Store
Upcoming Date: Friday Jan 16, 2026, 6-7:30pm
Location: Align Barre and Fitness at 2256 Mount Carmel Ave, Glenside PA 19038
Please note that the space is located up two flights of stairs and is not elevator-accessible.
Description
A nurturing self-initiated movement group. This group is open to everyone and is especially disability friendly. You do not need to consider yourself a “mover” and you don’t need “rhythm”.
Authentic Movement Group is a simple, formulaic process that you will be taught during each group. Essentially, you have a chance to move naturally and improvisatorially, following your internal impulses and compass while being witnessed by another. You do not need to consider yourself a “mover” and you don’t need “rhythm”. Depending on how you’re feeling in the moment, your movement, emotions and sounds may vary from tiny and subtle to expansive and loud. A verbal exchange is then shared by mover and witness about the experience. Next, you shift roles and witness becomes mover. Authentic Movement continues to evolve as a practice of deep inner listening, reverent witnessing, and embodied remembrance—a bridge between inner truth and collective healing.
———-
Authentic Movement Roots and Lineage: Authentic Movement, as it is known today, arises from a deep, timeless impulse: the body moving from within, witnessed in silence and presence. Long before it was named or systematized, this practice was alive in Indigenous and ancestral traditions across the globe. From the ritual dances of West African griots to the trance movements of the Kalahari San, from the embodied prayer of Indigenous North and South American ceremonies to the sacred gestural languages of Balinese and Pacific Islander rituals—humans have always turned to spontaneous, intentional movement as a form of healing, expression, and spiritual connection. In the mid-20th century, Mary Starks Whitehouse, trained in modern dance and Jungian analysis, brought these ancient ways into dialogue with Western psychotherapy. She emphasized “movement that arises from the unconscious,” a process she simply called “movement in depth.” Her student, Janet Adler, later gave this practice the name Authentic Movement, shaping it into a relational discipline rooted in non-judgmental witnessing and contemplative presence. Adler brought forth the spiritual and therapeutic dimensions of the work, integrating it with mysticism, somatics, and psychological inquiry. Contemporary practitioners—including Joan Chodorow, Tina Stromsted, and a growing number of BIPOC dance/movement therapists—are now expanding the field by reclaiming and reweaving the threads of its ancestral origins. Today, Authentic Movement continues to evolve as a practice of deep inner listening, reverent witnessing, and embodied remembrance—a bridge between inner truth and collective healing.
Upcoming Date: Sunday Jan 18, 2026 from 12pm-6pm
Location: 67 Byberry Road, Hatboro PA 19040
Provider: Dr. Kathleen Metzker
Description
This immersive experience centers on mindfulness, blending meditation, somatic practices, and dialogue for a day of compassionate reflection and practice.
Participants will explore:
Responding to conflict without reactivity
Compassionate yet boundaried communication
Resilience in discomfort instead of avoidance
Staying connected during tension or uncertainty
Next Cycle: Saturday & Sunday, January 24th - 25th, 12-4pm
Location: 67 Byberry Road, Hatboro PA 19040
Providers: Douglas Paulson [artist, educator] and Lindsay Edwards [psychotherapist, dance/movement therapist]
For adults interested in improving relationship skills:
Partners
Individuals
Collaborators
Friends
Triads
etc.
Description
Sustaining relationships requires creativity, flexibility, practice, and reflection. This intensive brings people together to learn, grow, play, support, and reflect to strengthen the skills in the relationships that matter most.
This intensive 2 day workshop develops empathy, relationship-building, and conflict navigation skills through a highly participatory experience.
We will use movement games, improvisation, therapeutic practices, and guided discussion to help participants experiment with new, creative ways of relating to themselves and to others in the room.
Expect:
Games and movement
Laughter and playfulness
Rigor and introspection
Supportive facilitation
Honest connection to others
Shared vulnerability
Community
Intended Outcomes
Greater capacity to navigate conflict, uncertainty, and relational challenges with curiosity and resilience
Deepened empathy and understanding, even during moments of tension
Softened rigid patterns, inviting more internal ease
Improved communication tools for expressing needs and boundaries
Practice staying present, responsive, and connected in real-time interactions
Improved tools for repairing ruptures and strengthening trust across personal and professional relationships
Community and beyond
We center emotional safety, consent, and playful co-creation throughout.
Participants are invited to practice vulnerability at their own pace. While taking relational risks can feel uncomfortable, we consistently see that the growth, connection, and insight gained are worth it.
Consider repeating this workshop. Each new group creates fresh dynamics, offering new opportunities for practice, reflection, and continued skill development.
Next Cycle: Wednesdays from 6-8pm on February 11th, 25th and March 11th, 25th, 2026
Location: Telehealth. Link will be sent post-registration.
Providers: Malia Burris [therapist & sound healer] and Sir Dominique Jordan [Hip Hop and Spoken Word Artist, Educator]
Description
A consecutive, four session professional creative wellness training for helping professionals in mental health, education, and community care.
Module 1: Sound, Story & the Creative Nervous System
Foundations of sound-based nervous system regulation
Rhythm, breath, and voice as pathways to emotional regulation
How creativity impacts the brain and supports clinical goals
Intro experiential: sound + spoken word blend
Immediate take-home tools for anxious or dysregulated youth/young adults
Module 2: Sound & Expressive Arts for Emotional Regulation
Lead: Malia (Dominique supporting)
Safe and ethical use of sound in clinical and community settings
Trauma-informed sound facilitation
Sound + visual art: texture, tone, color, vibration
Guided sound experience + reflective integration
Practical applications for teens, young adults, and high-anxiety clients
Module 3: Rhythm, Voice & Story-Based Expression
Rhythm as emotional language
Elements of spoken word + poetic storytelling
Hip-hop informed creative practices
Identity, agency, and narrative in trauma healing
Creative activities clinicians can replicate with youth/young adults
Module 4: Integration, Creative Rituals, & Applied Practice
How to structure creative sessions in clinical/educational settings
Combining sound, rhythm, story, and visual expression
Facilitating beginnings and endings (rituals, openings, closings)
Small group practice + feedback
Building a culturally responsive, imagination-based toolkit
This final session brings everything together and highlights equal partnership.
Training Outcomes
Trauma-informed creative regulation tools
Simple sound practices for session use
Rhythm + voice exercises for emotional expression
Visual expressive arts processes
Narrative + story-based interventions
Culturally responsive creative approaches
A replicable 4-session framework for groups or youth programs
Upcoming Date: Sunday February 21, 2026, 12-3pm
Location: 67 Byberry Road, Hatboro PA 19040
Provider: Dr. Kathleen Metzker
Description
Join us for a nourishing afternoon of gentle movement, stillness, and deep inner listening as we explore what it means to practice radical self-love.
Mindfulness for present-moment awareness & self-connection
Breathwork for nervous system regulation & emotional release
Yoga for awakening in beginning then yoga nidra (guided rest) to support deep restoration and integration
Invitation for quiet reflection/journaling/sharing