(Only-women event) All the Ways We Love: Real Feels and Honest Stories

All the Ways We Love: Real Feels, Honest Stories, and Redefining Love Together
Love shows up in so many ways—big and small, messy and beautiful, expected and surprising. In this circle, we’ll explore what love means to each of us beyond the usual definitions. How do we experience love for ourselves, our families, and our communities? What about the love we long for or the ways we’re learning to give and receive love differently?
Through open conversations and shared stories, we’ll dive into:

• How love changes in different phases of our lives and as immigrant women.
• The ways we practice self-love and why it can be so hard (but so worth it!).
• The unexpected places love shows up—friendships, communities, and moments of connection.
• How we can expand our understanding of love to make space for all its forms.

It’s a chance to reflect, laugh, share, and connect as we celebrate all the ways we love.

Agenda

1. Welcome and Grounding (10 minutes)

• Setting the tone for a safe, inclusive space.
• Light centering exercise to help everyone arrive fully.

2. Somatic Exercise: Finding Love in the Body (15 minutes)

• A guided somatic practice to connect with feelings of love, safety, and belonging within ourselves.

3. Visualization: Expanding Our Capacity for Love (15 minutes)

• A calming guided visualization to explore different forms of love—self-love, community love, and beyond.
• Reflect briefly on any images, feelings, or insights that arise.

4. Sharing Time: Love Stories and Reflections (30 minutes)

• Open sharing: What does love mean to you? How have you experienced it in unexpected ways?
• Participants can share personal stories, thoughts, or feelings sparked by the exercises.

5. Group Discussion: Redefining Love Together (20 minutes)

• Facilitated discussion with prompts like:
• What forms of love feel most fulfilling to you?
• How can we cultivate more love in our lives and communities?
• What does self-love look like for you as an immigrant woman?

6. Closing Circle: Gratitude and Intentions (10 minutes)

• A quick round where participants share one word or phrase about what they’re taking away.
• Closing with a brief moment of gratitude or a group intention for the month ahead.

7. A Talk on Nutrition as a Form of Self-Love by Nita Belliappa (20 minutes)

• Nutrition is an important limb of self care because it has an impact on not just on physical health but on mental health too. Just like exercise, sleep, and mental health practices, what you eat has a profound effect on how you feel, think, and function throughout the day. The food you eat provides your body with essential nutrients—vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates—that help and support cellular function, energy production, and immune health. What you eat has a direct impact on your mood, stress levels, and cognitive function. Eating balanced meals at regular intervals provides your body with the energy it needs to sustain daily activities. Choosing nourishing, wholesome foods is an act of self-respect. It reflects an attitude of taking care of your body, which is a foundational aspect of self-care.