Sunday, April 16, 2023
2:00 pm to 5:00 pm (optional Potluck & Puja to follow)
Clear Creek Farm & Schoolhouse - 1882 Hammonds Fork Road - Disputanta, KY 40456
What is a Cuddle Party?
Cuddle Party is … a Movement!
It’s about compassion, consent, affection and touch.
We humans need touch and affection. It’s no longer a question. Nurturing, welcome consensual touch is good for you! Good for your body, heart and spirit! Good for your blood pressure, your nervous system, your emotional health, your ability to connect with and trust people, your ability to respect and care for yourself, your creativity, sense of safety and comfort and belonging. Infants who are deprived of touch fail to thrive; we never outgrow the need!
We humans need touch that is NOT ABOUT SEX.
Wait – IS THERE such a thing?
Of course there is!
Cuddle Party is a movement to reclaim this option in our lives.
Cuddle Party is … a workshop!
Though touch is natural, the skills that make it welcome and enjoyable have to be learned. Skills of communication, boundaries, asking for what you want, and saying ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ with clarity and kindness.
This Cuddle Party will be led by Sarah Belzile, a certified Cuddle Party Facilitator. Her job is to guide you into those skills gently and easily, in a fun, safe and light hearted way - to welcome you and create an atmosphere of respect, and remain available for questions and support.
At a Cuddle Party you gain:
Clarity and confidence
Boundary and communication skills
Comfort, support and encouragement
The secrets to welcome, relaxed, non-sexual touch
The skills you learn at Cuddle Party translate into everyday life, right from the start. When boundaries and consent are clear, every relationship is easier.
Where else can you attend a workshop in your pajamas?
Cuddle Party is … a social event!
We open with a Welcome Circle – about an hour of introductions, rules and a few games to help everyone get comfortable. We teach communication and boundary skills in ways that are lighthearted and fun.
Then we open up for ‘free-style’ cuddling. You have plenty of time to relax, chat, share a back rub or other welcome touch, cuddle, have a snack or just hang out.
You can come to a Cuddle Party to meet new people, to enjoy amazing conversations, to touch, to be touched, to have fun, to practice asking for what you want, to practice saying “no” to what you don’t want — all in a setting structured to be a safe place for exploration and enjoyment. You can even come to a Cuddle Party just to cuddle!
After the Party itself, we'll clean up and enjoy a potluck meal and a fire puja (the vedic fire ceremony we conduct every evening during our ashram events)... everyone is welcome to join for the potluck and puja, but of course it’s totally optional.
Cuddle parties can be a great way to feel held and supported, to feel blissful and to feel a sense of belonging. They can also be a place to work through trauma and hurt. Sarah is passionate about this work because she found that de-coupling touch and sex has been extremely liberating for her personally, and she is eager to share that sense of freedom with others.
Feel free to arrive as early as 10:00 AM (this is the start of the Sunday Coffee Social that happens EVERY SUNDAY at Clear Creek Schoolhouse. You are welcome to join the larger Clear Creek community, explore the farm and the forest and the creek - or simply show up BEFORE 2pm. We will begin going over the agreements for the party right at 2pm, and we will not be admitting latecomers once we have established the container and agreements.
Wear comfortable cuddling clothes (pajamas are just fine!).
Feel free to bring blankets, pillows, stuffed animals.
This event is 100% sober, no alcohol or substances before or during, please.
Please arrive on time! (It's fine to leave early but late arrivals don't work.)
Location:
Clear Creek Farm & Schoolhouse - 1882 Hammonds Fork Road - Disputanta, KY 40456
SPACE IS LIMITED AND REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.
WORKSHOP FEE: Gift Economy/Sliding Scale of $20-$40 is suggested and appreciated and ensures we can continue to offer valuable, community building workshops and events led by gifted and experienced facilitators. Our goal is to make these skill building opportunities accessible to all in our communities. Sarah is an expert facilitator and her Cuddle Party Workshops are typically priced at $45. PLEASE CONSIDER THE VALUE FOR YOU AND CONTRIBUTE AS YOUR HEART INFORMS AND YOUR BUDGET ALLOWS. If, even at sliding scale, the cost of the workshop would make it inaccessible for you, please reach out to Leila@playashram.com so we can find a way to make it work for you!
This workshop is offered as part of the Play Ashram and Clear Creek Schoolhouse Community Compass Series. These periodic (monthly or bi-monthly) discussions and workshops offer time and space for us to share and practice useful skills for navigating one's own life and for collectively orienting towards a more balanced, sustainable, heart centered community. Other upcoming discussion and workshop topics include:
Compassionate Communication
Courageous Self Inquiry
Connecting with the Natural World
FAQ - About Cuddle Party
Will this be socially awkward?
We do our best to provide social structure for the experience, through the exercises presented in the welcome circle, so that "social awkwardness" is minimized. If you are someone who struggles with social anxiety, please let us know, and we can offer you some additional support and connection.
Is this a paired cuddling experience?
No, this is not a workshop geared towards couples, it is an individual workshop. The cuddling usually ends up being a very communal, group experience.
What about my (romantic) partner?
We encourage clear communication with your partner before, during and after the cuddling experience, whether you and your partner attend the workshop together or just one of you attends. There may be some kinds of touch that you and your partner agree are comfortable for both of you, and other kinds of touch that are not.
What if I don't want to cuddle with someone?
You never ever have to cuddle with anyone at a cuddle party, EVER. If you feel it's a "maybe", then say NO. Cuddle parties can be a great place to practice saying "no" in a firm, clear, kind way.
What if I get turned down to cuddle?
Getting turned down is built into the curriculum of the experience, in a playful, supportive way. You will be turned down. We will all be turned down. Hearing "No" can be just as important as saying "No". Learning to deal with your feelings around this is an important piece of self-work. We are here to support you in this.