2026 July Moon Workshop: Whirling Magic with Nawal
ABOUT THE PROGRAM:
Whirling Magic: a Journey in to transcendental states.
Rooted in the rich tradition of Egyptian Tanoura folklore yet offered here as a universal, non-religious practice, this master class invites you into one of humanity’s most ancient movement rituals. Whirling is not simply spinning — it is an art of organization, a discipline of the body finding its home along the vertical axis. In this space, all are welcome, regardless of background or belief, to experience the profound intelligence this practice carries within its turns.
There is a paradox at the heart of whirling: the more the body moves, the more still the inner world becomes. At the center of this stillness lives the spine — the Sushumna, the central axis, the body’s own antenna. As we organize ourselves along this vertical channel, the brain’s signal travels downward through the crystalline medium of cerebrospinal fluid, illuminating the cord that connects crown to root. This is not metaphor — it is physiology meeting mystery. The vertical axis has always been our access point to the flow state, to expanded consciousness, to that deeper current of aliveness that runs through us when we get out of our own way.
This class is a fully embodied, experiential journey through breath work, intentional movement, and the conscious organization of the body in space. You will not just learn to whirl — you will feel what it means to expand from the inside out, to discover stillness within action, and to use your own body as a gateway to personal transformation. Come ready to move, to breathe, and to be surprised by what becomes possible when you simply turn.
WHAT TO EXPECT:
This workshop will surprise you.
Come with curiosity. Leave your self-consciousness at the door. Give yourself permission to play. Some of the most profound discoveries in this practice arrive when we stop trying to perform and remember how to explore.
A Sense of Wonder & Play: Whirling has a way of dissolving adult armor. Expect to laugh, wobble, and delight in something that feels both ancient and completely new.
Alignment on the Vertical Axis: We work methodically with the body's architecture, learning how to stack, organize, and surrender along the central channel so the turn can do its work.
Vestibular Conditioning: You'll learn how your inner ear and nervous system respond to sustained rotation and, crucially, how to recognize the early signs of dizziness and move through them rather than resist them. This is a skill, and it is teachable.
The Transcendental Turn: When alignment meets breath and sustained movement, something shifts. Extended whirling can open a genuinely psychedelic state—not chemically, but physiologically. A natural altered state, available within your own body.
Workshop Journey: What We Do Together
We begin with a visual presentation exploring the history of whirling across cultures, tracing the thread that connects ancient traditions to the present day. From there, the story becomes personal: how this practice found me, and how I came to bring it here.
From that foundation, we move into the body.
Anatomy & Awareness: Explore the muscles, systems, and organizational principles that make whirling possible—what needs to activate, what needs to release, and why the body is beautifully designed for this practice.
Warm-Up & Hip Openers: Prepare the body with intention through targeted movement and mobility work. The purpose of the hip-opening sequence becomes immediately clear once the turning begins.
Turning Technique & Practice: Working together as a group, we'll explore foot placement, internal and external orientation in rotation, and the art of remaining centered while the world turns around you.
The Weighted Skirts: Brought directly from Egypt, these skirts transform the experience of whirling. During our open Whirling Lab, participants will have the opportunity to experiment, explore, and discover their own relationship with the turn.
This workshop is open to all bodies with the ability to stand and for all levels. The only requirement is curiosity.
SCHEDULE:
All times are listed in ET
Saturday, July 25, 2026
Daytime
- 12:00 PM: Gates open for day visitors (Entheon, Grey House & Mushroom Cafe open)1:00 PM: Full Moon Gathering registration begins in Grey House
Full Moon Workshop
- 2:00 PM - 2:30 PM: Welcome & Opening Slideshow - History of whirling across cultures, personal journey, and setting the intention for our time together.
- 2:30 PM - 3:00 PM: Anatomy, Warm-Up & Hip Openers - Understanding what the body needs for a successful whirl — the muscles, the organization, the preparation. Hip openers included — you’ll understand why soon.
- 3:00 PM - 3:05 PM: Short Break
- 3:05 PM - 3:30 PM: Internal Orientation - What is actually happening inside the body when we turn? We explore the inner landscape of the whirl — sensation, awareness, and the relationship between stillness and motion.
- 3:30 PM - 3:50 PM: External Orientation & Turning Techniques - Where the feet go, where the gaze travels, floor patterns, and directional awareness. We explore different turning techniques and weave in some vocal activation.
- 3:50 PM - 3:55 PM: Short Break
- 3:55 PM - 4:35 PM: Whirling Lab - The weighted skirts come out — brought from Egypt. We take turns whirling, holding space and supporting one another as each person finds their turn.
- 4:35 PM - 4:45 PM: Grounding & Closing Circle - We land. A Shavasana and guided meditation to integrate the practice and close our circle with intention.
- 4:45 PM - 5:00 PM: Sharing & Reflection - We come back together to share insights, revelations, and the quiet discoveries the body made along the way.
Your ticket includes General Admission to the Full Moon Gathering
Stay into the Evening for the July Full Moon Gathering with hosts, Alex Grey & Allyson Grey!
Full Moon Ceremony
- 5:30 PM: Entheon 3rd floor closed for ceremony setup
- 6:30 PM: Doors open for ceremony seating in the Great Hall Seating is not guaranteed and is first-come, first-served. Remote-viewing areas are always available throughout the ceremony in the Grey House Library and Entheon’s All One Gallery.
- 7:00 PM – 8:45 PM: Full Moon Ceremony Led by Alex Grey & Allyson Grey
- WATCH THE CEREMONY LIVE FROM HOME! (link coming soon)
- WATCH THE CEREMONY LIVE FROM HOME! (link coming soon)
Full Moon After-Hours
Featuring music, live painting, interactive art, and more. Food + beverages available in the Grey House Moon Lounge & Mushroom Cafe.
- 9:45 PM: Evening musical performance begins
- 11:00 PM: Entheon closes (Grey House remains open)
- 11:45 PM: Music ends / Group Howl at the Moon
- 12:00 AM: End of event
YOUR INSTRUCTOR:
Nawal El Tememi
Nawal El Tememi is a movement artist, performance ritualist, embodiment coach, and Registered Yoga School director with over sixteen years of international teaching and performance experience. Her work centers on sacred whirling as a disciplined embodied practice of presence, focus, transcendence, and devotional movement.
She has taught and performed across Europe, the Middle East, and North America, including extensive work throughout California, Dubai, Cairo, Tuscany, and Scandinavia. Integrating somatic awareness, breathwork, nervous system regulation, and grounded technical precision, Nawal approaches whirling as both an artistic medium and a transformative methodology — one that cultivates resilience, inner alignment, expanded perception, and embodied intelligence.
Alongside her performance work, she facilitates immersive workshops, trains yoga teachers, and guides individuals through embodiment-based coaching frameworks that support personal empowerment and conscious relational presence. She recently presented whirling as a transcendental medium at the Occulture Esoteric Conference and continues to develop interdisciplinary performance-ritual experiences internationally.
Her recent performance art explorations combine sacred whirling with the act of “gridding” — spontaneous pop-up ritual performances enacted within public spaces around the world. These site-responsive activations investigate the relationship between movement, stillness, architecture, energetic presence, and what she refers to as “anchoring into the verticality grid”: a living axis between body, earth, and the transcendent.
MATERIALS:
Whirling skirts are provided for the practitioners to use in group rotation- if anyone registering is interested in purchasing their own shearling skirt they are welcome to contact me in advance to request custom colors and sizing.
CoSM WORKSHOP SETTING:
Class sessions will take place in the beautiful MAGI Art Lab (Mystic Artists Guild International.)
WORKSHOP AMENITIES:
Your ticket includes General Admission to the Full Moon Gathering.
Stay into the Evening for the July Full Moon Gathering with hosts, Alex Grey & Allyson Grey!
- Live Music, painting, interactive art making + more
Tuition also includes Day Admission to CoSM: Saturday, July 25, 12pm - 5:30pm—before the Full Moon Gathering begins.
- Access to Facilities, grounds and self-touring Entheon
- Students are welcome to experience Entheon and Grey House Galleries, including both CoSM Shop & Entheon Shop.
- The Mushroom Cafe is an additional gallery, an immersively muraled space with mushroom themed contributions from 19 accomplished visionary artists
- The Wisdom Trail offers a contemplative walk through the CoSM woods, including a labyrinth, outdoor sculptural installations by visionary artists
Getting To CoSM:
CoSM is 65 miles north of New York City and accessible by Metro North Train leaving hourly from Grand Central Station.
Things to Note:
- No pets of any kind are allowed on CoSM property.
- No food or open liquids are allowed inside Entheon.
- Coat & bag closet available for ALL backpacks & large bags in Entheon.
Questions? Visit our FAQ Page or contact [email protected] | +1 (845) 297-2323 for more information.