HASTA : HRIDAYA - A Healing Movement and Meditative Craft Workshop

HASTA : HRIDAYA (Hand : Heart)

A Healing Movement and Meditative Craft Workshop

Led by Monica Hofstadter and Megha Barnabas

March 1st, 2026 - 10am-12pm (rescheduled from January)

Cost: $50

(Price includes craft supplies + herbal tea provided by Pleasure Plants )

This workshop will be in two parts: beginning with healing movement and followed by intuitive art-making. The thread that connects these activities is a sensory experience grounded in rhythmic and repetitive motions.

In the first half, Megha will guide us through a heart-balancing practice that weaves together meditation, somatic movement, and dance. She has developed a therapeutic modality called Matra Movement, which engages the traditional steps, shapes and mudras of the classical Indian dance Odissi as healing tools.

In the second half, Monica will lead a meditative needle-felting practice inspired by mandalas, yantras, and early tantric art. Participants will create a talisman for heart protection to take home. This craft involves using soft wool material to create imagery and patterns in a soothing yet active method. 

Throughout the workshop, we will consider the hands as extensions of the heart; hands that can offer collective care, craft, healing, and dance. Together, we’ll explore the geometry of nourishment and gentle ways to tend to the heart as we enter the new year.

Bios: 

Monica Hofstadter is an art therapist and textile artist living in Brooklyn. She loves to use art and creative expressions as vehicles for emotional expression, nonverbal communication, and as ways to connect with others. She has worked with children, adolescents, and their families to explore their inner worlds, relationships, and challenges through the creative process itself.

Megha Barnabas is a performance artist and movement educator living in Brooklyn, NY. She has led recent movement workshops at Performance Space NY and teaches ongoing classes at Grand Street Healing Project. Her solo performance work and work with the art collective Yemenwed has been performed and exhibited at MoMA, Perez Art Museum Miami, Pioneer Works and PERFORMA. 

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Cancellations made less than 72 prior to the event start date are not eligible for a refund.

Please note that all cancellations must be emailed to sousan DOT hammad AT gmail DOT com

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to us.