Find your Teacher
FIND A QOYA CLASS NEAR YOU
Martha Rice
Toronto, ON
@partnersinexpression
ABOUT
Hi, I’m Martha Rice, former athlete turned speech-language pathologist, vocal alchemist and movement teacher passionate about integrative wellness.
Introduced to Biofeedback in my teens by a sports psychologist, I’ve been fascinated by the mind-body-heart connection ever since. Yoga and walking meditation became essential to manage the stresses of graduate school, and later, Qoya Inspired Movement helped me reconnect with my body and heart during a health crisis.
With over two decades of experience as a school-based speech-language pathologist, I’ve collaborated with educators and families to empower children in self-expression. Now as the Founder of Partners In Expression, I offer Integrative Voice Therapy and Embodied Voice Care in personalized sessions, workshops and retreats. I weave elements of Qoya & HeartMath practices for emotional regulation and stress resilience into my signature method: Liberate, Rejuvenate, and Activate the Voice.
Sharing Qoya Inspired Movement, a practice that has profoundly transformed my life, is a labor of love. In each class, we embrace the opportunity to notice and follow sensation, freely expressing ourselves through movement. With each session, we gradually expand our vocabulary for sensation and feeling, there's no way to do it wrong. It's a chance to reconnect with both the body and the heart.
I'm a lover of ritual who desires to be in right relationship with pacha mama. While I live in an urban setting, I find ways to daily connect with the trees, water, and the sky, and I love inviting others to converse with nature in the city. Weather permitting, you're welcome to join us for an outdoor class—let's dance under the open sky and have a spin around the labyrinth! Connect with me for details of upcoming indoor and online classes too.
GETTING TO KNOW
Martha Rice
WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR YOU TO TEACH QOYA?
To be able to share the movement practice that helped me get out of my head and into my body is an honour. I love creating and exploring different themes in community each week. While the themes vary, the invitation to notice sensation in the body remains constant. Bit by bit, class by class, we practice noticing and following sensation.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO SOMEONE WHO IS FEELING INSPIRED TO TRY QOYA FOR THE FIRST TIME?
I was the kid/adult who thought she couldn't dance, so I avoided it. Qoya gives you permission to focus less on what it looks like and more on what it feels like. So bring your curiosity and willingness to explore noticing sensation while you move; there's no way to do it wrong!
