melek ya malek
they/them:: artist, consultant, facilitator & event organizer
in arabic the name malek means angel or messenger. with a gemini sun and a scorpio moon, the message is to find spaces where we can heal and be in connection with difference. this melek works with embodied practices, meditation, and divination to access our body’s wisdom as a way to move through the world with purpose. melek is a third culture kid of tunisian-canadian descent that grew up across 6 continents and speaks fluent english, french and spanish.
• breath • meditation • embodiment • astrology • creative expression • dreamwork •
photo by olive lazarus, gabes 2021
photo by claudio teijeiro,
las barrancas del cobre 2014
las barrancas del cobre 2014
photo by myriam ben khelifa, maamoura 2021
my facilitation practice
tabarka 2016
photo by ala touati
from medinat ahlem zaghouan 2022
johns hopkins, baltimore 2017
• breath • meditation • embodiment • astrology •
• creative expression • dreamwork •
my practice centers presence - that state of being in which the world is quiet and we are completely immersed in the moment at hand, the here and now. everyone does this in their own ways (music, gardening, drawing, deep listening) and yet we also have our own barriers to accessing presence. it's often uncomfortable to remain present in our hyper-productive - capitalist - racist - patriarchal - ableist - trans hating - exploitative status quo.
i believe that our bodies hold the power to massively subvert these structures, that our breath carries whispers of liberatory worlds.
if we can only (re)learn to listen.
my job is to share tools and techniques that have helped me find presence, so that you'll continue to develop your practices. my job is to hold space as you explore intimacy with your own breath and body.
with over 1500 hours of experience guiding groups, i have led sessions in museums, dance studios, senior centers, public libraries, private residencies, office spaces and of course, on zoom. my specialty is to tailor sessions that meet you where you're at, in the context you're in.
my mentors and inspirations for this work include: anjali sunita, hannah harris-sutro, violette najat, kent brun, mkali-hashiki, jamila johnson-small, claudia neuman, and many many more.
practices in my toolkit: meditation, presence, anatomy-based movement, breathwork, dreaming, emotional exploration, elemental spirituality, astrology, yoga philosophy, creativity & intuition, voice, mindfulness, and instruction in nontraditional spaces
i believe that our bodies hold the power to massively subvert these structures, that our breath carries whispers of liberatory worlds.
if we can only (re)learn to listen.
my job is to share tools and techniques that have helped me find presence, so that you'll continue to develop your practices. my job is to hold space as you explore intimacy with your own breath and body.
with over 1500 hours of experience guiding groups, i have led sessions in museums, dance studios, senior centers, public libraries, private residencies, office spaces and of course, on zoom. my specialty is to tailor sessions that meet you where you're at, in the context you're in.
my mentors and inspirations for this work include: anjali sunita, hannah harris-sutro, violette najat, kent brun, mkali-hashiki, jamila johnson-small, claudia neuman, and many many more.
practices in my toolkit: meditation, presence, anatomy-based movement, breathwork, dreaming, emotional exploration, elemental spirituality, astrology, yoga philosophy, creativity & intuition, voice, mindfulness, and instruction in nontraditional spaces
photo by ala touati, zaghouan 2022
photo by ines benmohamed,
sidi bou said 2022
formal studies
bachelor’s of psychology
mcgill university, montréal 2015concentrations in political science & latin american studies
200 hour yoga teacher training
kent brun, vancouver 2016introductory training with a focus on alignment & teaching ethic
symbolon reflection training
symbolon institute, berlin 2021with christine krantz. 50 coaching credits (ICF CCEU)
yoga as a living practice
online, fall 20203 month course weaving yoga & social justice, led by anjali sunita & yasmene mumby
women’s entrepreneurship training
microcrédit montréal, montréal 20204 month course covering the fundamentals of starting a business.
reiki level one
baltimore free school, baltimore 2017with altruce.
clinical psychology
unam, méxico df 2015one full semester of clinical psychology. 5 classes with supervision
500 hour yoga teacher training
baltimore yoga village, baltimore 2017advanced training with a focus on pranayama, ethics and alignment-based anatomy. led by anjali sunita, vivan campagna & mark garner
restorative circling training
montréal 20206 weeks with anne goldenberg; focus on conflict accompaniment
nonviolent communication course
bâtiment 7, montréal 20203 week training with marion séré
tantrik meditation training
long island, 201650-hour training with lorin roche with a focus on the radiance sutras
reading the akashic records
santosha wellness, online 2020course with yoshi santosha
solo studies
somatics since 2018 (influences from somatic experiencing, generative somatics, and body mind centring)
astrology since 2017 (began with an apprenticeship with elizabeth whitner, followed by a 4-week intro course co-organized with her)
tarot since 2019
voice since 2016 (teachers include thanya iyer, miranda gee jones, olive lazarus, saloua ben salah)
basic music theory since 2022 (have taken courses on the following instruments; not proficient at any) -> flute, clarinet, guitar, piano, voice, darbooka, baritone
ukulele.
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photo by claudia emmanuelle, montréal 2019
astrology since 2017 (began with an apprenticeship with elizabeth whitner, followed by a 4-week intro course co-organized with her)
tarot since 2019
voice since 2016 (teachers include thanya iyer, miranda gee jones, olive lazarus, saloua ben salah)
basic music theory since 2022 (have taken courses on the following instruments; not proficient at any) -> flute, clarinet, guitar, piano, voice, darbooka, baritone
ukulele.
photo by claudia emmanuelle, montréal 2019event organization
process & prayer
(online; around the venus cazimi on january 8 2022)
three day virtual retreat. we met at the overlap of cycle points: gregorian & venusian, to contemplate at the space between open & close. melek managed the logistical and administrative elements of the retreat, the design, technical considerations alongside daily facilitation.
guest workshops included:
✨ sci fi somatic, with george longshadow
✨ poetic contemplation for venus cazimi, with ari felix
✨ love letters 2 your body, with malcolm-x betts
✨ the art of bibliomancy: divination as poetic practice, with bára hladík
✨ plus 1×1 tarot readings by amy and cara moon.
click for more info about process & prayer.
guest workshops included:
✨ sci fi somatic, with george longshadow
✨ poetic contemplation for venus cazimi, with ari felix
✨ love letters 2 your body, with malcolm-x betts
✨ the art of bibliomancy: divination as poetic practice, with bára hladík
✨ plus 1×1 tarot readings by amy and cara moon.
click for more info about process & prayer.
thetawave festival
(online; 29 november – 21 december 2020)
organized with bára hladík
23 total events from eclipse to solstice. 20 guest facilitators were invited to share a workshop of their choice on the axis of embodiment & creation. we launched with a poetry reading and closed with a dream share. each facilitator received a graphic for their workshop & bio; each workshop was hosted by bára or melek, including a land acknowledgement, grounding exercise & zoom platform support.
more info on theta wave website.
stay @ home retreat
(online; around the cancer full moon, 27-29 dec 2020)
i was the head organizer in a team of three for this first online retreat. retreat structure was a mixture of live meetings & pre-prepared content, including one on one tarot & birth chart sessions. the work of creating this event included outreach on social media & via email list, content design, material preparation, website hosting, and the actual live facilitation. we invited the astrologer ilana khin of celestial cues and herbalist sydney batson as guest facilitators to guide us into the conjunction of jupiter & saturn in aquarius.
a human space programming
(baltimore & montréal; 2017-2021)maintained a twice weekly by-donation yoga class. organized over 16 events including: teacher exchanges, a 4-week intro to astrology class, a series of restorative classes exploring the month of Ramadan, facilitated get togethers for Muslims and non-Muslims to discuss Islam, workshops exploring intimacy and connection, museum collaborations, breathwork sessions, astrological explorations and themed embodiment sessions. co-organized an in person retreat (nye 2020) in luray virginia, and a virtual stay at home 2020 retreat.
medinat el ahlem
(1)
lillat ennos, zaghouan
photos by ala touati
lillat ennos, zaghouan
photos by ala touati
(2)
outdoor playground, cocobeach
photos by hamza bennour
outdoor playground, cocobeach
photos by hamza bennour
