THE MOVING SOUL
Ritual Rewilding
MOVEMENT JOURNEYS
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Embodied breath, primordial impulse, the wild inside…
Breath • Voice • Body • Soul • Earth
ON PAUSE
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I hope you will keep moving, listening – allowing your animal body and breath to find their open nature…
Sign up to be sure you hear when we resume:
Movement. Earth. Ritual.
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Welcome
…to a space of deep listening
For the instinctive, natural, primordial
…flow, rhythm, and resonance
…that already lives inside
The Moving Soul is a space where movement, earth, and ritual converge. Rooted in seasonal rhythm and carried by breath, voice, silence, drum, and the emergence of co-created sound, it invites exploratory movement as a way to return to the body, reconnect with the wild, and nourish the soul.
Drawing inspiration from Authentic Movement, ceremonial practice, and trance and conscious dances, The Moving Soul offers an alchemical container for embodied, elemental remembrance.
Led by vocalist, percussionist, and ritual artist Ariana Saraha, with occasional special guests.
Come, circle with us and enact a ritual of homecoming – to these bodies, these lands, and the wild memory within us all
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In Preparation…
Like any soul practice, preparing the soil opens up portals of possibility before we even step onto the dance floor…
Totally optional, but you might enjoy
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In Preparation...
Prompts + Logistics:
What to bring, what to consider ahead of time, and what to expect (the unexpected!)
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Welcome, thank you for your adventuresomeness, curiosity, and wild heart! I’m so looking forward to the cauldron we will stir together…
Firstly:
- Save time at the door: sign the WAIVER before arriving!
(A formality on the surface, it also includes shared agreements around self-care, sovereignty, and conscientious engagement with the group :-)
Bring with you:
- Be prepared to be outside in any weather for at least a few minutes – we often step out onto the surrounding grounds for a micro-ritual to greet the land and the season that holds us.
- You’re more than welcome to bring elements of the natural world, either as offerings to the land or to add to the altar for each session. (I may send reminders or prompts before some sessions)
Pay mindful attention to:
Like any ceremony, the time before and after is part of the experience, whether we are mindful or not. Why not begin to pay a little deeper attention :-)
- This is a good time to start listening to your dreams. The soul images we receive in sleep, whether they make sense or not (even whether we remember them!), are part of the river that we will be diving into… So take note of even the faintest glimmers you see, or the residual sensations they leave upon waking…
- This is also a good time to be mindful of how you treat your body ~ the foods you put in it, how much you move it, where you feel stuck or heightened energy… If you can, give yourself a little time to walk or stretch every day, and to say hello to the natural world around you. Bonus points for bare feet 👣
What to expect:
- It may sound cliché, but expect the unexpected. In other words, come with an open mind and curiosity as to who or what might emerge through this process. We are vast beings of possibility, and if we do this work as intended, the mystery will have her way with us…
- Anticipate allowing your nervous system to unwind and settle. (Hence why some of the above preparations may help. And also why it’ll be a good idea not to arrive with a super full belly or jacked up on caffeine 😅)
- Ideally, you will know this is a safe space to step out of your comfort zone. That may mean moving in ways that feel weird to you, using your voice even if you usually don’t, or simply being a little more present and vulnerable than our modern culture usually encourages.
Let us dive in and savor the exploration!
About your guide
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My work with The Moving Soul emerges from years of deep embodiment – Authentic Movement, trance dance, and countless hours surrendered to rhythm. From these practices, my voice was unexpectedly born, and with it a devotion to movement as a doorway to the soul.
A singer and rhythmatist, I’m equally in love with silence – the space where the breath, birdsong, and the impulse of soul can be heard. Even simply walking in the wind, I aim to always be in the dance.
Whether through live music, poetic incantations and invitations, or the spaciousness of silence, I invite you to listen, move, and remember the language your body has always known.
I am occasionally joined by guest artists. Those are usually announced via my email list. (join here!)
FAQ
Is this an ecstatic dance?
No. This is a space of somewhat quieter listening.
While The Moving Soul sometimes contains similar elements (and is deeply inspired by), it is not an ecstatic or conscious dance, per se.
…The main difference is that pre-recorded music is not used.
…We more often fall into movement-in-silence (Authentic Movement, contemplative, primordial movement)
…And often explore co-creating the sonic & vocal landscape.
As a continually emergent practice, The Moving Soul organically shapeshifts to meet the soul of the room, the season, and the participants.
Do I have to come for the full session?
Yes, please.
To hold the ritual container, unless pre-arranged, we ask that you don’t arrive more than 15 minutes late, and please stay until the end.
Do I have to be religious or spiritual to do ritual?
Good question, and no, not at all!
Ritual comes from the same root as ‘rite,’ which I think of as an act of actively creating space – with a beginning, middle, and end – for presence and transformation.
The wild soul thrives within the sweet confines of safe containers :-)
And to be clear: you can be from any religion and don’t have to even have ‘spiritual’ beliefs to do rituals that touch on universal themes such as:
…acknowledging the season we’re in
…expressing gratitude
…setting intentions
This space is indoctrination-free, and all are welcome!
What do you mean by 'rewilding?'
Do I mean chaotic, reckless, out of the ordinary, loud and rebellious…?
No, in fact, the ‘wild’ that I speak of is actually very ordinary, natural – a wildness that knows its place in the whole wild order of things.
…sometimes as quiet and watchful as a deer in a meadow, the owl silhouetted against the starry sky… Shh, listen…..
But we’ve forgotten how to simply be ourselves – ordinary human animals.
We’re so often untethered from our own wild root.
We’ve erected dams that keep our natural river from flowing.
Ritual Rewilding is a practice of both re-rooting and opening.
But be forewarned: the discovery of our natural wildness may at times look/feel weird, scary, awkward… And that’s okay! We needn’t take ourselves so seriously – so the other part of rewilding is letting in a bit of humor, whimsy, and (paradoxically to what I said in the beginning) maybe even at times an experience of random chaos 🤪😅
Is this therapeutic work?
Though the intent of this work is to go deeper, this is ritual, not therapy. I am not a trained therapist, and at this time we don’t have any on staff.
I try to hold an impeccable space where soulful opening is safe and welcome. But as a gathering of adult peers, it will be our job to regulate in the moment and do whatever aftercare is needed.
If the movement, sound, or ritual work stirs up more than you feel capable of integrating, please reach out to a trained professional. I can recommend some amazing ones if needed :-)
Let us circle together and enact a ritual of homecoming ~ to these bodies, to these lands, to ourselves, even to each other.
Join us for a ceremony of movement and soul tending and earth honoring. Let’s courageously dive into the dark waters of the unknown and see what we might discover…
For there is a deep well within, and those waters carry everything that we are, everything we’ve forgotten, everything we could be. The waters of soul are calling us home…
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Into the mystery…
Moving Soul Reminders
(If you’re already on our email list, filling out the form below will let us know you’re interested in The Moving Soul)
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By signing up for The Moving Soul updates, you’ll be added to the Ariana Saraha & Rewilding Wonder email list, where you’ll receive periodic emails about this and related offerings. Your address will not be shared, and you can opt out at any time. Privacy Policy
Honoring the roots
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The Moving Soul wasn’t born in isolation. Like all soulful things, it carries the handprints of many. I want to give thanks to some of the teachers, communities, and inspirations who’ve shaped this offering.
This is not a list of certifications, but these are a few of the roots – tangled underground, sharing nutrients via the mycelial web of care and attention and time – that have informed and inspired the work I now offer forth.
This list is surely incomplete. How could it not be? The influence of countless dance floors, stages, ceremonies, and collaborations cannot be captured in words. Nor can the communal wisdom of the friendships, family, and soils that have grown me into a human courageous and overflowing enough to offer this work.
Honoring the roots
___
The Moving Soul wasn’t born in isolation. Like all soulful things, it carries the handprints of many. I want to give thanks to some of the teachers, communities, and inspirations who’ve shaped this offering.
This is not a list of certifications, but these are a few of the roots – tangled underground, sharing nutrients via the mycelial web of care and attention and time – that have informed and inspired the work I now offer forth.
Somatic arts teachers and dance communities I’ve learned from, accompanied, or been a part of:
- Pat Mowry-Rutter, my first Authentic Movement teacher, offered a practice that became seminal for my own soul work as well as the work I offer others
- Richard Freeman, my yoga + dharma teacher of 25+ years. These practices always thread through, illuminating and deepening my perception
- Sacred Space Jam (in collaboration with Michael Travers) as developed by mutual beloved Keren Abrams
- Melissa Michaels and Golden Bridge, whose soul-stirring work I’ve accompanied and been inspired by for over 15 years now
- The many dance communities I’ve had the privilege to play for, including Oakland Ecstatic Dance, Santa Barbara Dance Tribe, Deadwood Ecstatic Dance, and Sacred Dance Live in Santa Monica
- Trance Dance with Wilbert Alix
Ceremonial facilitators:
- My mama, who raised me as an earth-loving pagan and still holds seasonal and grounding circles in her community
- The Peruvian songstress shaman I’ve sat and sung with since 2003, alongside other luminous guides from that lineage
- xeeya Lin, with whom I’ve co-facilitated, performed, and been in soul-kinship for over two decades
Musical teachers:
- Cameron Powers: for his introduction to Middle Eastern music, many years of playing together, and 25 years of friendship and inspiration
- Various rhythm teachers along the way, including Kathleen ‘Zahara’ McClellan, Judy Piazza, and Faisal Zedan
- Mahmood Kabir, Megan Yalkut, and Rajeev Taranath, with whom I have had the immense privilege to study Raga
This list is surely incomplete. How could it not be? The influence of countless dance floors, stages, ceremonies, and collaborations cannot be captured in words. Nor can the communal wisdom of the friendships, family, and soils that have grown me into a human courageous and overflowing enough to offer this work.
Somatic arts teachers and dance communities I’ve learned from, accompanied, or been a part of:
- Pat Mowry-Rutter, my first Authentic Movement teacher, offered a practice that became seminal for my own soul work as well as the work I offer others
- Richard Freeman, my yoga + dharma teacher of 25+ years. These practices always thread through, illuminating and deepening my perception
- Sacred Space Jam (in collaboration with Michael Travers) as developed by mutual beloved Keren Abrams
- Melissa Michaels and Golden Bridge, whose soul-stirring work I’ve accompanied and been inspired by for over 15 years now
- The many dance communities I’ve had the privilege to play for, including Oakland Ecstatic Dance, Santa Barbara Dance Tribe, Deadwood Ecstatic Dance, and Sacred Dance Live in Santa Monica
- Trance Dance with Wilbert Alix
Ceremonial facilitators:
- My mama, who raised me as an earth-loving pagan and still holds seasonal and grounding circles in her community
- The Peruvian songstress shaman I’ve sat and sung with since 2003, alongside other luminous guides from that lineage
- Ixeeya Lin, with whom I’ve co-facilitated, performed, and been in soul-kinship for over two decades
Musical teachers:
- Cameron Powers: for his introduction to Middle Eastern music, many years of playing together, and 25 years of friendship and inspiration
- Various rhythm teachers along the way, including Kathleen ‘Zahara’ McClellan, Judy Piazza, and Faisal Zedan
- Mahmood Kabir, Megan Yalkut, and Rajeev Taranath, with whom I have had the immense privilege to study Raga
Also join us for:
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