Rewilding the Self
a journey through nature connection, embodiment and the spiral of the work that reconnects
January/February 2027
Facilitated by Ashwin Lobo and Yulia Smagorinsky
For a few millennia now, a belief has been present that humans are separate from and even opposed to the natural world. Man vs Nature. Or Man vs Wild, if you’re familiar with the show. But in seeing ourselves as separate from the more than human world, are we not just disconnecting from who we truly are? After all, ever since the origin of Homo Sapiens, our ancestors have lived in close proximity, dependence and connection to the natural world. And this is not to mention that our ancestry stretches far beyond that – to ape, early mammal, reptile, amphibian, fish and all the way back to the first single celled organism. Cooped up in our cities and behind our screens, it can be hard to remember who we are and where we come from.
While it’s clear to see how humans’ disconnection from the natural world is a cause for the rapidly accelerating ecological and climate crisis, might it also not be a pointer to the sharp rise in neuroses and mental illnesses in our species? But of course it’s not just our minds which are affected and involved, it’s also our bodies.
Our bodies are perhaps the most potent reminder that we are not above nature, but that we are of nature. That we are mammal, animal, a life form on this planet Earth. Just like with all other life forms, our bodies need to eat, breathe and defecate. Our bodies can come alive with desire, laugh with glee or freeze with fear. Our bodies are prone to injury, sickness, aging and eventually – death. Across our entire ancestral history, we have been so dependent on our bodies – to find food, to escape from danger and to propagate the next generation. But now cooped up in our cities, behind our computer screens, with our food delivery apps, we are perhaps less dependent on our bodies than ever before. Our disconnection from the natural world is also a disconnection from our bodies. Even our physical exercise is shifting more and more indoors – to temperature controlled gyms and boutique yoga studios.
Our planet is in crisis and our species is disconnected from our bodies and the natural world. So how do we get out of this mess? Through the Expanded Spiral of the Work that Reconnects, embodiment and nature connection practices, we step into this enquiry. Not to seek answers but to foster connection – to our selves, our bodies and the more than human world. And perhaps through this journey we can discover that we are more alive, vital human beings. But also that in these troubled times, our actions and lives are capable of affecting the larger world. For the myth of separation and disconnection is just that – a myth.
To rewild ourselves is to rewild the world.
Dates and time:
Format: online
You will be asked to engage in nature connection practices as well as embodiment practices in between the sessions, please plan for up to one hour per week.
Cost:
Tier 1: $30-100 USD — for those of you living in low-income countries/economically unstable regions and are facing systemic barriers related to caste, race, displacement, disability, or colonial legacies (e.g. exchange rate and US dollar hegemony)
Tier 2: $200-500 USD — for those of you living in high-income countries/economically stable regions; please pay on the higher end if you experience economic privilege relative to others globally
please contact us if you need a scholarship beyond the sliding scales
Facilitated by Ashwin Lobo and Yulia Smagorinsky