friendship school
with Sarah Selim & Jesse Marshall
Join us for a one-day, in-person gathering
dedicated to the embodied practice of friendship.
why
So much of our lives are lived inside our friendships. They have supported us, challenged us, and shaped who we are.
And, they aren’t always easy. In our own friendships, we’ve struggled to stay connected, to break out of old patterns, to ask for what we need, and to have healthy boundaries.
These challenges are exactly why there is so much learning and growth to be done inside of friendship. In a world in crisis, this feels like vital work. This is where we resource ourselves for change, commit to living fully, and put our values into practice.
when
10am - 4pm on:
Dec 3, 2023
Dec 17, 2023
Jan 13, 2023
Jan 27, 2023
where
Sarah's place in Sebastopol in December; January TBD : )
interested?
Please be in touch directly, or if you don't know us, you can be in touch and get on our list here!
about us
We met at the Strozzi Institute, training to be somatics practitioners. Without really knowing each other, we agreed to get together weekly to practice what we were learning.
Somatics is about how our histories, survival strategies, and the new choices we long for live not just in thought and language but in the body, in our tissue and nervous systems. This exploration happens through awareness of sensation, movement practices, and bodywork. As we practiced these things together, we were also witnessing each other struggle to embody our desires, to become more trustworthy, to know and speak our own needs, to inhabit our own dignity and invite dignity from those around us, and laugh a whole lot along the way. A friendship that was unique in each of our lives blossomed.
Inside the texts that turned to phone calls, the many meals, and the adventuring, somatics offered us a shared language to talk about how our histories and social context were showing up in the relationship. We developed a set of tools to cultivate and come back to attunement and safety in our bodies. We took more risks, talked about money, politics, our dreams and even when we made missteps ended up feeling more seen, more courageous, more whole. As we felt how powerfully these practices were serving our friendship, and just how important friendships can be, we became even more aware of how little intention or support friendship gets in the dominant culture. For us, friendship school is as much a question as it is an answer: how could we all be cultivating embodied friendships, and what possibilities could that create in the world?
f.a.q.
can I invite a friend?
Definitely. Please register separately, but do let us know in the form if there’s someone you’re coming with!
do I need to invite a friend?
You do not need to bring a friend and everyone else will not already know each other. We envision this as a place for deepening friendships, contemplating friendships, and starting new ones. We are hoping for a mix of people coming solo and together.
can I invite my partner or family member?
Yes. Invite anyone who wants to explore the experience of friendship: partner, sibling, parent, child (16+ please), colleague, new acquaintance, neighbor…
what if i have more questions?
Feel free to reach out to one of us directly, or use the interest form.