Belly2Belly Facilitator Training Intensive 2023

THIS FALL 2023 IN THE UK: Belly2Belly Facilitator Training Intensive LEARN: ໑ The fundamentals (and secrets) of leading a Belly2Belly practice ໑ The tools and techniques that help our animal bodies to relax and human hearts to open ໑ How to guide others to meet and connect in the present moment ໑ How to fully embody the love that you are at the deepest level, and transmit that to others ໑ How to simplify, deepen, and amplify the work you’re already doing in the world ໑ How to read a “group field” and listen to the subtle dimensions coming through one or more nervous systems ໑ Basic trauma awareness, nervous system regulation and how this practice can be used as a profound tribal healing technology Application Form: https://b2buk2023.paperform.co ❂ ABOUT BELLY2BELLY ❂ Belly2Belly is a deceptively simple practice with multiple dimensions: ✦ Neurobiology ✦ Trauma recovery ✦ Pranayama ✦ Focused sensory awareness ✦ Tantric ritual ✦ Intimate communion ✦ Witness consciousness ✦ Sound entrainment ✦ Sequenced relaxation ✦ Psychological regression ✦ Shadow work ✦ Neurolinguistic programming ✦ Wizardry ✦ Primate zoology The exercises are designed to dissolve the Western experience of separate self into rhythmic waves of sensation and feeling that are shared with a partner in real time. What results is a profoundly felt sense of peace and connection, a natural biochemical high that neuro-mirrors intimate love, meditative samadhi and mystical oneness. The Belly2Belly Partnered Meditation Practices are relatively simple to learn. A moderately skilled group facilitator or teacher will be able to deliver the instructions and prompts without much fuss. To use a musical analogy, if you can play simple guitar chords, you can learn this song; it’s not that complex. In this way the practice is easily copy and pasted-- on a superficial level. However, to deliver this practice and transmit it in its full potential and power there are several fundamental and integral aspects around nervous system regulation, trauma healing, neurobiology and group field coherence that are vital to understand before picking up this instrument-- if you want to cut below the surface and penetrate all the way in. Belly2Belly is not built on a rigid script. It’s more jazz improvisation than following sheet music. There are a dozen main “asanas” or “inquiries” to guide your exploration. Teachers put them together into sequences based on the group, the day, your own curiosity and inspiration. Every combination has its own rewards. This training is for those who want to move beyond the basic level of “reading sheet music” and take your facilitation career or your personal practice one giant step further. Great facilitators will be able to riff on the basic chords and create their own unique Belly2Belly experiences. The secret sauce here is the ability to model and speak from a dropped-in, relaxed nervous system. That is, you have to BE the result you wish to create in your group. You need to be open, and receptive enough to allow the group nervous system to penetrate you and inform you -from the body up to the mind- about what wants to happen next. In this way, the ability to facilitate this practice in it’s integrity is that it is not one-directional or coming from a set script. What makes a Belly2Belly facilitator so unique is the accumulation of patience, presence and awareness to be able to surrender to the dance that is vulnerable leadership. It’s both yin and yang, feminine and masculine, penetrative and receptive. When you understand what works in this practice, and why, you’ll be able to let go yourself and play in the co-created group heart field as it emerges. Facilitating this practice in it’s full glory is also a profound self-guided awareness and personal growth process in itself. Taking a step towards facilitating Belly2Belly is something you do when you want to take a powerful step into the next level of your own personal journey-- magnified by the mirror you will receive from the group field. This Level One Training Intensive is designed to help you understand the key elements that will create successful communion for your group. Every dimension that you “get” will deepen everyone’s experience. You don’t need to master all of them. With just a few chords you can make beautiful music, and share this amazing gift with your community, your clients and your beloveds. Belly2Belly has proven to work in these situations: • As a one-time or repeating community-building experience • To quickly deepen the connections between participants at a retreat, workshop, training or even ecstatic dance • As a grounding practice for magic rituals • To create coherence in dysregulated group fields such as tantra, self-development or alternative/explorative workshops and events • For couples seeking more intimacy with their partners • For threesomes, foursomes, and more-somes to navigate the complexity of open relating dynamics required in loving more than one • For organizations or pre-existing groups wanting to work together more effectively • For parents wanting to teach their children the skills they’ll need for bonding and relationship • For teachers who want to sneak in a few minutes of relaxation and cohesion for their students • For therapists who want to maximize their healing time with clients • For massage therapists or body-workers who want to expand the potency healing through touch • As specific events offered to the adventurous general public • As an online guided practice to create intimacy and connection virtually and globally Trauma-Informed Facilitation: We will be weaving in the principles of a Culture of Care through the training, a cultural movement, and embodied teaching which has its origins in somatic trauma resolution healing and expansion. In becoming a facilitator we're being asked to centre ourselves so that we can take steps out of the prevalent culture of self and other extraction and instead offer ourselves and our clients regenerative care. Working at the level of your nervous system well examine and bring healing to the beliefs and behaviours that currently restrict a health aligned expansion in your professional and personal life. In the arena of business we'll support you to take steps towards money intimacy, authentic body based marketing and other foundational skills that allow you to cultivate a regenerative business. THE PROCESS: • A 7-day intensive group retreat centrally located in Glastonbury, UK. • This is a residential training that includes food & accommodations. • Nourishing vegetarian/vegan meals provided. • A mix of teaching, experience, explanations, explorations, practice and play. • Let the magic of Belly2Belly gently soak into your heart and bones and enjoy the benefits of a reset and/or revitalized nervous system. • Mentored practice being a guide for others. WHEN: Saturday, November 4 - Friday, November 10, 2023 Arrival: Saturday, November 4, 5:00-6:00pm Departure: Friday, November 10, 3:00-4:00pm WHERE: EarthSpirit Center Lockyers Farm, Peak Ln, Compton Dundon, Somerton TA11 6PE, United Kingdom COST: £1600-£1800 Depending on room selection (see application form) ❂ HOW TO APPLY FOR YOUR PLACE ❂ This training is by invitation only. Our intention is to work with professionals and community leaders who are already actively practicing in their field. However, we also accept some participants who simply want to dive deeper into the practice with no intention of leading groups after the training. Fill out this brief (5-minute) form and tell us who you are, if you have studied with Rachel or David Cates before, and why you want to integrate Belly2Belly into your work. Application Form: https://b2buk2023.paperform.co ❂ PROFESSIONAL CONSIDERATIONS ❂ This Belly2Belly Training Intensive completes the training portion of a 2-Part Certification Process. After completing this 7-day intensive, you’ll be confidently able to bring this partnered breathing meditation into your life and work, guiding individuals, couples and groups into greater trust and intimacy. Completing this Training Program allows you to say that you’ve studied with us but does NOT authorize you to use the Belly2Belly name or brand in advertising your work or events. If you’re seeking full certification as a Belly2Belly Guide, after graduating from this Training you must complete a 6-12 month online mentorship. During this mentorship, through monthly calls, you’ll be coached as you practice leading your own sessions and/or groups and encounter real-life practical questions and issues. Only graduates of this Mentorship Program are certified to guide official Belly2Belly events, to be part of the Belly2Belly referral network, and to advertise as Certified Belly2Belly Practitioners, with Rachel's blessing and support. **If you would like to "add-on" mentorship sessions the discounted cost is €1000 for 10 (1hr) mentorship calls. See registration page or PM us for more details. Facilitators: Rachel Rickards & Catherine Hale About Rachel Rickards: Rachel Rickards is an international leader in the field of personal transformation, intimacy, embodiment, and relating. She is a group facilitator extraordinaire, event producer, and a new mother. In 2014 she co-founded Embodied Intimacy, which has become one of the most respected organizations globally that offers trainings and events focussed on intimacy, trauma, relational intelligence, somatic education and community. The work of Embodied Intimacy supports hundreds of people each year to come home to themselves, to their body and more regulated nervous systems, and become more of who they truly are. Since 2019, Rachel has led the Belly2Belly Facilitator Training after her teacher and mentor, David Cates, passed the torch and CEO position for this work to her. Belly2Belly offers a simple and yet profoundly healing set of embodied and relational practices, which support people to learn to regulate their nervous systems in a way that can be transformational for their relationships. Rachel has single handedly produced and facilitates most of the events with her extraordinary superpowers in the field of event planning and depth in embodied leadership. Rachel’s newest passion project launching this year is “The Field Facilitator Training.” This is a revolutionary new experiential learning environment for upcoming group facilitators who are passionate about creating fields of deep group-heart coherence and learning how to facilitate group soul emergence. This requires the development of radically new facilitation skills, such as learning to listen to the group field, collective surrender to the moment, as well as dynamic and fluid collective leadership to support the blossoming of the group soul that is longing to emerge in the space between us. www.the-field.com About Catherine Hale: Catherine Hale is an expert nervous system coach, educator and inspirational guide who, since 2012, has been creating powerful spaces for change-making and heart centred facilitators for deep personal and collective transformation. She is passionate about empowering individuals to foster growth and emerge as leaders within a culture of care that not only comprehends but also reveres the profound ramifications of personal and systemic trauma, as well as the intricacies of neurodivergence. In her transformative programs, Catherine equips leaders to embody and lead from the sacred principles of a culture of care. These principles empower them to respond with sensitivity and compassion to the diverse tapestry of needs, paces, nervous systems, and human experiences that thrive within group dynamics. As an advocate for regenerative and feminist business she’s dedicated to the task of identifying and compassionately reducing the harm caused by systems of oppression in the way we conduct our business relationships. Her desire to create a more equitable and nurturing realm of business is embodied in her group and 1:1 coaching programs which aim to foster positive change and to heal the wounds of injustice. Catherine's wisdom doesn't come from theory alone. She leads with compassion borne from her own personal journey - a lifelong quest to heal from the complexities of complex PTSD and learning to navigate the challenges of being neurodivergent in a neurotypical world. Trained as a Trauma Resolution Coach and Certified Sexological Bodyworker, along with: energy healing, shamanic, psychological, transpersonal, and nature connection modalities Catherine lovingly weaves a nurturing and empathic web of care into every interaction with her clients and groups. It's her way of ensuring that everyone she touches feels seen, supported, and truly valued. www.catherinehale.co.uk *More info about Belly2Belly and the certified facilitator team* https://www.belly2belly.org/partners/ REFUND POLICY: • If you cancel within 4 weeks of the event start date, 50% of the ticket cost will be refunded. • If you cancel within 2 weeks of the event start date, or if you withdraw from the event after the start of the first day, no part of the ticket cost will be refunded. More info: www.Belly2Belly.org or www.the-field.com