Embody

A new paradigm for embodied healing in a unique, experiential, therapeutic process in which expressive

movement, guided imagery, ritual, music, and creative expression work together.

In Embody, Toni Bergins, the founder and creator of JourneyDance, an internationally renowned dance

movement program, shares with readers a powerful way to address trauma mindfully so people can confront it,

heal, and grow to love themselves unconditionally, just as they are. Embody is a dynamic, conscious practice

that can help people release what no longer serves them and shows them how to stop stuffing/numbing the

pain and start feeling, stop over-thinking/limiting, and get moving!

Embodiment is the new buzzword in personal transformation, but, most often, it is connected to static practices

like breathwork and meditation. For Toni Bergins, embodiment is best achieved through active movement, and

has created a practice where people literally get out of their heads and into their bodies! Her program is a

trauma-informed one that offers a new promise: leading readers through deep, personal work but making it

feel like play. In this book, she turns the heaviness of processing pain and past trauma into an expressive art

aligned with the most recent research. Specifically, trauma expert Bessel van der Kolk, writes in his bestselling

The Body Keeps the Score, "In order to overcome trauma, people need to feel safe enough to open up their

hearts and minds to others and become engaged with new possibilities. This can be done if trauma survivors

are helped to confront and confess the reality of what has happened and are helped to feel safe again. In many

cultures this involves communal rhythmical activities, such as dancing…" And that is Toni Bergins' mission and

method: to help readers move into a new story for their lives.

Embody features Toni's prescription for a comprehensive healing journey, comprised of five core elements:

· Music, to open the doorways of impulse, imagination, creativity and healing to change mood and awareness;

· Movement, to enhance presence and confidence, and release old patterns and traumas;

· Mystical Inquiry, where imagery and creative visualization exercises are used to guide readers into an alchemic

and shamanic state to investigate past hurts, and learn to trust their instincts;

· Prayers and Invocations, to raise energetic vibrations to a positive place with powerful affirmations; and

· Journaling, with writing prompts to process inner self-awareness learned on the dance floor or through any

of the other Embody elements.