"Coming Into Life"
Water~Land Retreats
with Annie Brook and Olesya Uglova
• Aug 28-29th: Safety and Connection
• Aug 30-31st: Contact & Emergence
Or join for both! (register early to save your spot)

Scroll down for all details!
These 2-day Retreats offer a rare opportunity to work with the earliest nervous system imprints that shape how we relate to ourselves, to others, and to life.
The process is guided by Annie Brook, Ph.D., a prominent somatic psychotherapist, educator, and author specializing in birth trauma and attachment,
and co-facilitated by Olesya Uglova, a somatic therapist and psychologist.



Facilitator
Dr. Annie Brook
Somatic Psychologist, author, &
BMC teacher
Based in Boulder, Colorado, Dr. Annie Brook is the founder of the Brook Institute.
Her work focuses on Applied Neuroplasticity, healing the earliest life imprints, birth trauma, couples attachment, and adoption-related issues.
Her methodology integrates Body-Mind Centering®, neuroscience, and movement education, supporting the resolution of deep-seated trauma in infants, children, and adults.
She is the author of several influential books, including “Birth’s Hidden Legacy”, “Attachment, Imprints, and Intimacy”, and “Contact Improvisation and Body-Mind Centering”.
Dr. Brook brings over 45 years of clinical and teaching experience and previously served as the Director of Body Psychotherapy for the MA in Somatic Psychology at Naropa University.
Assistant Facilitator
Olesya Uglova
Psychologist & Somatic Therapist
Olesya Uglova is a psychologist and somatic therapist facilitating somatic therapeutic processes internationally with individuals and groups.
Her work focuses on nervous system regulation, early developmental and pre-verbal experience, and embodied psychological support through relational, body-based, and water-based approaches.
She offers grounded co-facilitation and therapeutic support, holding safety, pacing, and integration on both land and in water.

Participants
And You!
Claim your spot for this unique chance to embody your deepest soul self
Gain a certificate of completion
for hours of somatic study with Annie Brook in this training


•The retreat unfolds at a private location in the California redwoods. The Pool is warm, with non-chlorinated water. Our land space is beautiful high ceilings, indoor wood floor with kitchen and dining table. •Lodging is available. This creates a deeply supportive and contained environment for early developmental work. •Through slow, attuned, and carefully facilitated processes, participants are invited to explore pre-verbal and early layers of experience — the foundational patterns from which nervous system organization emerges.
Register Soon!
Group Size: This is a small, intimate group experience
Limited from 8–15 participants, to ensure depth, intimacy, and individual attention.
Process Information
Part 1: Safety & Connection Aug 28-29th
We begin by establishing safety in the body and nervous system, creating the conditions to be held in water — physically and relationally.
This part is about arriving into the body, restoring contact with self and others, and building the foundation for deeper work.
We focus on:
— nervous system regulation and support
— trust, safety, and relational contact
— moving in water through the spine (rather than effort or control)
— developing sensitivity and embodied awareness
This is the beginning of coming into life through the body —
gently, gradually, with support.
No prior experience with water-based or embryonic work is required. This retreat is suitable for therapists, practitioners, and individuals with an interest in deep somatic inquiry.
Part 2: Contact & Emergence
Aug 30-31st
we move deeper ...into how we come into contact, into relationship, and into the world.
We explore:
— early relational and developmental imprints
— prenatal and birth-related experiences
— patterns of visibility, expression, and contact
— how we enter life, connection, and relationship
This is a work at the threshold between inner experience and outer expression.
Between being held and emerging into presence.
The process culminates in an embodied “birth” experience on the final day —
a deep integrative moment of transition, completion, and new orientation in life.
No prior experience with water-based or embryonic work is required. This retreat is suitable for therapists, practitioners, and individuals with an interest in deep somatic inquiry.
Logistics Information
Deposit & Reservation
Your deposit is applied toward the total cost of the retreat, and is required to reserve your place.
— $400 deposit for each 2-day participation
—$500 deposit for the full 4-day immersion
This helps us hold a committed and stable group space.
As the group size is limited, deposits are non-refundable after July 15th, unless your place can be filled by another participant.
Full Pricing & Registration
Participants can join:
— Part 1 (2 days): $1200
— Part 2 (2 days): $1200
— Full 4-day immersion: $1750 (recommended; this is a reduced total price offered for those joining the full 4-day process.)
A limited number of supported (partial scholarship) spots is available for participants with financial constraints.
Location & Time Agreements
You will be sent exact location when you register
Arrival Agreement*
8:30-9 Am:Please arrive in time to settle in. Doors will open at 8:30 and class starts at 9:30
Departure Agreement*18:30–19:00

Schedule
(working structure, flexible)
Arrival: 8:30–9:00 — Arrival and settling in
Opening
9:30 — Opening circle and gentle orienting practice
Land-based somatic practice
First Water Session
11:00–13:00 — Warm water session in the pool
Lunch & Rest
13:00–14:30 — Lunch break and rest
(Participants bring their own lunch)
Afternoon Land Practice
14:30–16:00 — Somatic practice and integration in the studio
Second Water Session
16:00–17:30 — Warm water session in the pool
Closing
17:30–18:30 — Final land practice and closing circle
Departure
18:30–19:00 — Integration and departure
Accommodation
On-site accommodation is available at the retreat center. Click the button below for a price list. Olesya and Annie will be staying on site. If you wish to join, that would be fun! Book via email on the pricing sheet. Click button below!
*There are several options at different price ranges.
*Spaces are limited and tend to fill quickly.
*Participants may also arrange nearby accommodation (Airbnb, etc.).
Certification (for professionals
Participants who complete the full 4-day immersion and intend to integrate this work into their professional practice
will be eligible to receive a certificate of completion issued by Annie Brook’s institute.
This certification is designed for therapists, bodyworkers, and helping professionals who wish to deepen their skills in:
The training offers both experiential depth and practical understanding to support integration into professional practice.
Testimonials
Below are thoughts from colleagues and partcipants in Annie's courses
“Annie Brook gives a very clear picture of how to work with and treat earliest origins of shock. Attachment treatment issues are clearly defined with treatment layout for any birth practitioner. This work is easily integrated into ones practice and is easy to follow. Annie Brook spoke at the recent conference of pre and perinatal psychology and health (APPPAH) and her information was well received. Her book is a continuation of her lectures and a great resource for this work.”
Sandra Bardsley, RN
Past APPPAH president
"Annie is a brilliant guide for those of us on the path of healing. She is highly attuned to her clients, dedicated for the long haul, and truly gifted in helping people navigate through the complex terrain of prenatal life, birth, and early developmental related issues. Annie is also able to powerfully assist couples as they repair early attachment dynamics and move into embodied connection and ever expanding intimacy. Annie lives what she teaches. She is an integrated woman, a creative inspiration, and a treasure in our community.
Melissa Michaels
Founder, Golden Bridge
“I am so served by you and your work, Annie. I keep returning to this.. I love that I’ve experienced calm as a result.. created space in myself.. & if I start spinning, I remember to keep coming back here.. to choose helping myself.. get connected within.. thank you.”
Kelly LeValley
Course Participant
“As a somatic psychologist I am at the beginning of my journey and the program has given me powerful support and motivation, a new opportunity has opened up for me. I also see that the somatic approach has permeated all my other areas of work: I lead my water dance classes from this depth, I give massage and water therapy sessions with a different quality, and I weave body living into my artistic work on a new level.
I see that this impact on all areas of my life is imminent, because it is first of all a repatterning of the way I live my life, how I stay in my body, get in touch, work and rest, start and finish. It is a change on a fundamental deep level, which, like circles on water, entails a restructuring on all levels. For me it is a real process of rebirth that started from the very beginning of the training..”
Reshetnikova Ekaterina
Course Participant
EVENT GALLERY
Find your way with support, play, learning, tenderness, and fun!
Learn on Land and In Water when you
Join our Event!!
Let this Retreat in Nature Nourish You
Learn water skills and connection Skills
Enjoy California Redwoods natural setting
Increase Your
Somatic Education
Enjoy integrated movement touch anatomy
Open to new bodymind joy, challenge, and capability
Enjoy our rich somatic resources!