Empowerment Self-Defense: Find Your NO, Live you YES!
In this immersive two-day empowerment retreat, we will investigate self-defense, healing arts, somatic movement, meditation and communication to explore, deepen and share our intrinsic inner strength.
We can't really say YES, if we can't say NO.
When we identify, define and communicate what doesn't feel good, what we don't want, we also begin to define the life we really want to live. When we free our NO, we also free our YES. We use a flexible and equitable pricing system with a suggested range of financial contributions. (See below for price options.)
Schedule
Subject to change according to the group's needs and flow.
Saturday, September 21
10am-1pm: Introduction to Empowerment Self-Defense
1pm-2:30pm: Lunch & Integration Time
2:30pm-5pm: Holistic Self-Defense as a Life Practice
Optional: Evening happy hour in Burlington
Sunday, September 22nd
10am-1pm: Yes to Pleasure: Healing & Connection Through Holistic Self-Defense
1pm-2:30pm: Lunch & Integration Time
2:30pm-5pm: Fighting, Writing, & Dancing for Healing: Closing Celebrations & Expressions
Cost:
We believe that empowerment self-defense training should be available to everyone! In the interest of accessibility, we choose to work with a flexible pricing model. Please contribute at the level that is accessible to you.
Suggested contribution: $125 - $300*
*If this range is not within your means, please reach out about scholarship and exchange possibilities.
About the Sessions
Introduction to Empowerment Self-Defense
Holistic Self-Defense as a Life Practice
Yes to Pleasure: Healing & Connection Through Holistic Self-Defense
Fighting, Writing, & Dancing for Healing: Closing Celebrations & Expressions
About Mujeres Fuertes Autodefensa (Women Empowered Self-Defense)
Mujeres Fuertes is a Costa Rican-based social business dedicated to supporting women, children, and all people to live lives free from fear and full of confidence. Our holistic self-defense methodology connects our participants with a sense of power, freedom and agency through physical skills, communication strategies, mindfulness practices, and healing arts and connection. We offer profoundly transformative experiences, with a unique perspective on self-defense, empowerment, and learning.
We work with various community, organizational and corporate allies to bring our holistic self-defense methodology to as many people as possible.
Toby's Bio
Toby Israel is the founder and facilitator of Mujeres Fuertes Autodefensa (Empowered Women Self-Defense), a Costa Rican born empowerment project dedicated to bringing tools for holistic self-defense to as many people as possible. She is passionate about the potential for Empowerment (or Holistic) Self-Defense to bring healing and freedom to both individuals and communities.
She is a Level 4 Instructor and trainer of trainers through ESD Global, holds the ESDP Credential from the Association of ESD Professionals, and an MA in Peace and Media Studies from the UN-mandated University for Peace, Costa Rica. Since 2018, she has reached thousands of people across Costa Rica, Central America, and North America with self-defense retreats and workshops, weaving somatics, mindfulness, conscious communication and healing modalities with empowerment self defense training. Toby is a passionate movement artist, writer, editor, and traveler. Her first book, Vagabondess: A Guide to Solo Female Travel, was published in 2020.
To register for this workshop, please contact Liesje at liesje@beingbodysomaticarts.com