“I really enjoyed the Self-Care/yoga workshop from The Strange is Beautiful. It made me get in touch with myself, mind, and body; something I haven’t experienced before! Thank you Shannen!”
– Lynette Ruiz
The hardest thing about self-care is having healing options be accessible and affordable. The Strange is Beautiful strives to change that.
The Strange is Beautiful’s Self-Care Workshop for Mind Obstacles (such as anxiety and depression) teaches students to create their own self-care home practice with yoga, meditation, self-massage, affirmations, and 8 methods to calm panic attacks in a community building environment.
Taught by Shannen Roberts – queer, Peruvian-American, founder of The Strange is Beautiful, and 500-hour trauma informed yoga instructor – this two-hour workshop is based on her personal experience with mind obstacles; her yoga training, teachings, and studies; and “The Strange is Beautiful Alternative Self-Help Guide.”
Our Goals of the Workshop:
1. Provide as many alternative healing practices that we believe in as possible, and present options and variations to support each individual.
2. Make sure everyone leaves feeling confident about practicing what they learned on their own to develop their personal self-care home practice, post-workshop.
3. Create an environment that builds community where all feel heard and seen, and find solidarity.
4. Create an environment that offers choice – nothing in this workshop is mandatory to do, and participants can choose to rest, modify, take a variation, or leave at any time.
What to Expect: Clarity, Expression, Community
Clarity:
Peace in Knowing
Before the workshop starts, Shannen will introduce herself and have everyone introduce themselves as well – name, pronouns, mind obstacles they’re struggling with, and self-care they currently do. Then she details the alternative healing practices they will be learning that day.
During the two-hour workshop, she splits up the time into a few key physical yoga forms (or asana), breath work (or pranayama), a meditation, self-massage, and partner work to learn eight things to do for panic attacks. Typically, Shannen uses verbal instructions, however, if she feels a hands-on-adjustment could be helpful to avoid injury or provide improved comfort, she always asks for consent to do so first.
After each self-care modality is taught, Shannen has participants repeat it on their own, to ensure they all leave with confidence to practice it themselves for their self-care home practice.
Expression:
Everyone’s Bodies are Different
Everyone’s bodies are different, and so all participants will feel differently during and after practicing each self-care modality. While Shannen makes sure to explain what each alternative healing practice is typically used to aid, she also provides space between each self-care modality that is practiced for all to express how each one felt in their body. Then, sometimes she will offer variations and modifications based on their answers.
Community:
Together we Heal
For the last part of the workshop, she has everyone find a partner and leads them in eight things to do for panic attacks. You can see these methods here: How to Help a Friend Through a Panic Attack. In this practice, there are a few options that require touch, so she first has each partner ask the other if they are comfortable with touch. If they are not, then they observe and meditate with all instead of practicing the options that require touch.
To close, each pair of partners provides each other with an affirmation to take home with them.
Testimonials:
“I really enjoyed the Self-Care/yoga workshop from The Strange is Beautiful. It made me get in touch with myself, mind, and body; something I haven’t experienced before! Thank you Shannen!”
– Lynette Ruiz
“This workshop was really helpful. I really enjoyed the tips on how to help a friend with a panic attack.”
– Jocelyn Larin
“Shannen’s workshop was very informative and helpful for self-care tools. She connected yoga and mindfulness techniques to mental health in a clear and gentle way.”
– Madison Tang
“The step-by-step guide of the yoga poses were super helpful. I look forward to trying another workshop with you Shannen!”
– Deanna Diaz
“Great workshop. Shannen did a great job guiding poses, would recommend.”
– Aracely Campos
How to Book:
Email Shannen at strangeisbeauty@gmail.com.
Detail the location you’d like the workshop to take place, proposed dates and times, how many people you estimate will attend, and your budget.
About the Instructor:
Shannen Roberts (she/her) is the queer, Peruvian-American, founder of The Strange is Beautiful, and a 500-hour, trauma informed yoga instructor.
In her workshops and classes, she draws from her personal experience with mind obstacles, as well as from working with her yoga students and friends. For 6 years she’s taught at gyms, studios, eating disorder clinics, privately, workshops, and most recently at Mothership Fest (sponsored by Nylon, a festival for womxn and non-binary people only).
Besides mind obstacles, Shannen has experience relieving injuries and bodily ailments in her own body and her students, from chronic issues such as acid reflux, arthritis and IBS to injuries to the fingers, wrists, neck, hips, knees and spine as well as tennis elbow and sciatica.
About TSIB:
The Strange is Beautiful (TSIB) changes the way mental illnesses mind obstacles are seen, makes alternative self-help accessible, and creates a positive community for those struggling.
Our work has been featured on Remezcla, Lavendaire podcast (15K plays), LA, SF, and SFV Zine Festivals, and Mothership Fest, a festival sponsored by Nylon for womxn and non-binary people only.