Workshops

In a culture that (over-)emphasizes the functions of the mind (reasoning, analyzing, problem solving, etc.), it can be hard to be aware of the body and sense the valuable information it is telling you.

Inspired by my training in Somatic Experiencing™, this workshop invites you to wake up your ability to sense and listen to your body’s primal language: sensation. Through gentle prompts and exercises you will come into your body and experience a sense of physical presence.

When we practice embodiment, we cultivate greater self-awareness, which allows us to:
* Develop clarity so we can make aligned, intuitive decisions,
* Create healthy boundaries because we have a better sense of what feels good and what doesn’t,
* Understand our own needs and tend to them with greater self-compassion,
* Foster deeper connections with others, the world around us, and the Divine Source (or however you like to refer to such energy).

While this workshop draws on my experience with Somatic Experiencing™, a modality known for healing trauma, this workshop is not intended to address trauma or work with trauma.

“Weeks after the retreat has ended, it continues to resonate powerfully. With each day’s series of exercises, I became more attuned to nature, more attentive to my body’s sensations, and increasingly conscious of my own creative process. Emma and Brooks created a balanced, relaxed sense of camaraderie with opportunities for deep personal exploration. I returned home feeling more engaged with my life – with valuable insights into my creative process and a renewed desire to make art.”
~ Karen S.

“The whole event loosened me up, by having been given strategies and practices to get out of my head, and into my senses and body awareness to then draw and paint uninhibitedly, and being less encumbered by expectation. The natural setting in which this retreat takes place is magical, engaging and relaxing. Emma and Brooks created a well thought out curriculum for development allowing for customized approaches for individual participants. I am looking forward to the next retreat.”
~ Erik S.

Emma Schurink is passionate about guiding people to tune into their intuition and embody their authentic selves so they can live meaningfully and connect deeply with others and the world. She is an empowerment coach and an embodiment facilitator, certified in spiritual and life coaching. She is also in her second of three years of training to be a Somatic Experiencing™ Practitioner. Emma is also a charcoal artist and loves to work with her hands. Emma resides in Searsmont, Maine where she works with people one-on-one and in groups.

Brooks Frederick is a community educator and visual artist motivated by the poetic depiction of light and color. His artwork can be found in private and public collections across the globe. Brooks has facilitated workshops in the United States and France for 20 years, assisting artists to develop studio strategies that encourage growth and confidence. He currently teaches both at Adelphi University and privately, and maintains an art studio practice in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.

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We are like fire: without tending to our personal needs, we burn out or sometimes, unintentionally, cause harm to ourselves and/or others.

In a culture that promotes overworking and pleasing others, it’s hard to allow permission to tend to ourselves. When we give beyond our capacity, we easily feel stressed, exhausted, and spiritually drained. But when we tend to our inner fire and find balance, we feel energized and inspired. We are even able to nourish healthier relationships with others and the world.

In this workshop, through prompts, exercises, and dialogue you will:

1. Tune into your intuition for clarity around your needs
2. Clarify your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs
3. Identify what beliefs are limiting you from tending to your needs
4. Brainstorm self-care practices that feel nourishing to you
5. Create healthy boundaries to protect your well-being

I will offer guidance throughout and encourage you to dig deep, get concrete, and help you find your own answers.

It’s not often we’re asked questions like, what are you longing to experience in your life? What could you do to inspire purpose, belonging, and joy in your life?

In the first part of this two-part workshop, we’ll explore questions like these. Through guided visualizations, exercises, writing prompts, and dialogue, you will tune into your intuitive voice and explore how you want to spend your time and energy in this next phase of your “one wild and precious life.” You’ll articulate self-identified steps and goals to begin making your vision a reality.

During the second session of the workshop, we will check in about any milestones you’ve reached—big or small—and what continues to block you. I will offer my guidance throughout the two-part workshop and encourage you to dig deep, get concrete, and help you find your own answers.

When you’re living a life you’re excited to wake up to, you have more energy, patience, and love to give. Tending to yourself is a gift to you as well as your community and the world.

Join Madeline and Emma in one of the most radical forms of love: the courageous embodiment of the creative life. With wisdom gleaned from the story of the Star Gazer, “unblocking experts,” and our creative journeys, we will inspire deep understanding of your own stories around creativity, guide you to move through limiting beliefs, and support you in tending to a creative project that you’ve been longing to show up for.

• • The False Stories We are Told – breaking the enchantments cast by others
  • The Lady in the Dream – receiving what you already have within you
  • Courting Creativity – learning the steps to the dance
  • Surrendering to Trust – keeping steady as you travel the uncertain path

Let’s change the narrative by dreaming our way back into our collective and personal stories. Too often, we are told to stop giving our attention to the stars and come back to reality, but the stars are shimmering whether we acknowledge them or not. That wonder filled gaze may not be as naive as it seems. We might have more resources than we think we do, both around us and within us.

Our world is calling on us to dream big, dream from our hearts, and create from within. For two months, we will give ourselves and each other the space to dream and the affirmation needed so that we don’t stop at the dream state but create from that place of deep knowing. Common threads and new insights emerge when creatives and stories gather. Will you come with us?