Peace and Presence
Peace and Presence is a series of diverse holistic wellness workshops for the Columbia community. These sessions explore non-verbal and experiential healing techniques, self-calming tools, and guide participants in incorporating mindfulness into one's daily life. Sexual Violence Response offers these workshops in partnership with experienced, trauma-informed practitioners.
Peace and Presence is an initiative that introduces diverse holistic wellness tools and techniques for individuals to experience and adapt to their own wellness needs. The program envisions a space where participants feel held, understood without having to explain themselves, and given space to breathe and connect in profoundly spiritual and experiential ways. Through its multi-faceted approach to mindfulness, movement, and nurturing of one’s body, this program hopes to aid participants to recognize and cherish their innate capacity to transcend trauma while being connected to a caring community of allies.
Upcoming
Below are upcoming Peace and Presence programs facilitated by Renk Koçtürk. These programs are open to the entire Columbia community. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
These Gentle Yoga Flow sessions incorporate slow stretching, breathing exercises, and asana and close with a guided meditation. This class is open to all levels of movement and will be instructed with invitational, trauma-informed language.
March 11 - April 29
Every Monday from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. ET
This workshop will open with a guided dreamscape meditation, then flow into a drawing meditation with art supplies of your choice. Accompanied by soft instrumental music, this class will introduce you to meditation in the form of drawing – expressing ourselves through color, texture, imagery, and imagination.
Participants can bring paper and anything they would like to make art with into their space before we begin (crayons, markers, pencils, paint, pens, etc.).
Click on the date to register:
In this workshop, we will explore herbal remedies that may already be in your kitchen cabinet!
The facilitator will discuss different kitchen spices and herbs that have many different benefits for our physical and mental health. We will learn how to infuse these herbs into teas, oils, and tinctures. The session is collaborative -- participants are welcome to ask questions and can make requests.
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A workshop weaving different intentional journaling exercises with a gentle stretchy yoga flow. These exercises help tap into our subconscious for self-discovery, acceptance, and guidance. There is no right or wrong way to journal. It could be in the form of a list, drawing, story, or stream of consciousness.
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This workshop invites participants to move from their headspace into full-bodied presence through awareness of Breath, Somatic practices, and guided/free movement. By incorporating mindfulness and movement therapy practices, participants will learn tools to support embodiment, process emotions, and release stress.
Click on the date to register:
These Gentle Yoga Flow sessions incorporate slow stretching, breathing exercises, and asana and close with a guided meditation. This class is open to all levels of movement and will be instructed with invitational, trauma-informed language.
Click the date to register:
About the Facilitator
Renk Koçtürk is a Teaching Artist, a therapeutic yoga and movement facilitator and a trauma-informed educator currently working between New York City/Los Angeles. Renk approaches each healing modality through a trauma-informed lens.
On Demand
Below are pre-recorded videos of Peace and Presence programs.
Trauma-Informed and Restorative Yoga
Through an invitational and gentle series of yoga exercises with research-backed benefits to survivors of various traumas, participants explore the resilience of their bodies, experiencing ways to reinhabit their bodies safely, calm their minds, experience emotions directly, and begin to feel a sense of strength and control.
Drawing and Language
Poetry, music, body awareness, and expressive ideas will be brought into the workshop, as points of inspiration and reliable healing properties, which one can call upon for ongoing healing. For this workshop, we invite participants to gather paper and anything else they would like to draw with before class (i.e. pens, pencils, markers, crayons, or paint).
Trauma-Informed Poetry Writing
Working within trauma-informed prompts, this poetry workshop creates a safe space that starts with grounding, and connecting to participants with a brief discussion of poetic possibility, and is followed by prompts that are put in a specified amount of time for participants to write. Music is provided during writing phases and affirming connections to participants are provided throughout. A brief poetry reading would complete the workshop.