Feeling electrified to start bridging my leadership studies with embodiment and healing work.
I've been asked to facilitate a workshop for local Ventura County Business Women at Breathe Ojai. After some contemplation, I came up with the idea/title of Embodied Feminine Leadership; this is something I've been percolating on for many years now, writing grad school papers on it, etc.
When: September 28th from 5:30-7pm.
What: "Playing boss babe is v 2020. In 2022 and beyond, we are focusing on bridging passion with instinct, true collaboration, and empathy. An embodied leader is one who sits behind while other voices (especially historically marginalized) speak and then makes sure they are heard and taken care of when necessary, without accepting any accolades. Good leadership is rooted in mutual trust and respect. Today's leaders are flexible, creative, and reasonable. We rest unapologetically and rise to any occasion when it's aligned with the highest truth. This hour and a half workshop type class offers an opportunity to explore these ideas through movement and rest; we end with quiet time to journal and a final optional sharing of your insights in our contained, intentional environment. Be prepared for slow, gentle movement followed by 10 minutes of writing with optional sharing."
Who: "Francesca Gold (she/her) has been preparing for this role since she was in high school when her human rights and social justice pursuits began. As an undergraduate studying Psychology, Philosophy, and Public Policy and Leadership, she observed how fellow leaders would burn out after using strong emotions to drive their message and not caring for themselves properly. As a graduate student at Loyola Marymount University, she explored embodied leadership through the lens of modern transnational yoga culture alongside her Sanskrit, cultural, and health science studies. She also served on the Committee on the Status of Women during her graduate degree studies and taught an undergrad class on Yoga.
After 13 years of teaching and living solo in India off and on for two years, Francesca opened Breathe to serve as a hub to explore self-inquiry, elevate conversations about what it means to be a good human, and offer academic opportunities for those wishing to further their knowledge of yoga, meditation, and everyday wellness. Francesca works as a Clinical Yoga Therapist through the International Association of Yoga Therapists and holds her Master of Arts in Yoga Studies. She's been facilitating 'Embodied Self Knowledge' retreats at the Krishnamurti Foundation in Ojai for a decade. She is a former competitive artistic roller skater and has been teaching roller skating in Ojai, Ventura, and Santa Barbara for ten years."
♡ I hope you will join us in a few weeks! Link to sign up.
What will we actually DO??
After our brief introduction to the space and one another, we will engage in somatic, bottom up (from the body, not through cognition) work. Generally speaking, this means you will tune into sensations in your body and spend time listening in a quality way and staying with the sensation as opposed to engaging in thinking about the sensations or describing them. You'll be guided into some gentle stretches that aim to invite a greater range of motion into the joints and to increase synovial fluid. This type of moving will encourage freedom and flexibility physically and mentally. You'll be prompted to inwardly explore what comes up for you on subjects such as charging what you're worth, investing in yourself (financially, time and energy wise, etc),taking up space, using your voice, and other topics related to entrepreneurship from a feminine perspective. Of course this work is possible to do alone, you might practice once or twice on your own prior to our meeting if you wish to see what may already be present within your psyche. We complete the inward exploration with writing in order to solidify thoughts; putting pen to paper can assist in slowing down the minds habits of jumping around and bring further clarity. There will be an optional group sharing portion to conclude our evening together.