inquiry Archives | Integrated Eros

What is erotic embodiment? What a great question! A vast set of practices. A way of being. Yes, and more.

Embodiment is one of those terms that gets thrown around, especially in contemporary wellness circles, often with little definition or explanation. What do you make of it all? Sometimes it’s just meant to sound fancy or academic, or worse, just to sell you something whether you need it or not. I get it. It can be difficult to get to what’s really there, explicit and implicit.

One definition of erotic embodiment I use is: an experience of being connected to and aware of sensations in your body that relate to arousal, desire and pleasure, consistently over a span of time. Or, the ability to stay present to the bodily experiences you have over time when eros is present. It holds qualities of presence, playfulness, engagement.

On another level, it can be about being connected with your wants and limits. When you can say to yourself, “I want to do that” or “I am not willing to do this”. It can be practices that allow you to notice when you like something, and under what circumstances you like it. It has a quality of acceptance of ourselves. (Bonus: When we accept ourselves more fully, more lovingly, we become more resilient in the face of shame). It requires ethics and values, especially when embedded in community. I particularly put forward the values of communication, listening, recognizing the inherent worth and belonging of each of us, honesty, generosity, curiosity.

How do we even get to a state of embodiment? How do we notice what’s happening inside of us? How do you distinguish sensations from emotions from thoughts? These questions are a good start. Increasing our vocabularies is one place. Start with imagining the differences between sensations, thoughts and emotions if you cannot yet sense it. This emotional word wheel by Gloria Willcox might help. This sensation words list by Beverly Swann might help. There are many examples out there to peruse and find what resonates with you, and what expands or challenges you. There are no magic pathways. Practice noticing. Take time with yourself. Take time to notice when you’re with others, within your window of tolerance, readiness and capacity.

Another way to access feeling sensation in your body is with movement. Walking, running, dancing, biking. With whatever movement practices you engage in. Sensing while moving, and being able to remain in contact with your experience, by which I mean being able to notice and describe it along the way, is another skill set. It may increase the intensity, either by changing pacing or position or quality. Practices that enhance this skill set include authentic movement, mindful masturbation practice, or listening turns. Or really any mindfulness or contemplative practice, from sitting meditation to birdwatching to contemplative writing.

With erotic embodiment practices, we may add another intensifier. That intensifier is the experience of arousal. Our entire physiology shifts in states of arousal. We may notice physical changes like erection and lubrication, shifts in breathing, or eyes dilating. Shifts in our focus and attention. Or a variety of sensations throughout our bodies, like tingling, warmth or pulsations. Being able to remain present with our experience within this state of arousal is a huge part of erotic embodiment. It might take practice, and that practice is worth it.

Want support along the way in your embodiment journey? You don’t have to do it alone. Be in touch! I’m here for you.

Sasha hanging from their knees, upside down on a playground climbing thing. They are smiling at the camera, expressing joy.

Sasha hanging from their knees, upside down on a playground climbing thing and joyfully smiling at the camera.

Moving into Agreement: A Wheel of Consent and Contact Improvisation workshop with Kathleen Rea and Sasha Lasdon. May 7-10, 2026 Toronto

DESCRIPTION

Join Sasha Lasdon and Kathleen Rea for a 4-day exploration of the Wheel of Consent and Contact Improvisation. We’ll explore where the Wheel of Consent and CI (and associated movement practices) meet, how they can inform each other, and where they don’t overlap.

The first 2.5 days of the workshop will be a full introduction to the Wheel of Consent. The Wheel of Consent, created by Dr. Betty Martin, is a set of practices and ideas on how to detangle and explore receiving and giving. It helps us by asking the questions: “Who is doing an action?” and “Who is it for?” No prior experience with the Wheel of Consent is necessary.

We’ll have an opportunity to experience embodied practices that invite us to:

connect with and understand our desires and limits more deeply
explore and examine how we make choices
feel our Yes and No in our bodies
explore ways to create clearer agreements about what we may or may not participate in
experience a set of practices and tools

The last 1.5 days of the workshop will explore how the Wheel of Consent can inform Contact Improvisation. Contact Improvisation is a social dance involving touch, in which momentum between two or more people is used to create and inspire dance movements. Dancers move within a constantly changing physical reality. There are no set leaders or followers. While there is technique involved, the quality of the relationship and communication within a dance is the main focus. CI welcomes dancers of all levels and abilities.

Sasha Lasdon, a certified facilitator and faculty member with the School of Consent, will guide us through the embodied practices of the Wheel of Consent.

Sasha and Kathleen have both been practicing Contact Improvisation for over 25 years. They each bring a depth of experience in sensing agreements through movement with others. Both have experience exploring consent in CI and writing jam guidelines. The Wheel of Consent offers tools for exploring limits (what I’m not willing to participate in) and desires (what I want to participate in or make happen), bringing clarity to movement practices that include paradox and complexity. These practices and concepts can help us clarify moments and dynamics in our dancing by actively noticing and asking, “Who is it for?”

The CI component of this workshop is an opportunity to hone and deepen an existing practice of CI, dance, or movement. We may play with negotiated dances, witnessing, and moments of discussion.

THIS WORKSHOP IS FOR YOU IF:

you have experience navigating dance spaces, jams, workshops, or classes (any level of movement experience is welcome!)
you are able to learn in group spaces
you want to hone your consent skills
you’ve heard of the Wheel of Consent and want to learn more

THIS WORKSHOP MAY NOT BE FOR YOU IF:

you are in the acute stage of processing a consent violation in your life
you are not able to regulate your nervous system or identify what you need when upset
you experience active psychosis
you are not interested in dancing at all

For those who request it and complete the four-day workshop, a certificate of participation can be provided.

Optional pre-reading:
The Art of Receiving and Giving by Dr. Betty Martin

COST

Ocean – $900 (can afford extras like a vacation abroad)
Lake – $650 (need to consider my budget to attend)
Pond – $385 (need to carefully consider and plan my budget to attend — only 10 available)
Puddle – $300 (only way I can attend — only 3 available)

Event Information

Thursday, May 7, 2026 at 10:00 AM to Sunday, May 10, 2026 at 6:00 PM EDT

Bain Co-op Studio, 100, Toronto, ON, M4K 1E8, Canada.

REGISTER:

https://spring26torontowheelofconsent.eventzilla.net/e/2138676263

LOCATION:

100 Bain Ave, Toronto, ON, M4K 1E8

DATES:

May 7 to May 10, 2026

SCHEDULE

Day One (full Wheel of Consent day)
10:00 am to 5:00 pm – Workshop
Lunch and dinner provided
We will have 75 minutes for lunch and 1 hour for dinner
6:00 pm to 7:30 pm – Evening guided dance jam

Day Two (full Wheel of Consent day)
10:00 am to 6:00 pm – Workshop
We will have 75 minutes for lunch, and lunch will be provided.

Day Three (½ Wheel of Consent and ½ Contact Improvisation)
10:00 am to 6:00 pm – Workshop
We will have 75 minutes for lunch, and lunch will be provided.

Day Four (full Contact Improvisation day)
10:00 am to 5:00 pm – Workshop
75 minutes for lunch (lunch provided)
Snack time before jam
4:30 pm to 5:30 pm – Dance Jam
5:30 pm to 6:00 pm – Closing circle

BIOGRAPHIES

Sasha Lasdon (they/them) has worked with movement, sexuality, gender, bodywork, and consent education for over 25 years. They are a certified facilitator of the Wheel of Consent and faculty with the School of Consent. With a home base in the GLACIER community (Great Lakes Area Contact Improvisation Enthusiast Retreat), they have taught and danced internationally in Contact Improvisation, aerial/circus, and integrated/disability dance. In collaboration with their communities, Sasha co-wrote jam guidelines for both the Madison CI Jam and GLACIER. They are in private practice as a Somatic Sex Educator. Other influences include years of hospice care work, elections work, and experience in cooperative business and living structures. Sasha is a white Jewish queer non-binary trans person who finds joy in teaching from and about the body and how we connect our insides to the outsides. They currently live and work on Ho-Chunk land called DeJope (Madison, WI, US).

Kathleen Rea danced with Canada’s Ballet Jörgen, the National Ballet of Canada, and Tiroler Landestheater (Austria). She fell in love with Contact Improvisation 22 years ago and has been involved in the community ever since. She has choreographed over 40 dance works and has been nominated for five DORA Awards. Kathleen has a learning disability, meaning writing takes her six times longer than average; despite this, she loves writing and is a published author (The Healing Dance). She holds a Master’s in Expressive Arts with a minor in Psychology and is a certified teacher of the Axis Syllabus and Buteyko Breathing. Kathleen is the director of REAson d’etre dance, a Toronto not-for-profit CI-based company producing a weekly jam, a film festival, and dance theatre productions. She is autistic and works to educate about neurodiversity. She developed the widely read REAson d’etre Dance Jam Guidelines, which over the past 20 years have influenced consent culture in the global CI community. She is also the founder of the Contact Improv Consent Culture Blog.
Kathleen Rea’s Demo Reel

Archana Rama
Archana is a former Buddhist nun, retreat organizer, Reiki Master, Huna practitioner, certified gemstone healer, and aromatherapist. She is trained in chakra balancing, meditation, yoga, and works as a medical and spiritual intuitive.
https://archanarama.ca/home

CANCELLATION POLICY

We offer a 90% discount for all cancelations done tow week prior to workshop.

all cancelations including those due to illness done less than two week prior to workshop will receive a 75% refund.

ACCESS

The studio is wheelchair accessible.
Please contact us with access questions or requests.

HEALTH

All attendees will do a Flu and Covid rapid on the first day they arrive at the studio. We will supply the tests. Arrive early to do test before the start time.
Medical grade covering over any open wounds.
Masks are welcome and optional.
If you are feeling unwell, please do not come to the event. If you become sick during the event, we ask that you stay home. We offer a 75% refund for anyone needing to cancel last minute due to illness.

WORKSHOP AGREEMENTS

Please read prior to registering

QUESTION AND MORE INFORMATION:

Email Arhcena Rama at etgems@gmail.com

PRODUCED BY

REAson d’etre dance

Integrated Eros

and

Archana Rama

Posts

What is erotic embodiment?

Events

integrated eros

contact us

Tag Archive for: inquiry