Wild Play Lab: Unlock, Release, Relax

Jul 19 Sun 19th Jul 2020
6:30am – 8am EDT (UTC -04:00)
 
Online
 
https://dandelion.events/e/lbqny
Hosted by The Psychedelic Society
Activity The Body Knows / Dani Tonks
Facilitators
Attending
10+ people
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Enquiries to wildplaylab@gmail.com
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Unearth the uniqueness of YOU, the strange and wonderful puzzle that makes up who you are. Wild Play Lab invites you to stir the playful pot, find your edges and fully embrace your whole weird and wonderful self in the comfort of your own home.

Using play as a tool for personal transformation, we'll explore techniques that can unlock creative blocks, release stored tension and create more space for our intuitive self to emerge.

This workshop uses play, creative meditation and improvisation to bring awareness to our unconscious behavioural patterns, and begin to consciously dismantle our limiting habits in a fun, accessible and safe environment. This is a deep and powerful practice of getting ‘out of our heads’, trusting the wisdom of our body to reveal to us the secrets hiding beneath the cracks of our bones waiting to be heard. Through creativity and movement we learn how to truly listen & connect; both to ourselves and each other. A crisp awareness arises and we discover our unique rhythm that is distinct to us alone.

Taking inspiration from children and animals, we regress to the primal self. The one that crawls, climbs, and is innately curious about the world. The primal self is in tune with what is all around and within them, and it is our journey to rediscover those lost and forgotten parts and welcome them back home. Let’s dive deep into the marrow of our being and share our story. This workshop includes elements of the following:

  • Improvisation
  • Imaginative play
  • Clownish exercises
  • Creative Writing & storytelling
  • Movement & meditation
  • Intuitive vocal freedom

Keywords: Curiosity, fluidity , fun, freedom, flow, play, silliness, embodiment, clownish, connection, embodied, freeing, liberated, discovery, unknown

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ABOUT YOUR FACILITATOR

Dani is a performer, movement practitioner, activist and workshop facilitator. She has a playful and sensitive approach, combining a range of disciplines including storytelling, meditation, dance, physical theatre and clowning. 

Dani is the founder of Wild Play Lab; curating workshops, retreats and facilitating the unfolding of play as a tool for self transformation and wellbeing. She has recently created a new project called Rewilding Our Bodies; a journey to discover your ‘bodymind’. The knowing that emerges from tuning in to the sensations and subtle energies of the body.

Wild Play Lab has formed collaborations across the UK with Mind Over Monkey, The Psychedelic Society, The Collective, House of Togetherness, Noisily Festival, Poetry Cafe, Extinction Rebellion, Shine Charity, Beat Charity and Bootstrap Charity.

Dani is currently training with The Flying Seagull Project, a charity spreading joy throughout the world, through music, art, circus, dance and theatre. She's also training with Tough Cookie as a mental resilience coach to help people improve their mental resilience by equipping them with practical skills to manage thoughts and emotions.

Organisations she has worked with include: 

The BBC, The British Youth Filming Academy, Contact Youth Actors Company at Contact Theatre (Manchester), The Royal Exchange Youth Company (Manchester), CYAC (Contact Young Actors Company) and Blue Eyed Soul Dance Company.

Dani is currently signed with acting agent ‘The Narrow Road Company.’

Training:

  • East 15 Acting School (BA Acting)
  • Teatr Pieśń Kozła / Song of the Goat Theatre
  • Rose Bruford College
  • Jon Davis Clowning School
  • The Comedy School - Mick Barnfather
  • The British Youth Filming Academy

Dani has worked as an international performer, director and workshop facilitator for over 10 years. She has worked extensively in film, theatre, radio and TV, and has toured internationally with collectives & self devised shows

TESTIMONIALS 

"Dani's workshop was one of the best sessions I've ever attended. She held the space so beautifully, and wove together a really smooth and playful unfolding. It felt like the perfect antidote to the busy and serious routine of London - I will definitely be back!"- M. De Broglie, 

"Had brilliant fun. Felt like a kid again meeting people and making friends so easily!' -J. Wick, Wild Play Lab

"Insane. I had terrific time losing myself into play. It was food and medicine for the soul. Dani hold it beautifully as always. Thanks for making it happen" - F. Llopis, 

"Very gently Intuitively and fantastically held - much reassurance given to move and be in ways that suit us which felt very caring and accepting. Music was wonderful - quite exquisite! Thank you very much for doing the work so that I could have a very connecting heart opening experience!!" - N. Baker 

EVENT DETAILS

TICKET PRICES: £10-£20

ZOOM CALL OPEN: 11:30

NO ENTRY AFTER: 11:45

To avoid disruption to the event, latecomers may not be admitted.

ENQUIRIES: wildplaylab@gmail.com

REFUNDS POLICY: Please note, we do not arrange refunds or exchanges. When possible we encourage reselling on Ticketswap.

ACCESS:  We do our best to include everyone in our events, regardless of health circumstances. If you have access requirements please email the event organiser directly to discuss. Many facilitators are able to offer reduced ticket prices for those truly unable to afford the ticket price. If this applies to you, do please get in touch with the event organiser.

For PSYCHEDELIC KNOWLEDGE AND RESOURCES please check out the Psychedelic Society website

Our facilitators have agreed to our code of conduct. Learn about our procedure for raising concerns

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Upcoming The Body Knows / Dani Tonks events

  • Dani Tonks
  • Mon 12th Jan 2026, 2:15pm – Mon 16th Feb 2026, 3:45pm EST (UTC -05:00)
  • Online

Feedback on The Body Knows / Dani Tonks events

4.8/5 from 170 ratings
Participants describe facilitator Dani as brilliant, kind, patient, and joyful, creating a safe and held space for exploration and self-discovery. Many report having powerful experiences that allowed them to connect more deeply with their bodies, senses, and inner child, unlocking a sense of playfulness, pleasure, and resource. The activities are praised as fun, insightful, and transformative, leaving attendees feeling more grounded, awake, and alive. Participants consistently recommend the workshops and courses, emphasizing the profound impact they had and the facilitator's exceptional skills in guiding the experiences.
4 months ago
Dani holds space so well: with awareness, humour, kindness & heart. The workshop felt very spacious with lots of room to learn, share and practice.
4 months ago
6 months ago
8 months ago
Enjoyable afternoon of lighthearted playful exercises. Dani made it feel fun and not forced at all. She created a safe place for us to explore our comfort zones. I feel it could have gone somewhat further in this regard but there are limits to how deeply this work can go in a 2hr session. I'd recommend it to those who are new to embodiment work. I'd have liked to go a bit deeper personally.
The Psychedelic Society replied

— Thank you for your feedback ♡ The longer workshops such as the full day/weekend events or the 6 week course maybe worth looking into for the deeper experience you're looking for. You can view the upcoming course below: https://dandelion.events/e/thebodyknowscourse

8 months ago
Great workshop, really well run. Felt like a safe and nurturing space. Dani is such a wonderful facilitator. A great way to connect with the self and others. Thanks Dani!
9 months ago
Dani is an exceptional facilitator, effortlessly blending wit, authenticity, and a contagious energy that captivates the room. She creates a space where I felt truly comfortable to engage, explore, and express myself. Her ability to unlock energy within me was transformative, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her to anyone seeking to explore dance, art, or somatic experiencing as part of their meditation or healing journey. Thank you, Dani, for your unique presence and for being unapologetically yourself—you truly made an impact.
10 months ago
Dani is such an authentic, playful and generous space holder. The workshop really allowed me to tune into my felt sense and I feel inspired to take some of the practises into my day to day life :)
10 months ago
about a year ago
It was a lovely experience! I didn't realise how disconnected I was from my body and maybe from everyone until I went to it and started to feel and identify things in me. It's a very respectful and smooth process of self discovery. Dani is very knowledgeable and invites to spontaneity in a very happy and playful way, her coaching skills are amazing too. I loved it and recommended it to anyone looking for an initial step into connecting with the body and others.
about a year ago
Dani is such a brilliant facilitator and teacher, and I feel very grateful to have done this course with her. I have a fairly overwrought and over-stressed nervous system which can be activated pretty easily, and this can be limiting - to a certain degree debilitating, at times - in all sorts of ways. The course covered aspects of life where I am often limited by my own reactivity/stress responses - like rest, playful connection, curiosity, body + sense-attunement, for example - in ways which were gently exploratory and really revelatory. Dani's teaching is very trauma-sensitive + informed — in the way that she teaches, she models how we can attune to the body's 'yes's and 'no's and also how we can gently challenge ourselves when the moment is right. There is theory in this course, which is super interesting + clearly explained , but the thing I valued maybe the most is that this course is really about actually doing 'bodyfulness'/body attunement. I've come away from it with tangible resources that let me feel grounded and awake to the things happening in my senses/feelings/body, which is a massive gift, not just in navigating the difficulty of post traumatic stress-response but also in more fully feeling the beauty of sensation, perception, + feeling. And as well as all of those brilliant things, the course was a lot of fun :)