I wanted to attend her Up & Down workshop with Elia Mrak in August 2018, but fear of the unexpected, uncertainty, and the unknown held me back. But when I turned 50 in November the word that arrived to carry me through my 50th year was FREEDOM. I knew right away that I had to let go of this fear and resistance. I HAD to go to Vancouver in December and attend Up & Down. Fear be damned!

From the moment I walked into the workshop I experienced an overwhelming sense that I had arrived home. It was quite emotional for me. Have you ever known that you needed something different, weren't sure what it was, continued searching and then when you finally found it felt like it was like finding a long lost friend who knew your deepest darkest secrets and loved you unconditionally anyway? Irene and Elia's workshop was the beginning of my true journey home to myself. My path to FREEDOM.

Having literally lived the first 45 years of my life in my head, I have really struggled with grasping the concept of embodiment. It wasn't until Irene and Elia's Up & Down workshop that I truly understood and experienced embodiment that resonated deep in my bones. With the playful exercises Elia and Irene facilitated AND their common sense yet scientific explanations, an embodied knowing clicked for the first time. From this place I became aware of what living in true vitality FEELS like. All I want is more!!!

Irene and Elia create the safest container I have ever experienced to do some pretty profound work. Thanks to them I am now enrolled in Peter Levine's Somatic Experiencing Training Institute and am also learning from Kathy Kain and Steve Terrell (the work of Somatic Practice).

It's like once you've found the golden ticket you want to share it with the world, and support others in unlocking their own path to freedom.

Irene and Elia are both experienced facilitators and hold space with powerful presence and ease. They rapidly created a sense of singularity among the group through movements and orientation. The space was safe, curious and exploratory. This combination of location, container and facilitators created a powerful opportunity.

I am a very active male, practicing yoga, Tai Chi and I am bodily aware. My own experience was that of exploring the movements within my own body. Finding the subtleties and nuances. Moving into more places of holding and tension that could be gently felt, and in doing so, relaxed. The combination of guided movement and free movement allowed me to explore my body in new ways. In doing so I was able to move into physically stored unprocessed emotions and create a greater sense of freedom within my physical form.

The exploration of boundaries allowed me to explore where I ended and where the earth began. I also could explore my relationship with other humans through movement, and a deeper sense of connectedness emerged as the weekend continued. I experienced a greater felt sense of Universal life force running through. I also became more aware of my physical body, and how this life force could support me.

After the event it took me several days to fully integrate the experience. I felt quite tired, and this was an indication that I had moved and shifted a lot. Subsequently I have a greater amount of freedom of movement and awareness. I feel more grounded and at the same time flexible. I came away with a great set of tools to continue this practice and expansion. I practice the techniques daily.

I would highly recommend this workshop to anyone seeking to improve physical, mental and spiritual health. All ages and outlooks can experience a greater sense of self and other through this beautiful process. The value and quality were excellent.

My biggest take away:

"How we move is how we think, and the mind is in the brain and the body!"

There's so many specifics I could say about my experience, and yet it seems my words fall short of truly describing what it was like. In short, my body has never felt so free and my heart has never felt so interconnected - two things I cherish greatly. The balance between Irene and Elia's shared wisdom, guidance and invitation for self-exploration was so masterful. It completely fulfilled my desire to learn sustainable ways to re-connect to the deeper layers of my authentic capacity while increasing my whole-self wellness.

Beyond my pursuit for immersions as a wellness activist I vulnerably arrived at the workshop with exhaustion, grief, overwhelm, PTSD, and a general feeling of disconnect from Self. I share this because in no time I felt safe, supported, and comfortable to share in and explore my dis-ease. I was continuously reminded of what it means to surrender and coexist as a physical being, so there was a deep letting-go and acceptance that took place personally for me over those days. So much of the stubborn tension in my body literally melted away and my joints felt like well-oiled machines that had a range of motion far beyond what I had been working towards in my yoga practice for years. Other profound nuggets are that I re-established my relationship to gravity by accepting it's presence and learning how to work with it instead of fighting against it. My relationship to the immediate and extended environment suddenly became a tool for grounding and being more embodied, rather than the stressful place my body started perceiving it as since my traumas.

Tying it all together, my unique exploration of the mind-body connection has been so liberated since. I was gifted the ability to sense the origin of so much of my discomfort, while on so many levels, learning how to find resolve in the simple movement practices, guiding principles and joyous free-flowing explorations that Up & Down covered.

Like I said, I can't wait to continue this journey in the next one.

Thank you so much Irene and Elia. Your dynamic is such a gift.

I was new to the practice of feldenkris, and really resonated with the principles. They made total sense in my body and saw so many ways that I could apply them in a variety of forms and activities. As someone who facilitates yoga classes, it has given me new awareness and tools to instruct mindful transitions between asanas.

Elia and Irene were such an amazing team, and ooze with their passions for movement and making a difference in the world. Each brought their unique perspective, expertise and flavour to each movement which added depth and dimension to the teachings.

The second time participating I came in on a different level. My rheumatoid arthritis had gone into a giant flare and though I had started to unravel stored emotion and was feeling more emotionally connected my body still had other ideas. I was worried about weight bearing on my hands and getting up and down from the floor and being on my feet a lot (problems I'd never had to consider before). But the movements are so personal that I could still fully express myself even in my less mobile state. I found myself enjoying being quieter in the group and not "trying" so hard. I found the support of others in the room to bolster me and inspire me to be authentic when sharing with the group. I even cried in front of the whole group- something I've never done in my life. And though I was embarrassed at the time, later I was proud of my new vulnerability. There is a strength that comes from working with the softness of our hearts and mine was no different.

The workshops have been a beautiful condensed leaping point to embrace a new way of being in the world. They have left me forever changed and with brilliant nuggets of skills to move forward. I'm deeply grateful to Irene and Elia for sharing their knowledge so freely and emphatically.