Restoring belonging through body, breath, and Earth.
Who We Are
Dry Bones is a community wellness practice integrating somatic education, nervous system regulation, creative expression, and nature’s gifts. Through workshops, retreats, and communal experiences, we help people reconnect with themselves, one another, and the world around them.
Embodiment provides the groundwork for what we do. We draw from the knowledge and theories of nervous system science and somatics in order to build programs that give you insight into how your body drives your experience; from work, to relationships, habits and routines, and your overall sense of connection to yourself and others.
As we grow in awareness of our bodily system, we can implement the supportive practices our system desires to feel centered, calm, and open. Returning to a state of calm and openness lays the groundwork within our bodies for a sense of belonging to take root and grow.
Meet Jane
Jane Ulring is the founder of Dry Bones Ritual and Reclamation. Her approach skillfully combines nervous system sciences, somatic (bodily) expression, and wisdom traditions to support individual and collective well-being amidst life’s ruptures and transitions.
She has a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary; completing fieldwork in crisis counseling and pastoral care in addition to her degree’s concentration on inter-religious engagement and Earth-based ritual practices.
Jane’s approach is also informed by the years she spent working in natural resource management. She builds enriching nature-based practices that care not only for the human spirit, but tend the Earth as well.
Jane continues to grow as a facilitator. She will complete certification as a Somatic Therapy Practitioner through the Somatic Arts Academy in November 2026.
Meet Bri
Bri Smejkal is an artist, educator, and creative technologist whose work explores the relationship between embodiment, creativity, and connection. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sculpture from the Minneapolis College of Art & Design and is currently completing The Embody Lab's Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy Certificate. Her work incorporates somatic practices and creative expression into workshops and community experiences.
Drawing from her background in creative technology, studio art, and community education, Bri collaborates with Jane to design and facilitate experiences that invite participants into deeper relationships with themselves, their creative expression, and the wisdom of the body.
The story of us…
Before your first cry the Earth sustained you. The soil put forth food that fed your mother, and plants and trees produced oxygen you would one day breathe. Before your skin ever felt air, the planet operated its own complex system to support your precious body and bring you into life.
Before you were ever held. Before you ever had a crush. Before you were ever hurt, and before you ever felt the sting of rejection. A community surrounded you. People smiled across rooms. They flirted. They fought. They cried and laughed together. And they embraced each other. Somewhere in the motions and movements of a community your parents met, they joined, and their joining welcomed you.
Before you learned your name and before you developed your personality. Before you ever scraped a knee, or tried a food you loved, you were simply a body. A vibrant being expertly woven together into a complex system of flesh, organs, and nerves working in tandem to learn your environment, grow, and connect to the world around you.
You were made for connection. Made to eat and breathe the Earth. Made to smile across rooms and embrace those you love. Made to sense and perceive all this world has to offer you. You belong here.
Maybe you don’t feel that way. Maybe you’ve been told you don’t fit in or maybe through the ruptures of life you hardened, quickened, withdrew, or you forgot. Returning to connection, so often, is the work of softening, slowing, unfolding, and of remembering. Let’s remember together: we belong.