Equinox Retreat - Sing to Spring!
Mark the return of the warmth and join Michelle and Brigite for full equinox day retreat as we gently unfurl from winter slumbers, breath a sigh of relief, awaken our voice's and sing into spring! Celebrate the change in seasons by tuning into the cyclical nature through a day of yoga, meditation and somatic breath & voice connection.
Why join the event?
Tune in to your cyclical nature & connect to the seasons. We will be celebrating spring equinox by marking the point of balance, both in the year and within our selves. We will emerge gently from that which we are leaving behind in the Winter and step into the light and warmth of the coming summer. We will create space for composting the last of last years winter leaves and nurturing our dreams and intentions for the summer ahead. Spring now has finally sprung!
Drop into deeper connection with your body - through gentle Hatha yoga, tantric meditation and breath-work and vocal meditation practices we will cultivate embodied presence. We will release physical and emotional blocks in the body and enhance our awareness of our unique physical, and emotional landscapes. As well as exploring nurturing and relaxation techniques we will shake and raise energy to generate vibrancy and texture in our voice, we will laugh and yawn, whisper and call, exploring our emotional range as well as our musicality.
Learn how regulate your nervous system. Breath work, vocal resonance and nature connection provide a powerful toolkit for regulating our nervous systems and coming into a peaceful and more joyous emotional and physical state of being. Throughout the course of the day we will be sharing some simple take home practices that you can call on at anytime.
Awaken your voice, and unlock your creative expression. We will use tools from theatre voice coaching, vocal improvisation and vocal Nidra to help us activate and free the voice. We will gently encourage our own unique sound and self expression. We’ll use our voices to improvise, express ourselves, self-soothe, and heal. If the voice has been restricted in any way, we will lovingly encourage it out together.
Our Tools and principles:
Yoga & Movement
Therapeutic theatre practices
Embodied Voice Activation and Singing
Nature Connection (Environmental Arts Therapy)
Breath-work
Inclusivity and accessibility
Connection and community
Where is it?
Hockworthy Village Hall, Devon TA21 0NW
Tickets:
Pay it forward £75: For those who can afford to pay a little extra to support our work and our mission to keep offering affordable retreats and bursary places for those in need.
General Admission £60: Our General ticket price helps us cover the costs of materials, venue and our time.
Concession £45: For folks on a low income or anyone who otherwise would not be able to attend.
Bursary spots: We will offer one or two bursary spots to those in need, so please reach out if cost is a barrier for any reason. This may include folks from marginalised communities, students or young people and those with access and/or additional needs.
Meet the facilitators:
Michelle Ridings:
Michelle is a singer, theatre performer and voice coach with over 30 years of experience of facilitating movement, performance and vocal skills to enable authentic, expressive communication. She is passionate about enabling others to find, develop and explore their unique voice, building confidence in speaking up and speaking out, to find the power and joy of releasing emotions through movement and song. Michelle works with professionals as well as anyone who wishes to sing from their soul…even if they think they can’t!
She is passionate about enabling others to find, develop and explore their unique resonance, building confidence in speaking up and speaking out as well as in finding the power and joy of releasing emotions through movement and song.
"I believe that the power of the voice in song is something we carry within us wherever we go. A song can light up the darkness, be a Call to Action, give voice to many and when we sing together in unison and harmony we resonate together and can become a force for change. The power of healing in song, in sound, in being able to use your own voice to speak up and sing out is our birth right.
I look forward to sharing this experience with you on this day retreat together as we welcome in the Spring"
Brigite Rowan :
Brigite is a folk singer, intuitive voice work practitioner, and Tantric, trauma-informed yoga teacher with experience facilitating embodied nature connection experiences. She has a deep curiosity about the links between trauma, embodiment, vocal expression and the human capacity for living authentically. Inspired by my mother’s professional work and my off-grid childhood in rural Portugal and later Devon, I spent my early life immersed in singing and nature and developed a deep life-long earth-based intuitive singing practice which continues to inform my work today.
A life-threatening accident during my teenage years, led me to discover tools from Yoga which aided my physical, spiritual, and emotional recovery. I embarked on a year-long training in Krama Vinyasa Tantra at Yoga Sara in Bristol and pursued trauma-informed yoga training through the Yoga Roots project. For the last three years, I have been lucky enough to study Collaborative Vocal Improvisation with Briony Greenhill and am currently completing her practitioner training.
My passion for teaching comes from the desire to help others become more present and grounded in themselves so that they can unlock their authentic voice. I have been influenced by my studies in collaborative vocal improvisation, embodied singing, somatics, earth-based animism, nature connection and trauma-informed practices. I am grateful to have learned from inspiring teachers who’s work underpins my teaching.