Hold Your Ground Under Pressure

Teach your mind & body to remain rooted and respond nonviolently

You know the language of empathy. You care about relationships. You practice awareness.
And yet under pressure you may:

♦ take responsibility for everyone
♦ hold tension in your body
♦ fear being “too much”
♦ feel guilty when you say no
♦ stay connected to others while
losing connection with yourself

This is where this workshop begins.

A 3-day embodied experience where Nonviolent Communication meets martial arts principles.

for people who care deeply, hold too much, and want boundaries they can actually feel.

This is not technique training.

We do not teach fighting.

We do not teach compliance.

We cultivate an inner and outer
nonviolent stance with backbone.

It is a space to discover what happens in your body when:
♦ a boundary is crossed
♦ tension rises
♦ someone pushes, leans, resists
♦ someone supports, or holds you

Can you stay connected under pressure?
Can you feel your “no” without collapsing?
Can you receive support instead of carrying everything alone?

This is a crossing:

1.

From managing everyone

to staying with yourself

2.

From holding it together

to grounded presence

3.

From tension

to letting it move

4.

From NVC language

to embodied nonviolence.

5.

From setting / fighting / rigidifying your boundaries

to feeling them

How this began

This workshop was not designed at a desk. It grew out of a nine-day Embodied NVC training, where Magdalena was a trainer and Simeon a participant. One morning, in a slot reserved for inspiration from the group, Simeon brought martial arts into the room. Magdalena joined. Something clicked. What NVC works with in language and relationship, martial arts were already doing in the body. One held the other.

What you will experience has been born from this collaborative creation.

Who holds the space?

Magdalena Sendor

NVC certified trainer and systemic facilitator with over 15 years of experience in mediation, coaching, and relational transformation. Combining NVC with somatic practices and movement, Magdalena supports individuals, teams, and organizations in embodying empathy, authentic power, and conscious connection.

Magdalena has been a certified Nonviolent Communication (NVC) trainer since 2014 and systemic facilitator with deep experience in mediation, coaching, and relational transformation. Since 2009 she has supported individuals, teams, and organizations in integrating empathy, personal responsibility, and conscious connection into everyday life, leadership, and conflict work.

Magdalena combines NVC with somatic practices and movement to create spaces that invite embodied awareness, honest expression, and real change. She works internationally in English, Polish, and French, enriching her approach with diverse modalities that honor the whole person — mind, emotion, and body.

As a facilitator she is committed to helping people move beyond patterns of over-responsibility and avoidance, cultivating grounded presence, authentic power, and relational connection. Her work emphasizes that strength and empathy are not opposites — they can be embodied in the same breath, conversation, and stance.

If you want to know more visit: www.magdalenasendor.eu

Simeon Ivanov

Educator and trainer in nature-based education, movement practices, and deep nature connection. Martial artist, mountaineer, and guide in personal and collective transformation through body, ecology, and community.

Simeon Ivanov is an educator and trainer specialising in nature-based education, movement and body practices and deep nature connection. He is passionate about community building, eco-conscious living, and movement as pathways to personal and collective transformation. Simeon uses NVC as a tool for conflict resolution and empathetic dialogue in individual and group settings.

With over 15 years of experience in traditional martial arts, his approach to kung fu and tai chi emphasises self-development and the spiritual dimensions of practice. A seasoned mountaineer and certified remote-area first-aid responder, Simeon brings a grounded and experiential understanding of resilience and connection to the natural world.

Dedicated to creating meaningful learning experiences, he seeks to inspire an eco-centric and active way of living—where movement is not only physical expression, but also a way of being and a practice of mental and spiritual growth.

If you want to know more visit Simeon’s FB.

Together they create a space where you are not asked to choose
between being powerful and being kind.

Key Takeaways

Thanks to these 3 days you may experience:

♦ a clearer embodied yes and no

♦ more ease staying present in conflict

♦ less freezing or collapsing under pressure

♦ stronger trust in your body’s signals

♦ more capacity to receive support

♦ the ability to stay carrying without abandoning yourself

This workshop is for you if:

a.

you already have some relationship with your inner life

b.

you want boundaries that are lived, not just understood

c.

you are willing to communicate through your body rather than only through words

d.

you often hold space for others,

e.

you recognise over-functioning,
people-pleasing,
or chronic self-management

f.

you experience therapy, meditation,
bodywork, movement, coaching,
or spiritual practice

The workshop is especially powerful for:

♦ facilitators
♦ coaches
♦ therapists
♦ trainers
♦ leaders
♦ teachers
♦ activists
♦ people in helping professions
♦ anyone tired of carrying everyone else

This is not suitable for you if:

♦ you are in acute psychological crisis
♦ you are currently destabilised by trauma work
♦ you are looking for a soft retreat with no friction
♦ you are unwilling to be in physical contact
♦ you want techniques rather than inner transformation

You do not need

♦ any martial arts experience
♦ any previous movement training
♦ to be strong, athletic, or flexible

The physical aspect is accessible, non-athletic, and designed for different bodies and ages.

For 3 days, your body is the primary instrument.

We will work with:

♦ pressure
♦ push and resistance
♦ support and counterbalance
♦ touch
♦ grounded stance
♦ nervous system modes

Challenge is an invitation, not a demand. You always remain in a relationship with your own pace and your own body. You can always say no and choose not to participate in any exercise.

The work includes:

♦ floor-based exercises
♦ standing partner practices
♦ guided movement explorations
♦ structured verbal reflection
♦ time for self-reflection and journaling

There are no throws, no fighting drills, no self-defence choreography, and no athletic performance expectations.

You will learn:

♦ new attitudes in verbal and non-verbal communication
♦ to stay within discomfort
♦ to embrace moments of not knowing
♦ real-time support in staying with what emerges.

Consent around touch and physical contact is established on the first morning and revisited throughout.

NVC is our foreground.

Nevertheless, you do not need any previous NVC training.
Throughout the workshop you will use it to name what is alive in you: the feelings that arise under pressure, the needs behind your patterns of over-functioning, the requests you struggle to make. The physical and the verbal aspects work in the same direction: both are asking and teaching you to be present to what is actually happening, rather than what you think should be happening.

This is an intensive experiential learning space where challenge becomes information.

If something in you feels stirred while reading this, that may already be your body recognising the work.

Logistics:

Venue:

Karmik, Warszawa-Powsin, Poland

The workshop takes place at a beautiful venue on the edge of Warsaw — already surrounded by nature, with a garden, a fire space, and a sauna. The venue offers delicious vegetarian food prepared with love. You can arrive by bus from the city centre, by car, or stay overnight on site.

Date:

9-11.10.2026 r.

Workshop hours (incl. 1h15 lunch break):
Friday, Oct 9 — 10:00–18:00
Saturday, Oct 10 — 9:00–18:00
Sunday, Oct 11 — 9:00–16:00

The 3 days form one complete sequence. Joining partially is not possible.

After the workshop, there is an optional online integration session 3rd November 7 pm – 9 pm to support what continues unfolding in daily life.

Group size is limited to:

24 persons

If something in you has been quietly responding while reading this
— that response is worth trusting.

How much does it cost?

WORKSHOP FEE

EARLY BIRD
10 spots and available to 15.06.2026 – whichever comes first
1550 PLN / 370 EUR

LATE BIRD
14 spots and available to 20.07.2026 – whichever comes first
1750 PLN / 415 EUR

LAST CALL
2100 PLN / 495 EUR

To guarantee your spot, you need to pay a 700 PLN / 165 EUR reservation fee.

FOOD AND ACCOMODATION FEE

NO ACCOMODATION – JUST LUNCH
(For people who prefer to come only during the day workshops)
Friday, Saturday, Sunday
180 PLN / 45 EUR

(The venue is located far from the restaurants.)

FULL CATERING
Friday – lunch & supper, Saturday breakfast, lunch & supper, Sunday breakfast & lunch
450 PLN / 110 EUR

ACCOMODATION
for 2 nights
♦ single room – 300 PLN / 70 EUR (only one avaiable)
♦ 2-person rooms – 260 PLN / 62 EUR (only one available)
♦ 10-person room – 200 PLN / 48 EUR
♦ Training room (mattress included) – 160 PLN / 38 EUR

BEDDING SET & TOWEL
20 PLN / 5 EUR – for a stay

If money is the only obstacle in your decision to join the workshops, or if you have questions about the financial contribution, please talk to us. These conversations are an opportunity to get to know each other, make a connection, and find creative ways to meet the needs of each of us.

We look forward to hearing from you: hello@magdalenasendor.eu / + 48 698 684 151

Ready for workshop that will stay in the body. This experience can't be undone.

FAQ

Do I need martial arts experience?

No. This is not a martial arts training. The physical work is simple, guided, and accessible for people with no previous experience.

Do I need to be fit or physically strong?

No. You do not need strength, flexibility, or athletic ability. The practices are designed for different bodies, ages, and levels of movement confidence.

What if physical contact feels challenging for me?

That is often part of the learning edge. We establish clear consent agreements, work progressively, and you stay connected to your own pace throughout.

Can I join only one or two days?

No. The three days are one coherent arc of experience and integration. Partial participation is not possible.