Kristin Glenewinkel's story

I am a bodyworker, coach and Movement Medicine professional. I live in Switzerland and my first language is German.

I discovered Movement Medicine in 2008 through Kat Forrester in Bern. The course with Ya'Acov was a profound experience for me and I knew I wanted to follow this practice and learn more.....

I was fascinated by dance which seemed to me the most poetic form of movement. I was inspired by the "Five Rhythms" when I was studying physiotherapy in the Netherlands. I attended my first dance workshop back then with Ya’Acov and Susannah in 2001. This started the journey which is still going on today.

I needed to dance through layers of anger and despair and often I was in pain after dancing because I didn’t know about my physical limits and how dance can be nourishing. When Movement Medicine was created in 2007 this changed and I found a more healing and soothing way of dance. Moving further I found the abyss of grief and how important letting go is - not only mentally but physically. I found my wings, my roots and my infinite connection to earth and sky.

The Journey of Empowerment with Susannah in 2010 changed my life profoundly. I knew I had arrived with the people I want to grow and learn with. Our son was three years old and I decided to train with the school of Movement Medicine, this is my calling.

I remember during the Initiation Intensive in 2011 we were on a journey to a place called the Bardo. The place between two lives on earth. I met our son there, he came towards me as a gentle giant. I felt transparent and my son blessed me with his elegant hands. He told me my work had been done and I should not worry, everything was unfolding beautifully. Since then, I felt blessed with this seeing of my son’s soul. It felt like a huge relief, everything felt calibrated to a new order. This blessing gave me the strength to build my offering, holding space for people in the dance.

My partner is African American and during the Apprenticeship I realized that one aspect of my path is becoming inclusive. Being part of mixed-race family it might have been obvious for others, but I only learnt about this commitment deep in the dance. I have received much healing for my relationship with my partner over the years through the mesa. Our son is part of the next generation walking tall towards a more diverse and equal society.

Through Movement Medicine I felt encouraged to embrace my purpose and spiritual being. The dignity and love that flows through the teachings is life affirming. I have witnessed people going through the healing spiral of this practice. Entering the MM Mesa I did not have to leave anything behind, just the opposite: I was invited to bring everything with me, my medicine, years of therapy, spiritual practices, and my ancestors were welcome.

It took me decades to understand how the force of war still informs my people. The collective grief today is rooted in the devastating years of war in Germany. The unspeakable is woven into the fabric of German people, many look for a healing path.

Only through spirit and the helping guardians of the invisible realm was I able to stay alive as a baby, abandoned. More than four decades later, while I was holding a dance ceremony, I saw myself as a baby locked away in a bed, crying. I saw the circle of invisible beings holding a helpless baby. These beings kept me alive and safe. They are still with me until today. I knew my purpose was to give back to spirit, to honor the sacred and help others to deepen their relationship to spirit.

Movement is crucial for each human being, Do not worry about how your way of moving looks, it really doesn't matter. Dance is an innate and natural way to move for humans and to connect with source, with the spirit within and around.

Allow yourself to simply move and connect to your feelings through your body and you will find enjoyment and so much more on the dance floor.

The story I share here is dedicated to my love for my teachers Ya'Acov and Susannah Darling Khan. Thank you from my heart for encouraging me to ignite my relationships - with my self - with the others in my life, with community, with my ancestors & descendant and with spirit.

I was welcomed and received by you - Ya'Acov and Susannah - many times in a real, honest and dignified manner. This loving recognition of my soul is an ongoing Initiation and a huge gift for me: an experience of resurrection - the phoenix rising from the ashes.

Deep gratitude to all humans who make it possible for us to dance and move freely, to the organizers, the music makers, the people who provide space, the altar creators, the great spirit of the dance. Thank you, I bow.

I am a Movement Medicine teacher and followed all modules of Continued Professional Training at the school of Movement Medicine.  I am a mother, a physiotherapist, yoga teacher and coach/mentor.  My understanding of the body supports my work and guidance in the dance as well as in individual sessions and rituals I hold.   A long training of the mind and heart in Buddhist meditation practice deepens my ability to hold space with compassion.   My call is to overcome the divide between body and mind and to establish dance as spiritual practice - fully embodying the living heart.