What is Lore?
Dear Soul on the Other Side of the Screen,
​
Thank you for being here. I am always humbled by the heart-centered presence of each person that is drawn to our gatherings. As I write this, I’m going to slow down, put one hand on my heart and take a slow, deep breath to honor all the life that is happening inside each of us and all around us. Would you like to join me and do the same?
This. This is what LORE is. It is taking that moment to get connected and doing practices in community to stay connected. Connected to your essence, nature, spirit, each other, life. Each month we dance with a theme. To learn more about our themes for 2025, click here.
Photographed by Inna Schnayder
I invite you to join me and our community of guest teachers to tune into the healing power of the present moment through movement, conversation, nature connection and ritual.
We invite you to come as you are and leave as more of who you are. Give and receive community support to practice the tools and perspective to nourish you when you feel a stressed body, overwhelmed mind or anxious heart. There’s also space to celebrate your yes to life and honor the authentic gratitude you feel. Everything in this container is offered to support you in harvesting and integrating the embodied wisdom you carry from your lived experiences. Each moment is precious. And each offering will be an intentional opportunity for you to remember and honor that, like nature, we are also wise, wild and free.
After five successful sessions of LORE, I realized the profound gift of being connected to community regularly is something I would love to nourish for an entire year. We've organized this session of LORE where you can sign up for the whole year, one month at a time or even drop in for a class. For anyone who feels a resonance with Qoya Inspired Movement and LORE, I invite you to know there is a place where you can come each day and reconnect to living a Lifestyle of Reverence Everyday.
The year-long theme is called Nourishing Structures. So many of us are living in that place of no longer and not yet, feeling the need to let go of past structures and systems, feeling the call of something new and needing to navigate the liminal in-between. There is great healing power in these embodiment practices to strengthen our fortitude, awaken our spirits and meet the moments we are living.
Nourish your body through Qoya Inspired Movement sessions.
Deepen your personal relationship with nature by making Earth offerings.
Drop in for various pop-up community-led sessions like coworking, conversations, journaling with the moon and other things members are inspired to share.
Collaborate on social good projects to continue exploring how to be positive forces of change in these transformational times.
And more!
Together, we gather to honor our individual human experiences, seeing ourselves as whole and holy on our journey. We heal our hearts by being together in community.
​
I’d be deeply honored to dance together and see what emerges for you when you dance your relationship with creating Nourishing Structures in your own life and in the world we share.
​
With an open heart,
Rochelle
LORE
(DEFINITION):
A body of traditions and knowledge on a subject or held by a particular group, typically passed from person to person by word of mouth.
​
Similar words: mythology, legends, stories, traditions, culture, and wisdom
Gather together in community to immerse yourself in the practices that resonate with your center. Nourish your body with movement, your soul with ritual, your heart with connection and your spirit with vision. Commit to the continuation of LORE.
Come as you are.
FOLLOW YOUR NEXT INHALE INTO
THE WISDOM OF YOUR VERY OWN BODY.
PAUSE IN SENSATION.
REST IN AWARENESS.
EXHALE WITHOUT FORCE.
TRUST THELore YOU ARE LIVING.
We are living in mythological times, activating and requiring our inner strength, courage and our latent power to become consciously embodied. Many of us feel the need to reimagine a world rooted in right relationship. Let's gather in this inquiry and explore what emerges in our togetherness.
BECOME A MEMBER
LORE is an invitation to live a lifestyle of reverence everyday through movement, ritual, nature offerings, meditation, community building and social good. The program takes on different themes and offers you an opportunity to join live or visit recordings. Notice how it feels when you make time to root yourself in reverence. A little movement can go a long time. Come see if it's true for you.
LORE | Monthly
88$Every monthMonthly MembershipÂ- Qoya Inspired Movement Sessions
- Access to LORE Library
- Live Online Zoom Sessions
- Zoom Sessions with Guest Teachers
- Inspiring Content Delivered Weekly
- Meditations & Worksheets
LORE | Yearly
888$Every yearSave $168Â- Qoya Inspired Movement Sessions
- Access to LORE Library
- Live Online Zoom Sessions
- Zoom Sessions with Guest Teachers
- Inspiring Content Delivered Weekly
- Meditations & Worksheets
if you feel called to this work and financial support is needed, please reach out to us here.
COMMUNITY PRACTICES
QOYA INSPIRED MOVEMENT, RITUAL, NATURE & COMMUNITY
OUR SCHEDULE
Explore our offerings as an invitation to come to as many sessions as you are inspired and able. Qoya Inspired Movement class recordings will be available within 24 hours for those who are unable to attend live. No recordings will be shared of our conversation gatherings or of people's personal sharing.
Inspired Movement
Qoya Inspired Movement is a movement practice based on the idea that through movement, we remember. We remember that our essence is inherently wise, wild and free. Wise, wild and free draw reference to the movement forms we practice in a Qoya class and Inspired Movement Sessions.
Wise, calls on the wisdom traditions of yoga, meditation and contemplation practices that bring us into the physical sensation of truth in our bodies.
Once we feel resonance with our inherent wisdom, we invoke our innate Wildness with dance. Not performance dance, more like when you are folding laundry and a song comes on that you love and as the music moves you, you dance how you feel. In this context, wild asks what is your authentic expression beyond inhibition and conditioning.
Free, asks us to expand our capacity for joy through pleasure based movement. Of course, we all go through healing journeys in our body and still we hold space for the exploration, "is there anything I can do (or not do) that makes it feels more nourishing to be moving by body right now."
All sessions will honor the Wise, Wild and Free essence in each of us and for this iteration of LORE there will be an exploration of embodied integration on each of them.
Qoya Inspired Movement invites you to get connected and stay connected as you live a Lifestyle of Reverence Everyday.
Ritual
In each of us there is a space that only love fills. Ritual activates our attunement to our personal and collective cycles by coming into right relationship. We honor the pain of the past by harvesting its lessons and composting its remnants. We savor the gifts of the present with gratitude and celebration. We vision the future with a prayer for what truly nourishes us and is in service to the highest good of All.
Community
This is a place to befriend one another. LORE is a community where instead of being anonymous and passively receiving information, you are invited to connect and strengthen the foundation of friendships through sharing in classes in breakout rooms and the larger group.
Please note that alongside opportunities to share in Qoya classes, there is always space for you to take care of yourself on days and moments where you prefer to journal, rest and keep to yourself during the sharing prompts in class.
​
To deepen into community, come join us for:
QOYA COWORKING SESSIONS: We will pull a card, set an intention for our time together, partner share for accountability, have a dance break to celebrate half way through and opportunities for Q&A to gather the wisdom of the circle.
QOYA CONVERSATIONS: Explore pop-up conversations to the theme of the month. This is a casual time to be together and follow the flow of conversation.
SOCIAL JUSTICE CONVERSATIONS: Commit to the path of healing for our world guided by trained facilitators merging the worlds of trauma healing and social justice during our pop-up sessions.
NATURE OFFERINGS: Gather together to be in the practice of deepening one's personal relationship with nature though making nature offerings.
QOYA REFLECTION JOURNALING WITH THE MOON: Make time to look up at the sky and then look within your heart to notice and express what emerged for you this week. Integrate your experiences by writing them down.
Lore: Nourishing Structures
The first iteration of LORE was a 3 month offering specifically designed to nourish the Qoya community through the winter months in the Northern Hemisphere in 2020. We gathered to prioritize physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health in the midst of a global pandemic. We also supported one another feeling the acceleration of change around us and committed to dismantling systemic injustice inside ourselves and our communities, paving pathways for more equality in our lifetimes.
After five iterations of LORE, this is an invitation to keep LORE going on a consistent basis acknowledging that how we live our daily lives makes up how we live our lives. For those who feel the call to stay connected to community, deeply listen to the wisdom of their body, make offerings from their heart to nature, this is a place to gather.
The theme for 2025 is Nourishing Structures. As so many old ways of being dissolve and decompose, may we hospice and heal, tending our grief and simultaneously listen for the needs of the seeds readying to rise up.
Some of the themes we will be exploring in 2025 with the theme of Nourishing Structures are:
Rest, Reflect, Reimagine
Waking Up To The Wild Within and Around
Hunting for Heart Medicine
The Courage to Commit to the Long Game
Navigating Depth wtih Grit and Grace
Flowing with the Currents of Care
Skillful Means for a Path to Mastery
Savor the Sweetness Along the Way
Taking Good Care of Ourselves and Each Other
Life Balance
Let Everything Be An Invitation for Deeper Connection
Integration & Integrity
Testimonials for LORE
"In addition to providing space and grace for reclamation and reverence, LORE has expanded my sense of agency, connectedness, and healing personally and within the collective."
— Jamia Wilson, New York, NY Activist, author, editor, creatrix
“I adore LORE! I love the daily Qoya movement and full Saturday and Sunday classes - they feel like church to me. Because I am unable to make many of movement sessions live, I especially love & appreciate that the recordings are available for me to visit when it fits into my schedule. I also appreciate the Social Justice book club, as it keeps me accountable to continue the conversations, remain educated, and find the tangible ways I can get involved and be an ally for change.”
— Mallory Griffiths
“What an eye opener Qoya has been! What I discovered was transformational for me. I'm discovering how to tune into my body (never have); how to connect spiritually with and through my body; a group of women from all over the world with whom to share perspectives and experiences. Specifically, LORE has been a saving grace: I love the daily practice offerings; I love how you shake it up periodically so it doesn't become stale; I LOVE the rituals with Sarah for Full Moon and New Moon; the weekly conversation group discussion is like having lunch with stimulating, reassuring girlfriends; it's a safe haven in these tumultuous times that feeds me body and soul.”
— Carlie Martin
“Thank you for introducing me to ME in this opened space of self.”
— Susan Cotter
“LORE offered me a daily connection with Source through movement. Daily connection to a community that I love. Showing up for myself on a regular basis in a way that is meaningful and deeply fulfilling.”
— Elan McAllister
“Thank you so much for creating this online space and community. Your creativity has nurtured and sustained me through the dark, pandemic winter, opened my heart, and my soul...everyday I see something, feel something, experience something transformative.”
— Cheryl Fox
“The wisdom, growth and energetic amplification I have received by taking part in this course far outweighs the time commitment. In short, this is the most worthwhile thing I've ever done!”
— Lauren Platte
“I have enjoyed feeling a part of a larger Qoya community and I feel it has been this beautiful benefit and silver lining to have come out of the pandemic.”
— Hilary Pidden
“Having a Daily practice has been so transformative - I look forward to dancing EVERY single day.”
— Shannon Funt
“Thank you so much for the gift of LORE! I am so grateful. Installing daily movement practice that is soul-centered and heart-opening has brought energy and flow into my daily life that has been so supportive during these times. Beyond that, I now feel the strength and passion coming back in that will provide fuel for building the life I truly desire. Thank you Thank you Thank you!”
— KT Ronshausen
“Each Sunday morning I hungrily opened the email to see what the theme for the week would be. As the week went on I felt I was unwrapping a glorious present with another one arriving on Sunday.”
— Maya Banas
“From the very first session I felt held, lifted, loved and in community. I’ve laughed and cried and made new friends. It’s been my favourite thing ever to be a part of, utterly life enhancing. Thank you.”
— Sonja Lockyer
“Qoya has been a means of staying connected to myself and to the Divine during challenging times. It is also a means of supporting others . . . a symbiotic exchange where we share and ultimately expand as individuals and as a community.”
— Stacy Lynch
“I have really loved having a space and place to show up and care for myself and my body every day. It made committing to care for myself so much easier because I didn't have to rely on myself to figure out what to do every day. Knowing there were others showing up with me made it so much easier and way more fun!”
— Nicky Smolter
You're Invited to Join Us
LORE was so powerful
we decided to do it again!
In 2024, our LORE theme is Nourishing Structures. It is an opportunity to see what is possible when we get connected and stay connected to ourselves, nature, spirit and each other through movement, ritual and community to live a lifestyle of reverence. Join anytime and cancel anytime!
Lore Schedule
nourishing structures
We live in times of accelerated change and transformation. To support the grief and loss of all that is being released, to stay present with the blessings that are here now and to be available to the guidance supporting collaborative paths forward, you are invited to notice the positive impact movement, ritual, community connection and nature prayers makes in your life. This is an invitation to walk a path where your LORE is to live a lifestyle of reverence everyday. Reverence for yourself: mind, body, heart and spirit. Reverence for Mother Earth that offers us everything we have and the opportunity to be here. Reverence for one another and the interconnectedness of the world we share. Reverence for Life.
Energy Exchange
for joining LORE
LORE | Monthly
88$Every monthMonthly MembershipÂ- Qoya Inspired Movement Sessions
- Access to LORE Library
- Live Online Zoom Sessions
- Zoom Sessions with Guest Teachers
- Inspiring Content Delivered Weekly
- Meditations & Worksheets
LORE | Yearly
888$Every yearSave $168Â- Qoya Inspired Movement Sessions
- Access to LORE Library
- Live Online Zoom Sessions
- Zoom Sessions with Guest Teachers
- Inspiring Content Delivered Weekly
- Meditations & Worksheets
each MONTH has a theme
January
Rest, Reflect, Reimagine
This month, each session will begin with some rest. Rest is an essential part of our cycles of growth in our daily rhythms and seasons of life. Just like it would be unwise to plant some seeds in the middle of winter, notice the places in your life where prioritizing rest will support you. Let these small daily rest practices inform your capacity to reflect and see clearly. Make space for reflection and come to a sense of resolution with the past. Digest and integrate what has led you to this moment and then reimagine what's possible moving forward, in that order. Rest, reflect and reimage. On repeat.
February
Waking Up To The Wild Within and Around
Where do you feel frozen? And what is beginning to melt away when you reignite the fire of your heart, spirit and soul within your body? What inspires you to rise up and meet the day? Dare to dream in a way that is unbound by limitation. Imagine new solutions, pathways and possibilities. Find the balance between acknowledging the dream that lives in your heart and not letting the pursuit of it be something that weighs you down. As you reclaim your creativity and expand your imagination, embody the wild part of you that is like nature: wild.
march
Hunting for Heart Medicine
This month we begin with shaking to release the pain of the past that keeps us disconnected from our bodies, each other, nature, spirit, life! Choose your own adventure to hunt for the heart medicine you need and want. Hunt is a word that you might not frequently associate with heart medicine. This is an invitation to explore your relationship with taking action and pursuing what most deeply and truly nourishes your heart. As you embark on this adventure, there will be cues to dance with and feel your balance between confidence and humility. Leaning into laughter and paying attention to synchronicities are recommended along the way.
April
The Courage to Commit to the Long Game
This month, we focus on integrating the spark of clarity into the consistency of action. Imagine taking radical responsibility for your experience by bearing the vulnerability of committing to the long game of what you hope to build in your life and contribute to the world. While so many of our practices in Qoya are rooted in compassion and loving kindness of meeting ourselves where we are, there are times and places in our lives when we are called to invoke our discipline and devotion to something that requires us to commit to it for it to come to fruition. There is a unique fulfillment to offering yourself fully to this bigger vision. Feel into your work by listening to your calling and then showing up to it. We will be cheering you on!
may
Navigating Depth wtih Grit and Grace
Imagine circling through your body in a way that feels like spiraling into your center. Rest there. Be gentle with yourself in this sacred place. At your own pace, begin to spiral and circle back out into the world. Honor life like a labyrinth and amidst the redirects, recalibrate your reality away from the rat race. As depth comes to knock on your door, learn how to welcome it, listen, learn and be changed by it. Find your relationship to the saying, "Depth without drowning." It takes courage to dive deep, it also takes courage to rise back up. Learn the pathways into your most sacred places and also cultivate the endurance and grit for the journeys along the way. Just for fun, imagine taking the journey of this month while being more light on your feet.
June
Flowing with the Currents of Care
Reflect on the intuitive nudges you experience that guide you through your day. What are they signaling you towards? What part of your inner voice is reminding you of the potential of relational harmony? What if those signals you experience through the body like a feeling in your bones, a knowing in your gut, a zing up your spine or goosebumps are encouraging you to flow with the energy of reciprocal giving and receiving care? When you explore embodiment practice, many people share they experience more moments of awareness of our inherent interconnection. From this place of remembering, extensions of care to support one another to nourish any anxiousness of separation by following our feelings to the place where we remember we are woven together.
July
Skillful Means for a Path to Mastery
If each person is responsible to figure out how they dispell charge, awaken one's heart and connect their heart to their hands to do the work that is theirs to do... how do you? Is movement a way? Are making nature offerings a way? Instead of looking through lens of right and wrong, imagine noticing if you are being skillful or unskillful? What areas of life are you looking not only to improve upon but master? What skills are necessary and how can you build your capacity in practical tangible ways? Let's get your 10,000 hours in and see what happens when you devote the passion in your heart to a path of consistent practice.
August
Savor the Sweetness Along the Way
Amidst our challenges, whether physical, mental, emotional or spiritual, notice if you can savor the sweetness along the way. These moments may feel non-linear and out of the box of your expectations. As you offer your curiosity and attention to the blessings that are also here amidst challenges, imagine nourishing your capacity to linger there. There is a potential for more magic and synchronicity when you are attuned to the pleasure life offers. As you plan to continue aligning with your vision, also make plans to surrender to nectar along the way.
September
Taking Good Care of Ourselves and Each Other
Whatever arises, imagine asking the question what would be the most nourishing next step in this now moment? As we continue to dream of hospicing the inequality of the old world and midwifing the reciprocal and just possibilities of the future, may we explore this balancing of give and take in the places where our hearts have reach, applying our ideals in tangible ways. We offer ourselves time and space to reflect on the ways we have engaged with the reality of what's necessary to take good care of ourselves and others and also the ways we have avoided or attempted to escape those realities. Part of taking good care is creating space to integrate noticing what we've learned, what we may have forgotten and recommitting to our path of remembering.
October
life balance
All of Life moves in cycles and rhythms. This month focuses on getting curious about what is needed to bring in more balance for you. We call on movement and our connection with nature and their adaptogenic qualities. Sometimes, a gentler, quieter time is the medicine of the moment. On other days, we need to exert ourselves and get our heart rate up. Let the focus be on the intention of your choices, that they tend to you and where you are in this moment through the perspective of honoring the more significant life cycles. Together, we will make time for quiet, rest and reflection to be able hear the deeper wisdom of our body, mind, heart and soul encouraging us to better understand what life balance means to us at this time in our lives.
November
Let Everything Be An Invitation for Deeper Connection
Many people will talk about doing "the work" on our personal growth journey. What does the work mean to you? How do you interface with life in a way that you can get to the heart of what the lessons before you are offering you? How can what is happening externally and your internal experience be an invitation to deeper connection to yourself, others, ancestors, nature, spirit and life? Through noticing sensation in the body in movement and being present with the healing forces of nature wherever we are, we explore expanding our awareness to what opens us to be able to have more meaningful relationships.
December
Integration & Integrity
This month, the question is, does integration lead to greater integrity? From a nervous system perspective, when life events overwhelm us, we tend to fragment our experiences and focus on one particular aspect. Through movement, nature offerings and community connection, there will be opportunities to reweave all aspects of ourselves together; physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Here, we explore integration as being synonymous with embodiment. When we are able to fully receive, digest and live into different aspects of life, they become embodied in our being. This increasing sense of alignment and resonance inside our embodied experience becomes a guide to making decisions that fortify our integrity.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Who can be a member?This program is for women, people who identify as women, or non-binary people.
-
Do I need to know anything to start or have any previous movement experience?No - all movement levels are welcome.
-
I don't think I can join every day. Do I have to attend every session?Absolutely not. We invite you to use LORE to support your lifestyle, attending as many sessions as feels good. You can also access the recordings for a month after the course has completed.
-
Does LORE count towards Qoya Teacher Training?No. LORE is not part of the Qoya Teacher Training program.
-
I have more questions. Who do I contact?Any questions we haven't covered here? Email us at support@qoyainspiredmovement.com.