Join us at AKI KIN on Saturday, January 18th, for Kankueb + Cacao: a women’s journey into the heart and wisdom of the Maya cosmovision where you will experience the heart opening medicine of ancestral Cacao in combination with the transformative power of Kankueb — an ancestral movement technology that activates vital energy through the body's core wisdom centers: the spine and joints.
Combined with the Spirit of Cacao, we are guided to consult with the wisdom of our precious heart, our wisest advisor, so that with open hearts we surrender to our intuitive and creative expressions.
We hold unimaginably instinctive wisdom. There is no limit to the love that can flow through us.
Cacao has been used in ceremony for thousands of years in indigenous communities across many ancient civilizations. Cacao helps us open our hearts and connect to the natural world by taking us on a journey of healing and remembrance of innate wisdom. Let us gather together in sacred circle with the gentle support of Mama Cacao to fully express our divine essence while entering a state of attunement with the Natural World.
This intimate and comprehensive session is limited to 13 WOMEN only.
INCLUDED WITH OFFERING:
Ceremonial offering of ancestral Cacao
Explanation, demonstration and specialized meditation of the seven Kankueb somatic movement techniques
Introduction to the Cholq’ij (Sacred Maya Calendar)
What is Kankueb?
Kankueb is a ceremonial dance that is rooted in the cosmovision and energy management techniques of the Maya. Passed down through oral tradition by generations of Maya Aj’Q’ijab (spiritual guides and daykeepers), Kankueb is a sophisticated system of conscious movement and deep meditation that holds the wisdom of teaching practitioners how to activate the energy channels and vortices of their body – which are housed in the spine, joints, fingers and toes, according to Mesoamerican shamanic tradition. From the outside, Kankueb is a sensual dance that spirals, undulates, and pulses in rhythmic waves; but internally, the consciousness of the body is being moved by the sinuous energy of our inner Kukulkan, the feathered serpent, an energy that represents our fullest potential, creativity, and vital life force.
We develop our physical strength and agility through Earth… while Air shows us to manage our mind through the breath… Water teaches us practices of movement and fluidity… while Fire guides us to master our personal energy, which moves in waves like the Serpent.
This is why a typical Kankueb practice begins with a series of circular, serpentine movement patterns called the 7 Kankuebs. These 7 movements awaken and mobilize the subtle energy of the spine and the major joints of the body, creating a serpentine dance of energy and awareness that unleashes profound somatic intelligence and creative expression.
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Thank you to Aj’Q’ij Don Carlos Holguín and the lineage of el Clan de Águilas for passing down these teachings.
Schedule (4 hrs):
- 10:00 AM - Cacao Ceremony with Introduction to Maya Cosmovision
An offering of sacred cacao that bridges Earth and Sky, as we explore the Cholq'ij and discover how cosmic energies guide our personal transformation journey
- 11:30 PM - Break
- 11:45 PM - Joint and Spine Isolation Techniques
Learn precise movements of the spine and 13 major joints, creating a deep connection with your earth body — the essential foundation of Kankueb
- 12:30 PM - Break
- 12:45 PM - The Dance of Kankueb
Experience Kankueb - a powerful moving meditation that combines intentional joint articulations, spinal movements, gentle breath work, visualization practices, and rhythmic sequences to awaken expanded states of consciousness and deepen body awareness.
- 1:45 PM - Closing
What to bring:
Yoga mat
Water bottle
Journal and pen
VALUE: $88
Reserve your space with the buttons below.
***Registration is non-refundable and non-transferable***
Meet your co-creators:
Karina Pinzón
Karina (Kari) Pinzón is a Colombian-American movement artist and dance/movement therapist-in-training who weaves ancestral ceremonial tradition and contemporary embodiment practices into transformative ritual movement experiences. Based in Colorado while pursuing her master's degree in dance/movement therapy and somatic psychotherapy, she maintains deep connections to her roots as she walks the white path of the Maya and trains in the practice of Kankueb under the guidance of Ajq'ij Don Carlos Holguín, who was initiated by Don Carlos Barrios and Don Gerardo Kanek Barrios of Guatemala. Through her research and practice, she is deeply committed to preserving and honoring Maya cosmovision and cultural traditions while thoughtfully integrating therapeutic approaches rooted in body awareness. Her work bridges artistic expression, personal transmutation, and community resilience through the integration of somatic ritual and movement practices.
Idwegishgokwe - Both Sides of The Sky Woman
Kristen Arambula Hernandez
Founder of AKI KIN
Bozho, jagenagenon. Kristen Arambula Hernandez ndezhnekas. Idwegishgokwe nishnabe ndezhnekas. Bodéwadmi kwé ndaw. Shishibeni ndebendagwas. Jigwé o ndotem. Hello, All My Relations. My name is Kristen Arambula Hernandez. My Anishinaabe name is Idwegishgokwe - Both Sides of the Sky Woman. I am a Potawatomi woman enrolled with the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. My clan is Thunderbird.
Kristen is a mother to three and an advocate for preserving and reclaiming ancestral, traditional ecological and star knowledge. She has been drumming with her tribe’s all women’s drum group, De’Wegen Kwek, for over eleven years and is also trained as an Indigenous Breastfeeding Counselor, birth doula and Cacao space holder. She is the founder of AKI KIN in Norman, OK - a collaborative space where she blends her Anishnaabe and Mexican lineages in bi-monthly ceremonies she holds for the community.
AKI ~ Bodwéwadmimwen (Potawatomi) word for Land or Earth
KIN ~ Relations or Family