Mei Lai Swan
Mei Lai Swan is a somatic trauma therapist and educator in embodiment, yoga and trauma-informed practice. With over twenty years of deep exploration into consciousness, embodiment and social justice, her background is in yoga and Eastern contemplative practices, social work, community development and music, alongside deepening practice in earth-based traditions from Australia and the Andes.
The founder of Yoga for Humankind and Embodied Nature Therapies, Mei Lai offers trainings, retreats and private sessions in nature-connected embodiment, trauma healing, and social change.
Her current focus is bridging sacred medicine traditions with psychedelic-assisted therapies, exploring the intersections between our personal and collective healing and transformation, and creating cultures of connection and reciprocity. Mei Lai is a student, ally and collaborator with First Nations and Indigenous facilitators, communities and elders in Australia and the Andes on this path.
Workshop/Presentation
Embodying Transformation: A Somatic Yoga & Movement Exploration
Sacred medicines invite us to step into the mystery of the unknown, to access and process emotions and memories stored in our bodies and psyches, and to meet and transform thought and belief patterns. When we emerge from the journey, the work begins of embodying and integrating our experiences.
We will benefit the most when we are prepared with skilful tools to help us navigate the journey and integration.
This means being able to meet ourselves, our emotions, our felt experience, and the discomfort and delights of transformation with compassionate presence and embodied awareness.
This practice is a guided somatic yoga and movement exploration of embodying transformation. Discover your own patterns of connection and disconnection, how you dance between the known and the unknown, and learn skilful tools of embodiment for presence, awareness and regulation to support deep journeys of embodied consciousness and their integration into the wholeness of life.
Workshop/Presentation 2 (Kirt Mallie and Mei Lai Swan)
Creating Cultures of Connection, Reverence and Reciprocity
At the root of our mental health crisis is a crisis of disconnection - from nature, from each other, and from the sacred. Psychedelic medicines are being put forward as a great promise for the mental health crisis. But this golden egg of personal wellbeing will only thrive within a culture of connection.


So here is our opportunity: to create cultures of connection, reverence and reciprocity, with and through the gift of these sacred medicines that open us to deep connection, awe and healing.


This means both examining our current culture and roots of disconnection, as well as learning more connected ways of knowing, being and doing from ancient and living traditions grounded in relatedness, reciprocity and the sacred. It means honouring, centring and collaborating with Indigenous peoples who carry traditions with sacred medicines. And placing principles of right relationship at the fore as we create new cultures with the gifts offered by sacred medicines and their traditions.


This workshop is a guided interactive exploration and collaboration. Come with curiosity, a willingness to be uncomfortable and transformed, and expect generative messiness as we question, learn, unlearn and create together.
