The primary aim of this workshop is to develop a critical awareness of power relations that often remain invisible in everyday life and particularly within movement and body‑based practices. The workshop seeks to make visible how our ways of relating to the body are not merely individual choices but are shaped by social, cultural, and political power structures. Within a trauma‑ and neuroscience‑informed movement and yoga framework, we will explore the facilitator–participant relationship, instructional language, forms of authority, and the impact of normative narratives such as “the correct body,” “the correct posture,” or “the correct movement” on the nervous system, the sense of safety, and one’s ability to recognise what they can say “yes” or “no” to in their own body, emotions, and choices. By examining how these structures are unconsciously reproduced, the workshop aims to question how body practices can unintentionally become mechanisms of hierarchy, obedience, and control. In this context, the workshop invites participants to reflect—through embodied experience—on equality, participation, consent, and horizontal relationality, which are essential components of social peace and collective freedom. It emphasises that transforming one’s relationship with the body contributes not only to individual well‑being but also to the creation of democratic, inclusive, and non‑violent social relations.
The workshop focuses on uncovering the often‑invisible power dynamics within movement and body practices and developing an alternative, neuroscience‑ and trauma‑informed approach to this field. Together with participants, we will build a critical awareness framework around the role of the instructor, the use of language, modes of guidance, and processes of authority‑making. This framework will concretely reveal how power relations can be reproduced while working with the body. Throughout the workshop, we will establish alternative principles for body‑based work grounded in neuroscience and trauma knowledge—principles that prioritise participant agency, choice, and a sense of safety. We will develop practical suggestions for replacing the normative, commanding, or hierarchical language often used in yoga and similar practices with inclusive, pluralistic, and non‑violent forms of expression. These suggestions will serve as tangible takeaways that participants can apply in their own fields. The workshop will offer a process of awareness that enables participants to understand their bodily experiences not only as personal but also as shaped by broader social structures and power relations. This process will contribute to rethinking the culture of social peace at both the embodied and relational levels.
Language: Turkish
Participation: Open to everyone.
Capacity: 16 people