A Somatic Movement Gathering 2025 - Receptive Convergence

Connect    Restore    Revive

The weekend will bring together movement, dance,  the creative and healing arts, along with somatic practitioners and participants from outside of our region to converge in Hebden Bridge. The theme of the first gathering is 'receptive convergence' coming together, with an open receptivity- to feel the connection of a larger community ,with the potency of engaging in an all encompassing, multi modality practice, for increased resilience, holistic health and well being.

This event weaves together the old and the new, within the interdisciplinary field of somatic movement practice, aligning body and sensory awareness with intentional movement, and creating fertile ground for rich and integrative experiences.. Through the receptive state of being open, paying attention and tuning in to lived experience, these different practices meet and interact, enriching and informing each other to create new ways of moving, thinking, relating and being.

Program of Events

Transformative Workshops Experience.

' Play Medicine ' with Penny Collinson and Tim Lamford  - At the Birchcliffe Center : Friday  5 -8 pm for more information about Penny's work - https://www.pennycollinson.com

Unwinding the Heart: Moving with Fascial Awareness with Nicola Herd - At the Birchcliffe center : Saturday  10 -1 pm  for more information about Nicola's work - www.artfulbody.co.uk

Transforming Toxic Logic with Mo Brown - At the Birchcliffe Center : Saturday 2:30 - 5:30 pm. For more information about Mo's work https://www.psychotherapy.org.uk/therapist/mo-brown-iaivsaa0/

The Body As A Portal with Sara Carter - At Stubb Pond Nature Conservation: Sunday 10-1 pm. For more information about Sara's work- https://www.saracarterdance.co.uk/

Performance: Sacred Arts Medicine with somatic dance artists Sara Carter,  storyteller John Hyness, musicians from FT4 and more at the Birchcliffe center: Saturday 7:30- 9 pm.

Note: entrance to the space at the Birchcliffe is round the side of the building to the right 9 up the steps or via the car park)

Social, Food and Dance - At the Birchcliffe center: Friday 8- 9:30 pm

Ticket/ Price Options: Weekend and single event tickets are available- click on the buy ticket link for more information

Workshop offerings at this event will support the following opportunities :

A space to connect deeply to your body self and discover creative expression, the potential for play and intuitive insight.

A chance to explore your own body wisdom and somatic body intelligence

An exploration of the balance between somatic listening (receptivity) and active engagement in movement, where different disciplines influence each other and lead to new pathways of body awareness and expression.

The blending of different sensory modalities (touch, sight, sound, proprioception, and kinesthetic sense) to deepen the understanding of movement and its emotional and psychological underpinnings.

A combination of expressive creative arts disciplines and embodied processes to support conscious embodiment in practice, performance and everyday life.

An ongoing dialogue between the various wisdom of body practices and the evolving discoveries in movement science, self and co-regulation, and restorative practice, facilitating a deeper, more holistic understanding of our nature, how life moves and how that movement informs our experience of the world both physically, psychologically, emotionally and spiritually.

A space to connect and share with others, a sense of belonging.

Cultivate receptivity and introspection through becoming aware of and attuned to one's internal sensations, feelings, and body states. Strengthening one's capacity to listen to how the body feels and responds, often through deep listening practices, and connecting with the subtle sensations that arise from movement.

Explore the integration or coming together of different elements—body, movement, psyche, consciousness and the imaginal realms, with creative and healing modalities for transformation and collective healing.

Explore how the body- mind, and emotions can work in harmony, allowing for a holistic experience of movement, inner authority, and authentic personal expression.

  'Play Medicine'  

Penny Collinson  and Tim Lamford 

At its heart, will be an invitation to immerse in embodied and imaginative play. Being present during the process of embodied play requires an attunement to more than ourselves – to being in relationship with others and our immediate and imagined environment. To be where and how we are as completely as possible, committing ourselves to the personal and collective creation. Embracing the creative unknown and unfolding, Shaun McNiff calls ‘serious’ play; it can be a potent and transformative medicine for each of us bringing a sense of renewal and fresh insight. The workshop will have a gradual lead-in through grounding, centring and sensory awakening. This creative, resourcing approach will aim to support each person’s arrival, orientation and transition to movement and imagination. It draws on principles of movement improvisation and touch, and moving and witnessing (as in Authentic Movement). It will involve solo, partner and group moving, and reflective explorations through writing, drawing,
and speaking,

 Self-care: Our work together will invite immersion and self-inquiry, as expected with somatic practice. The methods and approaches we offer will be paced and always invitational. We ask that all participants practice self-care during the workshop by taking part in activities in a way which supports your own wellbeing. Therefore pausing, taking time out, non-participation and/or amending activities are all welcomed to enable this.

Who is it for? This workshop is suitable for those with some (and a lot) of prior experience of movement/dance and somatic movement processes (such as 5 Rhythms, Feldenkrais, Alexander Technique, etc) as well as being interested and able to work comfortably and safely within time frames, individually and with a partner/group.

Tim Lamford is a dancer, choreographer and teacher with over fifty years experience in movement arts, specialising in the teaching of dance skills, and creativity through somatic awareness. He trained at the London Contemporary Dance School, studying contemporary techniques, contact improvisation, release work, choreography, Pilates and Tai chi Chuan. Amongst working at many other institutions and organisations, Tim was a lecturer on the MA Dance & Somatic Wellbeing programme at UClan for eleven years where he taught research through the lenses of embodiment and creativity. He is particularly interested in Jungian and Post-Jungian perspectives on unity of body mind spirit.
Penny Collinson - is a movement artist and registered Somatic Movement Educator and Therapist in private therapeutic, community and educational settings. She also works extensively with professional movement practitioners, therapists and teachers as a mentor, consultant and supervisor, and has recently co-created the Community Interest Company, Shoreline Health in Movement, CIC, collaboratively creating dance for health initiatives in
and around Morecambe Bay. Spanning 23 years, Penny’s work at UCLan involved leading the MA Dance & Somatic Wellbeing: Connections to the Living Body. Her publications on the application of somatic practice in health and wellbeing contexts can be found at https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2869-7132 www.pennycollinson.com

The Body As A Portal : Sara Carter

Exploring the physical and spiritual realms through somatic practice, embodied presence and earth connection.

The Body: a container and an active gateway to deeper and more expansive experiences.

It is through the body we are able to connect with other realms or dimensions, with states of being, insights, and greater aspects of ourselves. Whether through meditation, sensory experiences, emotional exploration, or artistic expression, it offers pathways to transformation, healing, and discovery.

The body is our primary way of engaging with reality—through sensation, movement, and perception, we access deep intuitive knowledge, emotions, and experiences, tapping us into our subconscious and somatic intelligence. Through playful experiences we can open to a sense of wonder and curiosity to life moving within us and around us. The body, a temple to spirit, more than just physical form, acts as a bridge between the material and spiritual realms. We are all unique and making space for our creative expression, emerging directly from  the source of life, can allow for more joyful  and meaningful experiences, with the potential for insight, transformation, healing and deeper connections.

We are beings of consciousness, expressed in physical human form. With this in mind, you are invited to expand your awareness and tune into what calls to you. This is a journey of deep personal exploration into Earth-based embodied spirituality—an opportunity to connect with your own elemental nature by returning to the wisdom of nature itself, as felt within your body and in relationship with the earth.

What is on offer: You will be guided to engage with various somatic movement practices and methods to take you on a journey to connect with Earth's elements, in the natural landscape, that is both holding and witnessing you. You will be guided to ground in your body, connect deeply to yourself and have time to immerse into your own lived experience. There is space to slow down and nurture through restorative experiences while cultivating a sense of belonging. An opportunity to be playful, to be curious, to cultivate balance as we allow the dominant thinking mind to rest and enter the receptive vessel of the body, accessing body wisdom and the potential for joyful experience. 

Space to honor the Earth and open to the sacred in a heart centered community. You will be guided to engaging with elements from Continuum Practice, Experiential Anatomy, Improvisation, creative and therapeutic art forms of expression.

Sara Carter is a somatic dance artist and a registered somatic movement educator and therapist. She has completed a degree in Dance and Masters of the Arts  in Dance and Somatic Well Being, acknowledging that dance has always 'saved' her and is her greatest passion along with nature. 
She also works as a Spiritual Roots Guide, drawing from her background in Shamanic Practices, Energy Medicine, and Reiki Mastery. Guided by lifelong experiences of communication with Earth beings and the Ancestral realms, she weaves these insights with her somatic practice to teach Embodied Spirituality.

Who is it for? Movement practitioners with experience in somatic practice or other movement practices which encourage felt connections, awareness within and through the body. It is also for people who have experience with moving and being in nature, who want to explore this more and for those who never have had these experiences but are called to it. It is also for those who want to explore their spiritual roots and engage with creative expression and arts practice.

Location: Stubb Dam Pond Nature Conservation Hebden Bridge -Head to Calder brook garage. HX7 8NX-  find the dirt track at the end of the work units, walk along the dirt track around the back, past KLF scaffolding, under the railway bridge, the land to the right through the wooden gate. 

Arrival Time from 9 30 am 

Transforming Toxic Logic:  Mo Brown

In our unstable world we urgently need spaces where we can fully connect, play together and be more in our bodies, less in our heads and closer to the earth. We need to have time with our shadow to feel into the wide breadth of our feelings.

In this workshop we will work with the story of Pandora's Box through touch- based somatic movement, drama and creative arts practices to embrace our curiosity and our ease, alongside a sense of fun and support.

Through taking this time in embodied imagination we will reach into Pandora’s space to touch truth and hope, where the instability of things might be embraced and integrated into our day to day. Participants need some improvisation experience.

Mo is a somatic- psychoanalytic psychotherapist, drama facilitator for well being and mindfulness practitioner- registered UKCP ISMETA BAMBA.

Unwinding the Heart: Moving with Fascial Awareness with Nicole Herd

 This workshop invites Practitioners to experience the use of Myofascial Energetic Release (MER) bodywork within a Somatic Movement session. By becoming aware of and engaging with the fascial network, we open the door to fresh possibilities—both in how we move and in how we support others to move with greater freedom and awareness. Through shaking, unwinding, and deep listening, we’ll enliven the fascia, creating new pathways for feeling, moving, and being. Partner touch, will guide us to drop into the subtler layers of the fascia, offering a profound experience of being held and letting go.
As we reconsider and engage with the fascial structure of the heart, we create space for movement, emotional release and renewal. The workshop will also offer reflective practices, creative expression, and compassionate witnessing to support integration of what emerges.

Nicola is a movement artist and registered Somatic Movement Educator and Therapist (ISMETA), Conscious Connected Breathwork Facilitator and Myofascial Energetic Release Bodyworker. Drawing on over 20 years of experience—including two decades teaching in Performing Arts in higher education—she now facilitates somatic and creative processes that support embodied healing, expression, and transformation. She also mentors, therapists, and educators, contributing to professional development and training in the field. At the heart of her approach is a passion for engaging the imagination, the body, and the natural world in dialogue—giving voice to the unseen, suppressed, or forgotten parts of ourselves, and inviting a deeper re-connection with the mystery and flow of life.

Other Offerings For You

Our social space to connect, share food, and dance! 

Following the opening workshop with Penny and Tim  on Friday evening there will be a party, bringing us together to eat, drink and celebrate. Please bring a small food contribution to share and any alcoholic drink you may want. There will be a vegetarian dish and salad on offer with a selection of hot drinks available as part of the offering.

Receptive Convergence Live Performance : Raw, Real, Alive and Deeply Felt

A unique immersive  experience weaving together a collaboration of somatic dance artists, musicians, storytellers, singers, film and poetry to inspire, initiate, inform and entertain, as a sacred way of connecting through artistic expression.
This performance is an offering of artistic expression rooted in the raw, authentic vulnerability of live composition and improvisation. Through movement, sound, and voice, the artists honour the intelligence that emerges from within and between bodies—an intelligence born of embodied practice and conscious connection. Each artist brings their unique presence and creative medicine, inviting the audience to witness and be touched by the unfolding of a shared, living expression.

Venue: The Birchcliffe Center, Birchcliffe Road, Hebden Bridge HX7 8DG - There is a car park available for this venue, although with limited capacity. The venue is a 10 minutes walk from Hebden Bridge town center. It has a garden space and disability access.

Event Structure

• Friday 6th                                                   
•  5 - 8 pm                                                                 Workshop ' Play Medicine '     
•  8 - 9:30 pm                                                           Party , Food and Social    

• Saturday 7th                                          
• 10 - 1 pm                                                               Workshop  Unwinding the Heart                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
• 2:30 - 5:30 pm                                                      Workshop  Transforming Toxicity       
• 7:30 - 9 pm                                                            Performance

• Sunday 8th                                               
• 10 -1 pm                                                               Workshop The Body As A Portal               
• 2 -3 pm                                                                 Closing Circle