About Us
OUR VISION
The vision of Consentient Beings is to nurture creativity, authenticity, integrity and compassion in individuals, communities and organizations. Our tailored trainings aim to facilitate transformative experiences, guiding participants to transcend ineffective patterns and forge deeper connections through the principles of consent and play.
Consentient Beings creates a playful learning environment that honors self, other, and the natural world. Through interactive exercises, participants develop enhanced self-awareness and communication strategies that foster deeper connections.
Moti and Taina are inspired to share the connective healing power of consent practices, authentic relating, movement, and embodiment techniques with individuals, groups and organizations. In 2023, they founded Consentient Beings as a way to offer tools for building more connected, peaceful, and resilient groups in a variety of work and community settings.
Taina Lyons
(She or They)
I'm a holistic mental health counselor, somatic ritualist, dance teacher, mother, and educator. In my private practice, Emerge Holistic Therapy, I work with individuals and couples seeking support for emotional and relational challenges. I graduated from Lesley University's Masters program in Holistic Mental Health Counseling in 2008 and see clients in Southern Vermont and remotely.
For over 15 years, I've been facilitating groups, including spaces for grief support, nature connection, ancestral repair, rites of passage, and consent. My work with groups and individuals is informed by Ancestral Lineage Healing, Circling, Internal Family Systems Therapy, Contact Improvisation, Animist Ritual, and Buddhist meditation practices. I provide guidance that supports safety, expression, repair and reflection.
As a somatic educator I have brought movement and consent practices to children and adults in various community settings. I incorporate traditional knowledge and practices from my ancestral lineages originating in Finland, Italy, Ireland, Lithuania, and the Balkans, as well as teachings that have been gifted to me from lineages other than my own.
Moti Zemelman
(He or They)
I've been facilitating groups around somatic practices, movement and consent for over 30 years . My teachings emphasize the importance of cultivating a deep and embodied sense of presence, as well as developing a compassionate non-judgmental relationship with oneself.
My workshops and classes offer a space for individuals to explore movement and embodiment in a supportive and non-competitive environment, and are open to adults of all ages, backgrounds, and levels of experience.
Over many years, in my desire to integrate communication and intimacy skills in teaching and life, I have studied Non-violent communication, Authentic Movement, Contact Improvisation, Byron Katie's "The Work" and Betty Martin's "Wheel of Consent". Based in Western Massachusetts, I've taught across USA, Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico, Israel and Europe.
Through our trainings we support groups and individuals to:
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Improve verbal and nonverbal listening and communication skills
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Engage in reflection that fosters self-growth and community repair
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Connect with self and others with curiosity and care
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Learn experiential somatic embodiment practices
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Align actions with values
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Practice consent skills
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Embody healthy power dynamics
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Reduce stress through playful movement practices and games
Your group can benefit from a consent-based workshop if:
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You are part of a small business, non-profit, corporation, educational institution, or healthcare group practice
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You want to create more cohesion in your organization
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You want to transform oppressive structures that show up in group culture
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You want to support physical and emotional health and vibrance of team members
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Your group is going through a period of transformation and new skills are needed
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You want to do something fun and growth-oriented with your team
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There have been incidents with consent or boundary violations
You can benefit from a private couples or individual session if:
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You want to deepen a relationship in your life.
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You want to experience more play in your life
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A partnership or friendship is going through a period of transformation and new skills are needed
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You want to do something fun and growth-oriented
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You want to improve your communication skills
Promoting Equity & Access: Our Commitment to Inclusion
Consentient Beings is an anti-racist organization. We oppose racism and racial discrimination and engage in ongoing learning to deepen our understanding and practice of anti-racist tenets. We acknowledge and challenge systemic racism and intend to promote racial equality and justice. We believe that healing through the body, through relationships, and in community is part of moving beyond the collective trauma of generations of oppression and injustice. In this spirit, we teach about the body and consent so that groups can build a courageous and resilient foundation for equity and justice. We invite reflections and feedback on how we are living into this value.
Moti and Taina acknowledge their privilege as cis, white, able-bodied people. Inquiring into power norms and disrupting them when needed is central to Moti and Taina’s work and essential to creating alternatives to sexist, racist, and ableist culture.
Contributing Towards Social Change
We practice tithing 10% of our profit to non-profits working to support justice and positive change for communities in need. We see this practice of philanthropy as a critical social responsibility, one that creates a more resilient web of exchange.