About us
EMPOWERmental project focuses on developing our mental and physical balance, using embodied techniques, art tools and creative play. We believe in the wisdom of our bodies, the authenticity of movement and body-based methods, the power of art and an integrated approach to physical and mental well-being… We are inspired by performing arts (dance, theatre, music) as well as other fields such as yoga and breathing techniques, free creation and drama pedagogy.
Our aim is to share tools and experiences that will help us to maintain balance in our daily lives, strengthen our resilience and prevent emotional burnout.
We value the sustaining power of community bringing a long-term positive change not only individually, but also in groups and in the society.
In this approach, we organise stress management workshops, intensive retreat programmes, professional trainings and international collaborations, and create art projects focusing on social and individual well-being.
🌿 If you want to find inspiration to be more balanced in your everyday life,
🌿 If you are interested in programmes focusing on art and wellbeing,
🌿 if you want to be part of a supportive creative community,
Join us!
Our story
EMPOWERmental is based on the research of the Tandem Europe supported Co-Warming project (2019-2020), on the many years of professional experience with adults and young people of our team (Fanny Hajdú, Flóra Eszter Sarlós, Tímea Szőke), as well as our personal experiences.
The collaborators of the international Co-Warming project were Italian art therapist and designer Elena Guinta and Hungarian choreographer and yoga teacher Flóra Eszter Sarlós. Our partnership focused on improving the mental well-being of working communities and raising awareness of burnout. Through the project, we worked on the development of artistic tools that can be integrated into the daily life of a community and foster community openness to promote mental balance and the importance of preventing burnout.
Our collaboration consisted of the following
- sharing thoughts and professional exchange with experts of the fields of art therapy, mindfulness, yoga, dance, theatre and design
- sharing thoughts, professional exchange and mentoring within Tandem Europe program with the help of international project managers, social workers and artists
- testing workshops with different target groups (employees of Larius social enterprise, artists and cultural managers)
- design and creation of an informational card package with a summary and visualisation of the exercises in English. Download here.
From the beginning of 2020, the development of the project in Hungary continued under the name EMPOWERmental. With the help of drama teacher and facilitator Fanny Hajdú, we adapted the workshop for the 16-18-year-old age group, focusing on tools supporting mental and physical balance in the midst of pandemic anxiety and the challenges of remote education.
Through international (Fringe Festival Istanbul, Anti Bullying Movement Series Erasmus+ project) and national collaborations, we have continuously developed the EMPOWERmental workshop for adult audiences as well. In 2021, we were invited to present our project to more than 50 companies at the Good Impact sustainability fair, and collaborated with the Bp (British Petrol) Budapest and Szeged teams.
Our team was joined by Tímea Szőke, whose skills as both a project manager and facilitator, as well as her personal life story, brought further inspiration. In April 2023, we held an eight-day international retreat training with the support of the Visegrad Fund in the Czech Republic, which was a professional milestone for us. We have launched our Instagram and Facebook pages, where we share personal and professional content in addition to promoting our events. We are constantly organising workshops, professional training and art events open to all.
Our aim is to reach as wide an audience as possible through our workshops, to promote the benefits of art for mental health and to grow through community and collaboration. Thank you for joining us!
WHO ARE WE?
Fanny Hajdú (Budapest)
My ingredients for body-mind balance:
- observing the small pleasures of everyday life
- playful, sensory and instinct-centered exercises
- mindfulness and intuitive presence, grounding
- Self-knowledge-focused free creation (creative writing, painting, performance)
- physical theatre based and improvisational exercises
- women’s circles, feminist perspective
Fanny is a drama teacher, and facilitator, and has been working with self-knowledge-focused playful tools for eight years. She is most interested in creating trust and safe spaces working with people. It is important for her to work in a process- and person-centred way to help the creativity of individuals and groups to flourish. Since 2014, she has continuously participated in international professional trainings to expand her knowledge with non-formal tools. Since 2019, she has been involved in training professionals and developing social art methodologies. In her work, she aims to support participants in their individual connection with themselves and their surroundings.
My greatest teachers:
nature, my dog and my own body
Flóra Eszter Sarlós (Vienna/ Budapest)
My ingredients for body-mind balance:
- Dance improvisation exercises, visualization-based free movement, contact dance
- yoga and breathing exercises
- stress points in the body & their release
- TRE® – Tension, Stress and Trauma Release Exercises
- Theoretical background of stress release and stress cycle closure
Flora’s focus for the last 10-15 years has been on contemporary dance and body awareness. She studied art creation in Paris (MA, 2017) and has been the artistic director and choreographer of the Ziggurat Project for 10 years. She completed a Hatha (2020) and Women’s Yoga (2021) teacher training. From September 2024 she is a certified TRE® (Tension, Stress and Trauma Release Exercises) provider. She regularly holds workshops in Hungary and abroad, where she approaches stress relief with body-centred (yoga, dance, breathing exercises) methods.
My greatest teachers:
My son, rock climbing and mindful breathing
Tímea Szőke (Barcelona)
My ingredients for body-mind balance:
- environmental wellbeing – the impact of the built environment on our wellbeing
- yoga exercises
- neighbourhoods, women’s communities, voluntary groups
- long distance walking (El Camino de Santiago, the BLUE trek)
- volunteering in the wider world
For more than 10 years, Timi has been working on the relationship between performing arts, public spaces, built heritage and urban communities through various events, festivals and conferences. Since her own burnout, physical and mental well-being has also been a major focus of her work. She completed a Hatha teacher training in 2020 and a Flow Yoga teacher training in 2022. She is currently a PhD researcher at the International University of Catalonia in Barcelona. In her research, she seeks to understand how the city around us influences our well-being and how we can create sustainable and supportive communities.
My greatest teachers:
unexpected situations, long walks in nature and kitschy sunsets
Appearances, interviews
Art and mental health
7. June 2023.
In April 2023 we held an eight-day-long international retreat training with the support of the Visegrad Fund. On this occasion, we talked to one of our participants, Juci, about our personal and professional experiences, emotional burnout, the Holy Grail and much more:
“The programme is designed for young mental health professionals with the aim of providing methodological tools for creating a more sustainable, stress-free society, combining movement-based and artistic tools.
These are individual or group methods with a holistic approach, inspired mainly by the different performing arts (dance, theatre and music) and other fields such as yoga, breathing techniques, automatic writing and art creation, or art therapy, to help people cope with anxiety and everyday tension. In addition to gaining professional experience, improving our own mental balance, reflecting on each other and ourselves, and incorporating mindful presence into our daily lives also played a big role during the week.”
Read the full interview on Kontur!
By Juci Menyhért
Company workshop for mental well-being at work
2 May 2022.
In 2021 the EMPOWERmental workshop was selected to be presented to more than 50 companies at the Good Impact sustainability fair. We were interviewed by Karrier Trend about our company experience.
“You are what you do every day,” the programme creators used to say to each other and their partners. That’s why they believe that regularity, practice and listening to yourself are essential to manage stress at work and avoid burnout.”
Read the full interview here: