More powerful than letting words come from a felt sense may be letting body movement come.
–Eugene Gendlin
Join us this January for our first PUPA Retreat: Focusing and Movement. Over the course of one weekend, PUPA Trainees and Trainers, who have been exploring parallel movement and embodiment practices for years, will share how these practices can be crossed with Focusing to help deepen our processes.
Our connection to our body and our ability to listen to it is fundamental to Focusing. Learning to listen while in movement, or to learn from our movement can add a new dimension to our felt experiences.
Movement can be a great way to settle the body, to bring a sense of calm and groundedness, and to prepare us for traditional still Focusing.
For some people, noticing and describing physical sensations can be a great challenge. Knowing that challenge and witnessing it on a regular basis, we created this retreat to share and explore new ways to get in touch with our body.
When we allow ourselves to move, whether in a very free or a very organized way, whether slowly or rapidly, whether outwardly with our limbs or deep within our belly, we are creating new sensations. We are sending and receiving new information. And it can become much easier to feel and to describe these sensations than those of a still body.
Movement is also a way for great wisdom to come forward. By inviting more intuitive movement, we can break out of our regular ways of being and thinking, deepen our experiencing, and discover new insights. We make our felt meaning visible by inviting movement, and this can further explicate a felt knowing.
Finally, some workshops will dive into moving as social groups, and noticing our responses to these interactions with Focusing.
Our hope with this new offering is that you might find new tools, new pathways, and new perspectives to inspire and support your Focusing journey.
Nothing is more revealing than movement.
-Martha Graham
Weekend Retreat Details
Dates and Times of live retreat: Friday January 15 to Sunday January 17, 2027
Workshops Schedule
Each workshop will be taught by a different PUPA Trainer or Trainee and will be based on a different practice:
Friday, January 15th
Authentic Movement and Focusing, with Marg Peck
6:30-8:30 pm Eastern (see your local time)
Saturday, January 16th
Qi Gong and Focusing, with Anne-Marie Jourdenais
9:30-11:30 am ET (see your local time)Butoh Dance and Focusing: Following the Inner Thread with Vanessa Carrera
1:30-3:30 pm ET (see your local time)Contemplative Focusing: Stillness and Movement, with Jane Cecilia
6:30-8:30 pm ET (see your local time)
Sunday, January 17th
Focusing Rhythm Flow, with Iren A Merdinyan
9:30-11:30 am ET (see your local time)Voice/Natural Movement and Focusing, with Maya Lieberman
1:30-3:30 pm ET (see your local time)Theory U/Social Presencing Theater and Focusing, with Annette Dubreuil
6:30-8:30 pm ET (see your local time)
During each workshop, you will be invited to experience simple movements from the parallel practice, as well as Focusing exercises and breakout room practice.
For more information, please view the workshop descriptions and teacher bios below.
Format: Online via Zoom
Who can benefit: All levels of Focusers are welcome; however, some experience with Focusing partnerships is ideal, as we will spend time in breakout rooms.
Ways to participate:
Live participation, including interacting with other participants, asking questions of workshop instructors, and breakout room practice. Our global retreat has teachers spanning three continents and we realize you may not be able to attend all sessions live, depending on your time zone. Recordings will be made available for three months within 48 hours of the event, so that participants can participate in workshops that cannot be attended live.
Recordings only (go to recording only registration page).
Sliding scale pricing:
This retreat has sliding scale pricing, offering multiple price points to make it more accessible and reduce financial barriers for people with different levels of income. Please view the sliding scale fees page for more details and codes.
Full fee: Live retreat with breakout room practice: US$199 OR Recording only $129.
25% off: US$149.25/96.25
50% off: US$99.50/64.50
70% off: US$59.70/38.70
80% off: US$39.80/25.80
90% off: US$19.90/12.90