TESTIMONIALS
“Taking this course surpassed my expectations. It provided deeper insights into my childhood traumas than therapy ever did. I now feel empowered to navigate my journey as a parent with a sense of calm assurance, knowing that I can break free from the patterns of my family and provide my child with a nurturing environment.
This course has been a transformative experience, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone seeking to break the cycle of generational trauma and embrace positive, conscious parenting.”
AG, mother to a 6-month-old - Participants of it takes a village course
"I am infinitely grateful, moved and touched after the grief circle facilitation course with Tobi Ayé. Even if one should start something new without prejudice, I gladly admit that I had expected a lot from and working with her and from learning together with the other participants, but my thoughts and expectations beforehand were even exceeded.
The saying that healing is best done in community was brought to life in the collective sessions by Tobi. She was wonderfully clear, nurturing, patient and gentle and no less strong for that - on the contrary. She held the space so that we could let go of tensions, meet ourselves and subsequently understand each other not only on an individual level but as a whole.
Her extensive knowledge of interpersonal and eco-human entanglements and interconnectedness, which is so tangibly rooted in generations-old wisdom and honors the beauty of the indigenous understanding of life, touched me deeply. They have not only touched me, moved me, but set my own deep core in vibration. My core, my being, my Black body, everything that I am and how I am and so often cannot and must not simply be in this world, that so often feels misunderstood and not seen, was allowed to feel itself not only at ease and expand in this space but as already rooted.
And as if that wasn't gift enough she also gave us the tools so that we can share that knowledge in our heart projects in order to support others. Thank you Tobi for your guidance, your kindness and love. May you be blessed with more strength, wisdom and good health to continue this so much needed work, passion and calling of yours. No need to say that I with no doubt or hesitation recommend working with her".
Anonymous - Participant in the Collective Resonance course
"In Collective Resonance, Tobi Ayé weaves together key principles of group facilitation, of somatic holding through emotional waves, and of her Benin-originated indigenous worldview in a unique, groundbreaking way. Elaborating on her core concept of systemic grief, Tobi shows that repressed grief in individual and collective bodies leads to fragmentation and the reproduction of systemic violence. She insists on finding uncompromising ways to honor interconnectedness, the ability to call for and receive help as much as to give and make offerings, as ways to create a fabric able to hold our individual and collective grief.
In turn, allowing this grief to move through us and resonate in each other expands our capacity for holding and connection. It is a revolution of perspective that Tobi proposes, especially for students coming from Western cultures. She invites us to see the state of the world as it is (and ourselves as we are) and to see connection in and with all things and beings at the same time. She guides us to ground this principle through everyday praxis and embodiment. In ourselves and in our circles, she teaches us how to open a space bridging the materiality of our breathing and feeling bodies with the social, political and spiritual. Through the modules of the training, Tobi demonstrates a sense of grounded patience as a space-holder, and of extraordinary generosity as a teacher. I am deeply grateful for this space and journey of transformation and would recommend it without hesitation. "
Agnès, Somatic Practitioner, Berlin - Participant of Collective Resonance Course
“This workshop opened my eyes and set many things in process. I'm looking forward to working on everything, little by little. I am still grateful to have been part of such a wonderful, trusting group where everyone could openly share their stories.
Not to mention, Tobi is an excellent teacher and mentor. As a white person, I consider the topic of ancestral responsibility, connected with my personal and the colonial history of the country, where I come, essential and a must to deal with. This workshop is the perfect starting point for taking responsibility, letting change happen, and starting the healing process. And to bring more peace to the world.”
Christof M. Germany - Ancestral responsibilty course
Growing up in Germany, in western society, in a white body and culture, being educated within white colonial institutions, I learned to see death, dying, and the dead body as something separate from life, something hidden, feared, and excluded, almost abandoned. Along with this came a deep absence of rituals, ceremonies, and communal ways of honoring death as part of life.
I couldn’t imagine being able to turn toward my own death with an open heart. Through Tobi and her workshop, I encountered a very different perspective on death and dying, one that understands death not as an end to fear. Through ritual, embodiment, collective reflection and deep care, the workshop opened something in me: a lifelong process of learning to welcome death back into my life, not as something distant, but as a teacher that brings sacredness, presence, and meaning to being alive.
What I received feels like a seed that was planted and the beginning of an inner journey. Witnessing Tobi’s relationship with death deeply moved and humbled me. I want to thank Tobi from the bottom of my heart for planting this seed, for holding this space with such integrity and care, and for reminding me that death can be welcomed back into life as something sacred, relational, and deeply human.
Julia W. Teacher - Germany, Dying before dyeing course
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I write about grief, death, indigeneity, vernacular way of knowing and the thresholds we meet in our lives and work.
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