"I had the pleasure of getting to attend one of Laurie’s Authentic Relating playshops. The experience and the venue were very restorative for my nervous system. Connectivity through a delicious winding path of interactive games and movement expression experiences lead me to a very open and receptive creative space. So restful. So good. Highly recommend. Amazing facilitation." - Lily

Are you desiring a safe space to see and be seen, to hold and be held? To show up authentically with a colourful range of human beings? To cultivate skills that will greatly improve and strengthen your interpersonal relationships?

Embodied Relating is an immersive training in connection skills. Throughout the day, we will sharpen our capacity to verbally and physically communicate with deeper awareness of our bodily sensations, allowing us to weave richer, more truthful, more loving connections with one another.

You are invited to a gorgeous secret location in Pakawau, Golden Bay, for a very special one-off full day workshop this February. Come explore your curiosity, vulnerability and boundaries through a journey of deep, meaningful, playful communication and contact games.

You are likely to walk away with a profound sense of well-being, a remarkable connection to your body and an experiential toolkit that you can use right away to make every part of your life even better.

WHY is this training unmissable?

The connection skills you will practice include:

⭑ Listening to your body and the subtleties of sensation
⭑ Expressing yourself more authentically, through words, movement and touch
⭑ Empathising deeply with another’s human experience
⭑ Tuning into what your body really desires and empowering yourself to make requests
⭑ Setting boundaries that honour yourself, and gracefully receiving the boundaries of another
⭑ Welcoming and befriending the full spectrum of your emotional reality, including the uncomfortable partsI look forward to welcoming you into a beautiful container that is sure to inspire you to step further into the kind of life you truly want.

WHO is this training for?

Essentially, this training is for you if you’re a curious, open, emotional human being and want to learn to better work with these superpowers to both enhance your interpersonal relationships and enrich your self love within. This training is also for you if you’ve been recently feeling blocked, anxious, lacking purpose or direction, and need to reground and remind yourself what's truly important and who you truly are.

My experience includes working with Highly Sensitive People (HSPs); neurodiverse people; people suffering from anxiety and depression; people going through major life shifts; and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

If you have any questions about whether the event would suit you, pop me a message and I’ll get back to you within 24 hours.

WHAT will actually happen?

Activities will explore relating, movement and physical contact, with and without words and vision, through the nourishing practices of Authentic Relating, Somatic Experiencing, Movement Meditation and Conscious Touch.

Authentic Relating is an interpersonal meditation. It is the practice of listening and speaking in deeper awareness of our present moment sensations, curiosities and boundaries, allowing us to weave richer, more truthful and loving human-to-human connections.

Somatic Experiencing helps us explore the connection between our bodies and minds, facilitating the integration of our physical, emotional, and psychological experiences. Developed by world-leading psychotherapist Peter A. Levine, this method has been shown to significantly improve the lives of those living with PTSD and other stress disorders. By exploring the body in certain intentional ways, we can release deep rooted blocks, creating a greater sense of ease and well-being. Step into the now and into the new.

Movement Meditation is free-form journey of authentic bodily flow. It invites you to surrender to what is arising in your body when deeply in connection with music, inducing a natural state of ecstasy.

Conscious Touch is the practice of bringing full attention and presence into relating physically to another person. In deeper awareness of our desires and boundaries, we will explore the many layers and dimensions of non-sexual touch.

We will use blindfolds in many of the activities to invite you into deeper connection with your physical sensations and internal reality, unblocking your inhibition so as to reveal your truest essence.

Together, we will create a rich container to explore the many layers of our human experience, to invite loving, consensual touch, and arrive more deeply into present moment awareness. Through these enriching practices, we can understand and celebrate the treasures of interpersonal relating, as well as connection to self.

WHERE will it be?

The event will take place at a secret location in Pakawau, Golden Bay, NZ. Details will be sent out to ticket holders a few days before the event.

The SPACE HOLDER

I'm Laurie (he/him), a queer British-Kiwi who’s current home-base is Wellington. My passion is creating spaces that cultivate healthy, thriving human-to-human relationships, helping people take off their masks, feel their sensations and celebrate their aliveness on Earth. Since 2019, I have organised and facilitated hundreds of Authentic Relating, Dating and Embodiment workshops in Oceania and Europe.

My training includes The Embody Lab, Authentic Revolution, Connection Institute and Positive Intelligence. I have facilitated at internationally acclaimed festivals such as Stretch, and organisations such as ART International.

My workshops have sparked thousands of nourishing connections, turning many strangers into life-long friends. I look forward to holding space for you!

For more information, check out itoiauthenticrelating.com.

Laurie has previously offered numerous sell-out Embodied Relating workshops in Amsterdam, Berlin, Boulder, Portland, San Francisco, Melbourne, Wellington & Auckland. Now, for the first time ever, it's coming to Golden Bay! Here's what others have said:

“This was a game changer for me. I'm blown away on a daily basis as to how easy communicating and relating has been since doing Laurie's incredible workshop" - Andy

“Thanks to this workshop, I was able to let go more than ever before, and really let in non-sexual, loving, supportive touch. Thank you to Laurie for offering another step up the mountain of growth & healing” - Samantha

"Laurie's approach to mix Authentic Relating with conscious touch and movement is very interesting. Theses complementary practices made me feel more whole and deeply connected with others. Laurie is also incredibly kind and I felt safe, warm and welcomed from the start" - Benjamin

"This day swelled my heart full of love, trust, openess, vulnerability, excitement, desire" - Lente

"I felt so deeply and beautifully seen, heard and held by everyone in the group, and that was in large part because of Laurie's gift of facilitation" - Megan

"The exercises in Embodied Relating allowed for me to center myself in heartspace - free to be held by others in love and in my own experience while also able to hold them in their experience. It’s a perfect space for co-regulating and exploring relationship to others" - Justin

"I live with complex PTSD and anxiety so in the past I have really struggled to open up to people and build meaningful connections. Discovering these workshops has been a life changer and both my therapist and I are thrilled with how my confidence has blossomed in recent months. Laurie's time and generosity really means the world to me" - Sarah

HOW MUCH will I invest?

$129 - Low income ticket
$159 - Medium income ticket
$189 - High income ticket

Spaces are limited so book early before it fills up!

Why are tickets sold by income?

In order to make the event as accessible as possible, there are three ticket types available. It is up to you to decide which ticket you purchase, depending on your own feelings about your level of disposable income and how much you would like to contribute for the event.

If you would really like to attend but do not have the funds for the lowest ticket option, please get in touch and we can figure something out!

Practicalities:

Where: The event will take place at a secret location in Pakawau, Golden Bay. Details will be sent out to ticket holders a few days before the event.

When: Sunday 23rd February, 10am to 5pm.

Dresscode: Comfortable clothing that's easy to move in. Please bring a blindfold as some activities are blindfolded.

Food: Tea & snacks are provided. Lunch will be potluck style.

Refund policy: Full refund if cancelled three weeks or more before event. 50% refund if cancelled up to one week before event. No refund if cancelled less than one week before event.