Uncovering Authentic Self Series- An

|| WHAT: UNCOVERING AUTHENTIC SELF || WHEN: April 8 & 9, May 6 & 7, June 3 & 4, July 1 || WHO: Her or him, aged 18+ who is open to exploring, expressing and embodying their truth courageously. No prior experience in any Art modality of any kind is required || WHERE: Shoonya - Centre for Art and Somatic Practices || REGISTRATION FEE: Rs 13500/- 50% Shoonya discount available for artists/psychotherapists || REGISTER: https://www.instamojo.com/shoonya/uncovering-authentic-self-series-an-expressi/?utm_source=LBB&ref=lbbpost || THIS THIS EXPLORATION IS FOR YOU IF || > You find yourself at a pivotal intersection where you feel life should have more meaning and purpose > You are called to explore your deepest inner longings, even those you can’t quite name or understand > You voice feels stuck deep inside desiring to be released and set free > You are seeking to know yourself, be yourself and express yourself - fully - without inhibitions > You feel deeply emotional like a hurricane stuck inside - unable to hold space for yourself and others > You long to immerse in a living spirituality of being in body, sexuality and self > You wish to understand your masculine aspects better and long to reclaim, value and live the feminine aspect of yourselves, > Your creativity feels chained in the voices of your inner critic > And Most importantly, you are desiring deeply to step into, and stand tall as the person you were born to be || WORKSHOP SERIES - DATES & TIMINGS || HALF DAY WORKSHOPS: 10:30 AM - 1:30 PM 1. Sat Apr 8: Befriending the Inner Critic, 10:30 AM - 1:30 PM https://www.facebook.com/events/388031494900076/?utm_source=LBB&ref=lbbpost 2. Sun Apr 9: Exploring Boundaries, 10:30 AM - 1:30 PM https://www.facebook.com/events/1213461498750861/?utm_source=LBB&ref=lbbpost 3. Sat May 6: Exploring Life Narrative, 10:30 AM - 1:30 PM 4. Sun May 7: Releasing Negative Emotions, 10:30 AM - 1:30 PM 5. Sat Jun 3: Exloring Polarities and Beyond, 10:30 AM - 1:30 PM 6. Sun Jun 4: Unmasking the Shadow, 10:30 AM - 1:30 PM 7. Sat Jul 1: Conversations With The Body, 10:30 AM - 5:30 PM You can register for individual workshops or for the entire series. || ABOUT THE WORKSHOP || "Within each one of us is a secret garden: a place where our true self exists, It may be a garden of roses with many thorns, or a garden of exuberant wild flowers. It probably includes moldy and rotten tree stumps and some poisonous mushrooms. Whatever grows in the garden, it is all part of being human. It is all material that can be used in the creative process.” - Natalie Rogers, Creative Connection Uncovering Authentic Self is an offering of the She Stands Tall Project LLP and a journey towards wholeness in all aspects of who we are. It is a journey of unlearning, and relearning. It is a journey of bringing life into balance. The workshop series will provide you the opportunity to explore, and understand at a much deeper level the various aspects of who you are outside the many layers of ego, perceptions, identities, dogmas, conditioning, labeling, the “do”s and “don’t”s, and the “should" and “should nots” and more. The entire exploration moves through seven workshops spread across four months - April through July - with two workshops offered each month. Each workshop is based on a particular theme of engagement and can be attended independently. We have consciously created a gap of a month between a workshop pair so as to give new participants the opportunity to begin afresh as well as allowing existing participants the time to gain practical grounds with the learning of previous sessions so that when they return they are able to dive deeper into their own journey. We have also, synchronized the journey with the Upward Spiraling cycles of the Earth - spring equinox (Mar 23rd) through summer equinox (June 23rd) - a perfect time in the Northern Hemisphere when Earth is fully awakened, bountiful, colorful and flavorful in all her aspects, and Sun is shining bright outside! This will support and reinforce our journey to experience fullness and wholeness in all aspects - within and without. || THE WORKSHOP || "In many shamanic societies, if you came to a shaman or medicine person complaining of being disheartened, dispirited, or depressed, they would ask one of four questions. When did you stop dancing? When did you stop singing? When did you stop being enchanted by stories? When did you stop finding comfort in the sweet territory of silence? Where we have stopped dancing, singing, being enchanted by stories, or finding comfort in silence is where we experience the loss of soul. Dancing, singing, storytelling, and silence are the four universal healing salves." - Gabriele Roth, Author, Sweat Your Prayers This is the Core Essence of our work. We create and hold a sacred, open, safe space rooted in the feminine. It will give you the opportunity to step into your vulnerability and fearlessly investigate, re-discover, re-define, re-inform, and re-claim your relationship with body, sexuality and self in all its aspects. We begin and end every session with ritual and invocation, and always enter the workshop—in sacred space. We support every participant to locate and create the sacred arts that already live in her, from creative writing to drumming, from visual arts to embodied movement, singing to invocation making, and ritual creation. The main goal of our program is facilitating a Transformative experience based on a whole-person philosophy that is part of the pedagogy of the Women's Spirituality M.A program at the Institute of Traspersonal Psychology in Palo Alto, California, and it addresses six areas of development namely, the physical, emotional, intellectual/psychological, relational, creative and spiritual. All of these key elements of being human are folded into each workshop, so that a living breathing space of Spirit is created and within it - the expressive arts, the body, the participant and the interaction all become integrated and sacred. We incorporate a diverse array of practices including Visual Art, Sculpting, Drama and Improv, Voice reclamation, Ritual Making, Story Telling, Rites and Tools of the Wild Woman, Body Mapping, Creative Writing, Embodied Somatic Movement, Guided Imagery and Meditation, Breath-work, Gentle Yoga and more. Furthermore, You will be exposed to plethora of resources from phenomenal women spirituality scholars (Vicki Noble, Dr Judy Grahn, Dr Diane Jennet, Luisa Teish, Audre Lorde, Bell Hooks, Dr Clarissa Pinkola Estes and more), women's body wisdom, rites and ritual spanning different cultures, spiritual/religious traditions, and practices. It will be a life-transforming experience - without a doubt. We believe that when we as women and men begin to Stand Tall in the knowing of our body, sexuality and self as a source of our own power, we also, makes it possible for our family, community and the world to do the same. || TESTIMONIALS FROM PARTICIPANTS "She rose like a phoenix from the fire spreading her wings and flying high! Oh Yes! She got to know, She is no less than a Goddess." “To love myself completely was the best outcome of this workshop. To look into my eyes in the mirror and saying “I love you”. I have gained Myself. I have lost self-pity, shame, helplessness. I feel a new Power to go for the unknown and come out of my comfort zone. My heart has started ruling me" "I am emerging as a Woman with Voice!!" "I have evolved myself into a person who accepts the good and bad with lots of love. I am a Phenomenal Woman." "One of the most important things I gained is the ability to speak my truth in all situations. To be honest and authentic with myself, therefore providing the opportunity to be authentic in all my relationships. This has been sooooo profound!!! Like wow! I feel so free and complete to express any feelings and thoughts that may be keeping me from being authentic and I absolutely love this. I’ve also found by doing this, it gives those I interact with the permission to be authentic as well! Which is has overall deepened my relationships with those around me. " COST OF ATTENDANCE You can choose to sign up for individual sessions or sign up for the whole journey Each Half-Day Workshop (3 hours) is Rs 1800/- Full-Day Workshop (6 hours) is Rs 3600/- The Entire Journey is Rs 13,500/- (50% discount available to professional artists/students on individual workshop cost) || REKHA KURUP - THE FACILITATOR Rekha Kurup is a Bangalore-based Expressive Artivist, and Shakti Empowerment Facilitator from California. She is deeply passionate about women and girls standing tall in the exploration, expression and embodiment of their body, sexuality and self - fully, fearlessly and freely. She co- founded her company, The She Stands Tall Project, in Bangalore and today offers many workshops internationally grounded in Women-Centered Spirituality, Creative Art Facilitation and Indigenous earth-based practices. The pedagogy of her work is deeply grounded in the transformative learning model of her M.A in Women's Spirituality from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in Palo Alto, California in 2013. It focuses on six areas of development namely the physical, the intellectual/psychological, emotional, relational/social, creative and spiritual; and offers the opportunity to locate and create the sacred arts that already live within us from creative writing to sacred drumming, from visual arts to embodied movement and ritual creation. Through this creative arts-based experiential embodied work, balanced with scholarly academic content, her workshops offer practical tools and techniques which promote individual and collective healing, reflection, and self-authorization for participants and their communities. Within her M.A program, Rekha also, got the opportunity to learn from phenomenal scholars who were also activists, spiritual leaders and practitioners, artists, shamanic healers, embodied movement experts, Artists; women who were pioneers in the women-spirituality movement in the United States. Rekha Kurup's M.A research study is now a published book titled, Rising Daughter, Silent Mother and Fading Grandmother. It explores her own journey of reclaiming her body and sexuality through the wisdom of her matrilineal ancestry. She is also, a trained Creative Arts Facilitator by PYE Global's Catch The Fire Training. In 2015, she received the Vital Voices Fellowship for her work with She Stands Tall Project. More Recently, she completed her Diploma in the Expressive Arts Therapy from East West School of Counseling and Training in Chennai, and her project was Women Exploring Authentic Self with an expressive arts therapy container. Rekha is passionate about traveling, cooking, learning about new cultures, women’s spirituality and environment. She is also, an instructor of the Happiness Program, YES! and Art Excel program with the Art of Living Foundation. She moved back to Bangalore in July 2014 after living in California for 15 years, and now visits US annually to teach, facilitate and expand her teaching tools. You can email Rekha at rekha.gkurup@gmail.com, learn about her work at shestandstall.com and follow her work at https://www.facebook.com/sthreestandstall/?utm_source=LBB&ref=lbbpost