We learn to close off our hearts when we experience painful or hurtful emotions, as a child and as an adult. But really, we are all craving and desiring to be loved, held and seen through affection, joy and pleasure in our lives and with each other. Why wouldn’t we be? Love is just the best.
In this 3 hour guided workshop, we will be exploring matters of the heart through breath, movement, connection and sound. The breathwork modality we will be working with is the Biodynamic Breathwork. A holistic, trauma informed approach to breathwork incorporating 4 different somatic gateways of breath, movement, sound, and bodywork. Breathwork is transformational. It gets us out of the monkey mind and connects us into our body, this is where healing, connection and change can occur.
You will leave this workshop with some tools to help you move through grief, sadness, heartbreak, but also feel more open to receive and give love to the world. You will leave with a deeper understanding of your body, what is self love, what is it that your lacking in your heart to be fulfilled?
This workshop is for you if you:
Are traversing through grief of some sort, for example a break up
Desiring deeper connection with self and others
You and your partner are wanting deeper connection (come together)
Feel yourself closed off to the world
Hold a lot of tension in your shoulders, chest, upper back, neck and trapeziums
Seeking a new relationship and desiring to open yourself up more
Exploration of your inner knowing and spirituality
Personal growth
Healing of the heart
Clarity of your path and mission in life
Wanting to bring in some more self-love and compassion
What to expect:
We will begin by dropping into the space, moving the body and connecting with each other. An educational component of the modality will be next and then we will move into some movement and a breathwork session firstly guided and then you will have the chance for your own exploration. You can expect a safe and guided container for healing, exploration of self and your heart. Finally for integration, you will be guided into a meditative state and immersed with crystal bowls, chimes and a shamanic drum. Afterwards we will come together to share and close the space.
Matters of the heart aren’t always about grief and heavy emotions, depending on your intention, this could be a beautiful opportunity to take some time to connect with yourself deeper and feel immense unconditional love, joy and happiness that you have inside you. It could also be an opportunity to intend on gaining some insights on your path or mission in life through the gateway of the heart, rather than the mind.
No experience of breathwork required, just an openness to lean into an experience that could change the course of your life.
IMPORTANT: Please refrain from eating anything heavy within an hour or two prior to the session. Please also bring a journal + pen, water bottle and wear comfortable, warm clothes.
Contraindications:
There are some contraindications to participating in this work. The breathwork is not suitable for people under the age of 16, with epilepsy, chronic heart conditions, chronic asthma, and anyone pregnant in their first trimester and some mental health imbalances including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder.
Please also note that there can be times of emotional release which may come through loud sounds, tears, loud laughter, so if you feel this may impact you throughout the workshop then a private session may be more suited to your needs at this time. (feel free to be in touch to discuss).
It is highly recommended to keep the remainder of the day free from too much stimulating activity or commitments.
About your Facilitator - El @_eluminate
El has traversed through numerous adversities from childhood through her teenage years. Without any education or awareness of how traumatic events impact emotional wellbeing and everyday life, she went on to University to study Outdoor Education and eventually achieved a managerial position in Outdoor Education, where she reached a pivotal moment necessitating change.
Whilst she was making an impact working with students and teachers, her experiences included emotional outbursts, uncontrollable anger and frustration in stressful situations, alongside avoidance tendencies and numbing emotions with substances. Despite career success, she felt unfulfilled and sensed a deeper calling in life. Facing nervous breakdowns, panic attacks and toxic relationships, El embarked on a healing journey that led her to discover the transformative power of breathwork and somatic therapy.
Now, El is dedicated to creating healing spaces using somatic approaches—breath, movement, sound, and touch. She offers compassionate, intuitive guidance through a blend of these elements, along with emotions and meditation tools, to release physical blockages, regulate the nervous system and connect people back into the wisdom of the body to foster holistic wellbeing.
Things to note:
Centre of You has plenty of bolsters, blankets, and cushions for you to get cosy with. We recommend wearing comfortable, loose clothes to enable deep breathing and sitting/laying upon the floor with ease. A journal is recommended as are any familiar personal items that will aid you in feeling grounded (crystal, teddy, scarf, etc).
Personal responsibility: Please make an assessment on whether you are feeling stable and resourced enough to explore the practices on offer in this event.
Arrival: Endeavour to arrive between 1:45pm - 2:00pm. To preserve the experience for all involved, doors will close at 2:15pm. Truly, it breaks our heart to have to turn latecomers away yet the disruption to the whole group experience by virtue of lateness does require management. We ask that you find understanding and consideration for the timebound nature of the container and make every effort to arrive on time.
Driving: Centre of You is located upon Chapel Street and while you may get lucky with an untimed spot, (try High Street) predominantly 1 and 2 hour parking is available (unmetered from 5pm). So you can fully settle into the practice, we suggest you avoid the need to move your car or risk a fine and park at the CARe multilevel carpark (8-14 King Street Prahran), a 140-metre walk from COY. 3 hours parking will be charged at $6.90.
Public transport - tram: Both the number 6 tram & 78 tram stop on the corner of High St/Chapel St. This is stop 31 on the number 6 tram (Moreland/Glen Iris) & stop 45 on the number 78 tram (North Richmond/Balaclava).
Public transport - train: Both Prahran & Windsor stations along the Sandringham Line will get you walking distance to Centre of You.
Finding Centre of You: Centre of You is nestled within the arcade that Chapel St Bazaar is in (217 Chapel St). It is up a flight of stairs with a wide landing at the half-way-point. Unfortunately, this current version of Centre of You does not have a wheelchair accessible lift. If you could use support in getting up the stairs or would like to discuss ways to make your experience at Centre of You more comfortable, please reach out via grace@centreofyou.com.au or via DM over on Centre of You Instagram.
Accessibility: At COY we aim to ensure our community and events are inclusive and accessible while alongside upholding the needs and responsibilities of our business and the businesses of our collaborating facilitators. Should you be in a time of financial challenge and unable to pay the full ticket price comfortably, please reach out to grace@centreofyou.com.au
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/no transfer to future events policy. We kindly ask that you respect our policy.
If you are no longer able to attend and wish to pay forward your ticket to someone within the community, be in touch via grace@centreofyou.com.au or via DM over on Centre of You Instagram.
Questions? Email grace@centreofyou.com.au or reach out via Instagram DM.
Tickets: $75.00 super early bird, $85.00 early bird, $95.00 general exchange.