Testimonials

Student, graduate and public participant testimonials

Level 1 Personal Embodiment training testimonials

What I am discovering through this work is that the body has a massive intelligence that is largely ignored in our society. I am so thankful to have been able to discover this in my lifetime and be able to listen to my body, my ‘wiser’self, the self that is not stymied by ego and needs and drama. The biology of my body contains the stories of my life and in some cases these have become buried or locked. The exquisite precision of the body memory is a treasure chest waiting to be unlocked. The Tamalpa Life Art is an enriching and creative way to transform stories into art that speaks to the heart. Studying with Lian Wilson and her team of skilled facilitators has enabled me not only to access and give voice to the buried hurts, but in so doing, I have also started to flex a creative muscle, long atrophied under the weight of everyday life. This creative voice, finally given a platform to be witnessed, heard and interacted with, has proven to be deeply nurturing. I know how important community is as an aspect of the work of the Tamalpa Institute and I imagine Lian’s choice to locate the UK branch in the heart of Folkestone’s Creative Quarter was based on this value system of contributing to the regeneration of the area.
The Tamalpa Life/Art process has shown me how rich and vibrant my inner world is. I have spent all my life looking outside of myself and hadn’t realised the treasures they were in me all along…it has shown me richness beyond anything money could ever buy. It has helped me to see my true value and my true uniqueness. It has given me the courage to embrace all of me and give expression to the parts of me that I wanted to forget and the parts I wanted to ignore. I now live a life of artistry…I know that I can move and draw and write all that life gifts to me and it will create a wonderful piece of art… I am sculpting from the mud and pain of life a beautiful monument that will change and grow and will always be true. Forever-Grateful x
Tamalpa has changed my life. It is as if I was able to stand naked amongst others, be seen for the first time ever. This is leading me into taking a stand daily, honestly in my life, being prepared to change, to say I find things hard, to speak openly about my difficulties, and hence to grow. Tamalpa is huge for me, and I am truly grateful.
There are too many and not enough words to describe the incredible vibrancy the Tamapla work have offered my world. The skills, courage, Human relationship and wisdom that have been hatch is beyond what I thought I could ever dwell in. The work and year holding has greatly helped shape my knowing and faith, although is sways from side to side, that I have the power to create a more authentic, creative empowered world for myself, if I am willing to meet my darkness, say yes, believe it is possible, dance until the song has it’s form and weep until I feel the softness of the tears on my cheek. I cannot praise this work enough and I encourage anyone wanting to go on a deep path of human courage, personal development, creative empowerment and embodied knowing to say yes to joining the Bold and expansive world of Tamapla. Now, in my every day the work is stilled carried within my cells of knowing and I bow everyday to it.

To all of you doing the TE this weekend ……….

I remember doing the TE this time last year in the gorgeous, light-filled space you are in now.

Hard, hard it was because I have felt very blocked in many ways all my days (quite a few, I was 60 at the time!) and I had to d-r-a-w. I have been terrified of coloured pencils, crayons, paints, paint brushes, white paper, any paper ……… terrified of putting marks on paper, fearful of play. Somehow though, the connection with BODY spoke loudly and vividly and I found myself getting a huge amount out of the day, although greatly challenged. The Life/Art bridge wasn’t as clear to me then as it is now, but the fact that all the creativity is linked to my actual BODY and my LIFE, just as it is, I have experienced as the most effective door-opener to creativity, the most gentle (and fascinating) way past some of the many blocks I have put in my own way.

Later, and facing huge resistance from myself, I applied to do Level 1 on about the last possible day before the deadline. Audicia and Lian gave me full- hearted and very open support, that is the kind I needed, with no pressure to commit: they were most sensitively alive to helping and guiding me to an appreciation of what was right for me. The year has been a roller coaster of ………… challenge, resistance, learning, laughter, tears, colour, interest, fascination, achievement, friendship, support, community, expression and CREATIVITY.

My experience of the Tamalpa work is that it holds profound and authentic power. How could it not when actually what is so unique about it is that it leads you deeply into your own body, power and creativity? Importantly, the journey you make is deeply supported by good structure and the professionalism and integrity of the teachers.

To summarise:
The Tamalpa work is a gift to the self, it is a blessing.

The Tamalpa UK teachers work with you from a place of embodied and profound integrity.

I have recently applied to do Level 2 which was nowhere on my radar when I applied to do the TE day. I feel I am almost being led to do this work, that I have come out of my head and am allowing my own creativity to lead me to something entirely new.

Throughout the Level 1 training programme with Tamalpa U.K I received deep healing learning and development, with the skillful navigation, gentle holding and strong leadership of both Lian Wilson and Audicia Morley. I can honestly and wholeheartedly recommend the Tamalpa Life Art Process and the training programmes …a personal gift of deep exploration, discovery learning and empowerment.

Level 2 Embodied Leadership training testimonials

By doing the Level 2 Tamalpa training, I am starting to see my Mythology even clearer. It is supporting me to explore the tools and processes, which are revealing strategies that I can now see have kept me unclear in certain areas of my life. By gradually embodying the Tamalpa processes, I can feel a supportive dismantling process happening, that is helping me to re birth myself with more clarity, boundaries and clearer communication skills. I imagine that this will not only benefit myself, but all people in my life, including the health of group situations that I will facilitate. Learning how to express what I am feeling in a myriad of possible ways, is feeling very nourishing, enlightening and exciting whether it be personal or professional. This training I can see will bring endless possibilities to my life.

Level 2 has expanded my experience of Tamalpa and the ways that I can imagine working with Tamalpa practices. My understanding of the somatic basis for the work has deepened and I am beginning to explore how I could bring my own unique approach in the way I may offer the work to others. Though I am only four months into Level 2, I have already built upon the foundation of level one, in several areas such as movement coaching, an in-depth approach to movement ritual, scoring and facilitation skills.

After completing my Level 1 training in March 2018, I took a year to reflect and breathe after completing the Level 1 training because it was important for me to be sure that Tamalpa was the right path for me before I started my L2 and I’m happy to say that it is. I embarked on my L2 Embodied Leadership training journey in July 2019 with a sense of clarity about who I am, who I believe I am here to serve and why.

Although we started the L2 training course only 4 months ago, it has already changed me in ways that I could not have imagined. I believe everything in life happens in its time but to discover the depths of who I am as an embodied leader, speaker, mentor and artist at this point in my life truly is a blessing. I am honoured to have the opportunity to learn from each of the course leaders in depth and to be a part of the growing Tamalpa family.

Level 1 had – and continues to have – a transformative effect in my life so I am grateful to be doing Level 2! The course stretches me both personally and professionally, but in a manageable way. I feel supported by our teachers, the timetabling and content is well paced and the assignments are challenging but feasible even with my busy life. I am inspired by the myriad ways this work can be applied in the world and I am excited to be discovering which fields of practice interest me, and my own style and voice as a facilitator of this work.

Public class or workshop testimonials

Many thanks for leading a truly wonderful weekend. I have been curious about the Tamalpa Life Art Process since discovering the work of Anna & Daria Halprin some years ago, and was very excited there was an opportunity to experience the Life Art Process here in the UK.

The experience has more than lived up to my expectations. Sandgate provided a perfect setting for the weekend, the spacious hall and being close to the sea, encouraged me to relax feeling a connection to the elemental forces of the natural world. Exploring the power of learning to listen to the wisdom present within our bodies, through your expert guidance and learning to seek deep within ourselves for resources to challenge patterns of behavior that no longer serve us and, instead to embody new patterns in order to move forward, was deeply rewarding. Learning to channel our creative resources through journal writing, art, movement and then reflecting on these with others, both in conversation, through movement, and in witnessing others, was powerful, and I will endeavor to use these tools to inform both my personal life and work.

My thanks too to you Lian and the wonderful group members for providing such a safe, creative and meaningful space for movement, reflection and growth. I came away feeling enriched and energised by this special alchemy.

My poem:

Breathe and be present,
breathe and feel the
earth underneath your feet.
Breathe and feel the
air filling your lungs.
Just in this moment-
Open your eyes!
Breathe and believe-
This is your
Moment
To be
Alive.

This was my first experience of a Tamalpa weekend workshop. I was curious to experience the work after a friend mentioned it to me, knowing that I’m interested in arts, movement and healing. It took quite a bit of reshuffling of my schedule in order to carve out time for this workshop. But from the moment we began the weekend with Lian, in the coastal town Sandgate I felt very welcomed, supported and valued in the group, so I knew it was all worth the reshuffling! Lian held the space so peacefully and I experienced a sort of fog clearing from my mind, which was wonderful! During the weekend I loved exploring the processes, keys and theory through the different art forms, which felt wholesome, rich and unexpectedly rewarding. I came away with clear notions I had ‘voiced’ during the weekend through my dances, written word and drawing that were surprising to me and yet are so real, that it’s given me a new sense of perspective. I returned home after the weekend feeling very energised, resourced with hope, ideas and tools for the future in my personal and professional life. Most of all, I feel very lucky to have experienced such a wonderful weekend with Lian and a remarkable group.

I attended the Tamalpa Weekend Experience facilitated by Lian Wilson without any previous knowledge or experience of the work. I loved every minute and found the weekend to be a uniquely rich and rare gift of time, space & powerful creative tools to express, heal, grow and deeply nourish my whole being. Moreso, these simple and effective tools are now available to me as new empowering choices in my daily life. Thank you for this truly wonderful work.

A short email just to say an enormous “thank you” for the wonderful gift you gave me. I have felt quite different since then – looser both mentally and physically – I’ve done quite a lot on self growth before, and can honestly say this was the most painless and enjoyable way I’ve experienced.
If there are more Tamalpa events locally, please keep me posted. Who’d have thought California would arrive in Sandgate!

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