ALYSSA KUZINS is an embodiment coach, writer, and retreat leader. She safely guides women back into their bodies to honor and express who and how they are in a body, as a body. Having taught yoga since 2015, and after her own deep trauma in 2020, she used her background in yoga and yoga for trauma training to create BODY ART; her signature embodied dance writing workshop and membership to guide women to heal, liberate and express thy self through the art of music, intuitive dance, breath, and writing. Since 2016, Alyssa also leads Radiance Retreats tailored towards healing through energetic embodiment and communing, as well as offering the Morning Juice Subscription, a 30-minute quick hit embodied wake me up or wind me down class that is a blend of breathwork, meditation, yoga, freestyle dance, writing and/or prayer to get your life force energy flowing! In her coaching spaces, your humanness is welcome, and you’ll leave feeling liberated and so seen, by yourself and others. Find Alyssa on https://alyssakuzinsllc.vipmembervault.com/
Welcome everybody, welcome to Spiritual Biz Chat for Spiritual Biz Magazine, I am your host, Kimberly Maska, and today we have joining us an embodiment coach Alyssa Kuzins. Alyssa, welcome and thank you for being with us, how are you doing today?
ALYSSA KUZINS: Honestly, life is truly a wild ride these days. Instead of my “comfort” zone, I’m in the uncertainty zone. I’m not sure clearly what’s ahead. Yet I’ve recently realized how both zones actually have levels of discomfort, but knowing that the one I’m in now, is the one that promises growth, feels right. Much has recently come to completion, so I’ve really had to sink into deep Trust and surrender in these new beginnings, but I feel incredibly in the flow and supported by Spirit presently!
Excellent! So, could you share the story behind your personal journey down the path to your current life’s purpose and work?
ALYSSA: I’m the classic “yoga changed my life” story. After I graduated from college with two degrees in History and Communications in 2009 with a 3.9 GPA, I started doing Iyengar and Vinyasa yoga that summer while I waited to begin my Master’s Program in Public History. Within the first month of my Master’s Program, I knew in my gut that I was in the wrong place, that these weren’t my people. I told my family and my boyfriend that I wanted to have a yoga career. I honestly had zero ideas what that even really meant, but I just knew in my heart that something in me had changed. I saw a different way of living, a yoga lifestyle, if you will. In the yoga room, I felt myself as a body for the first time, I felt community centered around peace and love, and I sensed a different pace of life. Much to my family’s dismay and concern, and after several bouts of crying in the parking garage before class, I withdrew from the program. I realized I was carrying the torch of my dad and grandfather’s love of history, but that it wasn’t my dream career. I remember getting every green light on the way home after signing the withdrawal papers. It felt like the Universe was giving me the thumbs up! I started teaching yoga in 2015 and credit my YTT, my kundalini intensive training with Sierra Hollister, and my Yoga for Trauma Training with Jafar Alexander for guiding the foundations of what would become my offerings.
And as often happens, my healing became my offerings which came out of my pain when life took everything, I thought I couldn’t live without. My husband and I broke off an engagement in 2016, my dog died from a rare tick disease in 2019 at three years old, and then my husband suffered a traumatic brain injury in July 2020 at just 30 years old. I had to quit working for 8 months and be a full-time caregiver. He is all healed now, by the way!
My husband’s TBI was actually the catalyst for my most current ways of serving, specifically. Brain injury is one of the most insidious things a human and those that love them can experience, but I was blessed to have my years of a spiritual toolkit to help me. So, I essentially took my methods of healing that were helping me come out of depression and having zero libido and packaged them to support other women. I intuitively knew that sacral energy and art would bring myself and others back to life, and the testimonials have been incredible Embodied wisdom leading the way!
How inspiring! Your spiritual work is largely about creative healing and rebuilding connection between body and mind after trauma. What are your signature methods or practices for your clients during their healing process that can be stressful and painful at times?
ALYSSA: My offerings focus on the embodied healing arts and communing with other women in sisterhood via my dance-based membership BODY ART, my quick-hit Morning Juice subscription, or intimate retreats. I use music, intuitive dance, yoga, breathwork, meditation, journaling, and poetry. During BA Activation Workshops I also bring in themed embodiment activities, such as witch cackling to reclaim the witch archetype. During retreats, there is a large emphasis on conscious conversations and sharing with other women to feel seen, heard, and held.
You embrace embodiment, expression, and sensuality as pillars of being a more empowered human, and hold sexuality to a high standard in spirituality. As I understand, such approach led you to the creation of a very interesting dance writing workshop and community for women. So how exactly does a woman express and understand her own self through the art of dance and writing while doing this workshop?
ALYSSA: People often ask, “I’m going to therapy, I do yoga, and I meditate, so why don’t I feel better?” This is where my work comes in.
To start, I still teach vinyasa yoga in my Morning Juice blended class subscription, but I realized in 2018 that just yoga wasn’t doing it for me anymore. I felt stifled by the quietness, by the lack of vocal and self-expression, and the linear style movements of a mat-based practice. I needed a complementary, more feminine energetic practice that allowed me to express in my own way, including with louder vocal expressions to get it OUT! So, I leaned into intuitive, freestyle dance with no choreography and emotional release with the voice.
Second, a woman expresses and understands herself with dance because she isn’t trying to process it all in her head like we’re used to. Instead, why not use all of this valuable real estate that is your entire body which is way bigger than your head? It’s like we forget that our bodies are conduits of processing as well; this is the work of embodiment and somatics. Freestyle dance allows us to express that which is inside for when you’ve talked enough. For example, say you just got your heartbroken, turn off the lights and choose a song that embodies those feelings and dance intuitively however your body feels. Afterward, sense if something has shifted. You’ll probably feel more clear and less heavy. Music connected to dance movement clears the sticky spots and helps us feel what we’re feeling by moving it through the body processor. BODY ART’s methods don’t ask us to sit quietly and meditate or talk about it but to bring it back down to the human body and make art like only humans can. Because at a certain point, you’re talked out and meditation isn’t all you need. In those moments, bring it into the flesh, somaticize it.
In terms of journaling, they’ve done studies on the emotional release of it, and sometimes simply putting it on a piece of paper allows it to either get out of your head or allows something to come to light.
And poetry, well, anyone can write a poem! Poetry is for when everyday language can’t quite touch what we’re feeling. It doesn’t have to even make sense or have proper grammar. Beautiful words have healing power and when my BODY ART Babes share their poems live on the calls, they are often scared but feel SO liberated afterwards! Hello, throat chakra and being seen/heard!
Humans are blessed with the ability to make art, and in a mind-centric world full of obligations and ‘shoulding’, creative, sensual expression is how we take up space, feel Alive, heal, and clarify who we are. We find meaning in art, not answers.
Is there a final message you want to let our readers know? Or just any last little words that you have for them?
ALYSSA: Three things. One, you are your body just as much as you are your soul. In fact, your soul chose this body, so disconnecting from it is dangerous to your health and wellbeing. It’s not just about floating in your crown chakra, at least not as a human. Learning to live in a body, AS a body is some of the most powerful teachings you will ever encounter. There is brilliant Aliveness versus aliveness from this space and a deep knowing of what you need at any given moment. Second, you are not your Trauma and healing is so possible. Fight for your joy. And third, sacral chakra healing is the missing piece to so many of our healing journeys.
And if anyone is interested, I have just a few spots left for my Aruba Sensual Sun Goddess Retreat in February 2023!
Thank you, Alyssa, very much! It has been such a pleasure chatting with you today!
ALYSSA: It was wonderful to chat about all things embodied healing, and I’m so touched to have made it on the cover. What an honor!
