Embodying Liberation

This is a live, interactive, course beginning January 6, 2026

Registration opens December 6th and limited to 25 participants

Join the Waitlist
Join the Waitlist

Embodying Liberation: Healing Through Ashira Active Meditation

This course offers a transformative journey into embodied resistance and collective healing.
Developed under siege and exile, Ashira Active Meditation draws from Sufi whirling, somatic release, and indigenous Palestinian practices to support healing from trauma on both personal and collective levels.

Participants will:

  • Explore how continuous trauma shapes the nervous system

  • Learn how the body can be a site of both memory and liberation

  • Engage in movement practices, grief rituals, and storytelling

  • Reclaim joy as a form of resistance

Who This Course Is For

Artists, activists, healers, therapists

People living through or supporting others through generational or political trauma

Members of colonized and marginalized communities, especially Black, Brown, SWANA, and diasporic peoples

Anyone seeking embodied tools for personal and collective resilience

Guiding Questions:

  • How do we grieve while building resilience?

  • How can our bodies become vessels for transgenerational healing?

  • What does it mean to be radically alive in times of collapse?

This course centers voices from SWANA and global majority communities, offering tools that are culturally rooted, somatically empowering, and spiritually sustaining.

Curious About the Course? Watch the Open House Replay

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, learners will:

  • Understand how continuous trauma affects the nervous system

  • Learn and practice the Ashira Active Meditation method

  • Develop grief and resilience rituals for personal and community healing

  • Explore somatic tools rooted in ancestral and cultural practices

  • Create a personalized integration map for sustainable wellbeing

  • Critically examine and decolonize Western psychological frameworks

  • Embody Sumud — Palestinian steadfastness — as a physical and analytical practice of resistance

Real World Project

Learners will design a personal or community-based ritual (e.g., guided meditation, movement practice, storytelling circle, or grief ritual).

They will also prepare a personal case study + presentation documenting:

  • Their healing journey throughout the course

  • How they’ve applied Ashira Active Meditation in service of their communities

  • Lessons learned and embodied practices developed along the way

Join the Waitlist

Meet Your Teacher

Ashira Darwish

Ashira Darwish is a Palestinian-Egyptian trauma therapist, journalist, and founder of Catharsis Holistic Healing and Ashira Active Meditation.

She is:

  • Certified EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) practitioner

  • Reiki Master

  • NLP practitioner

  • Kundalini teacher

With over a decade of experience leading trauma retreats in Palestine, the USA, Canada, and Latin America, Ashira’s work bridges ancestral wisdom, somatic therapy, and liberation psychology, supporting communities impacted by colonization and intergenerational trauma.

Course Schedule

8 Weeks starting January 6, 2026

Live, interactive session at 4:30 PM EST

Recordings available if you can’t attend live.

    • Tuesday, January 6, 2026

    • Tuesday, January 13, 2026

    • Tuesday, January 20, 2026

    • Tuesday, January 27, 2026

    • Tuesday, February 3, 2026

    • Tuesday, February 10, 2026

    • Tuesday, February 17, 2026

    • Tuesday, February 24, 2026

    *Sessions may be rescheduled in emergencies.

This is a live, interactive class and registration is limited to 25 students.

Sign up to be notified when registration opens.

Join the Waitlist

  • “The workshop was a breakthrough for my personal healing. I realized I am not alone trying to make sense of our collective trauma. Ashira’s work is deep and transformative.”

    -Bassim

  • “Ashira helped me to vibrate in a frequency that enabled me to connect deeper with myself.”

    -Rakan

  • “Ashira brings a rare authenticity, grounded by her personal experiences and studies of various spiritual traditions. Her guidance created a safe space for connection—with myself and others. Dancing and moving to Arabic music was a particularly healing experience.”

    -Leen Issa

Dates & Elligibility

Starting

January 6, 2026

$797 + applicable taxes

Seats are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Limited to 25 students.

Join the Waitlist

All learners must be at least 18 years of age, proficient in English, and committed to learning and engaging with fellow participants throughout the course.

Learn and apply to scholarships available.

FAQs

  • Our courses are designed for lifelong learners — visionaries, educators, artists, activists, builders, and anyone ready to reimagine systems and create what’s next. No formal academic background is required; what matters most is your curiosity and commitment to learning in community.

  • Each course is co-taught or designed by leading academics and practitioners who bridge theory with real-world practice. Courses are intentionally small (limited to 25 learners) and combine academic rigor, experiential learning, and community connection. Every course has a real-world project or creative output, so you leave not just with knowledge — but with something you’ve created.

  • Courses run anywhere from 6-12 weeks and include a combination of live sessions, readings, and experiential assignments. Sessions are held live on Zoom and recorded for those who cannot attend in real time.

  • The tuition for each course is set by the faculty and limited scholarships are available to ensure accessibility. Registration details and payment options will be available on each course page once enrollment opens.

  • To keep learning intimate and collaborative, each course is capped at 25 learners. This ensures everyone has space to share, connect, and receive personalized feedback.

  • All live sessions are recorded and shared with participants. While attending live is encouraged to build community, we understand that life happens — you can still fully engage through recordings, readings, and project submissions.

  • Yes — learners who complete all sessions and submit their final project will receive a Certificate of Completion from the School of Radical Imagination. More importantly, you’ll walk away with a tangible creation and a network of peers working on similar visions for change.

  • Each course page includes an overview of the topics, faculty background, and intended outcomes. If you’re unsure which course aligns with your goals, you can schedule a 15-minute call with an Academic Advisor to explore your interests and options.

  • Before registration opens, each course will host a 1-hour Open House — a live Q&A session with the faculty where you can learn more about the course content, structure, and vision. This is also a chance to meet other interested learners and feel into whether the course is right for you.

  • Yes! We welcome new faculty who align with our mission and approach. If you are an academic, practitioner, or artist interested in teaching, you can submit a course proposal through our website or reach out directly to the team.