Amariah Love

What is The Safe Body Workshop?

Using the medium of hoop dance along with guided meditation and mindfulness exercises, we nurture a compassionate and intentional mind-body connection.

Why I Began The Workshop:

As a professional counselor who specializes in working with trauma, gender identity, body dysmorphia, and dysphoria, I have worked extensively with my clients on figuring out how to comfortably inhabit their bodies. I have been in private practice for over five years and see an enormous need for more somatically focused therapeutic approaches which facilitate “bottom-up” processing. Talk therapy is essential for many, and it can also be insufficient for some.

I began my hoop journey in 2013, falling in love with flow and transforming my relationship to my body and to movement in general. I’ve enjoyed teaching hoop workshops over the years, and as I’ve deepened my studies of mindfulness, meditation, and somatic psychotherapies, I’ve found that the combination of these modalities contains incredible therapeutic value.

Why Try The Safe Body Workshop?

Especially in a society which teaches us that our value lies in how much we work or produce, we are constantly pushed to disconnect from ourselves and our bodies in so many ways: Toxic messages from the media, the incredible amount of stress most of us are experiencing in our day to day lives, inhabiting bodies that are forced to be sedentary for long periods of time, dealing with disabilities, chronic pain and fatigue – the list goes on. Additionally, traumatic experiences often disrupt our ability to feel safe in our bodies.

What The Workshop Offers:

This workshop offers an opportunity to learn how to listen to your body, to center and ground yourself, and to move through the world with a sense of self-possession in your own skin. It is vitally important that the mind-body connection feel like a safe haven from the stress and uncertainty of everyday life. If you learn to listen to your body’s signals, you can then identify and better respond to your own needs. Developing mindfulness skills allows us to better regulate emotions, to improve our relationship with ourselves, and to have a greater sense of overall well-being.

This series takes place once per week over the course of four weeks. Each session is about 90 minutes long and includes guided meditations, mindfulness exercises, restorative yoga, and hoop dance instruction. The first week sets the foundations for building skill sets in mindfulness meditation and waist hooping, and each subsequent week builds on and adds to these skills. I also offer single sessions that are not part of a series.

Who This Workshop Is For:

This workshop is designed for anybody who wants to improve their relationship with and connection to their body. Whether you have never picked up a hoop before or are an advanced flow artist, you will find tools to either establish or further develop your practice. Folks who are new to meditation will find the instruction flexible and easy to follow, and experienced practitioners will have opportunities to deepen their practice.

What Should I Bring?

Just yourself! I recommend wearing comfortable clothes that you can easily move around and stretch in, such as yoga pants or leggings. Yoga mats, chairs for restorative yoga poses, hoops, snacks, and beverages are all provided. I will have practice hoops participants can buy for an additional $15.

Cost and Other Details:

For the four-week series, each session of the workshop is $65, which totals $260 for all four sessions. Single sessions are also $65 each. I host the sessions at my home in Avondale Estates (Decatur, Georgia.) The address is sent out to participants after they sign up and payment is received. There are no refunds for missed workshops, but I can be somewhat flexible with allowing participants to attend a make-up session if you are unable to come to one of your four sessions.

COVID-19 Policy: Vaccinations and boosters are required. I will ask for proof of vaccination prior to the workshop. Masks are allowed but not required. Part of the workshop is held indoors, and part is outside.