11th Annual Women’s Belly and Womb Conference Schedule for Saturday, March 20, 2010
Registration: 8:15 am until 8:45 am 9:00am SHARP –9:30am: Opening Circle Showing Up and Loving Ourselves Right Here and Now ALisa Starkweather We begin our day together in ritual with song, community building, setting our intentions and getting to know one another. We see this as crucial for building a safe space to do the deep healing work that this day offers and with this we invite every woman to be here on time to enter ritual space together. Join the magic as we embark on this healing journey. Session I Workshops 9:40am –11:10am 1A Belly and Womb Yoga Alisa Wright Tanny Integrative Dave Movement Therapist, MA, RYT-500
Explore the inner landscape of the pelvis, belly and womb. Ride the fluid waves and rhythms of a soft, yet empowered pelvic floor and womb. Together we will delve into our embodiment practice combining rhythmical fluid movements, nature's shapes and patterns, and traditional and creative yoga postures. With reverence, we will gently discover through breathe, sound stretch, and strength the first and second chakras - glandular energetic centers - to support our relationship to ourselves and to mother earth. Time for journal writing, drawing, and authentic movement will be offered to support, clarify, and empower the full range of our individual embodiment experiences. "Come join with me in sacred BodydanceTM and align with the divine light of joy that is already you!"
1B W.O.M.B.: Working Our Manifestation Beliefs Julie Woods
This growthshop is easy AND challenging: together we’ll dive into our centers of power to work with and through our manifestation beliefs. We’ll keep the powerful ones. We’ll release the disempowering ones. We’ll discern the difference using fun, unique, immediately applicable tools. Come manifest a more beautiful “what’s next” RIGHT NOW. ;-)) 1C Journey Into the Center of the Womb Diane MacDonald Our wombs hold and create life, creativity and connection. This workshop will discuss basic anatomy and physiology of the womb and her connections to the rest of the body. By understanding the basics we effect the whole. The Arvigo Techniques Maya Abdominal Therapy ™are approach to health and wellness through the womb, on a physical, emotional and spiritual level. 
1D Herbal Allies and Plant Spirit's for Your Womb~I~Verse Venus Zephyr
Women carry creative power, deep understanding and infinite potential in their wombs. Whether we birth babies, ideas, creations or wisdom our womb is the place where it all begins. What we think, feel, carry and push down goes into this seat of power. In this dialogue we will discuss our wombs, and what we can physically impart through diet and herbal wisdom to assist our Womb~I~Verse in being a free flowing channel for birthing our wisdom into being. Plants carry an inherent spiritual essence and wisdom, through dieting a plant and creating a relationship to each ally we can start to develop an understanding of how to bring green medicine and plant spirituality into our bodies on a daily basis. Please bring a beautiful scarf to wrap around your womb, and something to write with as well as a journal. 1E Precarious Peri Woman; Fragile and Fierce ALisa Starkweather I've seen more women not know what is going on for them during the peri-menopause stage when suddenly she loses footing in ways that she didn't expect on all fronts. Humbled, fragile and growing teeth and claws, the metamorphosis of our change is as wondrous and frightening as pregnancy. Somehow it is easier to bear when we know that the journey is the journey and we are in it together. If you are in your forties (or earlier for some) and don't what the heck is up with you, check this class out and be surprised at what lies in store for our continuing woman evolvement or dissolving. Sense of humor is key for our survival at this stage because it is a time of losing it... whatever the “it” was if you can remember. Session II Workshops 11:20am- 12:50pm 2A All Size Bellies Unite Mother Turtle
It is time to inhabit our bellies and bodies with the respect, honor, dignity and kindness that we each deserve… from ourselves. As women we come in all shapes and sizes, and no matter how flat or round, every belly has a story! In this class, we will explore “The Stories We Tell Ourselves,” those stories that stop us from loving who we are, just as we are. We will choose whether we want to continue to carry these toxic stories as truth's, or lies. Through song, meditation, dialog and game, we will journey into our knowing and seek to let go of that which does not serve us. We will write new stories, stories that honor our wombmynhood. Yes, it IS time women! Time to love ourselves fully, every curve, every roll, every beautiful imperfection! Together, let us access our womb wisdom and celebrate our unique form, opening the door to an entirely new way of being with ourselves, loving our bellies, and bringing peace and healing to our body, home. 2B Conscious ly Feeding Our Bellies Chaya Leia Sylvia
“We are what we eat!” Right? Are we also our eating patterns? Many women have suffered from body image issues and eating disorders; even years later, still finding themselves with shame around food choices, eating habits and even secret addictions. How do we shed the shame and also shift our paradigms, so that we are ingesting good, healthy, nourishing food? In this workshop, we will explore this question as well as discuss what is actually in much of the food that is frequently most readily available to us. How can we bring more consciousness and self-love to our food choices? The care with which we physically feed our bodies is directly linked to our capacity for self-love. 2C Orgasmic Abundance For Women Sheri Winston
Learn how to use breath, sound, movement and imagery to expand arousal and intensify orgasm. After this class, you’ll be better able to become absorbed in experience, amplify sensation, and surrender into mega-orgasmic states. More broadly, you’ll better understand the arousal journey, the vast realm of orgasm, and how to expand your pathways to ecstasy. Discover your pathways to expanded pleasure!
A “clothes on, hands off” class for women only.
2D SpirtSong ~ Kellianna
"SpiritSong" is a unique approach to singing and toning based on a method of "singing without words;" a powerful technique that permits us to reconnect to the most primal form of singing. SpiritSong uses the voice to sound what you are feeling in the moment and this unlocks your power and unique beauty. This practice enables the participant to push through energetic blocks and aid in personal healing. SpiritSong is a valuabe tool for self-expression, self-healing and connecting to Spirit.
2E Dancing Our Bellies: Taking Back the Dance Called Belly Dance in a Modern World Vadalna Tribal Dance Company What calls you to the dance? Welcoming, reinventing, reforming our belly wisdom, belly dance at its core calls us back to that which we can never forget. By collecting the kindling of our desire, our passion and our being through movement, we ignite the fire of our personal power. Held deep within our glorious bellies, be they big, small, flat, round, scarred, painted, pained and joyous, our bellies may hold the key to our deepest wisdom. Join us as members of Vadalna Tribal Dance Co. brings the branches to the fire introducing movements of the both ancient yet contemporary form of American Tribal Style (ATS) as well as it’s more modern, industrial sister, Tribal Fusion. ….What calls you to the dance?... 12:55 - 2:00pm Lunch (Sirius is a co-gender community. We are expected to circle promptly at lunchtime for a blessing and announcements together. They share their home with us so please be on time for this meal. Thank you.) 2:10 - 4:00pm Community Healing Ritual: Sourcing Power in Our Bellies for Strength in These Times: Igniting the Courage of the Love Warrior ALisa Starkweather and company. Laney Goodman and Janet Farnsorth join us this year for a special workshop in the Orchard Room/ See below. *Our vision is that we will all come together for these councils and ceremonies in the afternoon in order to dive deep. We begin our 2:10pm time by all meeting together first in the Octagon before going other directions.
Our world is calling women to be in their power, their gut-knowing, their truth right now. We are facing terrible destruction and disease and growing hardships. Many of us have already lived through inner and outer wars long before now. In spite of this we still long to be in our bodies, know our ecstasy, share our gifts and be present with life as life is occurring. In an unprecedented container, the Women’s Belly and Womb Conference deliberately makes space for collective healing. It is not just a learning and informational day. It is a day to make new choices, to come out of denial, to recommit to our visions, our lives through loving our bodies and who we are in this world. It is an unforgettable moment in the life of a woman when she recognizes more of who she is and what is possible in her life. It is fertile ground for transformation. In order to do this we make space for what needs healing in hearts, bellies, wombs and lives as women. This year in honor of our eleventh Women’s Belly and Womb Conference, this part will be combined with a very rousing empowerment belly ritual to honor our love warriors, our firey natures, our call for truth and justice. We ask that women come to this session willing to bare their bellies. We are going to paint symbols on them that represent our vitality and courage. We will also be using sound, movement and the spoken word to bring us deeper into the molten of our volcanic sacred feminine. We will weave our dreams, hopes and visions together where we cannot forget where we come from in the primordial belly of the Mother. Belly Love: A Sacred Dance Journey Janet Farnsworth and Laney Goodman Our bodies hold our deepest wisdom. Yet for women that wisdom often becomes silenced, stilled, or compromised. We "hold in our stomachs," "cross our legs," and "get smaller." We find ourselves feeling separated from our truest Selves, our most vital knowing. During this dance journey, we will invite the voices of our bellies -- which call out to our whole bodies -- to re-emerge. Using dance as our medium, we will ‘re-member’ our Selves, and re-connect to the deep inner wisdom that flows through each of us. Whether it is the impulse to move a finger, or the drive to shake our bones, each woman's movement is honored as her own best guide for connecting to her most authentic and sacred Self. During this workshop we will banish shame, self-doubt, guilt, and invite in love; we will arrive home to Belly Love. Fall in love with the divine inspiration of your belly. Fall in love with the magic of your movement. Fall in love with the mystery of discovering your next gesture. Fall in love with your dance. Fall in love with you. Facilitated Red Tent Temple Council of Woman Matters  This conference is in its 11th year. One of the strongest visions for it is to have a time where we collectively come together to do healing work together as a group. If you are new we encourage you to be in the Octagon to experience what the conference offers in this way as this represents an original root vision at the Women’s Belly and Womb Conference. Some women however have been inside that ceremony over the many years and it is time to offer a secondary space where women can be together. This is a different form of healing and one where there is still the possibility of full expression and yet a way for us to be in more intimate environment to hear stories, be supported, and be inspired. You are free to choose where you go but the Red Tent Temple space is intended to hold a smaller group. 4:00pm- 4:15pm Womb and Belly Tea Break (herbs specific for our belly and womb health) 4:30pm -5:15pmVadalna Tribal Dance Company Performs followed by a group celebration led by Chaya. Celebration of Our Bellies and Wombs Chaya Leia Sylvia We have done the hard work and it is time to play, unwind and celebrate. Chaya will lead us in shaking and shimmering our bellies in dance. Break out the veils, the bare bellies, the belly painters and the belly laughter as we move our bodies. Liberation will resound in the Octagon as the women raise up some energy together. 5:00pm -6:30pmWomen’s Council and Closing Circle ALisa Starkweather
Bringing our energy gently down from a very full and wonderful day we strike the crystal singing bowl and come into silence and rest. From this place we share what women need to speak at this time living on the Earth. We speak from our bellies and our deep knowing. We speak from our stories, our visions and our wisdom. We appreciate one another and take the time so we can each hear how the other is feeling by this time of our day. With hand on hand on wombs we impart wisdom to one another. 6:30pm - 8pm DinnerA blessing with the Sirius community begins on time in the dining hall. Please be on time. Goodbye and farewell until next year! The Women’s Belly and Womb Conference presents a special pre-conference event: Many of you travel a great distance to come to this day long event. We are offering an evening prior to the conference that you will want to come early to as it is sure to empower you in wonderful ways. There is lodging at Sirius if you call ahead or hotels in Amherst, MA within driving distance from Shutesbury. 7:00pm – 10pm Friday night, March 19, 2010
 Women's Anatomy of Arousal: Secret Maps to Buried Pleasure
Sheri Winston
(Yes, this class is for both Men & Women!)
A "Clothes-On, Hands-Off" Class
There's more to the female genitalia then meets the eye - find out about the entire network of structures that's responsible for female sexual pleasure. Did you know that pound for pound, women have as much erectile tissue as men? That's right -- the clitoris is just the tip of the volcano! Discover the complete truth about female anatomy! Most experts, books and authorities omit vital components of the female genital structures, overlooking parts that contribute enormously to female pleasure, arousal and orgasm. See for yourself what's missing from the usual portrayals, and consequently from your understanding of your own (or your lover's) body. This radically empowering essential information will spice up your sex life and change how you relate to your own (or your partner's) body forever.
This year again, by request of Sheri Winston, the pre-conference class is open to both men and women at the sliding scale rate of $45-$35 and a discount of $65 for partnered couples (of either gender). You don’t need to be registered for the conference to participate. We have Sheri offer this many years in a row because she teaches such valuable information in understanding women's bodies.
The Return of the Red Tent TempleIn celebration of our tenth Women’s Belly and Womb Conference and through the mysteries of our blood connection as women, we rebuild and open the Red Tent Temple here again for women to connect deeply in sacred space. Classes will be taught here. You are welcome to share this space with women even if you are not bleeding or no longer bleeding. It is for all women to share stories together. It will be open during the conference as a retreat place if you need some quiet reflective time as well. If you have materials to bring and share for the day and are arriving on Friday night please bring them. Also remember that we are 2.5 years now into our grassroots Red Tent Temple Movement. See website for details and consider hosting one in your area. |
