Polyvagal Theory Embodied:

Where Your Nervous System Learns to Dance

with Deb Grant and Aaron Brandes (aka Brando)

at Earthdance, Plainfield Mass

May 7-10th, 2026

Drawing from Contact Improvisation, Authentic Movement, and UZAZU Embodied Intelligence, this workshop offers a profound journey into the landscape of your inner experience. We return to the body as a steady, trustworthy resource, exploring how our autonomic nervous system shapes our sense of safety, connection, and adaptability.

Polyvagal Theory helps us understand how the autonomic nervous system shapes our responses of connection and defense.

Through movement explorations and reflective dialogue, this workshop supports the development of nervous system fluency and somatic coherence, integrating body, mind, and awareness as a whole.

Participants will learn to recognize their autonomic states and use direct physical experience as a pathway for expression and psychological understanding.

This workshop integrates psychoeducation with direct embodied experience, making it equally valuable for personal transformation and professional application.

What you’ll explore:

The three neural pathways of the autonomic nervous system and how they show up in daily life (and in dance)
How to track and understand your own patterns of neuroception
How to recognize and shift between states of mobilization, immobilization, and social engagement

Open to helping professionals, movement practitioners, and those drawn to personal or professional growth, this weekend offers an opportunity to reconnect with movement, presence, and resilience while building a practical toolkit for nervous system support.

Planning your stay:

Arrival/Check-In: Thursday, May 7th from 4-7pm front of the Farmhouse. Dinner is at 6-7pm.
Opening Circle: Friday, May 8th at 10am.
Final Clean: Sunday, May 10th at 2-3pm. Lunch 1-2pm.
Departure: All participants will depart after the final group clean at 3pm on Sunday, May 10th.

About Us

Aaron Brandes

Aaron Brandes (Brando), LCSW, M.Ed, is a movement educator, psychotherapist, and bodyworker dedicated to fostering healing and resilience through somatic practices. With over 20 years immersed in dance, yoga, and body-based therapies, Brando has both taught and performed internationally, sharing his passion for movement as a tool for emotional and physical well-being. Brando co-authored an essay on the therapeutic applications of touch is published in the book, Resistance and Support: Contact Improvisation @ 50 edited by Ann Cooper Albright, and presented at CI@50 at Oberlin College. His journey includes a two-year residency and yoga teacher training at the renowned Kripalu Center, which solidified his dedication to integrating mindful movement into his work.As a nationally certified Structural Integration practitioner, Brando brings a unique approach to his body-based psychotherapy practice, blending extensive experience in Contact Improvisation (CI) and other somatic modalities. CI remains central to his research and professional evolution, inspiring him to explore how movement can serve as a deeply therapeutic practice for navigating the complexities of modern life. Brando’s work continues to innovate within the field, encouraging others to use movement as a pathway to self-discovery and resilience.For more insights and links to Brando’s videos, visit his website: BodyandBeing.net

Deb Grant

Practicing psychotherapy for over 30 years, Deb Grant, LCSW, LSMT integrates Body-oriented Psychotherapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), UZAZU Embodied Intelligence, somatic movement, energy psychology and ego state work in her trauma-informed psychotherapy work with clients to help create lasting healing and change.

Deb also regularly teaches embodied approaches to the polyvagal theory and has co-presented with Deb Dana, LCSW, at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, Omega Institute, as well as throughout New England. Among her many collaborations with Deb Dana, she co-authored a chapter in the book entitled Clinical Applications of the Polyvagal Theory: The Emergence of Polyvagal-informed Therapies (Editors Stephen Porges and Deb Dana).

Deb is a Body-Mind Centering® Somatic Movement Educator and a Registered Somatic Movement Therapist, and holds two yoga teacher certifications. She teaches improvisational dance using somatic and relational approaches, offering students ways of using dance as a personal practice for health, well-being and embodiment.