Photo: Suzanne Phoenix
My Body’s Story is a project that considers the relationship women have with their bodies, particularly within the context of our objectifying, weight-centred culture. How do we reconnect with our bodies and celebrate everything our bodies do for us? How do we listen to her wisdom with acceptance, love, gratitude, compassion and trust?
Join the next group of women embarking on this powerful journey. Spaces are limited. Happening in May/June 2024.
During the first My Body's Story project in 2021, Louise Wigg and Cat McKay led thirteen women through a process of reconnecting with their beautiful, unique bodies, listening to deep body wisdom and celebrating their journeys towards body empowerment.
Through this process of exploration and sharing we delved into issues related to body image, challenging body and diet culture, embodied emotions, mindfulness and intuition, intuitive eating, joyful movement and self-pampering. We laughed and we cried, we ate and we danced, we connected over our body’s stories.
This project culminated in an exhibition in May 2022 that featured stunning portraits taken by photographer Suzanne Phoenix and their own written narratives of the journeys our amazing women shared with their bodies. A short film and magazine were also produced as part of this project.
This project was funded by Yarra Ranges Council and auspiced by Eating Disorders Victoria.
This is what some of our participants said at the end of our last program:
"This was the best workshop on women’s empowerment I have ever been involved with".
(My Body’s Story 2021 Participant)
Photo: Suzanne Phoenix
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Key Elements of this Project:
1. Introduction & Workshop 'Taster' We held a project 'taster' on International Women's Day where interested women came together and heard more about our workshop and the project, asked questions, connected with each other and tasted an experience of our project.
This was followed up by an Online Introduction & 'Taster' in late March
2. Body of Empowerment Workshop, We held our workshop on the first weekend in May which was timed to coincide with International No Diet Day.
3. Our project Exhibition was originally scheduled to be launched on Saturday 28th of August 2021, timed to lead into 'Love Your Body Week (or Body Image & Eating Disorders Awareness Week) in the first week of September. However, due to COVID restrictions, this was postponed to March 2022. Our exhibition featured photographs and accompanying narratives of our participants' Body Stories. A short film and magazine.
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Body of Empowerment Workshop
This event was held Friday evening 30th of April, Saturday 1st & Sunday 2nd of May 2021
This event was full of pampering and connection with self and others. Our participants were supported in sharing their body stories and being photographed.
Featuring our team of Facilitators. Please see below.
This workshop includes:
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Breath awareness and listening to our bodies
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The dance between thoughts and embodied feelings
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Our culture's story about bodies
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My Body's Story
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Food and freedom: Intuitive eating
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Moving with ease and joy
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Self care and compassion
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Ongoing support
We have held numerous online and in-person catch-ups since our workshop.
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My Body's Story Exhibition was held at The Memo Gallery: Thursday 3rd of March until Sunday 1st of May 2022
My Body's Story features portraits and stories of fourteen women from the Yarra Ranges reconnecting with their beautiful, unique bodies, listening to their deep wisdom and celebrating the journeys they have shared towards body empowerment. Local photographer Suzanne Phoenix has captured the essence, beauty, strength and vulnerability of these women as they share their body’s story. Each woman created an individual portrait with the photographer which sits alongside their personally written body narrative. These are also documented in a publication.
A video featuring interviews with the women taken during the weekend workshop by videographer Lauren Hutchinson and produced by Cat McKay will screen as part of the exhibition.
My Body’s Story is a collaborative project between facilitators and participants alike. The project is led by Louise Wigg, body image consultant and breathwork practitioner, and Cat McKay, body empowerment teacher and video artist, in collaboration with Suzanne Phoenix, photographer and artist, and Lauren Hutchinson, photographer and videographer.
“It is our hope that by owning and sharing our body’s stories, this will inspire others to do the same.”
