What if touch could be an offering, rather than an expectation?

What if you could discover how to listen to what your body actually wants, not what you think you should want, and have the space to honour it?

The Human Forest is a consensual, devotional touch experience, exploring the art of giving, receiving, and being present with one another.

This is a space to slow down.

To listen deeply.

To feel your boundaries from the inside out.

To discover what happens when we stop performing connection and start actually experiencing it with our bodies.

Through loving, non-sexual touch, we explore presence, trust, play, and the quiet alchemy of being witnessed. There is no need to be impressive, experienced, or good at touch. You just need to be curious about what it might feel like to let yourself be held, and to discover what you’d genuinely love to offer in return.

The Human Forest

Imagine a room full of people becoming an ecology.

Some of us are trees. Some of us are critters.

The trees receive. The critters offer.

We begin with a grounding circle, some connection exercises, and an introduction to the Human Forest framework, so we have a shared language for consent, boundaries, and how we want to move together.

From there, we enter the Forest.

Half of the room begins as trees, blindfolded, receiving loving, devotional touch from the other half, the critters. Everyone has the opportunity to experience both roles, twice.

Within the Forest, communication is non-verbal. This gives us a chance to listen in a different way. To notice the smallest signals. To discover how much can be communicated through a hand, a pause, or a breath, or the gentle movement of a body saying, yes, this feels good! And how much freedom there can be in a body saying, not that, thank you!

Experience the magical transformation when our no is honoured as a full sentence.

This workshop is not about getting it right. It is about becoming more available to what is actually happening and being with the present moment.

A little more about the experience

Human Forest is a space for consensual, devotional, non-sexual touch.

A space to explore the difference between I think I should like this and oh, I actually really like this.

A space to practise receiving without needing to give something back.

A space to give without needing anything in return.

A space to discover that boundaries are not the opposite of connection. They are what make genuine connection possible.

There is no ongoing expectation. No pressure to connect with anyone in a particular way. No requirement to be touched, to touch, or to feel anything in particular.
You are welcome to be curious. You are welcome to be cautious. You are welcome to discover that something you thought you wanted is not actually for you. And you are welcome to change your mind.

Who is this for?

Human Forest is for anyone who is curious about the experience of consensual, non-sexual touch.
Whether you are coming on your own, with a partner, or with a friend, you are welcome here.
All ages, all gender and sexual orientations, you are welcome here.
You might be someone who loves touch and wants to explore it more consciously.
You might be someone who finds receiving a little challenging.
You might be someone who is curious about what it feels like to be cared for without having to perform, please, or give anything back.
You might simply be someone who has been spending a lot of time in their head and would like to come home to their body for a while.
You do not need to have any particular experience with touch, dance, embodiment, or spirituality.
You just need to be willing to explore, to honour your own boundaries, and to participate in creating a space where everyone else can do the same.

Boundaries

There is no kissing, no fluid exchange, and no chest or genital touch.
You may wish to remove clothing items as the evening progresses, underwear must remains on at all times.
The Forest is a space for curiosity, presence, and loving connection. It is not a space for pursuing sexual or romantic interactions. Participants who know each other - especially those in romantic relationships - are asked to follow the same agreements, rules, and etiquette of the space as everyone else while the event is running (e.g. no kissing your lover in the Forest). This helps avoid confusion about what is and isn’t appropriate and supports the integrity of the container.
Given the nature of this workshop, we ask participants to take personal responsibility for assessing whether they are feeling emotionally stable and resourced enough to engage with the practices offered. If you have a history of trauma related to touch, we strongly encourage you to reach out beforehand so we can thoughtfully explore whether this offering feels supportive for you at this time.
Participants are required to arrive on time. This event is full and juicy. To honour the end time, we need to start on time.
Device free space.

A little note on personal responsibility

Human Forest is an invitation to explore, but it’s also an invitation to listen to yourself. Given the nature of this workshop, we ask you to check in with yourself and consider whether you’re feeling stable and resourced enough to explore the practices on offer.

If you have a history of trauma related to touch, we encourage you to reach out to us beforehand. We’d love to thoughtfully explore with you whether Human Forest feels like a supportive offering for you at this time.

In the event, everything is an invitation and there is no pressure to participate, and no particular experience you need to have. The most important thing is that you feel able to honour your own boundaries and make choices that feel right for you.

What might you experience?

Sometimes, when we slow down enough to actually feel ourselves and root into our heart space, a lot can move.

You might feel joy. Tenderness. Playfulness. Sadness. Grief. Trust. A sense of being supported. A sense of being more connected to yourself, or to the people around you.

You might feel nothing particularly dramatic at all. You might simply enjoy being touched in a way that feels good. There is no particular emotional experience you are meant to have. The intention is to create a space where you can explore what is present, at your own pace, and leave feeling that your experience was respected.

About your facilitator: Shlomit- @Mitty.Merkaba

Truth seeker. Dancer. Rebel. Purveyor of pleasure.

Open hearted, and open minded, a life long lover of movement and connection. Mitty is passionate about creating spaces where people can explore their edges, honour their boundaries, and discover what it feels like to be more fully themselves. Her work is rooted in the belief that self-trust is a practise. Mitty brings an embodied playfulness that gives others permission to soften and let their full expression be welcomed and seen.

Shlomit is the founder of Solthenticity, a space for exploring authenticity, embodiment, and the art of building an authentic life your soul remembers.

She also offers 1:1 devotional bodywork and coaching, creating spaces for loving touch, presence, and a deeper relationship with the body and the self.

Mitty hosted the Human Forest at Centre of You (COY) for 2 years. She is back in Australia for a short time offering this one off event for the community to gather and remember the joy of being alive!

Ticketing T&Cs: We get it, life happens, therefore we will gladly refund you up until 24hrs before the event start time. After that, we have a strict no refund, but you may wish to pay the ticket forward to a community member.

Questions? Reach out to Solthenticity@gmail.com

Contact the host of Human Forest- Consensual Touch & Embodied Connection Workshop Melbourne.