Collage by Erica Ross

Sundays with the Muse

Sunday October 4 - November 29, '09  2:30-5:30pm 
Dovercourt House, 805 Dovercourt Rd., 3rd floor, Toronto 

Pay-What-U-Want, Come to any or all.

Sundays with the Muse is a collaborative series of experiential workshops lead by 9 women for the enrichment of the body, mind, heart & soul of a woman.

Each workshop is valued at $60; however, you get to ‘Pay-What-U-Want’ at the end of each workshop, with absolutely no minimum and no maximum, and no deposit. Your word will be honoured. This is as good as it gets!

See below for details and register NOW to reserve your spot (with each individual faciltator).   

October 4- ‘Moon Goddess’ with Yoga Goddess, Zahra Haji

Celebrate the magic of being a woman with meditation, yoga and the wisdom of the moon.

 

Moon Goddess is a yoga and meditation class like no other. You will learn a simple and gentle practice that will add vibrancy to your life, help you improve your relationships, enhance your physical and spiritual wellbeing, and connect with the Divine Feminine.  Come play with the Goddess energies of the maiden, mother, enchantress and wise-woman - energies that will encourage self-love, creativity, joy and serenity in your life - not to mention that gorgeous yoga glow!

 

Zahra Haji is a trained and practiced yogini inspired by the Goddess Ixchel to reconnect women to the Divine Feminine. Through the wisdom of the moon, kundalini yoga and meditation, Zahra guides women to discover the rich, treasure-filled sanctuary of inner-self. Currently Zahra is a Sessional Lecturer in the University of Toronto’s Buddhism, Psychology and Mental Health Program. She offers women-centred courses and retreats through her business ‘Yoga Goddess’.

 

For more info contact Zahra at iam@yogagoddess.ca  416-901-4032 www.yogagoddess.ca

  

October 11- ‘An Introduction to Authentic Movement’ with Gennie Brukner

Explore a practice of embodied presence that will help you become deeply connected with yourself through the use of movement and sound in the presence of a witness.

You will be invited to close your eyes and open up to your inner landscape of experience; then to move and sound spontaneously (which can include stillness and silence) out of this relatedness to yourself. Authentic movement can be great fun, deeply moving, and powerfully restorative.  It can help you to shake off the bindings of inhibitions and self-consciousness, whether inherited or self-imposed, and free you up to commune with your essential self.

 

Gennie Brukner has trained for three years at the Authentic Movement Institute in Berkeley, California.  She has also done some training with Ruth Zaporah in Action Theatre, Emilie Conrad Doud in Continuum Movement, Charlotte Selver in Sensory Awareness and Nina Martin in Ensemble Improvisation.  Her work is always informed by her meditation practice.

 

For more info contact Gennie at gbrukner@gmail.com  416-531-0288

  

October 18- ‘Biosync-Rhythm for Balance and Wellbeing’ with Guiomar Campbell 

Balance your body, mind, heart and spirit in playful and relaxing explorations of meridian stretches, yoga, Brazilian drumming, biodance and self massage.

 

Guiomar will take you on a fun, relaxing and uplifting journey of instrument playing, yoga, mantras, affirmations, self-massage and creative dance. You will learn techniques and tools for self-observation of your internal rhythm as well as for the overall improvement of your health. This workshop is designed to bring balance to the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels of your body. Bring water, yoga mat, paper and pen, and a positive attitude.

 

Brazilian native Guiomar Campbell is a percussionist and singer. She leads the Toronto-based group, Parabolica, built on a foundation of Afro-Brazilian folk rhythms, bossa nova, samba and jazz. Guiomar is the creator of Biosync-rhythm movement, a technique that synchronizes body’s natural rhythms through creative dance, drumming and yoga. She is also a shiatsu therapist and acupuncturist, with a clinic in Yorkville called Lotus Shiatsu Therapy.

 

For more info contact Guiomar at guiomar@lotusshiatsutherapy.com 647-428-7200 www.lotusshiatsutherapy.com    

October 25- ‘Awakening Aphrodite’ with Erica Ross

Awaken the pleasure and joy of being female through the Dance Our Way Home practice of free-style movement, relaxation and guided imagery.

 

Aphrodite, Goddess of love and devotion, was born from the sea of creation. This workshop is a rare opportunity to dance an awakening of your own inner Aphrodite, in a gently guided, safe and sacred female space. Connecting with Her essence is a pathway to inspiring more fluidity, delight, sensuality, vitality and emotional healing and trust. Come find pleasure and power in your body, soften your heart and mind, share your joy, and become Aphrodite embodied! Wear something sensuous, bring a mat or blanket, and water bottle.

 

Erica Ross is a dancer, artist, DJ, mother and traveller. She has been in the arts for over 30 years. For the last 10 years she has been facilitating women’s workshops and groups; following her bliss/soul-calling to share what she knows to be true, to support women in the realization of their magnificence. Erica’s work is informed by her love of humanity, mystery, earth and the Divine Feminine. She is co-founder and director of Dance Our Way Home and co-founder of The Move Dance Collective.

  

November 1- ‘Honouring the Wisdom of Our Ancestors’ with Caro Cloutier

Claim your ancestral gifts as an exquisite resource, in a sacred ceremony of expressive art-making, dreaming, journeying, journaling and sharing.

 

Would you appreciate reconnecting to your Self, the earth and to your ancestors, in a safe and sacred space? As medicine for the SOUL, Caro will expertly and lovingly guide you in a ceremony where you will reconnect with the untold wisdom of your ancestors. You will unearth and bring to light the gifts held for you as a way to access more understanding of your soul’s journey. This is an opportunity to claim and embody these ancestral treasures as a resource for wholeness, healing and radiant truth.

 

Caro Cloutier B.A., dipl.EXAT, is a practicing expressive arts therapist, energy medicine practitioner, and past Board Member of the Ontario Society of Psychotherapists. She invokes sacredness and healing experiences by engaging participants to rekindle their sense of play, creativity and self-expression.  Caro's expressive arts therapy is inspired by drama, visual art, movement, toning or sounding, storytelling, text, symbolism, mythic mapping and ceremony. Caro has brought this work to many, including St. Joseph's Immigrant Women's Centre, Trinity Hospice and Gilda's Place. 

 

For more info contact Caro at caro@carocloutier.com 416-554-0939 www.carocloutier.com

  

November 8- ‘BellyLaugh: The Yoga of Laughter’ with Valerie Moysey

Ignite your joy, using playful practices from around the world and experience laughter as the sacred thread that aligns your mind, body, and spirit.

 

Valerie loves to laugh. BellyLaugh: The Yoga of Laughter was borne out of a desire to share the contagiousness of silliness and laughter in community. Studies show that children laugh 300-400 times a day whereas adults laugh 10-15 times a day.  If you would like to have fun and experience the healing power of laughter, then this is the workshop for you. Everyone is welcome! Exercises are inspired by meditation practices, cooperative games, and the worldwide laughter movement.  Please wear comfortable clothing and bring two blankets (or blanket and yoga mat) and a pillow.

 

Valerie Moysey B.A., CST, LMT has been facilitating classes, workshops, and ongoing practice groups for six years. She places a high value on creating a comfortable and non-judgemental environment in which to explore and learn. Valerie's workshops are 'hands on' as she believes that experience is the best teacher. Valerie spent ten years working in social services.  She currently works at sweetgrass spa practising holistic body work, sound healing and leading workshops with an emphasis on the mind-body-spirit connection. 

 

For more info contact Valerie at vmoysey@gmail.com 416-538-9222 (please call before 9pm) 

November 15- 'Healing Sound Circle' with Nan Keyser 

Celebrate your sacred self in a healing circle of women, inspired by sounding, chanting, movement and journalling.

 

Come experience this unique opportunity to feel the power and gentleness of a women's healing circle.  Through sounding, breathwork, chanting, movement and journalling, you will be both receiver and giver of sacred healing, connection and expression.  Nan Keyser, and her beautiful and soothing voice, will inspire and support you in your own healing journey, tapping into the richness and potency of Divine Feminine sound medicine. Bring a journal and pen, and blanket to lie or sit on.

Nan Keyser M.Ed, OSP is a psychotherapist in private practice who has been a compassionate facilitator of the healing and expressive arts for over 15 years. She is a clinical member of the Ontario Society of Psychotherapists and has trained in body-centered modalities such as bioenergetics, sensorimotor psychotherapy, movement, chanting, and yoga. Nan is co-founder of Dance Our Way Home and The Move Dance Collective.   

For more info contact Nan at nankeyser@gmail.com 416-534-0655 www.expressivehealing.com 

 

November 22- ‘Introduction to Capoeira for Women’ with Lang Liu
(Professora Estrelinha)

Experience the beauty and exuberance of the Afro-Brazilian art form capoeira, an intriguing blend of dance, martial art, music and ritual.

 

This workshop is a gentle introduction into the fascinating and rich world of the Afro-Brazilian martial art, capoeira.  With origins reaching back to the brutal world of slavery in colonial Brazil, capoeira incorporates elements of African, Indigenous and European cultures. The hypnotizing and joyful music, the camaraderie of the circle, the circular and powerful movements, all lead the body and senses to an experience that is both grounded and deeply spiritual.

 

Lang Liu has been practising capoeira for over 13 years.  She has taught capoeira in Toronto for over 7 years and recently founded the 'Filhos de Bimba Toronto' school of capoeira, whose mother school is based in Brazil under the guidance of Master Nenel, son of legendary Master Bimba.  Lang is currently writing a thesis at the University of Toronto based on her experiences of capoeira as an embodied form of knowledge with the potential to transform lives.

 

For more info contact Lang at langmliu@hotmail.com www.baviaarts.com

  

November 29- ‘Diving for Love’ with Michelle Tocher

Recover the magic of storytelling for spiritual health and artistic growth.

 

Travel with an enchanting storyteller to the mythical islands off the coast of Hawaii, and listen to the poignant fairy tale of Hiku and Kewelu—a love story about the loss and recovery of the feminine soul, which is also at the root of the practice of the lomi lomi massage. Michelle Tocher will guide you into the undersea world of the story, where you will dive between the lines for your own soulful insights. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to be fed by the power of a tale richly told. Bring a journal to write in, and anything you might have that invokes the magic of Hawaii.

 

Michelle Tocher is an author whose writing and storytelling courses help people to find meaning and healing through imagination, metaphor, fairy tales and myths. Her many books include How to Ride a Dragon: Breast Cancer Survivors Tell Their Stories, Brave Work: A Guide to the Hero’s Journey at Work, and most recently, The May Queen, a poignant novel about love, life, and fairy tales.

 

For more info contact Michelle at michelle@michelletocher.com
416-516-6644 www.michelletocher.com