Soul Spa Wellness Weekend for BIPOC Leaders
With Iya Rev. DeShannon Barnes-Bowens, Abigail “Ifatola” Jefferson, ArinMaya, Ben Brown and Rev. Therese Bimka, Program Initiator and Weaver
July 16 - 18, 2021
REST ~ RESTORE ~ AND RESET
An opportunity to nourish body, mind, heart, spirit and soul.
CO-SPONSORED BY
THE DHARMAKAYA CENTER FOR WELLBEING
THE HUDSON VALLEY GUILD OF MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
THE HOLISTIC HEALTH COMMUNITY, in collaboration with the Morty and Gloria Wolosoff Foundation
Let’s face it: Implicit and explicit racism is draining. Soul depleting.
And in some cases, life threatening.
While COVID has been challenging for all Americans, the pandemic has impacted communities of color in far more damaging ways than it has other communities. It has been devastating. In tandem, due to what some call the COVID pressure cooker, the profound pain and injustice of racism has exploded. The trauma of racism is being discussed and witnessed across diverse segments of the population and associated institutions. We need to find creative and meaningful ways to support those on the front lines.
The Soul Spa Wellness Program offers a free weekend of restorative practices in a peaceful spiritual setting for 12 BIPOC Leaders. Open by application.
We’re sorry, this weekend is fully booked and applications are closed.
STAY SAFE DURING COVID-19: In the interest of safety, we are strictly limiting enrollment to 12 people; please read our COVID-19 Precautions & Preparations to understand our additional strategies.
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
The weekend will offer a diverse range of opportunities. Four main program sessions will be punctuated by contemplation, healing arts, time in nature, and holistic treatments.
Intention Setting and Intonation, led by ArinMaya
Sound healing practitioner and songwriter ArinMaya will guide us through welcome and introductory exercises, including intention-setting for the weekend and culminating in her signature Meditation Moments – a grounding, intuitive-based improvisational vocal sound bath. Centering in sound and silence will be a wonderful beginning to our weekend together as we circle up to center self-care for ourselves and refill our cups.
Sustainable Selfcare and Spiritual Wellness, led by Iya Rev. DeShannon Barnes-Bowens
As BIPOC leaders, healers and activists, we know firsthand how stress and trauma can affect our overall sense of wellbeing. The heartfelt connection we cultivate with causes and people we advocate for, often leads to exhaustion, depletion and fatigue due to the nature of daily living and work. During our time together, we will engage in spiritual practice and learn methods to reduce stress and bring our lives back into balance. This session will help you:
- Learn the importance of cultivating mental, spiritual & emotional wellbeing
- Identify how stress can impact healing, activism and service work
- Develop sustainable self-care strategies
Sound Bath, led by Ben Brown
The experience of sound encourages more space, rest, and resilience in the body and nervous system. Sound also provides an opportunity to experience ourselves more deeply, to connect to our higher consciousness, to create a sanctuary within ourselves, and to provide a path to the present moment. Sound practitioner Ben Brown will create this experience through singing bowls, tuning forks, gong, drums, and various other sound instruments.
Expressive Healing Arts, led by Reverend Abigail “Ifatola” Jefferson
This exciting, fun-filled expressive arts experience will spark the imagination, activate ancestal healing, and tap into our creative flow by exploring storytelling as an art form. Arts educator Abigail Jefferson will also lead Energy for Life™ movement to relax and energize the system. Lastly, there will be time for gentle stretching, calming breath work, journaling and group sharing.
APPLICATION
This program is free of charge, but requires an application. To apply, please email Therese Bimka with details on your community or organizational role, how you or those you serve have been impacted by COVID and why participation in this retreat is important for you. Those who are accepted will receive a registration code.
Note: Priority will be given to leaders in The Hudson Valley.
SCHEDULE
(subject to change)
Friday, July 16
| 3:00 PM | Check in begins |
| 6:00-7:00 PM | Dinner |
| 7:00-8:30 PM | Welcome and Introduction |
| Intention Setting and Intonation, led by ArinMaya |
Saturday, July 17
| 7:00-8:00 AM | Morning Salutations and Meditation, optional |
| 8:00-9:00 AM | Breakfast |
| 9:30 AM-11:00 AM | Sustainable Selfcare and Spiritual Wellness, led by Iya Rev. DeShannon Barnes-Bowens |
| 12:00-1:00 PM | Lunch |
| 1:00-6:00 PM | Unstructured time for:
|
| 6:00-7:00 PM | Dinner |
| 7:30-9:00 PM | Sound Bath, led by Ben Brown |
Sunday, July 18
| 7:00-8:00 AM | Morning Salutations and Meditation, optional |
| 8:00-9:00 AM | Breakfast |
| 9:30 AM-11:00 AM | Expressive Healing Arts, led by Reverend Abigail “Ifatola” Jefferson |
| 12:00-1:00 PM | Lunch |
| 1:00 PM | Checkout and Departure |
Teachers
Iya Rev. DeShannon Barnes-Bowens is the founder of ILERA Counseling & Education Services, where she works as a psychotherapist, professional development trainer, and spiritual counselor. Through ILERA, Iya DeShannon offers a range of workshops and programs focusing on sexuality and spirituality, sexual abuse and healing, and vicarious trauma and wellness. She is the author of Hush Hush: An African American Family Breaks their Silence on Sexuality and Sexual Abuse (2007, 2015). Her work has been presented at national and regional conferences of the American Academy of Religion, Harvard University, Children’s Aid Society, Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power & Potential (GCAPP), Washington University,…
Learn more about Iya Rev. DeShannon Barnes-Bowens
Arts educator, storyteller, and yoga practitioner Iyanifa, Reverend Abigail “Ifatola” Jefferson, M.Ed., conducts programs globally. Through a unique blend of story, dance, and yoga, she keeps alive stories from the African Diaspora. Audiences of all ages have described her programs as spirit-filled, inspiring, and energizing. In June 2017, Abigail was ordained as an inter-spiritual and interfaith minister by One Spirit Learning Alliance in New York City. Abigail is certified in Kripalu Yoga, Karma Kids Yoga, and Yoga 4cancer; she has traveled to Egypt with Master Teacher Yirser Ra Hotep to certify in Kemetic Yoga. Abigail has also traveled to Cuba,…
Learn more about Abigail “Ifatola” Jefferson
ArinMaya is an inspirational singer, songwriter, sound healer and activist who Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist Gregory Porter described as having “a unique and ancient sound.” Though she’s been called “the Mayor of Brooklyn,” ArinMaya originally hails from Chicago’s South Side where her artistic training began with studies in West African dance and rhythms, continued in numerous church and community choirs and was fostered by her parents’ diverse record collection. She went on to sing and study improvisation and traditional black music with Bobby McFerrin and Voicestra, Ysaye Barnwell of Sweet Honey in the Rock, respectively. Inspired by these experiences and her…
Learn more about ArinMaya
As a sound practitioner, visual artist, and bodyworker. Ben Brown seeks the intersection of mediums that provide a haven from social-emotional isolation, and support our adaptive capabilities to self-soothe and heal. Much of his work comes from the impulse to create more space in the nervous system and body through vibrational frequencies that connect us to our ancestral wisdom and being. Ben facilitates live and virtual sound experiences. He is the co-creator of HOME and E L I X I R, two monthly sound practices; LUSH, a hands-on bodywork and sound experience; and Beauty Medicine, an interdisciplinary sound art project…
Learn more about Ben Brown
Therese is a spiritual director and a psychotherapist in private practice in The Hudson Valley and former Director of The Interspiritual Counseling Program at One Spirit Interfaith Alliance (2011-2021). A seasoned leader of retreats and workshops on a wide range of psycho-spiritual and creative themes, she has advanced training in various trauma- based teachings, guided visualizations for health, mindfulness meditation, Buddhism and psychology, expressive arts, Jungian Sandplay Therapy, soulcollage, and restorative justice, among others. In December 2022, Therese will return to the Dharmakaya Center for Wellbeing to teach Crossing the Threshold 2022-2023, a New Year’s Eve Retreat.
Learn more about Rev. Therese Bimka, Program Initiator and Weaver
