Befriending Embodied Movement is a trauma-informed, self-paced introduction to the 5Rhythms® movement practice. This course offers a practical yet profound way to meet life as it is -the mess and the bless- through body-led wisdom and compassion. It serves as both an introduction to 5Rhythms and a gateway into continuing the practice at home or stepping into deeper online and in-person experiences. From micro-movements to full-bodied expression, this course helps you rediscover the aliveness and resilience already within you, one step or sway at a time.
Join us, all bodies, all abilities, for a movement practice that meets you exactly as you are. Through 7 dynamic modules, 3 accessible at-home movement practices, personal stories, nervous system wisdom, trauma-sensitive guidance, journal prompts, and more, this course offers a gentle yet powerful gateway into the 5Rhythms practice: a path that has shaped and transformed countless lives. Come as you are. Trust your movement. Rediscover what’s true through the language of your body.
Layah Jane and Simona Irwin created Befriending Embodied Movement: An Introduction to 5Rhythms as a practical, easy-to-follow gateway for anyone curious about how the body can serve as a portal to growth and change. They share a devotion to land, movement, and the mystery of embodied exploration, believing in the power of communal practice to foster emotional expression and belonging. Grateful for the chance to weave their loves, skills, and lineages, they look forward to continuing these offerings, inviting others into deeper connection with self, community, and the earth.
In this course, they offer their hands to walk alongside each participant in exploring conscious movement, drawing on their own grounded explorations of embodiment, connection, and unfolding impulses. What follows is a gentle invitation to meet life and the body as they are—partnering with what arises and allowing its natural wisdom to reveal itself.
Simona Irwin is a mindfulness teacher, neuroplasticity coach,
and facilitator who specializes in supporting individuals struggling with chronic illness, complex fear states, and emotional overwhelm. She brings her expertise to her online community space and monthly mindfulness and constellation circles in Toronto, creating warm, inclusive containers where somatic awareness, nature connection, and authentic belonging intersect.
Through mindfulness, movement, parts work, and systemic constellations, Simona's work fosters embodied resilience and relational repair. Her approach centers on reciprocity, supporting each person’s path toward wholeness while honoring the larger ecosystems—human and more-than-human—we belong to. Simona is a devoted student of 5Rhythms® and the mystery of the big dance.
Layah Jane Singer-Wilson is a movement teacher, dancer, mother, and musician. Her 5Rhythms facilitation is infused with expressive enthusiasm, a fascination with the weave of ritual and improvisational art, and a reverent love of creative practice as a transformational and political act. A movement facilitator since 2003, Layah is a member of the International Conscious Movement Teachers Association, and a certified 5Rhythms teacher accredited with the 5Rhythms Teachers Association. All study hours with Layah count towards future 5Rhythms teacher trainings.