Rising in the Body - Somatics: Movement & Embodied Ecology
The practice - Location and fees
Rising in the Body - Somatic Movement BMC® & Embodied Ecology
Playful, and spontaneous outdoors* explorations of the living, ever-changing landscape of our bodies and surroundings. Together, we nurture a collective awareness, allowing movement to flow naturally and intuitively.
During this 2 hours session we will have a playful, creative and nourishing time. We engage with somatic movement practice (BMC®), exploring our relationship with gravity, anatomy, and the environment . Through these experiences, we aim to cultivate ecological embodiment, and a shared sense of community rooted in our connection to the natural world. Our approach is centered on creating a safe, welcoming, and inclusive space for all.
A caring space where we listen deeply—both inward and outward experiencing our bodies and natural environments as continuous, relational living systems (Ecological embodiment). It’s a joyful journey that contemplates the spontaneous flow of life and our interconnectedness within the web of ecology and community.
In this term guests Daniela Polic (Ecologist, PhD at Linnéuniversitetet ) and Dia Karim (Somatics and Healing Arts Practitioner) will join us. They will share their practice and co-facilitate the sessions with Monica.
I am very excited about this summer offering, a very special term created in collaboration with Daniela and Dia unfolding as a shared journey.
With Dani, we will explore processes such as metamorphosis and phenology—observing the recurring rhythms of life in plants and animals—guiding us to attune to the natural world’s subtle signals
With Dia, we will delve into themes of emergence and belonging, nurturing a deeper connection to ourselves and the ecosystems we are part of.
Each session stands on its own, welcoming you to drop in whenever it feels right, yet we invite you to consider booking the full term to immerse yourself fully in this interdisciplinary exploration of self and surroundings. To encourage this, we offer a special gift: if you book five sessions, one will be on us. :)
Join us on this journey of growth, awareness, and interconnectedness!
*If the weather becomes disruptive, we can use the indoor space (Studio).
Quote from participant: 'Really enjoyed the mixture of structured/ led movement and free flow. The overall structure of the 2 hours worked really well, allowing us to connect with ourselves and feel safe and comfortable before beginning to explore shared touch and movement, and connect with each other. Thank you for facilitating this special space and gently guiding us! The session just felt really enriching'
Attendance is by advance registration only.
Please kindly email Monica to reserve your place: imprevistodanza@gmail.com.
Fees are offered on a sliding scale to accommodate different possibilities:
£16 – £20
If any of the fees are affordable for you, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us to receive a subsidised space. email imprevistodanza@gmail.com
Please notice do not pay at the Centre's card machine.
If online payment is a problem please contact me we can arrange for you to bring cash on the day, arriving few minutes early to register for the session.
Looking forward to seeing you there!
If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.
love
monica
About the session
With a focus on awareness and creativity, anyone is welcome to deepen their connection with their body and experience the joy of movement. Sometimes, with eyes closed, lying and moving on the ground, use vocalisation and visualisation techniques or hands-on touch (if preferred) to meet and explore our relationship with our anatomical structures and body systems. This creative process allows us to explore movement, space, our own creativity, while relating to others and the environment.
Throughout this journey, we apply movement approaches rooted in Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen’s Body-Mind Centering® , engaging with the body’s living systems and consciousness in an embodied exploration.
With Dani, we will explore processes like metamorphosis and phenology—meaning we will observe and learn from the natural patterns and cycles in plants and animals that repeat over time. Through gentle movement and embodied awareness, we will tune into these subtle signals from the natural world, helping us feel more connected to its rhythms and learn to move in harmony with them.
With Dia, we will focus on themes such as emergence and belonging, using movement as a way to explore how new aspects of ourselves come into being and how we find our place within the bigger picture. This embodied approach will deepen our sense of connection to ourselves and to the ecosystems—both natural and social—that we are part of, facilitating a sense of rootedness and flow.
With plenty of opportunities for reflection and exploration, these sessions can help to support the body-mind agility and resilience, and develop our sense of embodied ecology. During the sessions we are all responsible for creating a safe and inclusive space where everyone feels welcomed and comfortable. This session takes a person-centered approach, integrating personal processes with the offered exploration.
Please wear comfortable clothes and layers (including waterproof ones, something we don't mind if it will get a little muddy) to adapt to the possible changes in weather. If the weather becomes disruptive, we can use the indoor space (Studio). Feel free to bring your water, snacks, and a notebook if you'd like to make notes or draw during the session.
It would be great if we could arrive a few minutes before the session begins, to ensure we can start on time and make the most of our time together. Thank you very much for your cooperation!
Please come through the main door, someone or myself will be there to open the door. If the door is closed please ring either the STUDIO bell.
Brief descriptions of each session:
31st July: with Dia and monica we explore emergence and lineage through embodied writing and movement, connecting with cellular fluids and early movement patterns. Together, we nurture intuitive movement and collective awareness within the natural environment.
14th August: With dani and monica we engage in practices of metamorphosis, attuning to the rhythms of life through breath and movement. This session supports personal transformation and ecological resonance.
28th August: Focus on belonging and spiral movement to deepen your connection to yourself others and the more-than-human. Facilitated by Dia and monica, it cultivates rootedness and embodied integration.
11th September: Align with natural cycles and phenology throgh yielding and reaching, supporting spinal fluids and embodied resilience. Led by Dani and monica, this practice facilitate attunement to life's subtle rhythms.
25th September: Participate in a collective practice lab on shared exploration and embodied awareness. Dani, Dia, and monica together facilitate space for deepening community connection within the web of ecological life. Optional and if collectively wished it will be a small sharing - gathering with friends and family of participants.
Body-Mind Centering® and BMC® are registered service marks of Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, used with and permission.
The Body-Mind Centering® (BMC®) is an approach to embodied movement and consciousness, it is an ongoing, experiential journey into the alive and changing territory of the body. The explorer is the mind - our thoughts, feelings, energy, soul, and spirit. Through this journey we are led to an understanding of how the mind is expressed through the body in movement.' by Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen
Facilitator
Daniela Polic (she/her) is passionate about nature and loves sharing her enthusiasm in order to create a deeper connection with our ecological environments. She has a PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology with a focus on biodiversity, and has been practising Somatic Movement for 6 years. Dani has undergone training in two Somatic Movement Education (SME) modules at the School for Body-Mind Centering (BMC®). As a mother of a two-year-old daughter, her current practice mainly consists of dancing and jumping around with her toddler and exploring nature together, while trying to make as much space for conscious movement as possible.
Dia Karim (they/them) co-creates somatics & healing arts spaces for individuals, community groups & social justice organisations, that celebrate the wisdom & alchemy of marginalised experiences and hold us through feeling & rest & play, so we can embody our visions for collective care. The kind of healing they're committed to moves us beyond the edges of our own bodies, into our relationships with beings, land, systems, ancestors, descendants, time, cosmos and and and.
Dia's practice invites courageous-soft exploration through somatic sensing, intuitive movement, creative expression, story & ritual ~ following curiosity, being with what’s here, and playing with possibility.
monica de ioanni (she/they) dance artist, performance-maker, Somatic Movement-BMC®️ Therapist, PhD Environmental Science, is a dedicated , educator and advocate for movement and environmental awareness. Mother of 12 y.o. daughter and dance artist, she creates and performs in both the UK and internationally, engaging in artistic-environmental projects within the community. Monica continuously expands her understanding of the body, voice, rhythm, and ecology, striving to develop multidisciplinary and inclusive approaches in the performing arts and education. Professional member of the International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association (ISMETA - https://ismeta.org/) and Body-Mind Centering® Association BMCA .
Links to monica's work and website:
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