Empower yourself through movement

In this Dance Yoga workshop, gain a deeper awareness of what we feel in our body and how our minds play a role in it. Join this class to build a more loving relationship with yourself and your body, and explore ways to feel more empowered through movement. 

This workshop takes place in ‘Move.’

Reserve your free tickets here.

Getting personal… with yourself!

Join us for a night of creative exploration, laughter, and artistic expression. No matter your skill level, everyone is welcome to participate in this class. 

For this edition, we turn our attention inward to study ourselves. It can be confronting to face our reflection, but this class invites you to look beyond the surface, instead to make a representation of yourself and your inner world. This is an introspective session that will help you reflect on how you really feel and express it through drawing.

What to Bring:
Your own sketchbook for a personal touch, if you have one.

Art Supplies:
We've got you covered! We'll provide all the necessary art supplies, from pencils to shading tools, so you can focus on bringing your portrait to life.

No Experience Needed:
Whether you're a seasoned artist or picking up a pencil for the first time, this event is for you! There's no pressure—just bring your quirky self and an eagerness to try something new.

About the host:
Ailisha Shannon is an Irish/Dutch visual artist, creative director and writer based in Rotterdam. As a teacher, Ailisha specialises in storytelling, visual research, and idea development. Her workshops and classes are geared towards supporting and inspiring students to find their artistic voice and confidence, whilst also providing them with the tools needed to build a solid and exciting artistic practice of their own.

This workshop takes place in ‘Create.’ 

Reserve your free tickets here.

We’re here to break taboos, provide fresh perspectives, and offer a space to ask the questions you’ve been too afraid to ask

17:00–18:30 – Music from Groover Jazz, food and drinks. 
18:30–19:30 – Panel discussion moderated by the founder of Umaversity, Jo Sarah with Sophia Nabeel, Lydia Linger, and Julian Schurmann 
19:30–20:30 – Expert Talk: The three pillars of intimacy with Wilma Mathurin

This Exhale Week is all about facing the real stuff: the deep, often unspoken terrains of love, intimacy, relationships, and everything in between. Even just talking about intimacy and interpersonal matters can be a tricky arena to navigate, let alone putting it into practice. To tackle this, we’ve teamed up with Umaversity to curate a panel discussion and expert talk that confronts challenging conversations around intimacy in both personal and professional spaces. We’ll be discussing everything from boundaries, consent, self image, anatomy, and more as well as thinking about what we find pleasurable, what a safe space looks and feels like to us and more. There will be time for a Q&A at the end of both the panel discussion and expert talk. 

Doors open from 17:00. The panel discussion kicks off at 18:30 and is followed by an expert talk at 19:30.

Reserve your free tickets here. Tickets for the panel discussion and expert talk come as a package! There’ll be an opportunity to take part in workshops which start from 21:00. Tickets must be reserved for the workshops separately. 

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About Umaversity
Umaversity is a movement and community, founded by Jo Sarah, where you can connect, share, and learn about everything (female+*) mental, body, and sexuality with each other and with our 100+ experts. UMA means woman in Surinamese and –VERISTY is a place where education and knowledge exchange take place on all kinds of levels, just like a University. Our vibrant community spans 42 cultures, bringing together individuals aged 20–70, and transcends gender boundaries. Umaversity provides a platform for dialogue and education, both online and offline, featuring insights from 100+ experts who work with us in the realm of mental, body, and sexual wellness.

*female+: individuals that identify as woman/feminine and/or have a vulva

www.umaversity.com
www.instagram.com/umaversity

Moderator, panel discussion
Jo Sarah, founder of Umaversity, artist, author, and speaker
Jo Sarah is the founder of Umaversity, as well as an artist, author, and speaker with a passion for empowerment and inclusivity. She fosters spaces for discussion and exploration of mental, body, and sexual wellness. Furthermore, Jo serves as an advisor for diversity and inclusivity in cultural education at Mocca Expertisecentrum Cultuuronderwijs in Amsterdam. Alongside her creative pursuits, she is also the author of Manifest your Desires, a comprehensive book to realising personal desires through a 5-step programme.

www.josarah.com
www.instagram.com/thisisjosarah

Panelists
Saad Nabeel/Sophia 
My name is Sophia. I was born in Bangladesh, raised in the US, studied in Malaysia, and moved to the Netherlands to pursue my career in cybersecurity. Though I've lived in various places and experienced multiple cultures, I've always felt "different from the rest" throughout my life. I've been on a journey of self-discovery for the past few years and I am happy to say that I've embraced my gender fluidity. Aside from living life as both a man and a woman, I'm also a proud engineering enthusiast (nerd) and love gaming (when I get time). 

Lydia Linger
I have been working as a holistic psycho and relationship therapist for a number of years and work with individuals and couples. My vision within my work is focused on “coming home to yourself,” the basis for every connection or relationship. I see myself as a domino stone that contributes to growth, healing, development, recovery, insights, remembering one's own greatness, and connection in and around the people I work with. I'm humbled and honoured to be doing this while working on my own mission… For us to remember how great we are!

https://intenzie.com/

Julian Schurmann
My name is Julian, I'm a 25 year old Master’s student in Management from Singapore and Denmark. Previously I lived in Amsterdam, where I studied political science. Besides that, I grew up across seven different countries, which has had a profound impact on my own intersectionality, especially with regards to relationships and intimacy. I've been in a loving relationship with my girlfriend for almost 3 years now, who has had similar relationship expectations despite pretty different upbringings.

Speaker, expert talk
Wilma Mathurin
Healthcare Psychologist with a specialisation in sexology (certified by the  Dutch Association for Sexology - NVVS)

Wilma Mathurin is a Healthcare Psychologist and Behavioral specialist who works in Transgender care. Additionally, she works with individuals with autism spectrum disorder and people with learning disabilities. She educates about autism, learning disabilities, emotional development, gender diversity, attachment, trauma and issues concerning sexual health.

https://www.nvvs.info/professionals/nieuws/item/1868-wilma-mathurin

In this workshop with body and sexual wellness coach Danique Scipio, we’ll be thinking about how body ideals are influencing the way we think and experience sexuality, how to stimulate self-love and build up body positivity in your love and sex life, and more! The workshop will combine theory, a writing exercise, and an interactive exercise to stimulate both cognitive and somatic insights. Leave the session with new insights on body ideals and body image, how you feel about body, and how to change it.

Reserve your free tickets here. This workshop takes place in ‘Create.’

The Self+ is a thoughtfully crafted card game that helps you to deepen your relationship with yourself and your fellow players. In each of the two decks (the Women’s Collective and The Queer Collective), choose from seven different sets of cards including questions around sex, self love, community, health, and more. Tonight you have a chance to play the game with your friends, and also meet one of the creators to get some insider knowledge on what goes into creating a game like this!

Find out more about the card game here.

Reserve your free tickets here. This event takes place in the Cinema.

In this workshop with love and relationship therapist Nadin van der Rest, we’ll be thinking about navigating online dating in a fun and a safe way. This is a practical workshop in which you’ll explore your own dating style and get valuable tips and tricks on enhancing your love life and approach to dating. Leave the workshop with a better understanding of your patterns, pitfalls, and perspectives on dating and love. Plus you'll know what to focus on in your profile and during dates! 

Reserve your free tickets here. This workshop takes place in ‘Move.’

Celebrate the end of our second Exhale Week with an evening of live music, free food, drinks, and Tarot readings! Plus, we’ve got a whole new selection of relationship-themed board games to try out upstairs in Create.

Program
17:00 Doors open: Food trucks (Surinamese broodjes and vegan nachos) and drinks 
17:30–18:30 Live music from Groover Jazz
18:30–22:00 Tarot Reading with Eva Koornstra 
19:00–22:00 Relationship-themed Board Games 

Groover Jazz
The Delft Student Jazz Association 'Groover' was founded in November 2006 and over the past 17 years has grown from a big band to a full-fledged association with over 450 members. D.S.J.V. Groover is now the largest student jazz association in the Netherlands and consists of a diverse group of students with a shared love of music and jazz. Besides the musical development the association offers, Groover is a platform for social encounters and activities for students. Groover organises its activities at Cultuurlab (Brabantse Turfmarkt 9), where drinks and jam sessions are held every Wednesday!

Tarot Reading with Eva Koornstra
A Tarot reading is an opportunity to learn more about your present and your future, give direction to internal questions and issues of self doubt. Eva works with the Osho Zen Tarot card deck, which mostly gives insights into the “here and now.” Turn to the Tarot with questions about anything from love and relationships to career, family, and personal development matters. A Tarot reading is not here to give you concrete answers to questions, but rather offer insights on how to get there yourself. 

Eva Koornstra will be at Exhale all evening to offer free readings in the Cinema space. Sessions are drop-in only and last approximately 10–15 minutes. 

About Eva Koornstra 
My name is Eva Koornstra. Helping people is the common thread in my life. After my studies, I had a successful career, working for 14 years as a manager for a UN organisation. I left this life behind to follow my heart. Due to the challenges in my life, I entered a path of personal and spiritual growth at a young age. It taught me to live from acceptance and to follow my feelings and intuition. This eventually led to supporting others on their life path.Besides my work as a therapist in my own practice, I work in a clinic for people with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

My way of working
It is my passion to guide people on the way (back) into themselves, so that they can reconnect with their authentic self and live a purposeful life. The people I help are diverse. What they often have in common is that they are hindered in their lives by old beliefs and patterns, are not fully in touch with their emotions and intuition, wish to live in ‘the moment’ or have a good life, but still experience unrest or a certain emptiness.

In my work, I combine western with eastern science and psychology and spirituality come together, without it being “woolly.” My working method is honest, personal, lovingly direct, and focused. I work with what presents itself in that moment. I listen without judgement and hear, see and feel more than what is said, so that deeper layers can be touched.

https://innerlightbyeve.nl/en/welkom-english/
https://www.instagram.com/evakoornstra/

Acroyoga is a practice that combines yoga and acrobatics. On top of being an extraordinary workout to help build strength and bodily awareness, Acroyoga is a group activity that requires establishing a solid foundation of trust and communication with your workout partner in order to perform well. 

This workshop is an introduction to Acroyoga and is hosted by Ronald Verlaan and Paulina Moralez.

No experience is necessary. You will be partnered up during the class, no need to sign up as a pair!

This class takes place in ‘Move.’ Reserve your free tickets here.

The focus of this session will be on bringing your old clothing back to life. Together with Rosalie, you can experiment with materials and create new fabrics, play with shapes in a garment, and bring all your ideas to life.

REMINDER: Don’t forget to bring old clothes that you would like to give a second life.

Hosted by Rosalie.

Drop in between 17:30 and 19:30, and stick around until 22:30. Reserve your free tickets here.

About the Creative Studio Sessions
The Creative Studio Sessions are an open invitation to get creative without pressure or expectation. Join our studio experts every weekday evening for a free-wheeling session focusing on a different artistic discipline and theme. These sessions are not art classes, but rather open-ended, dedicated studio time for students to explore concepts, techniques, or creative prompts as set by our studio experts. No matter your skill level, everyone is invited to join. Come if you are looking for new inspiration and ideas, or to try out a new skill. Your creativity is like muscle, it needs a workout! 

You are also welcome to work independently in the creative studio during these hours if you do not wish to participate in the Creative Studio Sessions.

This session is all about point of view and offers a chance to try on different voices to identify how perspective impacts your writing. There will be readings and writing prompts, along with an experiment in listening to your writing. You can bring along existing work to play around with, start something new, or borrow from your favourite books.

Hosted by Harriet.

Drop in between 17:30 and 19:30, and stick around until 22:30. Reserve your free tickets here.

About the Creative Studio Sessions
The Creative Studio Sessions are an open invitation to get creative without pressure or expectation. Join our studio experts every weekday evening for a free-wheeling session focusing on a different artistic discipline and theme. These sessions are not art classes, but rather open-ended, dedicated studio time for students to explore concepts, techniques, or creative prompts as set by our studio experts. No matter your skill level, everyone is invited to join. Come if you are looking for new inspiration and ideas, or to try out a new skill. Your creativity is like muscle, it needs a workout! 

You are also welcome to work independently in the creative studio during these hours if you do not wish to participate in the Creative Studio Sessions.

This week, our design expert Chiara will propose a series of stimulating creative exercises to guide students in their journey towards realising their creative project. These exercises are designed by industry experts and aim to develop not only a final product, but also the method, techniques, and creative mindset. Each workshop will include a brief introduction, a practical exercise, and a collective discussion of the results, as sharing ideas is fundamental to stimulating creativity.

Hosted by Chiara.

Drop in between 17:30 and 19:30, and stick around until 22:30. Reserve your free tickets here.

About the Creative Studio Sessions
The Creative Studio Sessions are an open invitation to get creative without pressure or expectation. Join our studio experts every weekday evening for a free-wheeling session focusing on a different artistic discipline and theme. These sessions are not art classes, but rather open-ended, dedicated studio time for students to explore concepts, techniques, or creative prompts as set by our studio experts. No matter your skill level, everyone is invited to join. Come if you are looking for new inspiration and ideas, or to try out a new skill. Your creativity is like muscle, it needs a workout! 

You are also welcome to work independently in the creative studio during these hours if you do not wish to participate in the Creative Studio Sessions.

Micha Heilman and Thomas de Boer are back for another workshop, this time focusing on repairing your clothes by hand! Learn how to repair garments using techniques such as patching, sewing, and darning, and learn to make pockets in clothing usable again!

The workshop will start with a one-hour masterclass before opening up the general repair cafe, where you can bring any items including electronics, instruments, bikes, and clothing, as well as your technical queries for repair advice and solutions.

Remember: Bring your own clothes to work on!

This workshop takes place in ‘Create.’

Reserve your free tickets here.

Urban sketching is simply drawing what is in front of you at any given time, in any given location. This can be buildings (like the name suggests), but also plants, people, pets and whatever you find yourself around. It’s a form of keeping a diary, except you can do it with a group of friends.

Hosted by Michiel.

Drop in between 17:30 and 19:30, and stick around until 22:30. Reserve your free tickets here.

About the Creative Studio Sessions
The Creative Studio Sessions are an open invitation to get creative without pressure or expectation. Join our studio experts every weekday evening for a free-wheeling session focusing on a different artistic discipline and theme. These sessions are not art classes, but rather open-ended, dedicated studio time for students to explore concepts, techniques, or creative prompts as set by our studio experts. No matter your skill level, everyone is invited to join. Come if you are looking for new inspiration and ideas, or to try out a new skill. Your creativity is like muscle, it needs a workout! 

You are also welcome to work independently in the creative studio during these hours if you do not wish to participate in the Creative Studio Sessions.

Find movement through sensory impulses

In this workshop hosted by Marley Braaf we will focus on the elements of time, space, and force and think about how they are used in choreography. Through sensory impulses – touch, smell, sound, and sight – you will be encouraged to find your own movement language while also breaking free from your habits. Let an image shape you, a sound reverberate through your body, and a scent transport you back in time.

Whether you are an experienced dancer or just starting out, this workshop is designed to accommodate all skill levels. Expect a workshop where you can improve your dance skills, discover your creative potential, and connect with others through dance.

This workshop takes place in ‘Move.’ Reserve your free tickets here.

About Marley Braaf 
Marley Braaf is a Dutch-Surinamese dancer, teacher and choreographer from Amsterdam. He graduated in 2018 from the Academy of Theatre and Dance in Amsterdam (AHK). Since his graduation he has worked as a dance teacher for various cultural organisations as ICK, Danstheater AYA, The Dutch National Ballet, and the Meervaart theatre amongst others. His work is mostly contemporary based, but with influences from other dance styles. He always encourages the dancers to work from their own physical abilities and cultural backgrounds. Therefore his work is accessible for dancers from all levels and dance experience.

Storytelling & Drawing focuses on the fundamentals that make up any great visual artwork. We train techniques, hone skills, play with materials and guide you during your artistic process. These sessions can cultivate the quality of your drawings, will help you explore visual concepts and stimulate creativity. Next to that; feel free to join us with any creative project you are already working on.

During this session, we will not only draw the portrait but also research how to express the emotional qualities that we want the portrait to have.

This session is guided by Nick.

Drop in between 17:30 and 19:30, and stick around until 22:30. Reserve your free tickets here.

About the Creative Studio Sessions
The Creative Studio Sessions are an open invitation to get creative without pressure or expectation. Join our studio experts every weekday evening for a free-wheeling session focusing on a different artistic discipline and theme. These sessions are not art classes, but rather open-ended, dedicated studio time for students to explore concepts, techniques, or creative prompts as set by our studio experts. No matter your skill level, everyone is invited to join. Come if you are looking for new inspiration and ideas, or to try out a new skill. Your creativity is like muscle, it needs a workout! 

You are also welcome to work independently in the creative studio during these hours if you do not wish to participate in the Creative Studio Sessions.

The focus of this session will be on bringing your old clothing back to life. Together with Rosalie, you can experiment with materials and create new fabrics, play with shapes in a garment, and bring all your ideas to life.

REMINDER: Don’t forget to bring old clothes that you would like to give a second life.

Hosted by Rosalie.

Drop in between 17:30 and 19:30, and stick around until 22:30. Reserve your free tickets here.

About the Creative Studio Sessions
The Creative Studio Sessions are an open invitation to get creative without pressure or expectation. Join our studio experts every weekday evening for a free-wheeling session focusing on a different artistic discipline and theme. These sessions are not art classes, but rather open-ended, dedicated studio time for students to explore concepts, techniques, or creative prompts as set by our studio experts. No matter your skill level, everyone is invited to join. Come if you are looking for new inspiration and ideas, or to try out a new skill. Your creativity is like muscle, it needs a workout! 

You are also welcome to work independently in the creative studio during these hours if you do not wish to participate in the Creative Studio Sessions.

Editing is much more than just deleting sentences or changing punctuation; it is where most of ‘writing’ really happens. Bring along first drafts of your creative pieces to edit if you have them (if you don’t there will be prompts for throwing something together quickly on the day). The session will be full of tips for how to edit your work, guidance for effectively giving and receiving feedback, and there’ll be a chance to get some external feedback on your work too – excerpts of 500 words are welcome.

Hosted by Harriet.

Drop in between 17:30 and 19:30, and stick around until 22:30. Reserve your free tickets here.

About the Creative Studio Sessions
The Creative Studio Sessions are an open invitation to get creative without pressure or expectation. Join our studio experts every weekday evening for a free-wheeling session focusing on a different artistic discipline and theme. These sessions are not art classes, but rather open-ended, dedicated studio time for students to explore concepts, techniques, or creative prompts as set by our studio experts. No matter your skill level, everyone is invited to join. Come if you are looking for new inspiration and ideas, or to try out a new skill. Your creativity is like muscle, it needs a workout! 

You are also welcome to work independently in the creative studio during these hours if you do not wish to participate in the Creative Studio Sessions.

Join us for another instalment of the Ecstatic Dance workshop, this time with Martin Lesueur.

Lose yourself in the music, move freely without holding back, and connect with yourself and others through the power of dance. No judgments, no expectations—just pure, unbridled fun and free self-expression. The session begins with a guided warm-up to help you loosen up.*

*Please note that this is a sober event.

This class takes place in ‘Move.’ Reserve your free tickets here.

About Martin Lesueur
Martin is an assistant professor at TU Delft and Ultimate Frisbee trainer at X. He has been breakdancing for 10years+ and recently found in ecstatic dance a cathartic way to explore movement. To go beyond and share his passion, he started DJing ecstatic dance sets, following one storyline across diverse music genres and energy levels.

This week, our design expert Chiara will propose a series of stimulating creative exercises to guide students in their journey towards realising their creative project. These exercises are designed by industry experts and aim to develop not only a final product, but also the method, techniques, and creative mindset. Each workshop will include a brief introduction, a practical exercise, and a collective discussion of the results, as sharing ideas is fundamental to stimulating creativity.

Hosted by Chiara.

Drop in between 17:30 and 19:30, and stick around until 22:30. Reserve your free tickets here.

About the Creative Studio Sessions
The Creative Studio Sessions are an open invitation to get creative without pressure or expectation. Join our studio experts every weekday evening for a free-wheeling session focusing on a different artistic discipline and theme. These sessions are not art classes, but rather open-ended, dedicated studio time for students to explore concepts, techniques, or creative prompts as set by our studio experts. No matter your skill level, everyone is invited to join. Come if you are looking for new inspiration and ideas, or to try out a new skill. Your creativity is like muscle, it needs a workout! 

You are also welcome to work independently in the creative studio during these hours if you do not wish to participate in the Creative Studio Sessions.

Your own hand is a big part of what makes a drawing, but how do you get to know what your style is? In this session, we will experiment with different speedy drawing restraints and see what we can learn from them.

Hosted by Michiel.

Drop in between 17:30 and 19:30, and stick around until 22:30. Reserve your free tickets here.

About the Creative Studio Sessions
The Creative Studio Sessions are an open invitation to get creative without pressure or expectation. Join our studio experts every weekday evening for a free-wheeling session focusing on a different artistic discipline and theme. These sessions are not art classes, but rather open-ended, dedicated studio time for students to explore concepts, techniques, or creative prompts as set by our studio experts. No matter your skill level, everyone is invited to join. Come if you are looking for new inspiration and ideas, or to try out a new skill. Your creativity is like muscle, it needs a workout! 

You are also welcome to work independently in the creative studio during these hours if you do not wish to participate in the Creative Studio Sessions.

Follow a playful set of methods in this writing workshop devised by writer and poet Raouf Alaia. Each step of the workshop will bring you closer to where atoms of thought translate themselves in the most honest way, through subconscious writing. By the end of the session, you will have written a masterpiece of your own, and kickstarted a lifelong practice towards greater inner understanding.

Reserve your free tickets here.

This workshop takes place in ‘Move.’

How to tell a long story in a short amount of time? We'll experiment with ways of condensing information and tailoring it to the audience. You can bring material you are working on or make a start during the session.

This session is guided by Yelizaveta.

Drop in between 17:30 and 19:30, and stick around until 22:30. Reserve your free tickets here.

About the Creative Studio Sessions
The Creative Studio Sessions are an open invitation to get creative without pressure or expectation. Join our studio experts every weekday evening for a free-wheeling session focusing on a different artistic discipline and theme. These sessions are not art classes, but rather open-ended, dedicated studio time for students to explore concepts, techniques, or creative prompts as set by our studio experts. No matter your skill level, everyone is invited to join. Come if you are looking for new inspiration and ideas, or to try out a new skill. Your creativity is like muscle, it needs a workout! 

You are also welcome to work independently in the creative studio during these hours if you do not wish to participate in the Creative Studio Sessions.