2/21/2026 - Embodied Mindfulness

 

Embodied Mindfulness

Expand your mindfulness practice with dance/movement improvisation.

Saturday, February 21, 2026

Full-day 9:30-4:30 Half-day 9:30-12:30

Location: University of Miami Frost School of Music Rehearsal Center 102

Donation to IACD Program Sponsor Appreciated

https://www.dancecreative.org

In this workshop you can expect:

·         Simple dance and movement improvisational techniques/experiences which develop embodied presence and foster connections with others

·         Interactive non-verbal and movement improvisation.

·         Practices and principles inspired by Mettler-based dance improvisation

·         Movement to enhance awareness, presence, mindfulness, expression, joy, and creativity

Accessible to all ages, body shapes, and movement abilities.  No prior experience is needed.

You may attend either a full-day 9:30-4:30 or half-day 9:30-12:30.

Yael Schweitzer MA, LCSW, BC-DMT is a licensed clinical social worker board-certified Dance/Movement Therapist,. She provides mindfulness-based therapy in her private practice in Portland, Oregon, and leads workshops worldwide on mindfulness and dance/movement therapy. Yael has over 40 years of therapeutic experience with individuals, couples, and groups. Based on her deep experience with mindfulness, dance/movement therapy, and Mettler-based dance improvisation, Yael developed the Mindfulness-Based Dance Movement Therapy model (MB-DMT) which she has published in a book chapter. She has a rich history of presenting at local and international conferences and of teaching her MB-DMT model and Mettler-based dance improvisation internationally, mainly in the US, China, Israel, and Germany. Yael is a longtime member of the International Association for Creative Dance (IACD) and served as the president of the organization.

Carol Kaminsky, MA, BC-DMT, NCC is a board-certified dance movement therapist and nationally certified counselor. She is the director of the dance program and senior lecturer at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami and teaches dance/movement therapy courses at the undergraduate level. She has been in clinical practice for over 30 years working as a dance/movement therapist with hospitalized patients in psychiatric care, children with special needs, women in eating disorders treatment, cancer survivors, and mindfulness meditation programs in hospital settings and private practice.

RSVP and more information contact c.kaminsky@miami.edu Call or text: 305-807-7535

Camp Kangaroo / 2026

 

Saturday 17 / 2:10 – 3:10 PM

Group Pink / Ages 15-17

 

Grief Emotions

Warm-up: Grounding with short breathing/meditation. Notice your feelings like the weather. Now share your weather with a word and a gesture with the group. How often is your inner weather changing?

Tossing the energy ball. Pass an invisible energy ball around the group. Direct the group by changing the kind of ball, heavy, light, slippery, hot etc.

Teens are given different colored tissue paper. Move with the tissue paper in a variety of ways. Move it with force and softly, squeeze it, throw it, tear it, etc. Show how you feel using the tissue paper. Try to lay it our flat after it’s been moved. How has it changed? What is different? How is this like grief?

Using paper towels dipped in water. Find a place possible outdoors, to throw the wet, balled up paper towels. They will stick to the wall. Use whatever words, sounds you like that will enhance your feeling. Then reflect and process that.

Repeat, the exercise again, this time you might want to say what makes you sad, mad, quiet, scared or joyful.

The last time, use water ballons. This time focus on what you want to let go of.

Process, how did it feel to express one of your emotions.

 

Sunday 18^th

12:40 – 1:40

Moving Forward

Grounding with short breathing/meditation. Do a 5-minute braindance or other movements to release energy, stretching, rolling, bending twisting, throwing, shaking.

Notice how you feel and create one movement/gesture to express that. The group mirrors each person’s movement.

Beanie baby toss. In a circle, toss a beanie baby from one person to the next creating an order which is repeatable. Add in more beanie babies one at a time and keep the tossing going. It may feel like group juggling. Have the teens process the experience of handling many things at once. Did you find your rhythm or get in synch with others? Could you rely on each other? How might this apply to your grief?

Calming and centering activities. Finding ways to self-regulate. Using the “Movement Therapy deck of cards- mindful movement exercises to regulate your nervous system”., each teen can choose a card and read it to the group. The group will try out the exercise.

Walking in nature. Go outside and walk with the intention of finding something that represents a strength and a challenge you have. Bring back what you found to the group. Talk about what you chose and create a movement for it. How does it relate to moving on?

Group ends with creating a mandala with all the nature items as a group and sharing a memory of their person which has helped them find ways to move on.

 

Contact

 

 

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Dr. Abigail Shabtay, Conference Chair, at ashabtay@yorku.ca,