A gentle invitation
If you have ever felt stuck in patterns you can't quite name, in a body that feels tense or tired, or in emotions that seem to live just beneath the surface... you are not broken. You are carrying something. And it can be released. This group session is a safe, supportive space to meet what your body has been holding, and to begin letting it go.
Breathwork for Trauma Release & Manifestation
When: 19th August, 6-8 pm
Venue: SOMM (School of Modern Meditation), 1 Howe Street, Auckland Central
With: Sarita Blankenburg, Founder of Ayurveda NZ and Lisa Hamilton-Gibbs, Founder of The Bumblebee Frequency.
Limited spaces available, bookings essential.
What to expect in our two hours together
This is not a lecture, and it is not therapy in the clinical sense. It is an experience - gentle, guided, and powerful.
Part 1. Understanding
During a brief introduction, we will explain, in a simple and accessible way, what trauma is, how it lives in the body, and how Edwin Tan’s integrated somatic practice can help release it. You'll leave this part with a clearer understanding of what's happening inside you - and why none of it is your fault.
Part 2. Breathwork and Qigong (Preparing the body)
We then move into gentle breathwork paired with Qigong - slow, flowing movement taught by Edwin Tan that opens the body, balances our energy channels, and settles the nervous system. This prepares you to go deeper safely, creating a sense of grounding and presence before the active release work begins.
Part 3. Active Somatic Release (The heart of the session)
The final part is a guided, active breathwork journey supported by music and somatic techniques. Through the breath, the body is given permission to do what it has long wanted to do: shake, soften, release, cry, laugh, exhale. You don't need to "do" anything- your body knows the way. We will hold the space, and the breath will do the work.
Ready to begin?
Healing doesn't have to be heavy. It can be a homecoming.
If something in you said yes while reading this, trust it. Book your spot below - we would be honored to hold space for you.
This is for you if:
- You sense you are carrying something - even if you can't name it.
- You feel stuck in behavioral patterns or coping habits that no longer serve you.
- You want to reconnect with your body, your breath, and your emotions.
- You are curious about somatic healing and breathwork.
- You are ready to begin (or continue) your healing journey in a supportive group.
You'll leave with:
- A clearer, kinder understanding of trauma and your own body.
- Simple tools you can use in daily life: breath, grounding, and awareness.
- A felt sense of release—feeling lighter, more open, and more present.
- A renewed connection to yourself and a step toward living on purpose.
What is trauma, really?
Trauma is not defined by what happened to you - it is defined by how your body responded to it. When something overwhelms our nervous system, whether a single dramatic event or a slow, steady weight over years, the energy of that experience can become stuck in the body. It lives on as tension, anxiety, fatigue, or a quiet sense that "something isn't right."
It doesn't always come from obvious sources like accidents, violence, or loss. It can also build quietly—through chronic stress, emotional neglect, difficult births, witnessing others' pain, or generational wounds carried down our family line.
Stored trauma rarely announces itself; it speaks through the body and behavior, creating subconscious patterns that quietly dictate how we react, how we cope, and ultimately how we live our lives.
It shows up as chronic tension, anxiety, numbness, disturbed sleep, difficulty in relationships, or the nagging sense that life is happening to you rather than with you.
Much of what we hold are unprocessed emotions. When we don't fully feel and release them, they settle into our tissues, our breath, and our posture.
Fear - Held in the chest, stomach, and throat. The voice that whispers, 'am I safe?'
Guilt - Held in the shoulders, upper back, and hips. The weight of 'I should have…'
Anger - Held in the jaw, neck, and hands. The fire of 'this isn't fair.'
Sadness - Held in the heart and lungs. The ache of what was lost.
Each one is a doorway. When we meet these emotions in the body rather than analyze them in the mind, they can finally move through us. Trauma is not a sign of weakness - it is a natural, human response to being overwhelmed. Like animals in the wild who shake off fear and return to peace, our bodies were designed to heal. We just need the right conditions to do so.
BRIDGING SCIENCE & SACRED MOVEMENT
The Edwin Tan Approach
Our somatic work is built upon the profound lineage and teachings of Edwin Tan at Buah Meditasi in Bali. Edwin’s visionary approach to trauma healing beautifully integrates the Western clinical insights of leading pioneers with the deep, elemental practices of the East.
His framework mirrors the landmark understanding of psychiatrist Bessel van der Kolk (The Body Keeps the Score), proving that trauma is fundamentally a physiological event imprinted in the nervous system, the muscles, and the breath long after the mind has moved on. Furthermore, Edwin’s method directly honors the work of Dr. Gabor Maté, mapping out how unresolved emotional pain manifests as unconscious behavioral coping mechanisms that ultimately run our daily lives.
To unlock these deep, historical files, Edwin's teachings bring in the ancient practice of Qigong and targeted breathwork. By pairing sacred, flowing movement with conscious breath, we don't just talk about the trauma—we physically shift the energy channels where it lives. This specific integration stimulates the vagus nerve, quieting the survival mind, and gently breaking the unconscious behavioral loops that keep us stuck. It is a practical, deeply embodied response to trauma that allows the body to finally say what it has been holding onto for years.
Your facilitators
Lisa Hamilton-Gibbs
Lisa’s path into somatic healing was forged through her own profound personal chapters of navigating deep grief, learning the art of absolute surrender, and ultimately upgrading her personal frequency.
As the founder of The Bumblebee Frequency, Lisa specializes in helping people step out of the paralyzing loops of acute shock, complex transitions, and daily anxiety.
Driven by a desire to understand the silent language of the body, she traveled to Bali with her dear friend Sarita to complete an intensive, immersive training in Somatic Therapy for Trauma Release at Buah Meditasi, studying directly under the guidance and integrated teachings of master teacher Edwin Tan.
Lias's work bridges the line between deep somatic restoration and everyday, sovereign living, empowering people to untie the physical knots of the past so they can breathe fully into the present.
Sarita Blankenburg
Sarita's journey began 20 years ago, when she left her corporate career and traveled to India for a year to complete her yoga teacher training and first Ayurvedic internships. She then studied Ayurvedic Medicine and Yoga Therapy full-time across New Zealand and India for three years, graduating as an Ayurvedic practitioner with a Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS). She soon founded Ayurveda New Zealand, with a clinic in Grey Lynn where she offers consultations, treatments, Panchakarma, and yoga therapy.
While these practices help her clients regain their physical and mental health, Sarita became increasingly curious about the emotional roots that so often sit beneath chronic conditions. It was this curiosity, alongside her dear friend Lisa Hamilton-Gibbs, that drew her to Bali to study Somatic Therapy for Trauma Release and Manifestation directly under master teacher Edwin Tan at Buah Meditasi. Her work now bridges the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda with the embodied science of somatic healing—helping people listen to the language of the body and release the deeper emotional currents that quietly shape their physical and mental wellbeing.
Do you have questions about trauma work?
This event accommodates a limited number of people to ensure a rich and authentic experience.
Booking T&Cs and Cancellation Policy
Please use the link we will email you to provide all the details we need regarding pregnancy, any injuries, conditions or ailments, and any dietary requirements or allergies you may have so that we can provide you with the best support and service at the event. If the event is postponed or cancelled, you will receive a full refund or option to transfer to another date. Please note that this is a ticketed event with limited spaces, if you can not make the event, no refunds will be given except in an emergency if less than 14 days notice is given. If you are unable to attend, you may transfer your booking to someone who would like to take your place. Thank you - we look forward to seeing you soon!