Linda Zurak
VITAL festival
Elder of Embodiment
Somatics & Attachment
Linda Zurak is a somatic movement therapist, teacher of bodily awareness (embodiment), and group facilitator with over 25 years of experience.
She is passionate about helping people reconnect with their life force, while developing the ability to meet themselves and others with greater presence and authenticity.
Through movement, bodily explorations, and gentle self-reflection, she creates playful, sensory spaces that invite curiosity, authenticity, and meaningful connections.
At the VITAL Festival, Linda invites participants to explore belonging to themselves, navigate the unknown, and experience the festival's themes through movement, play, and embodied presence.
Workshop 1:
Belong to Yourself – Finding your place within yourself
Developing the ability to connect without losing yourself
As children, we learn which parts of ourselves are met and accepted, and which parts feel safer to hide in order to experience love and belonging.
Through movement, playful exploration, and a loving, curious inquiry, we reconnect with the parts of ourselves we may have learned to set aside.
Together, we explore how this can open the door to greater freedom, vitality, and presence – both in life and in our relationships.
Workshop 2:
Becoming in the Unknown – Emerging in the unknown
Growing through loss, uncertainty, and life transitions
Sometimes the life we knew ends, and a new reality begins.
We move to a new country.
Children leave home.
A long-term relationship ends.
Someone we love dies.
The person we were before no longer fits, and we are left with the question:
"Who am I now?"
Through embodied practices and a loving, curious exploration, we investigate what becomes possible when we let go of the need to find all the answers and instead begin to sense what this new chapter invites us to.
Workshop 3:
Embodying the Journey – Bringing the journey into your body
A playful movement journey through the Tree of Life
This playful and interactive movement session invites participants to experience the festival journey through the body's wisdom.
Through movement, play, expression, imagination, and connection, we explore the different stages of the Tree of Life: rooting, belonging, introspection, vitality, and integration.
This sensory and experience-based class offers an opportunity to step out of the world of thoughts and into embodied experience – where we discover new ways to meet ourselves, each other, and life with greater presence, flexibility, and vitality.
No prior movement experience is necessary – only curiosity and a desire to explore.
Workshop 4: “
” The Elders Roundtable
Welcome to one of the festival’s most unique gatherings, where all our elders come together for a shared conversation.
Linda, Hivshu, LeAnn, Celso, Kay, and Govind will join Li in a panel discussion on what it means to be a mature person in our time.
Together, they will explore questions such as:
How can we bear witness to the world’s challenges and accept them without succumbing to fear or shame?
What role does the body play in human development and transformation?
How do rhythm, sound, dance, and movement support our personal growth?
How do we honor both community and the sense of unity while remaining true to our authentic selves?
The discussion will conclude with an opportunity for participants to ask their own questions and engage in direct dialogue with The Elders.