honor the animal workshop

spring/early summer 2027, somewhere in france

the human animal is in big trouble

we need to talk

It’s a crisis of the atmosphere and physics. It’s a crisis of biology. It’s a crisis of society and culture, mental and spiritual health. And above all that, it’s a crisis of discourse. Incredibly, we aren’t really even talking about the state of our own life support system and what it means.

Ideal for anyone who works with or who cares about the human animal: coaches, trainers, teachers, therapists. This experience will not only enhance your relationship with your own body and give you a chance to make new friends, it will also give you a chance to really dig into the most pressing issues of our era.

workshop format:

Friday noon through Sunday afternoon

movement, meditation, presentation, conversation, food and friends

presentations: topics relating to the human predicament, the human body, health, psychology, society and culture

conversation: facilitated discussions about the human body and life in the modern world

movement: martial art team building and functional movement

This is an extremely challenging time to be alive. The world feels uncertain, incoherent, and threatening. Stress and uncertainty are all around us, and yet, we’re scarcely even talking about the inconvenient truths of the day. Ecological catastrophe looms large, social injustice and conflict are everywhere and our stories are failing us. This is a time for some serious conversation–about the state of our world, our bodies, and our spirits.

Join us for this uniquely transformational event. The experience will be relevant, exciting, and intensely meaningful. We’ll explore our predicament in some detail and generate some ideas for moving forward. Plus, we’ll have a lot of fun in the process.

presentations:

  • The state of the animal: inconvenient realities

  • Ancestry: who we are, where we came from

  • Culture and cognition: how we think about the human body

  • Beware false tigers: the ups and downs of stress

  • Surviving survival: trauma and resilience

  • Eco-anxiety and eco-grief: the paradox

  • The path of engagement: v. the path of avoidance

  • The social animal

  • Medicine and medicalization: mind, body, placebo

  • The power of story

  • Philosophia for Homo sapiens

movement sessions:

Movement classes based in part on martial art and functional athletic training.

  • partner games and partner-resist training

  • medicine ball

  • sidewalk dilemma

  • animal magnetism

  • light sparring

These games and movements build functional strength, rapport, and exuberance. Appropriate for all fitness levels.

workshop sampler: france, 2022

teachers

Frank Forencich is a passionate advocate for the human animal and a functional future. He earned his BA at Stanford University in human biology and has over thirty years of teaching experience in martial art and health education. Website

Paul Landon…

possible guest teachers

Oz Marginean: True Athlete Project

Rodney King…

Danny McMillian: University of Puget Sound Physical Therapy

partners and supporters