WORKSHOP

Introduction to Eastwest Somatics: A Taste of Land to Water Yoga and Butoh
with Lani Weissbach, MSME/T 

Saturday, March 21, 2026 • 11am-1pm Eastern U.S. time
Find your local time here. 

The registration deadline is Saturday, March 14, 2026. 

Live participation is strongly encouraged. However, if you are unable to attend the session, the recording will be available to all who have pre-registered. 

In this introduction to Eastwest Somatics, participants will experience a taste of the multifaceted curriculum created by Sondra Fraleigh with a particular focus on Land to Water Yoga and butoh-based somatic processes. Land to Water Yoga is a creative and gentle approach to yoga that invites a return to the original intent of yoga – to unite us with our deepest selves and all of life. Land to Water Yoga is conceived as a somatic dance, as we progress with ease through pleasurable shapes and movements that anyone can do. Our practice of Land to Water Yoga in the first part of the class will prepare our minds and bodies for the next guided experience in which we will explore elements of butoh. Butoh is a metamorphic somatic dance/movement practice that emphasizes the body/self that becomes. This unique combination of Land to Water Yoga and butoh aims to encourage an expansive state of mind, deep embodied presence, and a sense of belonging in an interconnected web of life. The session will focus primarily on a guided practice and will also include short talks and time for written and spoken reflection. 

This class will support the professional development of colleagues within the somatic movement field as well as complementary fields by providing numerous possibilities for discovery, growth and learning through each participant’s direct, somatic experience. The class material can be applied to a wide variety of somatic and related fields, including psychotherapy, artistic practice, physical therapy, coaching, fitness instruction, yoga instruction, caregiving and much more. 

Participants will:
• Learn an innovative approach to yoga that is geared toward finding comfort, ease and enjoyment in one’s body through gentle movement practices everyone can do.
• Experience a spacious, egoless state of mind and an embodied sense of belonging to the world through simple yet powerful butoh practices.
• Discover how elements of the class material can be applied to one’s own life and work. 

Lani Weissbach, MFA, MSME/T, E-RYT 500 is a teacher, performer and artist with over three decades of leadership in the fields of contemporary dance, contemplative practices and somatic movement education. Lani has served on the faculties of numerous colleges, universities and arts organizations, consistently engaging with diverse communities and fostering transformative learning experiences. Lani's offerings include courses focused on somatic dance and movement, creativity workshops using various artistic mediums, and contemplative, trauma informed classes for healing and wellness. 

Currently based in Indianapolis, Indiana, Lani develops courses, workshops, and residencies as Director of Embodied Learning for the Indianapolis Movement Arts Collective. Lani’s work with the Eastwest Somatics Institute spans over two decades, and as associate faculty for Eastwest, Lani co-leads certification workshops and teaches for the virtual studio.  A butoh artist since 1989, Lani is featured in Butoh: Metamorphic Dance and Global Alchemy by Sondra Fraleigh and contributed the chapter “Decentering the Human through Butoh” to Geographies of Us: Ecosomatic Essays and Practice Pages (Routledge Press, 2024). For more information, please visit http://www.laniweissbach.com. 

Course Information

Cancellation Policy:
If a participant cancels their registration to any paid offering in the Professional Development Center, they will receive the following refund:
Full refund minus the PayPal fees, more than 4 weeks before the event begins
75% refund from 1 - 4 weeks before the event begins
50% refund from 1 - 6 days before the event begins
No refund on the day that the event begins or while it is in progress ISMETA reserves the right to cancel any offering in the Professional Development Center before the course begins due to unforeseen circumstances. In this case, a full refund will be given.