BEFRIEND YOUR BODY
somatic coaching with Amy Kubanek
My Story
My journey to befriending my body has been a wild ride and happened in spite of working in the wellness industry for 20 years. I had some serious unlearning to do; it took me a long time to realize that my body wasn’t a thing to control, rather, it was my life partner and my greatest resource. I have learned from depression, anxiety, burnout, vertigo, mysterious conditions, surgery, years of disordered eating and pushing my body to exhaustion. No matter what curveballs life throws at me, my body is my constant companion. Do I still feel pain? Of course, I'm human. But before it used to derail me and now, it doesn’t.
Being at home in your body requires that you stop fearing or judging your feelings, even when they're uncomfortable. It takes physical practice--not just learning theory, or thinking and talking about how you feel. It requires compassion for the things in your life of which you have no control. It takes untangling yourself from certain expectations.
When I felt most disconnected from my own body, ironically, it was when I looked in top form and was doing all the things I 'should do' to be healthy; I was exercising, eating well and practicing mindfulness, getting regular tune-ups. (Little did I know that my colleagues were suffering too, but because we worked in the wellness industry we never talked about it.)
Over time, it became clear to me that my efforts to have an optimal body and eliminate pain was turning my body into my enemy. There came a point where I needed to stop playing by other’s rules and become a unified team with my own body.
And when I did, everything changed.
Magic happens when you give time and space to the body to figure things out.
I’ve helped thousands of people transform their relationships to their bodies by slowing down to really listen to what's going on inside. I’ve heard countless times from others, “I forgot I had this part of my body” and “I never knew I could feel this way so easily”.
I’m an intuitive listener, a creative collaborator, a truth-teller and skillful synthesizer. I blend my experience in somatics, rehabilitative exercise, trauma informed movement, pilates and expressive arts, to give you a unique experience that will help transform your relationship with your body.
Training / Experience
Smart Body Smart Mind, Up/Down- Irene Lyon Trauma in the public Eye- Peter Levine and Betsy Polatin We are the Culture Makers- Kelly Diels Embodied Boundary work- Kimberly Johnson, Kai Cheng Thom, Pam Tzeng, Tracy Dixon Embodied Anti-Racist Trainings - Karine Bell, Resmaa Menakem, JenLee Koble Shame Clinic- David Bedrick, Simone Seol Conscious Contracts- Jacqueline Horani Somatic Experiencing- Irene Lyon Define Design Align Business Coaching - Leah Goard Contact Improvisation- Karl Frost, Peter Bingham, Linda Rubin, Delia Brett Experience Design- Jenny Sauerklein Action Theatre- Ruth Zaporah Continuum- Linda Rabin Authentic Movement- Tedi Tafel Eldoas -Carolyn Woods Vision Improvement - Summer Bozhora Gaga- James Viveiros Voice and movement- Lin Snelling Le Groupe Dance Lab- Peter Boneham Artistic residency- Bread and Puppet Theatre Crystal Egg- Layla Martin Bowen Therapy Training Modules 1-4 Thai Yoga Massage, Yamuna Body Rolling, Pelvic Floor Training, TRE, Breath work, Franklin Method, Embodied Anatomy Advanced Pilates training for scoliosis, footwork, floor work, shoulders, pelvic floor disfunction, pre/post natal Devised Theatre- NaCl- Ker Wells, Tannis Kowalchuk Clowning- Jan Henderson Movement Coaching for theatre including Black Rider with November Theatre Interpretive Dance - Marc Boivin, Peggy Baker, Mari Osanai, Rob Abubo, Yvonne Coutts, Shauna Elton, Heidi Bunting, Brian Webb, Serge Bennethan, Susie Burpee, Sylvie Desrosiers, Lynda Adams
Certificates
Lymphatic Mojo- Dr. Perry Nickelston Vagus Nerve Mojo- Dr. Perry Nickelston Movement for Trauma Levels 1 & 2 - Jane Clapp Copywriting for Culture Makers- Kelly Diels Pilates Teaching comprehensive certificate- Ron Fletcher program of study- Kyria Sabin, Tucson and Jacqueline Ethier, Ottawa Contemporary Dance Diploma- Grant MacEwan University Melt Method Certification- Sue Hitzmann The Keller Method for Soft Ball Massage- Kathleen Keller
Teaching / Facilitation
Co-Facilitate online group coaching with Tanis Frame '22 Head of Movement Lab - Qi Integrated Health '13-'18 Pilates Teacher '00-'20 @ BodyWorks (Edmonton), Pilates EQ (Edmonton), Pilates Space (Ottawa), Equinox (Vancouver), Union Pilates (Vancouver)
Performance & Artistic Highlights
Physical Animation in performance with Fight with a Stick Theatre. Animating the works of Tomoyo Ihaya in 'Migration' Choreography and movement coaching for November Theatre’s ‘Black Rider’. The production toured for 10 yrs and won audience choice at NYC Fringe fest Key Collaborator for ‘Live Blood’ by Moonrats Dance Theatre. This show became the catalyst for the first dance festival in Edmonton AB which is now called Expanse Festival. Dance Soloist with Platypus Theatres ‘Emily Saves the Orchestra’. Dancing of the big stage with the NAC symphony orchestra (Victoria, Salt Lake City too) 1 week residency at Bread and Puppet Theatre in Vermont as part of Grasshoppa Dance Exchange. Devised Theatre Intensive with NaCl in Catskils. Interpretive Dancer for: Rob Abubo, Kate Hilliard, Shauna Elton, Heidi Bunting,
How do I dialogue with my body?
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I use my hands
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Close my eyes and open them
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Notice what seeing feels like
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I get quiet
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I slow down
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Gentle massage
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Listen for stories that emerge around my discomfort
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Listen for beliefs that I hold that might not be true
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Ask yes/no questions
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Tune into my own rhythms
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Let movement emerge
Amy Kubanek (she/they)
Somanaut. Co-conspirator. Improvisor.
3rd Generation Settler. Maker. Motivator. Play Pal. Dancer.
Bendy. CIS gendered. Neurospicy.
Artist. Mom. Singer. Sacred witness. Listener. Lover.
and...
I have always existed in the spaces in between and I have mostly served those who feel as though they have fallen through the cracks in the system. I will always be a student at heart; I learn by watching, doing, and by teaching.
For a full listing of my guiding principles and lineage, click here.
