We all deserve to feel safe in our bodies and in the world, no matter who we are or where we go. When we can say "NO" with confidence and power, we can also say "YES" with depth and fullness, too, and step into a life shaped by our boundaries and desires.

This workshop combines physical & verbal skills for self-defense with a holistic lens. We will explore boundaries & connect to our inner power through dynamic play and practical tools for personal safety. An introductory workshop to empowerment self-defense presents strategies and skills for awareness, self-defense, and healing that will support participants to experience their daily life with greater confidence and freedom. It is also fun, empowering, and unflaggingly feminist.

• Open to all levels, no prior experience or particular fitness level is necessary.

• This workshop is designed for women, non-binary folks, and anyone who identifies as LGBTQ+.

the methodology:

Empowerment self-defense (ESD) is a violence prevention methodology that combines: physical (martial arts) and verbal strategies for setting and defending boundaries; role plays and simple tools for assertive communication; trauma-informed practices for healing and self-awareness; and guidance to define and communicate a clear “No” and “Yes” to move through the world with less fear and more freedom.

your instructor:

Toby Israel is the founder and facilitator of Mujeres Fuertes Costa Rica, an empowerment project dedicated to bringing tools for holistic self-defense to as many people as possible. She’s passionate about the potential of Empowerment (or Holistic) Self-Defense to bring healing and freedom to both individuals and communities. The project was born in 2019 and has since reached thousands of people across Costa Rica, Central America, and North America. Toby became certified as a Level 1 Empowerment Self-Defense Instructor in 2018 with ESD Global, an inspiring organization and methodology developed by female martial artists and violence prevention experts over the last 50 years. She went on to earn her Level 2, 3, and 4 certifications in 2019 and 2020, and in 2021 became the first instructor in the world to receive full Global Certification through ESD Global.

Toby is a passionate movement artist, writer, editor, and traveler. Her first book, Vagabondess: A Guide to Solo Female Travel, was published in 2020.

I hope you will join me for this intimate and inspiring opportunity that we have with Toby while she is in Vermont.

$75/ticket Spaces are limited.

Please note that BBSA offers sliding scale pricing contact liesje@beingbodysomaticart.com to apply.