BELLY2BELLY: an Intimate Journey of Self-Expression
You are Safe, You are Loved, You are Beautiful
Belly2Belly is an extremely powerful and simple practice that, in just a few minutes, allows you to reach higher states of awareness, relaxation, intimacy, and pure bliss. This journey allows you to slow down, relax, and enter into a space of deep presence in your body and heart.
Simona consciously invites you into full Presence and invites you to welcome all emotions and all sensations, as a gateway to expansion, learning, growth, awareness, awakening, and remembrance of your own innate perfect nature and divinity.
She lovingly guides you on a journey into remembering your true nature: already perfect, holy, and whole. She holds you to feel safe in being vulnerable with yourself and one another while being fully present in what is here and now in deep loving acceptance while expanding into the spaciousness and emptiness with the whole. Using the tools of breath, sound, touch, movement, and verbal sharing, Simona will gently lead you to a profound connection with your innermost Truth, and a deeply embodied meditative state.
This is a shared experience where you are the Source and Master of your own experience, feelings, sensations, and energies flowing through your body and beyond. You are the Creator, whatever your experience. Your experience is exactly as it needs to be, depending on your level of openness and acceptance to what is in the here and now, and to what depth you grant yourself permission to explore and be curious and to be witnessed fully in your vulnerability.
Your experience does not depend on your partner.
You own it.
You create it.
You are responsible for it.
It’s a metaphorical “dance” between two forces that play a significant role in our lives; the desire to be in our own sovereign space, and a yearning to belong and connect with others.
Check out what some of Simona’s regular participants have to say about it…
Simona is Pure woman, Pure heart: what treasure she brings to the World, holding space with such Love and Grace. Thank you beautiful being. Love.
Simona’s “Belly2Belly” is an awesome experience. A great way to connect with other people in a Deep and Intimate way while feeling very Held and Safe by the whole group and Simona as well. I can only recommend it to everyone who is interested in deepening his relationships and ability to connect with others.
Reawaken your Animal Body
Simona creates a closely held environment where you are welcomed to REAWAKEN YOUR ANIMAL BODY and trust your own EMOTIONS, while feeling connected and safe alongside other beings sharing the individual and collective journey.
Belly2Belly is a journey through: The only reason we don’t open our Hearts and Minds to other people is that they trigger Confusion in us that we don’t feel brave enough or sane enough to deal with. To the degree that we look clearly and compassionately at ourselves, we feel confident and fearless about looking into someone else’s eyes.  ― Pema Chödrön The power of Belly2Belly originates from pair-work, whilst holding a constant awareness of the whole group. We breathe as one whole organism and thus reassure one another as we open ourselves to the experience. Being presented with a direct reflection of yourself in another human being, you will see aspects of yourself in the other person that would never surface clearly without this setting that prevents you from hiding from facing your true self, beyond all the stories that you might not wish to see, face and embrace. The Tribe creates a safe environment in which to push you to commit to Truth, Authenticity, and Love, to awaken from the sleep of pretension, niceties, and superficial perfection. It is a practice that allows you to become intimate with yourself, your partner, and the whole group of people present in the space. But let there be spaces in your Togetherness and let the winds of the Heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of Love: let it rather be a moving Sea between the shores of your Souls —Khalil Gibran I went to one of Simona’s “Belly2Belly” here in Bali and I loved it!!! It was my first time going to any class like this and so I was a bit nervous at first as I didn’t know what to expect. It’s Friday night in Singapore and I’ve just taken part in the “Belly2Belly”. And we got to do lots of deep breathing, lots of releasing. We got closer and closer to strangers and we told them all about our …amazing! And we were very brilliantly guided as well, and it was good, it was a real journey. And we had a lot of fun…people think it’s all deep and serious and you sit there like still and sort of go into deep heavy breathing and it’s all very kind of emotional and dense. But actually we laughed like I don’t think I have ever laughed before, so it was a great laugh, really good fun. We were all just cuddled up for about half an hour afterwards because we didn’t want to let each other go, so that’s a good sign, right? So come along; do it. It’s good for you and it’s fun. Belly2Belly is a journey of Intimate Discovery while bringing present moment awareness into your Heart, Body, Mind, and Soul. It bridges your humanness with your Buddha nature in an internal marriage, allowing real Inner Freedom. Freedom for you to celebrate life, your body, and your sexual creative life-force energy vibrating, pulsing, shaking, and weaving you from deep inside yourself. It reminds you that you can be fearless, powerful beyond measure, and empowered in your sovereign nature. It becomes safe to be seen and witnessed in a very vulnerable state; lying down with strangers may trigger memories or experiences of parents, siblings, friends, past or future partners, and many more. All emotions are consciously welcomed: from sadness to joy, tears to laughter, resistance to acceptance, anger to love, numbness to feeling. It allows you to break down all contractions, blockages, walls, and barriers for a deep real human connection to unfold. Simply be. There is nothing to fix. Nothing to heal. Nothing to achieve. Nothing to pretend. You are already perfect, holy and whole. You are Pure. Just remember. Love, Simona I felt such deep levels of Intimacy in Simona’s workshop “Belly2Belly” here in Bali. The experience was beautiful. It allowed me to open up to receiving, which required me to let go of my own old blocks. I connected with our beautiful souls and felt my heart open for hours after the workshop was over. I didn’t fully know what to expect and even considered skipping the workshop, but in the end, I went and I am so glad I did. It was worth it and I would love to attend another edition. Great experience. What Belly2Belly is about: I met Simona in Bali, a magical moment of reconnection from soul to soul, what a beautiful Soul in a beautiful Body, Pure Energy and Joy. The first emotion that many heterosexual men face as they pair up with another heterosexual man is initial discomfort and awkwardness. After this initial phase, most men find that their sense of separation moved quickly into full relaxation and familiarity, and it becomes a beautiful witnessing of how deeply the experience can change their perception of togetherness and brotherhood. In Belly2Belly, most men experience a deep sense of relaxation in simply being, without the need to perform in the presence of a woman. For a woman to witness the love between brothers, without the need to pretend and impress, is profoundly touching at the level of heart and soul. Witnessing the masculine making peace with their inner feminine, softness and vulnerabilities are so needed in today’s world and has a tremendous positive impact in their personal and social lives. The reward as humans that we take away with us is far beyond our imagination. Yesterday I experienced “Belly2Belly” with Simona here in Ubud, Bali, although not for the first time it was my first time with her. What an amazing facilitator … so full of Love and Grace and Dedication to helping people really connect beyond all our fears and blocks. I highly recommend this practice to anyone looking to ‘know’ themselves more, outside of the realms of what we’ve been led to believe is normal and if you get a chance I definitely recommend doing it with Simona. Thank you for sharing your big heart beautiful one. Love.Â
The Tribe
We are all mirrors of one another, the whole spectrum of who we are, either the aspects we love about ourselves as well as the aspects we have trouble accepting and making peace with. By mirroring one another, we bring awareness to those aspects of ourselves we are proud of, and those we are afraid of.
But connecting with complete strangers in this way was so beautiful and such a special experience.Â
When I completely surrendered into the practice it was a Soul to Soul connection and felt completely natural. Heart to Heart and Soul to Soul.Â
And I have stayed connected with the other people and made friends for life!!
Simona herself is such a warm, kind-hearted, serene soul who makes you feel totally at ease and guides you through the session with Grace. And with her soft gentle presence, you can be sure to be looked after, and trust me you will laugh and smile ALOT!!! She has the most amazing energy to be around! Ooooozing femininity and sensuality whilst allowing you to feel 100% comfortable in your own skin.
I thank the Universe for guiding me into this experience and for allowing me to completely Surrender into it. It taught me a great deal about connecting with others. Couldn’t recommend it more!!
Embodied Intimacy
First with oneself, then with others and the whole.
I attended a workshop “Belly2Belly” that Simona organized. It was a first for me, and I was immediately at ease, Simona creates a safe space in which it is possible to engage, discover, get in connection with oneself, with the other.
Breathing tools, sound, look, are simple and allow to slide easily into the relationship to oneself and to the other. I enjoyed this discovery, common sound breaths, and the exchange that is set up with me with the other. During the debriefing, it was not easy to understand that all I had to do was to express something that I enjoyed in me. I was so used to point my shadows, share my difficulties with myself, facing each other, to life .. And finally I could see how the inner atmosphere and energy within me change, in the simple act of consider and look at my Light.
Simona thank you for this beautiful discovery, i am thankful for our meeting, thank you for the joy you hold and you allowed me to contact.
I wish you allow plenty of other people to contact it in them.
With all my Love.Heterosexual Men
Can you remember who you where, before the world told you who you should be? – Charles Bukowski
Benefits of Belly2Belly:Â
- Feeling loved, safe, seen, and embraced exactly as you are
- Feeling part of a Tribe
- Oxytocin high: feeling in love with yourself, others and life
- Pure bliss
- Feeling our instinctual need to belong being met
- Realisation of our empowered sovereign selves
- Deep relaxation at the level of the heart, mind, body and soul
- Increased inner awareness
- Feeling deeply grounded and held by the Earth beneath us, by one another, and by great energetic forces
- Merging together the Humanness and Buddha-nature within and beyond
What you will Experience:
Belly2Belly lasts 2h30 hours in total.
It starts with an Opening Circle, where we drop the masks of our personas, and create a sense of safety, welcome and belonging.
The primary practice is done in pairs. You partner with 3 different people of the same or different gender and orientation, laying down side by side, breathing, sounding and verbally sharing your innermost self in real-time with each person and between each pair.
The experience ends with a Closing Circle and group sharing.
It is for you if…
- You have been longing for real connection; to be held by a Tribe that supports you to thrive
- You are at ease in your solo journey, but afraid to commit, and you know your next challenge and biggest potential to growth is now in your intimate relationships
- You want to reconnect with the wisdom of your animal body and your open heart
- You want to feel welcome and safe in simply being you, free to express your emotions, thoughts, energy and sensations
- You want to learn to be intimate, without being sexual
- You want a safe space to explore and express your wild, animalistic raw nature
- You are ready to be completely vulnerable and authentic with yourself and others through embodied soul connections rooted in compassion
Simona is an incredible heart-centered facilitator. A light of genuine Love and Compassion radiates from within her and her authentic Beauty shines both inside and out. She truly has a Gift for creating and then holding a loving space, and this is evident by the comfort and ease you feel whenever you are in her presence. She genuinely cares about your experiences in opening up the possibilities of exploring all aspects of yourself and expanding upon those most intimate and dear to us. She truly has a gift and is following her calling to share with all of you. Thank you Simona. Much Love.
Caution
Please note that even though this practice is not explicitly sexual and done with clothing on, it requires openness in being intimate and lying down with different partners of the same or different genders and orientations. Join only if you feel comfortable with the idea, or feel a curiosity to explore it with innocence and an open heart.
The physical touch and the embrace can range from just holding hands to a full hug with legs overlapping. You are free to choose.
During the practice, you partner with 3 different people of the same or different gender and orientation. Simona does not offer the option of changing partner. Whoever you are paired with will be the perfect one for you and your experience, without the opportunity to say “no” to that specific and unique connection. You will be the Creator of your own experience with that particular partner in deep awareness of what is true to you in the here and now, using your intuition and your instinctual, emotional and bodily intelligence.
Every participant is fully responsible and empowered to create its own experience and set clear boundaries. You will be completely safe in the exploration of that specific connection and responsible for only your own experience.
Belly2Belly is both a gentle and powerful practice. You are free to choose the level of Intimacy you want to experience in each and every partnership.Â
This practice, also called the “Belly2Belly, Relational Meditation” was developed by David Cates, in his healing work with sexual trauma, who Simona apprenticed with while living in Bali. Simona integrates it with other powerful practices designed to facilitate Embodied Connection with ourselves and others.
“Belly-to-Belly is a deceptively simple process that rests on multiple dimensions of neurobiology, pranayama, focused sensory awareness, tantric ritual, intimate communion, witness consciousness, sound entrainment, sequenced relaxation, psychological regression, shadow work, neurolinguistic programming, wizardry and primate zoology. The exercises are designed to dissolve the Western experience of separate self into rhythmic waves of sensation and feeling that are shared with a partner in real time. What results is a profoundly felt sense of peace and connection, a natural biochemical high that neuro-mirrors intimate love, meditative samadhi and mystical oneness.” – David Cates
All meditation is done fully clothed.
It has proven to work in these situations:Â
I met Simona in Ubud, Bali and it felt like I met a sister! She’s fun, playful and full of Love! I was participating in one of her workshops, the “Belly2Belly”, and her guidance felt so grounding, supportive, easy and flowing. Very gentle and loving. I experienced her as a great Listener and felt very loved and appreciated in her presence. Highly recommended her to anyone who wants to dive in deeply! Love.
I just finished “Belly2Belly”, and it’s my second time attending it and I felt that it is something that is really good as I felt a lot more relaxed after that and also really a wonderful experience. It’s definitely a new experience to be open to someone that I’ve never met before, but yet it feels so natural and so easy once I become more comfortable. And Simona’s guidance really helped to put me at ease with the whole process. And throughout the session it’s a very natural and relaxing procedure. It actually helps me to be able connect to people better, and so I am definitely recommending it to someone who really wants to open up and to connect with others more easily. Thank you.
Beauuuutiful person, beautiful session. I am so happy to have been a part of her practice and experiences here in Singapore. I look forward to sharing with her again. Love.Â
Simona has been a beautiful, magical manifestation in my life and in the city of Singapore. She facilitates one of the most powerful practices of embodied intimacy that I’ve experienced. My first “Belly2Belly” with Simona was a completely unique experience as they all are. She sets and holds a powerful space, so upon walking in I felt comfortable and safe. No matter what happened in that space, I knew I would be held by Simona. She starts the process by allowing everyone to turn into their body and their breath. 
For this particular practice, when we began I could feel my entire body go into a state of resistance. Everything began to trigger me…the sounds of the other participants breathing, the temperature of the room, the sounds outside. I couldn’t make any sounds, I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t even sit up properly. So I lay down, embracing the triggers through slow, deep, focused breathing. I felt so much emotion and resistance the tears started to flow and I considered walking out. I felt I was standing on the boundary of pushing through my own resistance, or honoring myself by choosing to walk away from an experience that I felt wasn’t serving me.
I decided I needed to sit up and work through the resistance. So I started to breathe, began to make sounds with my breath and move my body. It was so difficult…my body felt like lead but eventually it began to loosen. Simona explained what we would be doing and that everything you experienced would be part of the process. What’s going on in your body and where are your resistances coming from? – Her prompting of such questions allows one to remain aware in the moment of each sensation.
Slowly we began the process of finding a partner and allowing our bodies to be close to each other. I immediately felt comfortable and safe with my partner. All my previous resistance melted away. When we turned to look into each other eyes, I met myself in her. There was nothing but safety and love.
This practice is incredibly powerful and Simona is a sweet Goddess. She provides a safe place for people to drop into an incredibly intimate space with one another. Breathing and sounding together lets the body know it’s held and that it’s OK to just let go. Being able to share this intimate connection with a complete stranger is magical. Whatever comes up is a gift and a mirror of yourself. With attention and awareness one is able to recognize old patterns or habits that come up with being intimate with another person…yet you realize that in that space everything else drops away.
I feel so blessed to have had this practice come into my life. It’s such a beautiful way to build connection with people. It also provides lessons in letting go of connection as well…I have a tendency to become attached to connection, and this practice allows one to realize that this connection is possible with every human being and that we do not need to grasp and hold onto every connection we make in this life. When I am connected to myself, I feel secure and confident that I am love and love surrounds me.
Check also SLOW JAM, INTIMATE COMMUNICATION and SACRED CACAO CEREMONY or go back to THE ART OF INTIMACY.