NOTE: THIS WORKSHOP HAS BEEN CANCELED.
The Four Core Engagements of UZAZU :
Map and Navigate Your Changing States with Grace
at Oddfellows Hall Ballroom in Portland, Maine
November 6 (6-9pm) and 7 (10am-5pm)
THIS WORKSHOP HAS BEEN CANCELED.
CHECK BACK IN SPRING 2027!
Learn about this workshop (mini-experience included!) here:
You already have ways of meeting a moment — leaning in, holding back, softening, standing your ground. UZAZU gives those moves a language. Grounded in movement, posture and spatial awareness, it's a simple yet far-reaching framework for noticing how you're engaging with life — within yourself, with others, and in the world — and for shifting when a moment asks for something different.
In this workshop we'll map the four body-based ways your inner life meets everything outside it: sensing what's true for you, acting from that truth, connecting with others without losing yourself, and giving your energy to something larger. You'll find where you live most easily, where you rarely go, and what it feels like to move between them. It's a foundational workshop — and one that students of UZAZU come back to again and again for its richness.
Through guided movement, paired practice, and quiet reflection, you will:
-
Notice where your energy and attention actually go — and what that feels like in your body as it's happening.
-
Feel the difference between a pattern that's home territory and one you rarely visit.
-
Practice the moment of shifting itself — moving from stuck to responsive, in real time, with support.
-
Find all four engagements in your own body, until locating them is something you can do on your own — in the room, and later, when it counts.
-
Leave with a few practices simple enough to work with in daily life and easy to integrate with what already supports you in your psycho-spiritual-emotional toolkit.
This workshop is open to all and satisfies the prerequisite for anyone who wants to continue on with subsequent UZAZU training.
REGISTRATION
~Full workshop $220 ($175 early bird through Sunday, October 25 )
~Sorry, no Friday-night-only options.
~If you are unable to attend Friday night but can commit to the all-day Saturday portion of the workshop, and are willing to do some prep, I can set you up with an introductory pre-recorded video.
~Please speak with me directly if you would like to discuss a reduced rate based on financial need.
Polyvagal Theory Embodied:
Where Your Nervous System Learns to Dance
with Deb Grant and Aaron Brandes (aka Brando)
This residential workshop was presented in Spring 2026 at Earthdance and we anticipate bringing it to Earthdance again in winter/spring 2027. Other dates may be added, so please check back this fall!
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.
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.
Join my mailing list for professional workshops
Sign up for occasional announcements to learn about continuing ed opportunities.