5 Rhythms with Kate Shela

How do you dance the 5 Rhythms I wondered? Discovering you can sit, stand, lie down, curl up, making the biggest or smallest movements, just as long as you are moving in your own way, tuning into and visibly expressing the felt rhythm of your story … that’s how you dance your 5 Rhythms

Intention

Being encouraged to establish an intention prior to the workshop offered the gift of time to contemplate ones objective on the healing path from victim to survivor, allowing commitment to the process.

My intention -‘To Melt’; revealed itself to me as a wayto unveil traumas, feel what has to be felt, release what is no longer needed and move forward with all that will take me. Being prepared to move through blockages and reconnect with Self whilst nurturing a sense of tentative safety created by finding the courage to be vulnerable and place faith in the process.

Faltering at the first hurdle…

Following the workshop introduction session I was in flare up … My nervous system couldn’t face it, my pain was through the roof, digestion in chaos and energy through the floor, I felt a mess, a weak desperate mess. I missed half of the first day I felt so scared and so ill. The trip alone had ruined me without the additional ordeal of facing something new. I really don’t know how I made it to what was left of this session.

Kate Shela, the 5 Rhythms teacher helped me recognise that although I had missed half of the workshop I was to be congratulated on being strong enough to acknowledge my needs she knew that it took great courage to say no and not force myself to attend. “It’s just something I don’t do” I explained nervously “I don’t not turn up” was this is a break through for me I wondered? Kate said how proud she was of my level of strength at allowing myself to step into the remainder of the session. 

Healing time with Kate…

Kate told me I couldn’t heal any further alone, I needed a community of support to help me. The old me is dead she said intently … she’s integrated but gone. This threw a bolt of discomfort to the pit of my stomach I was stunned, startled like a rabbit caught in headlights struck by this information yet as the shock softened I realised this message had potential, could it be exactly what I needed to hear to be enable me to release myself from endless comparison with my past.

As we talked Kate noticed an abundance of emerald green light surrounding me she looked so pleased as she reassured me that I am stronger than I think, a beautiful warrior who simply must keep moving using the 5 Rhythms to help me transform. Apparently an emerald green light (seen as your Aura) stems from the heart with its bearers being happiest in nature and is thought to represent development bringing balance along an abundant healing path and that someone suffering trauma is preparing to move on from it. This offered hope for healing.

It just takes two …

Practising the 5 Rhythms with strangers is both an uncomfortable yet somehow inviting, the paradox brings inhibitions to the forefront in this intimate non-contact experience. Connection and defence swiftly become apparent as without verbal communication the silence is filled with the conversation of movement. Some partners you instantly gel with others feel awkward, some you naturally avoid - perhaps an expression of how your intuition guides you through life teaching you to navigate your space and how to listen when your body tells you where to go. Partnering seems to strengthen the connection you have with yourself as you begin to befriend your inner guide, this truest friend who will skilfully guide you through challenges, traumas and celebrations if you learn to let it and you can meet this guide through the dance.

I begin to feel I’m finding space to delve deeper, to open up and arrive into Self. I survived the paradox of partnering by tuning into myself, I’m beginning to trust myself again, beginning to melt my defences, change is coming its already begun.

Finding Your 5 Rhythms

Restless yet delighted

Nervously excited

Waves of calmness intersperse

A feeling that I may just burst

Tears and laughter take equal turns

As rhythm creates emotional whirls

Your dance is here waiting for you

Move with it… dive on in

Release your fears

Learn to be with it, get to know it

Love it, let it live in you

Three doesn’t have to remain a crowd

Working in a trio offers a powerful dynamic revealing the relationship you have with reoccurring patterns in your life, the very patterns you need to break. The trio enables you to meet the opposites of where you are in your life in all their glory, through demonstration by others.

Self sabotage was the pattern I needed to break and hope was something I could feel coming into my story something to move towards. Seeing the power of these opposites expressed by others really brings things home to you, to see your fellow dancers represent your states. It was incredibly powerful trying to move between the two, I felt crowded by self-sabotage unable to break free no matter how appealing hope looked. It took until the last few moments of this practise for me to move closer to hope, it felt so difficult despite my desire for it, perhaps I felt I didn’t deserve it – my self sabotage was unmistakably at work… I brought the two opposites together moving between them as I came to realise I needed to give gratitude to both of them for it was self sabotage that ultimately made space for hope.

Transformations

Moving supine on the floor I sensed I was beginning to share a relationship with my body sensing the position it had been frozen in 22.08.12 @ 17.45 as I lay fixed to the road with parts of my body crushed, open, bleeding. At the beginning of the session and more deeply at the end, I found an affinity with the movement. I heard myself thinking; is this Grace I am holding? I did not need to hear an answer Grace was present and it felt like acceptance. 

Speaking to Kate at the end of the workshop she had a lot to tell me.
I explained how my initiation of the 5 rhythms had given me a trauma survivor a feeling of being back in my own skin, she assured me that continuing to practise will nurture this sense of being home. “I feel I need to learn to let the beauty of the dance hold me,” I said, I keep disassociating. “Every time you disengage the 5 rhythms can bring you back… keep coming back, each time you go keep coming back” she said.

Healing Begins

I don’t want to tell my trauma stories anymore, I want to be rid of their armour, I want to create my life, a life where I can be alive.

I find the courage to believe I deserve to live to embrace the past allowing it to enhance the present. The unknown awaits and I feel invited to rest in the nest of experiences to allow them to nurture me, encourage me to spread my wings, to soar above the fight within. There are sparkles of my inner warrior arriving to quieten the fears I have lived. I realise I was scared of discovering how I would be shaped by the past … using t he 5 Rhythms has shifted things for me, I see glimpses now of this transformed peaceful warrior and notice I’m not frightened anymore I’m ready to embrace life’s challenges, not to live in spite of them. 

Hope shines its graceful light to my heart… it’s been waiting to break through. The past is getting ready to release. The ebb the flow the turbulent unrest is calming into peaceful rest and although as I prepare for the journey and see the way is not clear I know it is desired. I’m curious to see what’s ahead rather than living in constant fear of what might happen next. I can sleep now I tell myself, gather my strength for the journey to come, the challenge of becoming my authentic whole self.

Learning to melt

“You need to know there is care out there for you, I was thinking of you in LA” said Kate, “I knew I must speak to you as soon as I arrived in the UK” this was to see if attending the workshop was going to be the right thing for me holding  concerns about re-traumatisation. “You are so beautiful,” she said with such authenticity, don’t shy away from it … accept it. “I’m so proud of you, you are a warrior and you must keep dancing your dance” she mentioned that “I know how to ‘really’ have fun and I must do just that”. Offering the compliment back to Kate with her soulful eyes and enticing smile “you are beautiful” I said holding her hands and feeling so grateful for her endless kindness she shied away from it – its hard to take we both agreed smiling delicately.

Kate asked me; “What are you taking away with you?” … “Less” I say, “I came here with the intention to melt, that is why I am taking less”, the big melt has begun, I realise now that I need to be more attentive to myself, I need to notice when I am dropping back into self-sabotage and move towards hope, find space to move with Grace to give me space to heal, this insight offers me hope.

Heading back to the hotel I encountered something beautiful, two senior people on their balcony were swaying side by side, they were dancing but there was no music to be heard, then I noticed a young girl at ground level holding the hand of who I guess was her mother and they were dancing too, they were not shouting or waving their greetings they were dancing them, a family communicating across generations and distances through dance. Such a graceful moment to witness amidst the ambient glow of street lights.

As I reached the hotel, the super moon had risen and gazing out of the window I caught a glimpse its super brightness somehow soothing. I slept better than I have in years waking to see the sun glinting upon the autumn leaves outside. I play Discreet Music by Brian Eno as I stir, my hands begin to stretch and move with rhythm, a big smile spreading across my face as I notice I’m connecting to myself again. I can feel my skin, my breath, my body I am somehow even grateful for the aches and pains and I realise I must keep moving to reap the benefits of what has begun to melt the traumas that are already packing preparing to depart. I notice an unfamiliar state rising in me … what is this feeling? I ask myself as I try to place its familiarity then I realise its happiness, I feel genuinely happy! Have I somehow been given permission to be happy? Realising this makes me glaringly aware I have been denying myself this rite for many years. I then realise its deeper than that I have permission to be myself, my authentic self can begin to emerge. 

I promise to try and notice what is bubbling up inside me, to respond with Grace, giving myself space to notice what is present and in noticing what is arising I can hope to avoid disassociation; where I can go missing for hours, days, weeks even years. I vow that if go into a disassociated state I will keep coming back, I will learn to notice and keep coming back.

Did I melt? Yes. Did I unveil? Its underway. Am I transforming? Unavoidably. 

Reflections

Its fortunate I had no idea what I was diving into for I may never have taken the leap yet it seems to have been the most poignant thing to do at this point of my journey. I have begun to feel blessed for the journey that has bought me this far. My fear feels reduced & my hope is taking root. 

Kate held an amazing space full of authenticity. She transmitted beauty, it shone out from her wonderful smile and enchanting eyes, she embodies Grace, fierce and gentle Grace. 

I can see self-sabotage melting into a furnace of hope as I hold the desire to ensure my own personally tended prison falls away. My veil is lifting; the darkness I have come to know is beginning to fade. Self-belief is returning. I can see now how integrating the past initiates the growth of something new. 

My authentic self was lost through all the suffering but now a mist is forming as the hardened frost of my past begins to melt allowing my true self to return. I’m beginning to feel at home in my own skin the best gift anyone could ever be given after years of chronic pain and dissociation born from C-PTSD (Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). I feel the grips of this condition will become more ghost like, its reign weakening as I grow further into Grace.

I feel my sense of cheekiness; intelligence and wit will resurface despite being silenced by overwhelming fear. My thanks to these 5 Rhythms are countless, I know now that each time something begins to dissolve me I can keep coming back, put myself back together, re-member myself.

It’s so empowering to have taken the risk of exposing myself to life again and gratifying to reap the rewards of finding the courage to put something big into my life under my rules unlike the unwelcome and completely unexpected destruction trauma can bring.

The residue of the 5 Rhythms visits me in waves; feeling at home in my own skin… each time the wave arrives in the most adoring way, I drink it in, I can hear myself without making a sound its been years since I did that. Constant questions are fading; I finally have permission to begin to heal, to melt into my authentic self.

Melting

Unveiling layers

Dispersing darkness

Removing protective armour

Accepting all that has passed

Welcoming light

Softening the whole body and mind

Expanding into a new shape

Moving into Grace

“The dance reveals everything you need to know; of you, in spite of you, within you & without." Peace dear dancers, Peace ...

Forrest Yoga with Ana Forrest & Jose Calarco

Leave your Ego at the door, 

just bring your self in... Aho!

Credit Forrest Yoga (Facebook Page)

People who are drawn to Forrest Yoga which is known for its challenging transformational properties are seeking healing, often arriving broken in some way be it body, mind or both. They are carrying suffering and spending time with this healing practise really can be of great value to overall well-being. It may not be easy but it will be worth it.

It is explained by Ana & Jose how spirits walk among us and they are welcomed into the space through a ceremony of music and dance offered by Ana & Jose who gracefully create an atmosphere of wonder and anticipation with an air of seriousness in respect for the elders and the journey to be embarked upon by all attending.

Learning to take the energy that you put into neurotic thoughts to fuel things that benefit you and your healing path

Upon entering a Forrest Yoga workshop you are invited to prepare yourself to connect with your spirit inviting it to shine. To do this you are asked to shift your energy from the offset and you are made aware that to do this you must let go of held neurotic thought patterns. Unhelpful patterns keep you stuck, unable to move forwards. These held patterns are something we all have especially in this age of chaos we live in. Long standing neurotic patterns form our personality traits as they become embedded; thoughts, fears, actions and reactions. A classic neurotic thought is "I can't" a lie often told by our inner critic, Forrest Yoga invites you to work with this by finding and focusing on your inner spirit turning the neurotic energy you would normally waste on unhelpful patterns into proving the critic wrong instead. We need to shift none nurturing ingrained patterns to release ourselves providing the space we need to connect with our true self, our spirit. 

Forrest Yoga encourages you to acknowledge your own suffering to be able to let it go and move on from it rather than hanging on to it waiting for that recognition from someone else. The practise and its philosophy invites you to realise that injuries are indeed a gift, for each time we suffer we have to learn something new to recover from it and move forwards in our life wiser than we were prior to the suffering.

Ana Forrest carries an important message which could easily become an effective daily mantra "Staying present takes care of the future" another great use of our energy for our own gain as we focus on the here and now, a particularly useful mantra when suffering conditions such as; anxiety, PTSD, addictions and many more.

The healing space

Looking at these workshops from a trauma perspective the space is equally as important as the teachings provided. Practising any Yoga can bring up 'stuff' for anyone but Forrest Yoga works particularly deeply and for those having suffered trauma something other than the breath to focus on when facing a trigger often helps. Having a number of potential drishti (focal points) sprinkled around the room creates the opportunity for grounding and calming, these could be a candle, a Buddha, a drape anything that can be homed in on while you reconnect to calmness. It would be good to point out these drishti at the beginning of the workshop to allow those who may feel the need to create a good association with them from the start, providing a resource to home in on should the need arise.

Self healing with your breath and mind

Instead of having an often aggressive attitude towards an injury as you vent your frustrations to it learn to bring peace and offer healing. Guiding your breath to heal an injured, tweaky, emotionally broken or operated area can really aid your healing process as you inhale good energy into this area and exhale its toxins out with every single breath.

Forrest Yoga can guide you to change it can literally detox the struggles you carry with you; chronic pain, old tweaky injuries, deep trauma. Layer upon on layer of 'stuff' can be sweated out and moved on. It can reintroduce a wrung out overall sense of calmness that you can't familiarise yourself with at first as it has been gone for so long. Your senses become quieter paradoxically somehow softer yet sharper, analytical thinking reduces, as you become lost in the release it seems you have to be lost to be found again to greet that found you without all those layers of defence you have grown over the years. 

Forrest Yoga guides you to build your warrior heart, illuminate your core, heal your back or any other part of you that needs your healing energy and to celebrate your practise, allowing your spirit to shine.

Completing a Forrest Yoga workshop can leave you lighter than when you began creating the space that was needed to get to know yourself again. The practise can often be considered not easy but it is what you make it, learning to say to yourself 'what part of this can I do today' and really listening to the reply (without talking yourself out of something due to imagined weakness) can be liberating as you discover you can do so much more than you imagined possible, really listening to yourself becomes empowering.

Forrest Yoga holds the potential to open you up to become what you should be along your healing journey by unveiling what you need to do to achieve your dharma; your life purpose, your greatest happiness.

For more information about;

Ana Forrest

Forrest Yoga

or to buy her inspiring book 'Fierce Medicine' just follow the link; https://www.forrestyoga.com

The Om Yoga Show Manchester 2017 Event City

The Om Yoga Show Manchester 2017 Event City

There's just no stopping the Om Yoga Show ... growing year on year, always offering something new!

Its heartwarming to see the popularity of Yoga increasing year on year and it's great to see Om Yoga offer such diversity all under one roof… 

2017 saw lots of free Yoga sessions for children, aerial yoga workshops (sold out well in advance), fully attended CPD workshops and a variety of free yoga sessions that were often spilling outside their designated area with people taking part in the surrounding aisles.  

If you missed Om Yoga Show; Glasgow and Manchester you can still catch this October, (remember its best to pre-book workshops via the website)  www.omyogashow.com

Whats Not To Love...?

Expand your knowledge, network and attain CPD points all under one roof! 

With a range of paid and free open yoga sessions on offer, opportunities to converse with a wealth of different teachers, the chance to experience different ways of practicing and teaching yoga all set among whats new in the ever expanding and diverse world of Yoga. 

Yoga teachers, aspiring Yoga teachers, Yogis, Yoginis, whatever your background or point of interest there are plenty of opportunities to experience Yoga with for everyone... Here are just a few examples of the yogic delights to dive in to....

A Glimpse into a range of CPD workshops...
(all workshops are suitable for teachers, aspiring teachers and non teachers)

Empower Flow: Detox your body & mind! - Pradeep Teotia

www.pradeepyoga.com

From the moment Pradeep enters the workshop he is captivating exuding energy, excitement and calmness in equal measure. Participants are gifted with his unique and uplifting teaching style whilst being guided through a sequence of poses to actively detox the body accompanied with plenty of smiles from Pradeep that soon spread throughout the room. Pradeep encourages participants to be; honest, open, kind and authentic in their practice astutely pointing out that if we lie to ourselves we indeed lie to everyone else.

Pradeep explains how time speeds up when we are happy and grinds to a halt when we are sad he highlights that we must learn to face our sadness as this enables us to let it go, he points out the importance of doing so to avoid ignored sadness continually resurfacing and keeping a hold on us, it is far better to deal with your emotions to clean them away and unburden yourself. He recommends taking your troubles to your Yoga mat to work them through developing trust within yourself by learning to dissolve your hurts through your practice. He encourages awareness and gratitude for our invaluable breath and so beautifully demonstrates with a smile on his face and hand on his heart; with each breath - say to yourself "welcome home" 

Pradeeps sense of humour is welcomed along with his relaxed attitude towards practicing. This doesn't mean to say it is an easy workshop but it does mean there is truly something for everyone. You are not guided into poses that are taking you further than you would expect yourself to go, there are no pressures here as you are gently encouraged to release self expectation, to be comfortable with where you are and indeed able to try to do more with a sense of ease given this lighter approach. It brings rewarding results where people are letting go into poses without pressure or worry, reaping the benefits as smiles and giggles spread through the room, a wonderful class. Everyone left lighter than when they had arrived.

Be. Different Do. Differently. Meditation for the Modern World - Mick Timpson

www.micktimpson.com

Mick Timpson guides participants through some mindful meditation and explains the importance of bringing the mind into balance highlighting how we all have a positive and a negative default thinking pattern in our brain and science has revealed how regular meditation can bring the positive default into the foreground. 

Meditation builds Meta thinking where we learn to notice our Ego mind at work and respond mindfully rather than hastily losing our mind to a thought pattern built on the chaos of chain reactions that all to often lead to a whirlpool in the mind creating a shaken snow globe effect of thoughts in the mind. Meditation can settle this blizzard revealing clarity with meditation  we can learn to develop our interior self through regular practice changing our interpretation of the world as we heighten our awareness and are able to experience the world as a far more satisfying place, remember your surroundings are not you so be mindful not to become them... your surroundings are observed by you as your awareness.

Mick offers achievable tips on how to take a mindful approach into daily life and emphasises the key point of focusing on the breath to bring the mind into balance... why use the breath? Because it is such a reliable anchor, it is always with us...

 

Positive Pranayama - Suthesh of Simpli Yoga

www.simpliyoga.com/suthesh/

Suthesh overflows with vitality, his energy is infectious, his delivery bounces happily all around the room, his diction is powerful. The passion Sutesh has for Yoga is visibly unmistakable as he lights up when holding the session. His depth of knowledge in Pranayama is evident. Participants are guided to experience a range of Pranayama techniques and sequences in order to invigorate and then calm your system.

Prana = Breath (life force/vital energy)                 

Ayama = Control (expansion/control of life force)

Pranayama is breath control, rhythmic breathing and there are many techniques to benefit well being as well as to target specific areas of the body and mind. In this workshop the breathing changes pace throughout the session and everyone leaves invigorated...

 

Journey to the Core - Rosalind Southward

www.anjalienergy.com

Rosalind holds a welcoming authentic graceful presence in this Forrest Yoga workshop as she skillfully guides participants through a range of postures to light up the core and prepare the shoulders to take flight into Crow. Alternatives are offered throughout for different levels, conditions and injuries present in the workshop, this is clearly a practice that actively involves everyone. Hands on adjustments are gently and expertly gifted to participants as Rosalind carefully works her way around the packed out workshop.

We are encouraged to be mindful of our breath as Rosalind rightly says; "No breath, No Yoga"
 

In a Forrest Yoga class verbal information is stripped back to provide you with the key instructions you need to know for example; 'take left ear towards left shoulder' this enables you to free your mind of figuring out or remembering long sentences and leaves you to focus on carrying out the clear instructions given without doubt in your mind about what you should be doing next, creating maximum enjoyment in each pose... everyone is well looked after in this session.

 

Slow Down and Soften - Norman Blair of Yogacampus

www.yogawithnorman.co.uk

Norman brings a sense of reality and grounding into this workshop. He calmly, creatively and openly delivers guidance for both posture and mind set offering witty metaphors and life observations as part of the mix. Norman humorously explains how the deeper your Yoga pose becomes doesn't automatically mean that you suddenly deepen your very existence or that in anyway this new sense of achievement will make your life perfect.

Norman explains how Yin Yoga; learning the value and benefits of how to soften into stand alone poses for longer periods to work into deeper tissues and issues combined with mindful meditation techniques is where the juice of life is. This is where our development evolves  from nestled in the place where we meet and greet our fears and judgements, the place where we learn to work with, and accept our edge learning to be with it rather than flowing through vinyasa merely pausing for a fleeting breath or two before moving into the next pose, and the next and the next... Yin teaches us a different way, a patient tolerant way to learn to 'be'  with our 'stuff' bringing self acceptance which ultimately nurtures a peaceful state of being...

Norman shares a beautiful quote with us;

"I wish I could show you when we are lonely or in darkness the astonishing light of your own being" 
- Hafiz of Shiraz 

He also shares a humorous poem that highlights the act of non judgement and human nature;

"If you can sit quietly after difficult news 
if in financial downturns you remain perfectly calm 
if you can see your neighbours travel to fantastic places without a twinge of jealousy
if you can happily eat whatever is put on your plate
if you can fall asleep after a day of running around without a drink or a pill
if you can always find contentment just where you are: you are probably a dog" 
- Jack Kornfield

A selection of free workshops on offer to name but a few... 

• Hero Open Class Spinal Revolution - Nisha Srivastava

www.pilates4sport.com/about/our-staff/nisha-srivastava/

• Yoga Studio Open Class Intro to Forrest Yoga - Finlay Wilson

www.finlay-wilson.com

• Hero Open Class Yoga for Emotional Detox - Annie Jones & Lalita Doerstel

www.druyoga.com/meet-the-team

• Hero Open Class ChiBall Equilibrium - Dave Green

www.naturalself.co.uk

• Hero Open Class Resilient Shoulders - Finlay Wilson

www.finlay-wilson.com

• Yoga Studio Open Class Reconnect to Source Power and Recharge your Energies - Gillian Shippey of The Yoga Nidra Network

www.gillianshippey.com 

 

Om Yoga Show Manchester 2016

A Taste of the Om Yoga Show

Manchester 2016 Event City

om yoga show

This year the Om Yoga Show spreads its wings not only hosting shows in London and Manchester but Glasgow too, surely a sign of the increasing need for Yoga in our progressively demanding lives…

Like last year the show was spread across 3 days providing a wealth of workshops and many free open classes all nestled between a selection of exhibitors…

The Om Yoga show does a wonderful job of adeptly reaching new audiences. Seeing this many people in one place all drawn to Yoga I can’t help but sense that a beacon of hope is shining across the world gracefully guiding us to get back to our roots through Yoga, leading us to a more holistic lifestyle…

If you missed out on Glasgow and Manchester you can still catch the London show this October, bear in mind that its best to book workshops early through the website as they can sell out fast; www.omyogashow.com

Find Your Balance – Hatha Yoga with Sara Colombo

Hero Open Class

Tweets @THealthyF

Sara Colombo - Hero Open Class - Om Manchester

This class was set to provide a poised start to the day focusing on balancing postures bringing attendees focus inwards as they were encouraged to ground themselves and reconnect with their body after arriving at the show. Sara Colombo gently led the class through a number of poses and each person left with a calmed composure.

CurveSomeYoga with Donna Noble

Hero Open Class

Web www.thenobleartofyoga.co.uk
Tweets@DonnaNobleYoga

Donna Noble - Hero Open Class - Om Manchester

Getting to know your body a little better with concise guidance from the engaging and attentive Donna Noble is a rewarding experience. Donna helps you to learn simple and effective techniques such as how to set up your alignment with informative practical tips. Participants were encouraged to inhabit their own body without judgement and encouraged to align correctly whilst being led through a carefully selected sequence of postures.

Unity Partner Yoga 

Workshop Room 1
Web www.being-in-unity.com

Tweets @BeingInUnity

Unity Partner Yoga - Workshop Room 1 - Om Manchester

This playful workshop was all about partner work to deepen connection and physical communication between yourself and your yoga partner. The session opened with a beautiful Ahimsa mantra;

Sanskrit: Lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu

Translation: May all beings be happy and free, may the thoughts words and actions of my own life contribute in some way to happiness and freedom for all

Mantra Example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2y9ABZD5EM

… translation in more detail:
lokah: location, realm, all universes existing now
samastah: all beings sharing that same location
sukhino: centered in happiness and joy, free from suffering
bhav: the divine mood or state of unified existence
antu: may it be so, it must be so (antu - transforms this mantra into a pledge)

Working in pairs, participants were led through a series of postures working together listening closely, visually, audibly and kinaesthetically to learn what was right for their partner… There were many giggles and sometimes gasps as each pair worked through the poses guided by the calming voice of the instructor. The class was really enjoyed and you could sense the stronger connection that had been created between the couples in the room. During the workshop partners were encouraged to look each other in the eyes to see and accept that person with openness and clarity, there was complete silence briefly broken by the occasional giggle as people gazed into their partners eyes.

To close the partner work we were instructed to choose who was partner A and who was partner B. We then took it in turns to spend 2 minutes talking to the other partner whilst the other sat and listened in silence, when their time to speak is up the listener then comments back on what was said. This process is then repeated with role reversal, it’s amazing how much people can really focus and listen to what the other is saying in this deliberate measured situation.

As the workshop drew to a close we were encouraged to focus on;

What our hearts felt… as it turns out my heart feels blocked (I am recovering from serious traumatic injuries at the moment so this makes sense)

What our heart wants to receive… my heart in a tender state, it wants to receive but it wants to do this gently and with complete honesty

What our heart wants to give… my heart wants to be able to trust fully and give openly again

These responses came through to me very clearly and without hesitation, I was honestly a little stunned by the swiftness of the visual, kinaesthetic and auditory clarity. I clearly still have some healing to do and I know Yoga will support me along this path.

The session closed with all attendees working together in one continuous circle of lotus poses, all linked together by their hands chanting Om and wearing big calm smiles.

Yoga & Ayurveda
with Annie Jones and Nanna Coppens of Dru Yoga

Workshop Room 2

Web www.druyoga.com

Tweets @DruYoga

Yoga & Ayurveda with Annie Jones & Nanna Coppens of Dru Yoga
Workshop Room 2 - Om Manchester

Sanskrit: Ayur Translation: Life

Sanskrit: Veda Translation: Search for Health

This workshop began as a lecture style giving attendees an overview of Ayurveda and the three divisions of it known as Dosha’s, before moving into some posture sequences designed to benefit each Dosha, everyone has a mixture of all 3 Dosha types but will be dominant in one or two of them.

Dosha: Vata

Element: Wind

Energy: Controls bodily functions associated with motion; blood circulation, breathing, blinking

• If Vata is in balance = Creativity + vitality
• If Vata is out of balance = Fear + anxiety
  
  

Dosha: Pitta

Element: Fire

Energy: Controls the body's metabolic systems; digestion, absorption, nutrition, and temperature.

• If Pitta is in balance = Contentment + intelligence
• If Pitta is out of balance = Ulcers + anger
  
  

Dosha: Kapha

Element: Water

Energy: Controls growth in the body; supplies water to all body parts, moisturizes the skin, and maintains the immune system.

• If Kapha is in balance = Love + forgiveness
• If Kapha is out of balance = Insecurity + envy
  

Ayurveda is designed to strengthen our original connection with nature and the five elements to create optimum well-being. Our health is not just recognised by having bright eyes and a good appetite it is also about getting enough sleep, having regular elimination, a clear voice and being able to openly give and receive love.

Combining Ayurveda and Yoga helps us evolve towards finding our true self, towards discovering enlightenment by giving us a system to live by that optimises our true nature. Ayurveda recognises the needs of Vata, Pitta and Kapha it knows each type has a preferred time of day it knows their primary needs change with the seasons it identifies dietary requirements and specific Yoga can be practiced for each type to maximise individual well being. It recognises that Vata and Pitta bias like movement whereas Kapha need encouragement to get going.

Attendees are guided through a range of postures to suit each Dosha and encouraged to notice the different effects on themselves to try and identify which Dosha they are. For instance Vata people have high energy and can be fickle, they benefit from practicing sun salutations at a calmer pace. Pitta people find twists invigorating, benefit from abdominal work and should always keep their eyes steadily on the horizon during practice. Kapha needs to be challenged they are very loyal and earthy people that benefit from asymmetrical poses such as triangle as well as balance postures. Ayurveda recognises the subtle differences within your Yoga practice that can really benefit your Dosha type for example depending which Dosha type you are dictates which nostril you should inhale through first when practicing anuloma viloma (alternate nostril breath) and where your gaze should be placed during practice or what pace you should move through poses at.

If you are interested in finding out more about Ayurveda with Dru;

https://druyoga.com/events-all/dru-yoga-meditation-ayurveda-and-more-retreats-and-holidays

If you are interested in discovering your dominant Dosha, try this test;

http://www.naturesformulary.com/contents/dosha-test

Yin Yoga: Ignite Your Chi with Andrea Kwiatowski

Workshop Room 2

Tweets @andrea78160642

Yin Yoga with Andrea Kwiatowski - Workshop Room 2 - Om Manchester

Andrea Kwiatowski trained in Yin Yoga under Sarah Powers and delivered a deep reaching workshop of Yin Yoga with the most memorable pose being of course Square Pose the one where every attendee gulped or gasped upon its very announcement. You see, Square pose like many Yin poses is not easy, indeed I would say its right up there with one of the hardest to attempt, it certainly ignites your Chi...

Attendees were guided through a myriad of floor based poses to seek out their edge and sit with it, encouraged to notice and accept rather then engage with whatever comes up, for some it is physical sensation for others it is emotion for many it is both as each pose is held for a set number of minutes. Andrea mentions how you often think you have done well if you can hold a Yoga pose for 5 breaths, whereas in Yin a pose is often held for 3-5 minutes, sometimes more!

There are many references given during the workshop demonstrating how Yin is the opposite of modern paced life and our universal need for balance is currently seeing Yin rise in popularity across many UK cities. The opposite of Yin would be Yang Yoga this is denoted as the initially popular heat producing muscle defining practices that have given Yoga a place in modern western society, however Yin is now being recognised for its success and its appeal is very much growing as greater numbers of us begin to seek solace from our increasingly pressured lifestyles. If you are reaching burnout you should reach for Yin it cleanses you from within and although it is far from easy it is definitely a worthwhile practice that should be considered as a necessary compliment to any other Yoga you are currently undertaking creating harmony inwardly and outwardly through a balanced practice.