….a collaboration between Abundant Body and Everybody Massage; in March, April and May 2020, during the Covid-19 shutdown.
Every Abundant Body
One hour group sessions online
March, April, May 2020
Every Abundant Body is a collaboration between Kira Magee from Everybody Massage and myself, from Abundant Body.
Our first venture was running free online bodywork sessions, once a week, in response to the Covid-19 shutdown in NSW.
When isolation happened in March 2020, both of our face to face businesses came to an abrupt halt, and our contact with people changed dramatically. Kira and I both felt the urge to keep our body-based work current and creative, and to stay in community with others. Offering free, weekly bodywork group sessions allowed us to share our bodywork skills, while exploring new ways of creating access and connection with people drawn to our work.
We set out to create a little haven for body-based expression, learning, pleasure, connection and grounding.
We led some practical body-focused activities, with time for a bit of discussion, and time to practice. There was no need to book, and each session was stand-alone. All bodies were welcome and no experience was necessary.
When restrictions started to ease, we noticed people’s attention turning outwards. Less people were available to attend, plus we both felt the pull to attend to rebuilding our practices after the shock of closing our doors so suddenly. We asked for feedback on the sessions we had run and here are some things we learned:
- people really enjoyed the sessions they attended
- useful components were: breathing, focusing on the body, slowing down, trying new things
- appreciation for being able to choose through sessions
- enjoyed doing sessions from home
- good to be able to control sound/camera on/off at own choice
- sessions being free was appreciated
- some people would attend if fee based
- timing is a factor (ie finding times to suit all/most people)
Kira and I are so glad we did this! We loved every session and we loved working together. We have agreed that we will design and run more group programs together, whether online, face to face, or both.
Find out more about Kira here or via her Instagram every.body.massage