Have you ever closed your eyes, thrown back your head, and just danced? How about in a room full of strangers? At a Wild Woman workshop, you'll do just that—along with scream, cry, breathe, and unleash your full potential. Or at least, that's the goal.
In their, well, wildly popular workshops, Wild Woman co-founders and friends Rachel Pringle and Moun D'Simone (sister of the buzzy yoga and meditation instructor Sah) use dance, breathwork, meditation, and conversation to create an intimate, transformative experience for women. At the end of the day-long event, Pringle and D'Simone hope attendees will be able to better tap into their inner wisdom. And according to the community of women the workshops have brought together, that's exactly what happens.
“The reoccurring thing that we get across the board is, ‘I feel so connected to myself,’” says Pringle, reflecting on the feedback they’ve gotten from the workshops. “Women feel like they're allowed to open up,” adds D’Simone. “They are in tune with, 'Oh, this is I what I’m feeling,' rather than being unaware because you’re just in that constant rat race.”
"When we unlock these energetic channels, learn to be still, and listen to our intuition, that creative energy is absolutely coursing through us.”
It all sounds very abstract, I know, but the wild woman Pringle and D'Simone promise exists inside each and every one of us is very rooted in the body. This is not about setting a simple and physical goal—a Wild Woman workshop doesn’t aim to just help you establish a meditation practice or finally do a handstand without the wall. We’re talking about embracing major change you may not have even realized you were ready for.
“It’s about bringing our essence back into femininity,” says Pringle. “We’ve been conditioned and programmed to think that to survive in this modern world we have to be masculine. Our body is the only thing that is present always, and when we unlock these energetic channels, learn to be still, and listen to our intuition, that creative energy is absolutely coursing through us.”
Their next workshop is in Los Angeles on September 23, and they’re planning on bringing Wild Woman to New York City this fall or early winter as well. While you're waiting for the workshops to come to a city near you (or until you can book a flight to LA), here are some tips for cultivating your own inner wild woman—and take heart, there’s as much mellow me-time on Pringle and D'Simone's list as there is howling at the moon.
Take a chance
Do that thing you have always wanted to do (salsa lessons, aerial yoga, a coding class) but haven’t yet. Don’t wait to find a friend who wants to join, just sign up and go. “Make a list of all the things that you’ve said you wanted to try but haven’t, and go try them,” says Pringle. “It’s a mentality of curiosity and playfulness that is like, Okay, I’m going to dedicate the next month to doing one or two things each week that I said I’m going to do.”
Practice self care
“Rach is the the queen of the self-love and the self-care routines,” says D’Simone of her co-founder affectionately. The two agree that making time to identify what you need and give it to yourself—whether that’s an epsom salt bath with candles, a meditation session, a yoga class, or even a manicure—is essential to nurturing your wild woman. “You’ve given yourself the time, you’ve given yourself the space, so you can come from a place of responding instead of reacting,” D’Simone adds.
Flip the script and see what happens
Ruts—in relationships, in our routines, in our work—can keep us from feeling fulfilled and fully expressed as humans. “Say yes to things you'd normally say no to; say no to things you would normally say yes to,” D’Simone suggests. “Otherwise, nothing will change.”
Build your courage
All these seemingly small steps (taking that class you’ve been wanting to, making time for self-care, adding a moment of reflection to every day, being willing to change) can add up to a much bigger transformation.
“It could mean that I’m going to quit this job that doesn’t fulfill me, or I’m going to break up with my partner because I’m not actually happy,” says D’Simone. “It’s trusting that you have your own back, you can hold your own hand. On the other side of scary and weird and unfamiliar is exciting, and the fun, and the beautiful, and the mysterious.”
If roaring with strangers seems a little too far out of your comfort zone, here's how to find the meditation style for your personality. And if you can't make this fall's workshop but want to try a wellness-based trip of your own, here are 11 retreats that won't break the bank.
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