Come Back to Life!
The Magic of Movement with Rev. Justin Smith
Relational Movement Sessions
with Rev. Justin Smith
Founder, Ministry of Movement
What is Relational Movement?
Have you ever felt like your body and Soul are craving something, but you're not sure what? You might feel stuck, down, overwhelmed, lonely or just...off. You sense something needs to shift. Something needs to move. It could be a looping story, unexpressed emotions or desires, life circumstances, stuck energy in the body, thoughts and patterns that hold you back... You're not alone. We all experience these feelings. This is why we dance. Relational Movement is a fun, easy, deeply nourishing partner dance practice that will get you unstuck, restore balance in the body/mind, bring new insight, and nourish your Soul. We draw inspiration from dances like Contact Improvisation, Partner Yoga, Fusion, Salsa, and Freestyle. But the form can include any and all movements you can imagine or do, and can be practiced with or without music. Imagine a partner dance that can include elements like rhythm and musicality while leaving room for each dancer's unique expression. You don't have to stay on rhythm or match your partner's movements. You don't even have to lead or follow, unless you want to. But rather than try to imagine what Relational Movement looks like, try to imagine what it might feel like... Imagine a partner dance that allows you to be you, without having to impress anyone or feel judged. Where you are held with exceptional care, deep reverence, and you are free to feel and express whatever is moving through you--your joy, your anger, your sadness, your desire, your weirdness and wildness, your exhaustion and frustration, your overwhelm, your fear--fully, unapologetically, in complete safety, and with full consent. What would that feel like? That is Relational Movement. It's an approach to partner dance designed to help you come alive, reconnect, and deepen your connections with others by following your own intuitive movement, feelings, and inspiration. It's about learning to trust the intelligence of your body, and set yourself free. While RM can be practiced socially with amazing benefits, sessions held in a safe container, with great care and intention can be truly transformative. Private sessions are part dance lesson, part emotional support, part relationship support, part body work, and part Spiritual journey. Anyone can do this, regardless of physical capacity or dance experience. In each session you will gain: --Technical dance skills --Deeper body awareness and presence --Improvisational and intuitive movement capacity --Attunement, pacing, and nervous system support --Trust in boundaries, choice, and expression --New insight --Rest, integration, and reflection These sessions are an invitation to slow down, honor what you truly need and desire, and allow Life to move through you. Together, we will explore moving in connection as an essential pathway to living a better life. Each session is unique. We move at the pace of your body and emotional being, while exploring what’s alive for you in the moment, and in relation to your patterns and longer term goals. You will leave sessions feeling: --More grounded and at ease in your body --Increased confidence --Greater emotional clarity and regulation --A sense of feeling seen without needing to perform or apologize --Deeper trust in yourself and your relationships --Ready for what's next Session Details: --Length: 90-120 minutes --Investment: $187.50 - $250 --Format: In-person --Location: In most cases my home studio. --Clothing: Comfortable clothing you can move in. (Think yoga, fitness, or comfy lounging)
Thanks for visiting!
I’m glad you’re here!
A little about me… I answered the call to Ministry in 2009, and while I love to talk about God, the wonders of Life, and all things Spiritual, my Ministry is Movement. In 2020, I co-founded Ministry of Movement, a thriving Dance Church and community hub based in Boulder, CO. Today, we are dancing strong with hundreds of members. I’m a Naropa University graduate with a multi-disciplinary background in Contact Improvisation, Yoga (200hr), Professional Ballroom and Social Dance instruction, Theater Production and performance, Aikido, Spiritual seeking and finding, and holding space for personal and collective growth. I have been practicing, teaching, and/or performing dance forms and movement arts since the 90's. Through the years I have witnessed dancing and the Magic of Movement bring me, my students, and practitioners around the world back to Life and back to wellbeing over and over again. I have come to realize this experience of “coming alive” is not only possible, it's inevitable. It is the inherent result of humans moving together with great intention and care. And best of all, this experience of waking up, coming into balance, coming to Life through shared Movement is available to everyone, anytime! Even you! Even NOW. Simply put, we were made for this. We thrive when we move together. Therefore, it is my mission and Ministry to create safe movement spaces, share, and practice the simple yet profoundly powerful magic of moving together with individuals and communities on a global scale. Welcome! I can’t wait to move with you! Blessings, Rev. Justin
What clients are saying...
"Sessions with Justin are dance therapy in motion. A space of presence and deep care, where I experience embodied healing in the moment. In just a few sessions, I began to feel myself more fully. More sensation, more awareness, while still feeling held in connection with him, and learning how to hold myself, too. Through the sessions, I’ve learned how to access deeper sensation and awareness without becoming overstimulated in connection. Being with another can often feel overwhelming for me, but Justin has learned how to meet me in a space where I can stay congruent with myself—where I am not overextending to meet another. I’m learning in real time what it means to be vulnerable, to soften into being guided. He helps me expand my range, creating a container safe enough for me to be moved, influenced, and truly seen. I feel deeply attuned to, and in that attunement, I’m learning how to attune more fully to myself and others. Through Relational Movement, Justin is teaching me not only how to relate with more congruence and intimacy in dance and outside of it, but also how to guide myself with trust, clarity, and authenticity. His work is both a dance and doorway, leading me into deeper connection with myself, with another, and with the world."
“One of my most profound shifts was learning what a boundary feels like, as a clear sensation in my body that says ‘yes,’ ‘no,’ or ‘not now.’ I also learned that rupture and repair, whether in relationship with myself or another, is not just a verbal experience, but a physical one. Movement, presence, and nonverbal communication can restore connection in ways that words alone cannot. That understanding changed everything about how I relate, to myself and to others.”
“Rev. Justin helped me learn how to welcome back parts of myself I had exiled, that I once believed were too much, too tender, or too complicated. His approach is profoundly respectful and deeply human. It helped me experience what it feels like to be seen fully, without fixing or performing, and to finally see myself in that same way.”
“When I began working with Justin, I moved through the world cautiously, careful not to take up too much space, careful not to be too much. Through this work, I experienced what it feels like to allow myself to be me, without shrinking to make others feel comfortable. I’ve grown into someone who can express, move, and be seen without apology (most of the time!). There is a different kind of freedom that comes when self-trust lives in the body, not just in the mind. That is exactly what this work gave me.”
