About me
About Me
I’m Sonja Schell, 28 years old, and I live in Freiburg.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been passionate about dance, the body, connection, and exploring how we — and the world — can truly thrive.
I love expressing myself, being fully present in the here and now, and feeling deeply connected with myself and others. Dancing, touch, and nature help me feel alive — and to fall in love with life again and again.
The Body as a Key – My Own Healing Journey
During a difficult period in my teenage years, I began experiencing severe back pain. That marked the beginning of an intense, at first frustrating but now deeply enriching healing journey.
After many unsuccessful attempts to treat the symptoms purely on a physical level — for example through physiotherapy and osteopathy — I gradually began to understand that body and mind cannot be separated, and that my path to healing would lead through the body itself and through a somatic process of becoming aware.
Various approaches, including Focusing (according to Eugene Gendlin) and workshops in dance and dance therapy, helped me to develop greater awareness and to process and integrate old experiences that had been causing the pain. My exploration of Embodiment thus began long before I discovered Transformative Bodywork.
Dance and the Body – My Greatest Passions
During my studies (Teacher Training in Special Education, focusing on emotional and social development), I realized more and more that I wanted to turn my deep engagement with somatics and dance into my profession. Even then, I loved sharing my joy of dancing with others — I founded the Forró community in Würzburg (a Brazilian partner dance) and also a weekly Contact Improvisation Jam in the same city. Unitl now, I love teaching partner dances (especially Forró and Fusion) and continue to dance regularly myself.
Whether at Ecstatic Dance, Contact Improvisation, Fusion, Brazilian Zouk, Forró, or Tango – I love exploring how I can deeply feel myself and my partner while dancing, and how we can enter a flowing, connected state together.
How Transformative Bodywork and Fluentbody Came Into My Life
After finishing my studies, I discovered Transformative Bodywork — and I immediately knew that this was exactly right for me. Since 2023, I have been training as a Transformative Bodywork Practitioner with Sophie Kinkel in Berlin.
Shortly afterwards, I got to know Fluentbody, whose approach is closely aligned with the philosophy of Transformative Bodywork. In 2024, I participated in the Fluentbody Teacher Training with Florencia Lamarca in Berlin.
I’m curious to see where this journey will take me next — and I’m excited to share my work with you and support you in finding your own path back into your body and your aliveness.