A 5-Day In-Person Training Event
with Staci K. Haines
A 5-Day In-Person Training Event
with Richard Strozzi-Heckler,
Stephanie Meux, Tesfaye Tekelu,
Viveka Chen
October 4 – 8, 2023
Successful completion of our Embodied Transformation course is a prerequisite for this advanced course.
If you have completed Somatic Bodywork Level One, we also offer a Level Two and info can be found here
Increase your ability to observe the body and soma in ways that make you a more effective coach, bodyworker, and leader.
The Somatic Bodywork Seminar Level One course is designed to teach the fundamentals of Strozzi Institute Somatic Bodywork on an introductory level.
It builds off of the foundational elements you learned in Embodied Transformation and will help lead you to a more embodied level of centering.
During your time on our beautiful Petaluma, California ranch, you’ll learn how to utilize breath, movement, touch, energy, and the physical body in unison to create a safe and compassionate sphere for your client work.
When you engage the entire body and the energy forces around you, you will be able to create a more sustainable change for both your personal journey and those of your clients.
During this immersive, hands-on, in-person training, you’ll learn how to:
- Use touch, breath, sound, movement, and gestures to walk yourself or your client through sustainable change and transformation
- Work with the body as a direct and immediate way to shed your limiting conditioned tendencies and teach your clients to do the same
- Develop a path to free yourself and your clients from your old way of being
- Learn to create a setting that is welcoming, comforting, and engenders trust
- Develop bodywork as an additional instrument for your practitioner’s toolkit
Whether you’re a coach, therapist, counselor, someone who manages and leads others, or you want to dive deeper into your own personal change and transformation, this course is for you.
The self and body are intimately linked together. By working with and through the body, you’ll experience new ways to work through the issues plaguing you and those you work with.
When you attend Somatic Bodywork Seminar Level One, you will:
- Learn techniques, moves, and timing to help yourself and those you work with move towards desired goals and fulfillment
- Develop a perception to see the world in a more holistic, comprehensive way
- Create a presence that engenders trust, mutuality, and connection with those around you
- Discover how Somatic Bodywork is a powerful way to heal old wounds, allowing one to be more present with themselves, their environment, and those around them
Every morning:
- We will start with embodied mindfulness practices to embody the skills of presence, empathy, connection, and an open heart
- We will face into what we need to cultivate as practitioners and how to embrace the concerns of others with clear-eyed compassion
- We will have a talk and discussion about the history and theory of Somatic Bodywork
Next, there will be a demonstration by one of the teachers followed by a question and answer period to help you dive deeper into the material you’re learning.
In the afternoon, your teacher will lead you through a practice session with a fellow student. You will then change roles and have the session done with you.
On the last day, you will have an unguided session with a fellow student in which you will be both roles of bodyworker and client.
At all times, certified teachers will be present to help you develop your Strozzi Institute Somatic Bodywork competence and distinction. During this time, you will also receive feedback on your shape, openings and transformation, quality of touch, presence, and connection.
Our goal is to build a safe and trusting environment where we can learn and grow together.
We Promise You Will…
- Introduce distinctions of armoring, breath, touch
- Develop the observer of the body that you are
- Develop the observer of the bodies that others are
- Introduce Somatic Bodywork techniques
- Build relevance of Strozzi Institute Somatic Bodywork to physical self, psychological self, and action
Somatic Bodywork Seminar Level One
Live, In-Person Course
Coming Soon!
Successful completion of our Embodied Transformation course is a prerequisite. If you have not completed this course, you can learn more about Embodied Transformation here.
Your Satisfaction is 100% Guaranteed!
Your satisfaction is 100% Guaranteed. Please see our cancellation policy for complete details.
What students are saying about Strozzi Somatics:
“She presents things with extraordinary clarity…”
“Staci Haines is one of the best teachers I’ve ever encountered. She creates a safe and engaging space in which to explore and learn. And, Staci has a very grounded and warm presence, she presents things with extraordinary clarity, and she responds to inquiries and offers demos with the utmost respect and care. In addition, the content and somatic practices of the course complement each other beautifully and have the power to be transformational.”
— Misty Perez Truedson
“There’s no better place to learn & practice these skills than with the Strozzi Institute’s community of teachers and practitioners.”
“The instruction, coaching, and encouragement to be in a community of practice deepened my somatic awareness and continued to support my own embodied change, for the sake of liberation and love with power. I need – we need – this embodied competency to meet this moment. There’s no better place to learn & practice these skills than with the Strozzi Institute’s community of teachers and practitioners.”
— Caitlin Brune
“The masterful instructors were authentic…”
“This class was a godsend for me… The masterful instructors were authentic, making it safe for everyone to show up in whatever mood or place they were in. I learned several practices that are helping me live out my commitments in the world.”
— Rebecca Glenn
“It was dramatically different than anything I had experienced before.”
“We wanted a game changer for accelerating our high performing teams and our leadership team. I’ve worked with a lot of different leadership programs and the Strozzi Institute’s is the one that works. It was dramatically different than anything I had experienced before. It’s their ability to connect the mind, language, action, and the body into sustainable practices. And we were able to see actual true change in a very short amount of time. It deeply resonated with our teams in a meaningful and authentic way.”
— John Pershing, SVP HR Ascena Retail Group
“The execution and the team has been the most professional I have ever seen.”
“I loved it! It was very profound and subtle at the same time. The execution and the team has been the most professional I have ever seen. Humanity, values, care, love were always at the foreground. I feel humbled and grateful to have been part of this experience.”
— Tania Fichtner, Director at Tajo Consulting (Mexico City, Mexico)
FAQs
The cost for this 5 day course is $2450.
This course is offered at the Strozzi Institute dojo (which means “place of training” in traditional Japanese arts) located on a 13-acre ranch in the rolling hills of Petaluma, California.
Schedule:
The sessions run from Wednesday to Sunday, from 9:00 am – 5:30 pm daily. The exception to this is the last day of the course, which completes early, at 4:00 pm.
Arrival and Departure Times
To give yourself enough time to arrive, check-in, and ground, please plan to arrive no later than 8:30 am each morning.
For the final day, we suggest that you be generous with yourself as you say goodbye and plan to exit by 5:00 pm.
Healthy meals (with vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options), sourced and prepared locally, are provided for lunches during all training days. Transportation and lodging are not included. See our recommended lodging options for our Petaluma location here.
Yes. Successful completion (in person) of either Strozzi Institute’s foundational course, Embodied Transformation (formerly Embodied Leadership) or completion of School of Embodied Leadership (SOEL) is required.
The foundational work covered in our prerequisite course supports the integrity of our methodology and prepares our participants for advanced work.
The Strozzi Institute scholarship program is a tuition reduction program with the highest amount awarded being a 40- 50% discount.
It is highly competitive, needs-based, and is focused on being the most effective. Therefore, it is prioritized to support traditionally marginalized communities with regard to race, sexual identity, and socioeconomics.
Scholarship applications can be submitted up until 8 weeks before the course date so please apply early. Applications are reviewed and awarded with the intention to make the biggest impact. Scholarship awards will be communicated via email 1 week after the close of the application process. Awards can not be used in conjunction with other discount offers or transferred to other coursework.
Click here to apply for a Scholarship.
If you are interested in bringing our Somatic Bodywork Seminars to your team or company, please fill out the interest form on our Teams & Companies page.
Read our Covid Policy here.
Register Now!
Still have questions?
Chat with Denise M. Maes, Director of Enrollment, to receive guidance about
enrollment into Strozzi Institute’s courses.
Meet Your Teachers
Richard Strozzi-Heckler, PhD is founder of Strozzi Institute. He has spent over four decades researching, developing and teaching Somatics to business leaders, executive managers, teams from Fortune 500 companies, NGOs, technology start-ups, non-profits, the U.S. government and military.
He was named one of the Top 50 Executive Coaches in The Art and Practice of Leadership Coaching, and in Profiles in Coaching. He is the co-founder of the Mideast Aikido Project (MAP), which brings together Palestinians and Israelis through the practice of Aikido. He is the Chairman of the Board of the Institute for Social Advancement (ISA) that is based in Ethiopia which brings Aikido and Embodied Leadership to East Africa.
Richard is the author of nine books, including The Leadership Dojo, In Search of the Warrior Spirit, The Anatomy of Change, Holding the Center and The Art of Somatic Coaching: Embodying Skillful Action, Wisdom, and Compassion, and Embodying the Mystery: Somatic Wisdom for Emotional, Energetic, and Spiritual Awakening. From 2002 to 2007 he was an advisor to NATO and the Supreme Allied Commander of Europe (SACEUR) General Jim Jones, who was also the National Security Advisor.
Richard has a PhD in Psychology and is a seventh degree black belt Shihan in the martial art of Aikido.
For over 25 years Stephanie Meux has been committed to the study of pathways and modalities that foster embodied awareness and somatic transformation. Her studies have lead her to become a licensed bodyworker, dance and movement facilitator and to develop and run her own equine guided education programs. She has also had the great fortune to produce educational programs and events in both the corporate sector and for organizations dedicated to personal transformation and leadership development.
Joining the Strozzi Institute team as program director is an exciting opportunity to align her commitments to contributing to the field of somatics and supporting the cultivation and delivery of transformational programming to leaders and organizations, in service to a more whole and just future for all beings.
When not looking at a computer screen, Stephanie can be found spending time with her horse, playing out in nature or dancing.
Tesfaye Tekelu is co-founder of two non-profit organizations: Aikido Ethiopia and Awassa Youth Campus (which works with youth empowerment, conflict-resolution, gender equality and HIV awareness in Ethiopia) and Institute for Social Advancement (which works in education, in the US and Southern Africa).
Tesfaye is responsible for introducing Aikido in East Africa, and currently holds a second degree black belt. Prior to moving to the US in 2010, Tesfaye served as Executive Director for AYC and as head instructor for Aikido Ethiopia (AE) for six years. He is still actively engaged in both organizations as a Board member and program coordinator. He also served as a circus and theater leader and Finance head from 2002-2005 at the Hawassa Children’s Center in Hawassa, Ethiopia, where he organized, performed and lead the circus and theater group tours throughout Ethiopia.
Viveka Chen (she|they) has worked for social, racial, gender, economic, environmental and healing justice for over 25 years, across a spectrum of movements, cultures, communities, and sectors. Viveka is a certified somatic coach and a teacher with Strozzi Institute, as well as a leadership coach and trainer, organizational development consultant, and facilitator.
Viveka co-founded a women of color consulting group, co-LAB Collective, with Maura Bairley and Monica Dennis. We specialize in guiding transformational processes: deep race equity and liberation work, team building, vision and strategy, alliance building, working through conflict, change and transition.
co-LAB partners with organizations to design and facilitate cohort leadership programs grounded in race and gender justice and centering BIPOC leaders (for example, for women of color community organizing leaders, philanthropic CEOs, new women of color social justice executive directors, reproductive justice and environmental justice innovation cohorts). Viveka is also a Rockwood Leadership Institute trainer.
Viveka brings a commitment to liberation and joy. She is also a Buddhist dharma and meditation teacher, ordained in 1997 whose teaching is grounded in an embodied approach.
The proud child of Chinese immigrants, Viveka lives with beloved partner Rene Perez on Ohlone land.
Staci K. Haines is a national leader in the field of Somatics, specializing in intersecting personal and social change. Staci is the co-founder of generative somatics, a multiracial social justice organization bringing somatics to social and climate justice leaders and organizations. She specializes in Somatics and Trauma, and leads programs for healers, therapists, and social change leaders to transform the impact of individual and social trauma and violence. Her new book The Politics of Trauma: Somatics, Healing and Social Justice (North Atlantic Press 2019) is based on that work.
Staci is a senior teacher at Strozzi Institute and the Director of Methodology, having studied and worked with Strozzi Institute since 1995. She has worked extensively with organizational leaders, including corporate executives, non-profits, and social entrepreneurs.
Staci is the author of The Politics of Trauma: Somatics, Healing and Social Justice (North Atlantic Press 2019) and Healing Sex: A Mind Body Approach to Healing Sexual Trauma (Cleis 1999, 2007). Healing Sex has been nationally recognized and translated into German, Japanese and Spanish. Lastly, Staci is the founder of generationFIVE, a community leadership organization whose mission is to end the sexual abuse of children within five generations.
About Strozzi Institute
Strozzi Institute
Strozzi Institute is the creator of embodied leadership — a unique, neuroscience-based approach that integrates mindfulness, action-oriented communication, martial arts, and generative conflict training to prepare leaders, coaches, and teams to meet today’s biggest challenges.
Over 50 Years of Experience
Our unique and powerful embodied leadership methodology positions us as the leading institution shaping executives, teams, and leaders toward mastery in their business. We have over 50 years of experience in delivering innovative programs to a diversity of organizations around the globe that include Fortune 500, large governmental agencies, small businesses, B-corps, NGOs, sustainable business visionaries, multinational companies, and budding entrepreneurs.
