Human Forest - Old Growth. A Regenerative Touch Experience.

Our end of year gift to the Human Forest Community

We are so excited to invite you to a special gathering for The Human Forest community, where we’ll explore the next level of connection, intimacy, and presence. This event is a beautiful opportunity for those who have journeyed with us in past events to deepen their experience and share the wisdom we've cultivated together.

To attend this event you must have attended at least three events by The Human Forest Project or The Human Forest Collective at COY or Moss studios (facilitated by Ali, Matthew, Shlomit, Patty or Jehan). If you have not attended three of these prior events, you will not be permitted to participate in this event.*

What to Expect

Where our standard forests are in part an introduction to new participants, this Forest honours the wisdom and experience of participants that have attended at least 3 of our Forests.

There will be far less talk, and far more touch! You will have more time in the Forest experience and in the connection exercises. We’re aiming at four 30 - 40min rounds of the forest.

* Names will be checked against our ticket lists for previous events to ensure that only experienced trees and critters are in attendance. If you haven’t attended at least 3 of our forests but you have attended more than 3 of Patrick and Anatolia’s forests and/or have lots of experience in workshops or modalities adjacent to Human Forests, please hold off on buying a ticket and email us directly to chat -

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IMPORTANT:

• In this event we focus on devotional, loving and non-sexually oriented touch. Note: there is no genitalia touch at this event and underwear remains on at all times.
• There is no kissing or fluid exchange at any time.
• Participants who know each other, especially those in romantic relationships, are asked to follow the same agreements, rules and etiquette of the space as others while the event is running (eg. no kissing your lover in the forest). This is to avoid confusion about what is and isn’t appropriate for everyone and maintain a strong container.
• If you buy a ticket but haven’t attended at least 3 of our forests or received written approval from The Human Forest Collective, we will refund your ticket.

About your facilitators:

Matthew -

Matthew has always had an interest in self and relational exploration. Curious about how play can be harnessed to find more integrity he has used the experiences of overcoming his struggles as fuel to be in service to others. In the mid 2010s he became a certified massage therapist and yoga teacher. Over the past few years he has deepened and embodied a more expressive relationship with himself and others through exploring workshops and trainings such as Ecstatic Dance, Authentic Relating, ISTA, Breathwork, Process work and The Human Forest. His struggle with social anxiety has been deeply supported by Authentic Relating and The Human Forest more than he ever could have imagined. Matthew values creating and holding spaces that are kind, clear, expressive, and exploratory. He brings his own unique flavour of play and exploration to his facilitation. He loves holding spaces where people feel safe enough to show up as the beautifully messy humans that we all are. He believes strongly in meeting everyone at their level and that finding coherence as a group involves everyone’s input.

Ali -

With touch being her primary love language, Alicia (Ali) has been a long standing ‘Tree’ of the Human Forest events in Melbourne and experienced her first Human Forest at Burning man in 2017. Today, she is a facilitator of the Human Forest Experience, trained by the Human Forest Project. As a somatic trauma therapist, her innate wisdom, intuition and sensitivity are her guiding light. These gifts of awareness have been further refined through a dedicated spiritual practice of more than 10 years which included 5 years spent teaching yoga, and meditation, coordinating silent meditation retreats and various workshops at a well-respected yoga school in Oaxaca, Mexico.

Called to help and support others, Alicia has worked professionally in mental health with people from all walks of life. Academically, Ali has completed a Postgraduate Diploma of Psychology, Bachelor of Science Psychology/ Psychophysiology, Diploma of Mindfulness Therapy, and Triple Vagal Method practitioner certification. With all this experience, Ali holds loving, compassionate, and non-judgmental spaces and has a profound love for nature that she can’t wait to share with you.

Things to note:

Bring:

- Comfortable clothing

- Some nibbles and/or drinks to share with others at the end

- An open mind

- Any friends that might be interested! ;)

Personal responsibility: Please make an assessment on whether you are feeling stable and resourced enough to explore the practices on offer in this event.

Arrival: Endeavour to arrive between 6:30pm - 6:45pm. To preserve the experience for all involved, doors will close at 7:00pm. Truly, it breaks our heart to have to turn latecomers away yet the disruption to the whole group experience by virtue of lateness does require management. We ask that you find understanding and consideration for the timebound nature of the container and make every effort to arrive on time.

Driving: Know Centre of You is on Chapel St and ample time to find a car spot is best to be factored into your plans. Park direct on Chapel St (spots unmetered after 5pm) or in Anchor Place, the open-air parking lot in the side street that runs opposite Centre of You (unmetered after 4pm).

Public transport - tram: Both the number 6 tram & 78 tram stop on the corner of High St/Chapel St. This is stop 31 on the number 6 tram (Moreland/Glen Iris) & stop 45 on the number 78 tram (North Richmond/Balaclava).

Public transport - train: Both Prahran & Windsor stations along the Sandringham Line will get you walking distance to Centre of You.

Finding Centre of You: Centre of You is nestled within the arcade that Chapel St Bazaar is in (217 Chapel St). It is up a flight of stairs with a wide landing at the half-way-point. Unfortunately, this current version of Centre of You does not have a wheelchair accessible lift. If you could use support in getting up the stairs or would like to discuss ways to make your experience at Centre of You more comfortable, please reach out via [email protected] or via DM over on Centre of You Instagram.

Accessibility: At COY we aim to ensure our community and events are inclusive and accessible while alongside upholding the needs and responsibilities of our business and the businesses of our collaborating facilitators. Should you be in a time of financial challenge and unable to pay the full ticket price comfortably, please reach out via [email protected] or via DM over on Centre of You Instagram

Ticketing T&Cs: We get it, life happens, therefore we will gladly refund you up until 24hrs before the event start time. After that, we have a strict no refund/no transfer to future events policy.

If you are no longer able to attend and wish to pay forward your ticket to someone within the community, be in touch via [email protected] or via DM over on Centre of You Instagram.

Questions? Email [email protected] or reach out via Instagram DM.

Host or Publisher Centre of You