity or partial nudity during the retreat.
The Human Gallery explores the body without shame, and some participants may choose to remove clothing as part of their own experience, particularly during creative or portrait activities.
You are never expected or required to remove any clothing. You choose what you wear throughout the entire day, and everyone's boundaries and choices will be respected.
- Do I have to be photographed?
No. The Human Gallery portrait experience is included in your ticket, but participation is completely optional.
If you choose to participate, you decide how you would like to be photographed and what you are comfortable wearing. Consent and privacy will be discussed before any photographs are taken.
- What should I bring?
Please bring:
Comfortable clothing and layers
A water bottle
A plate of food to contribute to our shared lunch
Any additional lunch/snacks you specifically need for yourself
An open mind and curiosity
If you have dietary requirements, please make sure you bring something you know you can comfortably eat. Because this is a shared bring-a-plate lunch, we can't guarantee an allergen-free environment.
- Is this a women-only retreat?
No. This is an intentionally mixed-gender retreat.
Body image, vulnerability and our relationship with our bodies aren't experiences belonging to one gender. Part of The Human Gallery's work is creating space for different bodies and lived experiences to exist alongside one another.
To create a balanced group, tickets will be released across two ticket groups: approximately 50% for women and 50% for men, non-binary and gender-diverse participants.
This is about creating a genuinely mixed space where different experiences of the body can be explored and witnessed together.
- What if I feel overwhelmed or don't want to participate in something?
Everything throughout the retreat is an invitation.
You can participate fully, modify an activity, observe, rest, step outside or change your mind at any point. You never need to explain your decision.
The day is intentionally spacious, with room to take time for yourself when you need it. Our facilitators will help create a supportive environment where different levels of participation are welcomed.
There is no "right" way to experience this retreat.
Please note that this is a facilitated wellbeing experience and is not a substitute for therapy or professional mental health support.
- What is somatic dance?
Somatic dance is less about how your movement looks and more about how it feels.
There are no steps to learn, no choreography to follow and no expectation to be a "good" dancer. Instead, you're invited to notice sensations in your body and explore movement in whatever way feels natural to you.
Guided by Jody and supported by LadyFem's live musical journey, you'll be offered prompts and invitations to explore different ways of moving, expressing and connecting with your body.
You might move a lot, barely move at all, sit down, take a break or simply listen to the music.
There is no right way to do it - your body gets to lead.
- What is a sharing circle?
A sharing circle is a gently held space to reflect, listen and be witnessed.
Guided by Sonya, you'll be invited to share anything that came up for you throughout the day - thoughts, emotions, discoveries or simply what you're noticing in that moment.
The circle is centred around listening rather than responding. There is no advice given, no fixing and no need to comment on another person's experience. Each person is simply given the space to speak and be heard.
There is also no pressure to share. You're always welcome to pass and simply listen.
The intention is to create space for honest reflection, witnessing and connection.
- Is there a discount code?
🫶 Better Together
Coming with a friend, partner or favourite human? Book 2 tickets together and automatically receive 10% off both tickets. No code needed.
Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity
