CONFERENCE PRESENTERS
FULL CONFERENCE PROGRAM
REGISTRATION & LODGING INFORMATION

 

Special Post-Conference Workshop with Michael Shea

The Biodynamic Heart: Applied BCST to the Vascular System

Boulder, Colorado ~ September 12 - 15, 2023


Join us in person in Estes Park, Colorado ~ Or online via Zoom

We are excited to invite you to the 2023 Breath of Life Conference at YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, Colorado, on September 7 - 10, 2023.

For the first time, we will be holding  a hybrid Conference. If you are unable to attend in-person, you can still register and watch Conference presentations live over Zoom.

We hope you can join us in person, and enjoy a wonderful nature setting as we gather in community, Heart to Heart. YMCA of the Rockies (www.ymcarockies.org) is the largest YMCA in the world and borders Rocky Mountain National Park.

A beautiful vacation destination, it was founded in 1907 and expands over 860 acres. You will likely encounter lots of wildlife on your visit, including deer, elk, horses, wild turkeys and magpies. There are many activities available at the YMCA, including horseback riding on the trails and a lovely salt water pool.  The rooms are spacious, fresh and comfortable. 

A wonderful lineup of Conference speakers and movement presenters are scheduled, along with a post-Conference workshop hosted by Michael Shea. 

Conference registration includes access to video recordings of the live presentations for at least 90 days after the Conference. You will be able to access recordings from an online Conference Packet. 



Conference Speakers

Anna Chitty, RCST®
Keynote Speaker

Anna Chitty is the founder of Colorado School of Energy Studies. Her formal health care training began in 1979, with Polarity Therapy. In the 1980s she was the lead teacher and director of the Polarity Therapy and Holistic Health programs at Murrieta Hot Springs, CA. She contributed to the creation of the BCTA/NA and served as a teacher liaison to its first Board of Directors. She was also a co-founder of the International Association of Biodynamic Trainings. She has been a keynote speaker and presenter at many professional association conferences. Learn more about Anna's school at energyschool.com.


Michael Shea, 
PhD, RCST®, LMT
John Chitty Memorial Lecture: The Biodynamic Heart, Embryology and Clinical Practice

Michael Shea is one of the preeminent educators and authors in the fields of somatic psychology, myofascial release and craniosacral therapy. He received his master’s degree in Buddhist Psychology at Naropa University, and a doctorate in Somatic Psychology at The Union Institute. In 1986, he was certified as one of the first Full Instructors of CranioSacral Therapy by the Upledger Institute.  He has been a Florida Licensed Massage Therapist since 1976, and was an advanced rolfer for 20 years. He is a founding member of the International Affiliation of Biodynamic Trainings and the Massage Therapy Body of Knowledge task force (MTBOK). Learn more about Michael's work at sheaheart.com



Angela Richardson, BCST

Ancestral Reverence and Renewal: Remembering Our Origins to Remember Belonging

As a Mother, Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapist (BCST), educator and creative, Angela Richardson’s inspiration shines when she is in direct communion and collaboration with our Earth Mother and Grandmother Moon. Actively listening to what rests at the borderlands, Angela’s ancestors have gifted her a rich body of knowledge as a mixed blooded, CO born, woman of Mexica, MesoAmerican, Scandinavian and European descent. Granddaughter to Gloria Huerta and daughter to Diana and Lowell Richardson, it is in the liminal space Angela cultivates an unwavering relationship with potency, possibility and compassion. It is from this place, Angela is betrothed to live humbly from her origin of belonging. Her greatest joy is resourcing her spirit, wonder and imagination within the verdant groves of our Earth Mother, Tonantzin, and the wellspring of community.

Susan Raffo
Aligning the Relational Field: On Being in Relationship to Craniosacral Therapy’s Origins 

Susan Raffo is a writer, cultural worker and bodyworker with a personal practice who is part of the Healing Histories Project focused on transforming the medical industrial complex and REP, a Black-led network working towards community safety and wellness. Raffo is the author of Queerly Classed, Restricted Access, and Liberated to the Bone. 

 
Luka Barba
The Sacredness of Birthing and the Postpartum Period \

By bringing her BCST training, Pre and Perinatal Psychology wisdom, ancestral intuition and traditions to the forefront, Luka Barba honors the sacredness of birthing and the postpartum period. She helps her clients tap into their own intuition and forgotten capabilities, allowing them to heal and thrive. Her work with mothers, families, newborns and babies uplifts and supports them physically, psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually. Learn more about Luka's work at deeplyrootedhealing.com


Michael Dunning, BCST

Primary Respiration and the Mystery of the Horizon

Michael Dunning is a Teacher, writer and educator in biodynamic craniosacral therapy.  He emigrated to the USA in 2003 from Scotland and currently resides in rural Western Massachusetts where he offers a two-year foundation training, individual sessions and practitioner mentoring in a unique form of Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy based on direct teachings of the yew tree as custodian to the vast healing and regenerative powers of the Otherworld. Learn more about Michael's work at yewmysteries.com

 

Joanne Gallagher, RCST®
Biodynamic Craniosacral Tools: To Present the Philosophy, Science and Art of Biodynamic Craniosacral as a Heartfelt Lifetime Process

Joanna Gallagher graduated Summa cum Laude as a Doctor of Chiropractic from Sherman College of Chiropractic, Spartanburg, SC in 1982. She engaged in a family based chiropractic practice in PA and developed a very successful practice serving clients and families. Her service experience and postgraduate leaning transitioned her practice to the field of Craniosacral where she received extensive training with the Upledger Institute and Biodynamic Craniosacral teaching teams of the US. She became a RCST® with the BCTA/NA in March 2014.  She currently has travel practices in different states, serving clients and families throughout the US. Learn more about Joanne's work at lifeexpressionwellness.com.

 

Marla Meneghin, RCST®
Unlock the Power of Your Heart – Aligning and Synchronizing Heart, Brain, and Nervous System 

Marla Meneghin, has experience and education as a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Doula, Biotherapeutic Drainage Practitioner, Craniosacral Therapist, Rubimed Therapist, Naturopathic Medicine (including Homeopathy), and as a Licensed Paramedic.  She has worked in a clinical setting for the past 12 years and continues studying and growing in the fields of Natural Medicine, Integrative Medicine and Clinical Counselling.  Marla is a heart focused individual believing that there is a root cause of all health issues and works in an individualized way with each new client to help them achieve the optimized deeper resourcing of life within them. She is a nature lover, long distance runner, and looks forward to meeting new people in this community. Learn more about Marla's work at meneghinwellness.com

Margaret Rosenau, RCST®
When it’s not Mine or Theirs: Tools for Recognizing and Resolving Energetic Phenomena in BCST

Margaret Rosenau is a Registered® Craniosacral Therapist ( 2003), Somatic Experiencing® practitioner (2002), Pre and Perinatal Therapist (2004) and Polarity Therapist (1998).She also holds a Master's Degree in Gerontology from the University of Southern California (2012). Margaret is a wife, mother, writer and activist deeply committed to amplifying the aliveness in the world and repairing the systemic disconnection between people and their bodies.




Morning Movement Sessions

A selection of two 45-minute Morning Movement sessions will be held early each morning on September 8, 9 and 10. 

Cator Shachoy, RCST®, CIAYT yoga therapist, YACEP instructor
4 Core Actions and Mindful Awareness to Release Your Jaw

Cator Shachoy began the practices of yoga, Buddhist meditation, and Craniosacral in 1990 to heal chronic illness. Through the regular practice of these disciplines, she recovered her strength and vitality. For Cator, personal growth and development is a healing path inviting us to become more intimate with everything. Her bodywork, movement and meditation practices are deeply integrated. Cator is a CIAYT yoga therapist, YACEP instructor, Mindfulness teacher and Visionary Craniosacral work practitioner with private practice in the SF bay area. She is the author of, The TMJ Handbook: How to Relieve Jaw Tension with Yoga & Mindfulness, forthcoming fall 2022 from Shambhala publications. Cator teachers online & internationally. Learn more about Cator at catorshachoy.com and youthyogadharma.org.

Mary Ganzon, RCST®
Spacious Goodness: Heaven, Earth and Human – Contemplative Movement


Mary Ganzon moves, cultivates moving and movement. In between  she sits in the stillness, resting and being held. She practices biodynamic craniosacral therapy and lives on a small island in the Salish Sea.

 


Soma Aloia, ORDM, MS, RCST® 

Yoga and Qi Gong 

Soma Aloia is a gifted intuitive inner “tracker”, mentor, educator, and bodyworker. She supports you to reveal how ancient wisdom from your inner voice, through the guidance of body intelligence, the ancestors, and nature, can teach you to recognize the vital essentials for creating a fulfilling life. Learn more about Soma at somaaloia.com

 


Elizabeth Chitty Sandoval
Dance Movement 

 

Certified as a Biodynamic Craniosacral and Polarity Therapist, Liz Chitty is passionate about continuing John and Anna Chitty's vision and legacy as Director of Colorado School of Energy Studies. 

 

 

Margaret Bruder, RCST®
Finding Ease Through Movement, Body Stories and Play


Margaret Bruder has been practicing massage therapy and has spent her life seeking various healing modalities to bring balance and healing into her practice and her personal life. She has studied ayurvedic healing and is a tai chi instructor, an Interplay facilitator, as well as a former special education teacher.



James Foulkes, RCST®, RYT 500, Certified Yoga Therapist

Qi Gong – Craniosacral Therapy Practitioner Self-Awareness

James Foulkes is a 19th Generation Wu Dang Dragons Gate practitioner and has been practicing Qi Gong Yoga, and Kung Fu for 15+years.  He is a registered yoga therapy practitioner, with the International Association of Yoga Therapists, and works with clients and students in Washington DC and on retreats and courses around the world. His first book on Yoga Therapy came out in 2017. He has been studying craniosacral therapy for 15+ years and is a teacher in training in BCST in Washington DC, as part of Roger Gilchrist’s Wellness Institute, based in Colorado. Learn more about James at jamesfoulkes.com. 


 

REGISTER & GET LODGING INFORMATION
BCTA/NA Members: $250 USD
Nonmembers: $295 USD
Early Bird Discount: $25 off when you register by April 2, 2023


POST-CONFERENCE WORKSHOP 

The Biodynamic Heart: Applied BCST to the Vascular System, A 10 Step Protocol, with Michael Shea, PhD, RCST®, LMT

September 12 - 15, 2023, following the BCTA/NA Conference
Millennium Hotel, 1345 28th St, Boulder, CO 80302

In today’s world, the contemporary client is metabolically unhealthy. In addition, Long Covid and vaccine side effects are creating endothelial disorders. This workshop addresses how to work with these states by finding the biodynamic Health, and working with the origin forces of Primary Respiration (PR) and dynamic stillness as they exist in the heart and blood.

We will learn to establish a heart-to-heart connection with PR (the Tide) for emotional safety, and make contact with arteries to sense the endothelium, the co-regulator of homeostasis in the body and an endocrine organ.

The embryology of the cardiovascular and immune systems will be taught. We will palpate the pulses of critical arteries for metabolic health while synchronizing attention with the field of PR and dynamic stillness. This protocol is specifically designed for the contemporary client. These skills can be integrated and mixed with existing biodynamic practice.

  • Tuesday, September 12, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm & 2:30 to 5:30 pm
  • Wednesday – Thursday, September 13 – 14, 9:00 am - 12:30 pm & 2:00 – 5:00 pm
  • Friday, September 15, 9:00 am - 12:30 pm & 2:00 – 4:00 pm

Tuition:

  • RCST®, Teacher or International professional members of BCTA/NA: $595 USD 
  • Associate or Student members of BCTA/NA: $625 USD
  • Non-members: $625 USD
REGISTER 
For the Post-Conference Workshop

(Registration for the post-Conference workshop is separate from Conference registration)