The opposite of depression isn’t happiness.
It’s expression.
An Embodied Philosophy
Your bodily responses to the world around you are valid. Anxiety, shutdown, physical tension, stress, and waves of emotion are intelligent responses to systems of harm, injustice, and oppression, not evidence that you are “too much” or “not enough.”
Nothing is wrong with you for responding this way; your body has been doing its best to protect you in unsafe conditions. When your body has space to move, feel, and be seen with compassion and without judgment, something begins to loosen. You start to notice what is truly yours and what belongs to colonialism, white supremacy, patriarchy, ableism, and capitalism.
It is through your body that you begin to uncover your most authentic self. One of the most natural pathways is to reconnect with your body’s own rhythms and the stories carried in your DNA, the ancestral wisdom that has helped your people survive for generations.
Our ValuesHere, we believe:
Consent comes first. Your bodily autonomy is yours and yours alone.
We cannot “do the work” without naming systemic harm as a core cause of depression, anxiety, addiction, oppression, and marginalization.
Anti‑oppressive care means actively refusing practices that shame, silence, or pathologize you.
Ancestral wisdom, spiritual practices, and cultural traditions are welcome and honored.
Collective care and mutual aid are essential to our healing, not optional extras.
Accessibility and flexibility matter; we work with a sliding scale and will not turn you away solely for financial reasons.
All bodies, identities, and stories are welcome here, including those that have been pushed to the margins again and again.
Who this Space Is For
This space was created for people whose bodies have had to navigate more than their fair share of harm, pressure, or invisibility.
You might find yourself here if:
You move through the world as a woman, femme, LGBTQIA+, trans, or gender‑expansive person.
You are Black, Indigenous, a person of color, or part of a diasporic community.
You are neurodivergent, disabled, chronically ill, or living in a body that has often been misunderstood or medicalized.
You’ve felt unseen, pathologized, or silenced in traditional wellness or mental health spaces.
You carry the weight of systemic oppression, intergenerational trauma, activism, caregiving, or survival, and your body is tired of holding it alone.
You do not have to fit any label perfectly to belong here. If something in these words touches your experience, there is room for you in this space.
Get to Know the Facilitator
Marjorie Jean Vera, Dance Movement Therapist
& Yoga Instructor
Connecting with my body through dance and yoga changed the trajectory of my life. From a young age, movement and creativity gave me somewhere to channel big feelings in the midst of a turbulent youth, and I felt in my bones that dance would be part of my path.
Even while working in business, I kept returning to movement. I noticed how dance, community, and shared rhythm helped me feel more balanced, more like myself, and I grew curious about why.
That curiosity led me to complete a 200‑hour Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga teacher training in Mysore, India, in 2017, and later a master’s degree in Dance Movement Therapy in Barcelona, Spain. These trainings deepened my relationship with my body and emotions, and sharpened my understanding that in an oppressive world, liberating the body is inseparable from liberating the mind.
“…in an oppressive world, liberating the body is inseparable from liberating the mind.”
I’m especially committed to creating affirming, trauma‑informed spaces for women, LGBTQIA+, trans and gender‑expansive folks, BIPOC, neurodivergent people, and others who have been marginalized or pathologized in traditional wellness and mental health settings.
Today, my purpose is to accompany others in their own search for meaning and authenticity by offering tools to connect with themselves: first and foremost, through their bodies. I’m here to walk beside you as you listen for what your body has been wanting to say all along.
Let’s connect.
You don’t need the perfect words to reach out. Share as much or as little as feels right.
This form is a first step toward sensing whether this space and my way of working feel supportive for your body and your life.
I will read what you share with care and respond as soon as I’m able to. If I am not the right fit or my capacity is limited, I will do my best to offer referrals or alternative resources to support you.