In Your Body: A Woman's Wellness Series

IN YOUR BODY: A WOMEN'S WELLNESS SERIES

In Your Body is a four-month women’s wellness series for women and women-identifying participants, designed to support embodied awareness, mental clarity, nourishment, and personal safety. Launching on International Women's Day (March 8th), the series unfolds through one workshop per month from March through June, allowing participants to engage deeply without feeling rushed or overwhelmed.

Each session is intentionally sequenced to support a progression from grounding and regulation to reflection, informed self-care, and embodied agency. The monthly workshops focus on different aspects of women’s well-being - movement, mental health, nutrition, and self-defense - offering practical, accessible tools that can be applied to everyday life.

In Your Body welcomes participants across life stages who are seeking a supportive, intentional space to reconnect with themselves, connect with community, and build skills that carry beyond the studio. Workshops are designed to stand alone while also forming a cohesive experience for those who choose to attend multiple sessions.

Inside the Series

The series runs from March - June 2026, launching on International Women's Day.
Each session offers practical, accessible tools designed to support everyday life
One workshop per month, each focused on a different area of women’s wellness
Workshops ranging from 60 to 90 minutes can be attended individually or as a series
Participants are welcome to join at any point in the series

THE WELLNESS JOURNEY

A restorative somatic practice for nervous system regulation, mobility, and embodied safety.

A guided mental health reset for stress release, clarity, and grounded intention.

Evidence-based nutrition tools to support hormonal health, energy, and sustainable habits.

Practical self-defense and grounding skills to cultivate confidence, awareness, and agency.

Cancellation Policy

To ensure thoughtful planning and fair compensation for our contributors, all registrations are final and non-refundable. If you are unable to attend, you may transfer your registration to another participant or request event credit with at least 72 hours’ notice.

We appreciate your understanding and commitment to this shared space.

Accessibility

Claiming Your Space is designed to be accessible, choice-based, and trauma-informed. The workshop focuses on practical awareness and non-contact self-defense strategies, with an emphasis on personal boundaries, grounding, and presence rather than force or intensity.

Participants are always invited to engage at their own pace. Movement can be modified, paused, or observed, and no prior experience is required. Verbal participation and physical contact are optional, and all techniques are taught with consent and respect for individual comfort levels.

If you have specific access needs, injuries, or questions about participation, please feel welcome to reach out in advance.

CONTRIBUTOR BIOS

Nia Campinha-Bacote

Nia Campinha-Bacote, M.Div., RYT-200 is a trauma-informed Soma Yoga teacher, theologian, and community-based healing practitioner. With a background in hospital chaplaincy, music thanatology, and trauma-informed care, Nia curates her yoga classes around mindful movement, deep listening, and breathing practices that support nervous system regulation and embodied belonging.

Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Nia now makes her home in Chicago’s North Lawndale where she regularly offers yoga classes (free for anyone to join on Sundays at 8:30AM @Lift House Gym).

instagram.com/nia.campinhabacote/

Danielle Vaquer, LMFT

Danielle is a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist with over 15 years of experience. She specializes in helping people improve the quality of their lives through clinical therapy, mindfulness-based practices and energy medicine.

Danielle creates meaning in her life through raising her daughter, practicing Qi Gong, yoga, meditation, being outdoors, dancing and connecting with family and friends.

During these busy and challenging times, we need to seek the place within that is calm and connected to something greater than ourselves. There is a phenomenon that takes place when we slow down and give ourselves permission to take up space and connect with our breath. The more we slow down, the more intentional we can be to speed up and take action in our lives. This is because when we develop presence we can move with intention.

Danielle, along with Rise Training Academy, invites you to spend some time on yourself. Let the stress melt away with each breath and walk away with tools to catch you when challenge arises.

instagram.com/essential.heart.therapist/

Small Habits Matter

Small Habits Matter is a Chicago-based, registered dietitian-led organization that empowers individuals and communities through accessible, evidence-based nutrition education. By focusing on small, sustainable changes, they partner with individuals and groups to build lifelong healthy habits and a positive relationship with food- one habit at a time.

instagram.com/smallhabitsmatter
smallhabitsmatter.com/

Guro Edie Mesina

Guro Edie’s martial arts journey began at the world renowned Doce Pares headquarters in Cebu City, Philippines where she spent years training under the Canete brothers, SGM Ciriaco “Cacoy” Canete, SGM Filemon “Momoy” Canete, SGM Eulogio “Yoling” Canete & his son, SGM Dionisio “Diony” Canete. She also trained extensively in sport Eskrima with GM Bonifacio “Loloy” Uy of BDU System.

Aside from Eskrima, Edie trained in judo & boxing. She holds national & world championship titles in full-contact sparring & forms (sayaw/carenza). Edie developed and founded Kampilan Eskrima System, teaches and trains fighters who hold various championship titles in local and international competitions.

Her goal is to bridge the gap between traditional and sport Eskrima. She also developed S.T.R.I.V.E. (Survival Techniques & Response In Violent Encounters), a revolutionary reality based, easy to learn and highly effective self-defense system. She currently teaches at Lions Martial Arts Academy in Grayslake, IL.

grayslakemartialarts.com/

Guro Crystle Dino

Guro Crystle LiWayway Dino of Defensor Method of Filipino-Indonesian Martial Arts and Freedom.Movemeant.Alignment. FMA based in Chicago, IL.

Crystle LiWayway Dino was born and raised in the northside of Chicago with roots in Balayan, Batangas on her father's side and Torrijos, Marinduque on her mother's side. She is an art therapist, performance and visual artist, dancer, cultural worker, educator, bodyworker, and Filipino martial artist integrating all of these practices under Freedom.Movemeant.Alignment. FMA. FMA serves as a movement honoring ancestral embodied knowledge and ritual as paths in fortifying warriorship, personal power, agency, healing, growth, and connection.

Crystle trains with the school of Defensor Method of Filipino-Indonesian Martial Arts of the late Mahaguro Nate Defensor and is ranked as a first level guro in this system. She has recently completed her training with Master Teacher Virgil M. Apostol through the Kailukuan School of Indigenous Science learning his family lineage of Ablon, a traditional, indigenous, and spiritual combat healing art. Crystle also continues her studies in dance and other martial art forms, such as Kalinda, Silat, and Angola Capoeira.

freedommovemeantalignment.com