Autumn Nurture Yoga workshop
10am-1pm (2pm with shared lunch)
Saturday 16th November
Westmeston Parish Hall
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In Traditional Chinese Medicine, autumn is the time of Metal element which represents qualities such as clarity, organization and the ability to let go. It is a time of transition and reflection, helping to prepare for new growth.
The Metal element is associated with our lungs and large intestine. It governs our skin, immune system, breath and also our mind. Metal’s quality is to be able to let go – to strip away what is holding us back and to reveal the unique gifts and talents that are held deep within us.
In this workshop we will:
- Practice Yoga postures and breathing techniques that help to bring balance to the flow of energy through the lung and large intestine meridians.
- Learn how to activate acupoints for a healthy respiratory and elimination system
- Learn energy techniques to strengthen our immune system
- We will also have some time to reflect on our own ability to let go, in a sensitive and supportive environment
Weather permitting, we may be able to do some practices outdoors: walking meditation, connection to energy of trees, the earth and the sky.
Workshop venue:
Westmeston Parish Hall is lovey venue, a village hall between Ditchling and Plumpton, surrounded by trees and fields with the view on the South Downs.
10am -1pm for yoga , we have an option to stay for a shared lunch together till 2pm
(please bring something to share). It will give you an opportunity to connect with other students in our growing yoga community, in an informal way.
Cost: £35
Everyone is welcome- current and former students .You can invite friends and family members – please get in touch with me if you have any questions.
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Past workshops…
Yoga and Thai Massage workshop
for Back, Neck and Shoulder pain
Thai massage is an ancient healing art. It is based on the understanding that to heal a person their ‘energy body’ needs to be brought into balance. It has a lot of similarities with yoga and is sometimes called ‘lazy man’s yoga’ as some Thai massage moves resemble yoga postures.
The massage is performed through light clothing on a futon mattress. The therapist applies rhythmic palm or thumb pressure along the body’s energy lines to gently release blockages.
Thai massage is very effective in relieving back, neck and shoulder pain. We will learn how to apply Thai massage moves to a person lying on the front, back and the side.
In this workshop you will
· Warm up with yoga and learn how to use your body weight effectively
when giving the massage
· Learn about the importance of prayer and meditative state of mind
· Work on some energy lines and pressure points
· Practice a 30 mins Thai massage routine for the back, neck and shoulders
You will be practicing massage in pairs during the workshop. You are welcome to come with a chosen partner or will be paired up with another person in the class.
The workshop is accompanied by a manual. You can performed the sequence that you’ve learned on you family and friends.
Breathe and Renew Yoga workshop
Breathing is a fundamental part of Yoga practice and, of course, a fundamental part of life itself!
The whole Universe has been described as an expression of in and out breath by both ancient sages and modern science.
We will spend the morning moving and breathing to rejuvenate ourselves by tuning into the robust spring energy.
As we liberate our natural breath we will release layers and layers of tension in the body/mind and create more space.
The subject of ‘breath’ is huge and a 3 hour workshop is nowhere near enough to explore it fully. However, the basics of yoga breathing are simple and only need to be revealed, as Sandra Sabatini beautifully described in her poem:
During the day we shrink
from lack of breathing, lack of time,
lack of attention, lack of love
as you get into contact with the breath
you are able to reverse this process
and obtain more space, more roots into the ground
then the body can go back to opening
lengthening, extending
in a way, you are able to change direction completely
During this workshop you will
learn what is known by modern science about breath and different breathing patterns
learn how breath and breathing was viewed by ancient yogis
explore our existing breathing patterns and discover our limitations
find ways to liberate the breath through yoga, self-massage
and EFT(Emotional Freedom Technique) tapping
We will also touch on the subject of pranayama, or breath control. – It deals with cleansing the body’s energy pathways in order to obtain optimal health and can lead us to liberation.
We will finish with an extended pranayama and relaxation.
Thai Massage for the arms, neck and shoulders
(in Supine and Seated positions)
Thai massage is very effective in relieving tension in the arms, neck and shoulders. We will learn how to apply Thai massage moves to a person lying on their back and in seated position.
In this workshop you will
· Warm up with yoga and learn how to use your body weight and breath
correctly when giving the massage
· Learn about the importance of prayer and meditative state of mind
· Work on some energy lines and pressure points
· Learn effective stretching and joint mobilization techniques
· Practice a 30 mins Thai massage routine for the arms, neck and shoulders
You will be practicing massage in pairs during the workshop. You are welcome to come with a chosen partner or will be paired up with another person in the class.
The workshop is accompanied by a manual. You can performed the sequence that you’ve learned on you family and friends.
Detox your Body – Detox your Mind with Yoga and EFT
(Emotional Freedom Technique)
Part One – Yoga with Irina
In the first part of the workshop you will learn how yoga can help to release toxins from the body.
You will
· Practice an Asana sequence for detox
· Learn pressure points and self-massage
· Breathing techniques
· Learn how to switch off ‘fight or flight’ response
· Be Introduced to Kriyas – cleansing practices
· Discover some Ayurvedic practicesed
Part two – EFT with John
Emotional Freedom Technique uses tapping on specific points on your body in order to restore balance in your energy flow. It works on an emotional, physical and mental level. With EFT you can release negative emotions like fear, anger, sadness and guilt.
When negative emotions are held in the body-mind, it can lead to disease. Releasing negative emotions with EFT tapping has been successful in with a wide range of diseases, such as allergies, IBS, repetitive strain syndrome, cancer,
During this part of the workshop you will learn…
Energy Medicine Yoga
Everything is made of energy. Modern science states that the world is mainly empty space where a combination of forces interact. Ancient civilizations knew this and called some of these invisible forces ‘chi’ or ‘prana’, words that we can translate as ‘energy’.
Yoga is the science of directing the energy in our bodies in a specific way to enhance health, wellbeing and spiritual growth.
In order for us to stay healthy, we need to be able to regulate and balance the flow of energy in our bodies.
Irina will introduce you to some useful techniques that she has learned from Donna Eden (the creator of Energy Medicine), Taoist practices, Qigong and Thai massage. These techniques work well on their own or they can be incorporated into your yoga practice.
Develop your own yoga practice
In this very informative workshop we will learn how yoga practice can support you through life and how you can adapt it to suit your individual needs.The factors which affect our practice are: our individual constitution, age, levels of physical activity, stress level, season, climate, as well as some medical conditions that we may have.
Breathe and Renew Yoga Workshop
Breathing is a fundamental part of Yoga practice and, of course, a fundamental part of life itself! The whole Universe is described as an expression of in and out breath by both ancient sages and modern science. We will spend the morning moving, breathing, inspired by the sea views. As we liberate our natural breath we will release layers and layers of tension in the body/mind and create more space.
Practical part will be exploring our existing breathing pattern, finding ways to liberate the breath. We will touch on the subject of pranayama, or breath control. t deals with cleansing the body’s energy pathways in order to obtain optimal health and can lead us to liberation.
We will also look into various ways of incorporating bhandas (locks) into our yoga practice. Bandhas involve ‘locking’ particular pranas (your internal body energies). They play an important role in asana practice and have a deep cleansing and regenerating effect.
We will finish with an extended pranayama and relaxation.
Exploring Yamas and Niyamas
in Yoga practice.
Most modern day yoga practitioners focus on the physical the aspect of yoga: working with the body through a series of physical postures (asana) and breathing exercises (pranayama) on the mat.
Although physical practice is invaluable, it is only one step. More fundamental is the state of our mind: our thoughts and emotions, our attitudes and actions both on the mat and off the mat, in daily life.
Yoga is both a science and a philosophy which involves a deep investigation of our ‘human being’. Many practices were developed to enable the practitioner to understand themselves and to allow them to be able to influence their own thought processes and actions. It became a realisation that once a practitioner was able to liberate himself from many layers of human conditioning (a way of thinking and beliefs), life was not experienced as a struggle any more. Instead one found peace, contentment and opened up to deep wisdom and a sense of unity with Universal Consciousness.
The Eight-fold path of yoga described in the ancient text “The Yoga Sutras” by sage Patanjali emphasises the importance of Yamas and Niyamas. They are basically yoga’s “Ten Commandments”.
Yamas, or abstinences, are virtues that strengthen and purify the mind and are helpful as a general guide to being a decent human being. They include non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, continence, and non-greed.
Niyamas, or observances, are a set of essential principals for those on the yogic path, which aid our spiritual growth. These include purity, contentment, accepting but not causing pain, study, and self-surrender.
During this workshop we will explore how we can apply Yamas and Niyamas to our yoga practice on the mat.
As we practice we will notice our own thought processes, attitudes and actions.
Are we able to let go of some of the limiting thoughts and beliefs that prevent our growth as human beings?
What useful tools can yoga practice offer us to aid this transformation?
I will give you some guidelines for self-exploration and practice. Although we need to understand that the teacher only opens the door but the student must enter by him/herself.
Yoga and Energy Therapies Workshop
Why do we have pain or tension in particular areas of our body, a specific posture or way of breathing? A lot of factors contribute to making us who we are: our personal life history, the environment and whatever we have inherited from our ancestors. When we practise yoga we are working towards changing some of our limiting patterns. We work with our physical body and on a subtle level our ‘energy’ body and mind. During this workshop we intend to combine yoga with energy therapy techniques such as EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) Tapping and Ho’oponopono (an ancient Hawaiian art of problem solving).- more information and videos are available on John’s website. When practising yoga we may feel restricted or experience tension and discomfort. The techniques we will use in this workshop will allow us to understand this resistance and help us to let go of some of our limitations and any emotional blocks that have ‘come up’ for us. By recognising how we feel and becoming responsible for those emotions we step out of the victim mode. We are creators of our own reality. When we allow more love and trust into our practice we grow both as yoga practitioners and as people. The workshop is led by: Irina Blosse is a yoga teacher and Thai Yoga Massage Advanced Practitioner. Her Yoga practice and teachings are inspired by Vanda Scaravelli. and John Blosse is an EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) Advanced Therapist. He has been using Ho’oponopono in combination with EFT for the last 2 years. The approach he uses is easy to learn and highly effective. It can be applied to any life situation. www.alternative2counselling.co.uk Who is the workshop for All Irina’s existing and former yoga students. Newcomers are also welcome. No previous experience of yoga is necessary.