. yoga

This one began with a simple exploration of the difference between 'lifting' parts of the body and 'using the ground to release into space'... The way to 'use' the ground is to find a breathing relationship to it. The outcome is an awakening of the core and spine that offers a completely different experience of how the body can move...

On this one, I invite you to fully release the hips in movement and support, for the purpose of freeing up the full natural extension response of the spine...

I began this by planting a seed about state of mind - and how you can play with 'directions' of the senses together with 'expression' to find good mental balance in relationship to your environment. We went on to explore awakening with whilst relaxing without - moving towards our outward actions supporting inner release...

On this workshop I take you through a serial overview of things you need to attend to in approach to any posture, IF you want to improve some aspect of your experience. The approach also gives you a way of recognising exactly where you are at and what you need to do in any moment of practice.

'Gathering in to open out' is a principle that works, but is full of misconception that can stay stuck (because it still works)... in this workshop we explored the individual and very personal relationships to the world in action that can unravel any confusion.

Continuing on from the the previous week's theme of 'decoupling' actions so we can see what individual aspects of our bodies and movement can do by themselves in order to piece things together again with more confluence... This workshop we did our best to 'leave the neck and throat' out of things (so that the rest of the body can develop better ways of supporting you that don't rely on the neck)

So this session was spent learning to 'de-couple' habitual compensatory reactions to the actions of the limbs to discover how they can support a relaxed spine, followed by an exploration of how the core and breathing gear (spine) can move us whilst the limbs relax ... in order to put them back together in harmony rather than conflict.

This was a large-ish class with most areas of the body needing to be covered, so I went for a central solution to all local issues (neck, shoulders, knees and elbows, hips and groins). Here is a powerfully transformative workshop on how the outward release of tension through the limbs depends on a direct connection of them to pivotal points along the spine that can be accessed through core engagement related to support.

A powerful global map of the way we interact with the world that resolves most local join and spinal issues....

This workshop started with people feeling a little tired and fragile, so I began with a slow-build of energy from the ground up with some reclining, twists and leg extensions, with a particular focus on how to free up the head and neck, and developing into including looking after the knees... deep as usual

This workshop had a bit more of an educational lilt in terms of understanding how the whole thing works - I talk about options for the spine, flexion and extension from different parts. I of course bring the breath and interaction with the earth into the mix, along with appropriate use of the limbs... A good one for those that want to understand things directly through the body.

This first workshop of 2022 was a rather wonderful exploration of how inward moving actions, engagements and releases can be integrated with and supported by our outward engagements through the limbs. The second half started with a far-reaching pranayama which we took into standing postures

On this one I covered everything from the psoas and emotions, the core and extension from below, the ribs and extension from above ... I thought it was kind of random, but the participants loved it....

This workshop got us awakening and working from a very deep place, which inevitably comes from the part of the spine that is very stuck in most people.... we all felt really quite good by the end.

Another deep-reaching workshop build around releasing common limb joint problems through developing a central/centred relationship to the world around us (the breath and its core responsiveness to support). And we finished with a physical exploration that relieves the head/neck/throat from the job of control, followed by a deep relaxation to integrate...

From a question about a restricted shoulder, this workshop evolved into a fantastic exploration of how to use the limbs in a way that brings you back to your centre through the breath and its release. A masterclass in the relationship between pranayama and posture...

A whole workshop dedicated to understanding how to stand in a way that means we are strong, light and easy on our joints and lower back

We began with my signature practice - which I call 'mahapranayamasana' - a practice that simple in appearance, but through engagement and breath can reveal everything you need to know about practice. We then worked with wheel (backbend) - deconstructing /reconstructing it to a point of integration

So this started with a gentle investigative approach to simply lying down, taking time to make sure that you can 're-invent' things to make whatever your habitual complication is feel better (i mentioned specifics for all individuals on the group). We then deconstructed and rebuilt shoulder stand up into a new experience for everyone...

This workshop evolved from the fact that most participants were feeling less than top form, including someone with covid symptoms. What followed was a very deep exploration centred in causing zero physical stress. It was fabulous I think!

This was a general workshop starting with some standing postures - but I share how I go about framing my attention when I am practicing for myself. If you are clear about what you are relating to, and what you might expect to happen as a result, you get an opportunity to recognise the 'that's it!' moment, which is your cue to move on to the next direction of attention... Become clear about what I share here and you have a direct guide for life.

So on this workshop I began with my signature Mahapranayamasana (the breathing earth practice) and I invited participants to tune into some of the responses and benefits of relating to support in a situation where it is possible to relax. I then invited them to try out something else (dog pose was the first thing) to see if they could transpose the experience and movements they had felt in an oppositionally different position... The outcome is surprising!

This was a general kindness-to-the-body-and-breath workshop that ended up with a powerful engagement that brings the spine and core into united action - leading into a potential to RELEASE into anything you choose to do....

This Saturday morning re-treat was a celebration of the relationships between the neck/throat, the wings/shoulders, and the face! It is the way we 'hold' ourselves in space that cause these common physical complaints, and it is the way we interact with the world and with the sense of weight that can change everything - The outcome is freedom for the neck and shoulders...

This workshop was centred around how to wake up proprioceptive support responses from within (the core responses within the pelvis) and from without (the limbs in support and the actions around the pelvis) - all for the purposes of taking strain off the groins and lower back. The outcome is a new somatic sense of the hips and how they celebrate in movement. (I taught this one from my phone, so quality is a little impaired - but the content is fantastic)

For this workshop I shared a way of being with the breath in 3 significant areas of the body : lower body/navel/pelvis, head and throat/neck, the chest/ribcage/upper spine. The outcome is potential freedom for the spine in all 3 areas.

A deep exploration of the various fundamental choices we have in our breathing, and the relationships of breathing 'actions' to our support. (A prequel to 'Sacred Breath II' - A live and interactive course to run on Sundays from early September 2021. Check '1:1s & Workshops for details.

This workshop began with asking the group what they need: the answer was basically solutions for everything from the head to hips and of course the spine in between. So I began with addressing the most prevalent issue for people - the base of the spine - and took through a deep exploration of how the breath and its release in the area can change everything. (Some of the content of my next course)

I refer to this title as the ultimate healing because the majority of our restrictions and physical dysfunctions are sourced in a distortion in ourselves - born of being physically pulled away from our centre. Re-discovering the natural experience of the centred movement and breath leads to new ease and a different kind of strength.

This 'Creating space to heal' workshop will change your body-map! After some time of deep guided inner release, we spent the day exploring how to support a relaxed spine and the spaces within from our periferal actions. Then we followed by working the other way round - from the deep core responses that arose from the first experiment ... engaging through a relaxed periferal body. Then finding the natural breathing rhythm between the two 'ways' of supporting ourselves.

This was the third of the 'Creating space to heal' workshops. It was once again exceptionally deep, starting with a practice to offer a direct experience of a spacious spine, and a principle for all practice made clear by the experience.

On this second part of 'Creating the space to heal' we looked at how the spine of the upper body can find support from the earth and the (breathing) relationships between the head shoulders and ribcage can lead to an awakening of the upper spine.

This exceptionally deep workshop was the first of a series I am doing, covering how to release all the usual areas of complication for people - this week Hips & Lower back.

Over this workshop we gently built up a picture of how the upper body and chest, can rest into and use the support of the ground to move you freely in space, and how the contents of the lower half can take the weight off the spine and invite the upper body to ground.

The workshop began with experiencing how inner tensions (like the groins) are usually tense because of the way we arrive into a position. What followed was a deep exploration of how the 'breathing gear' can respond to surrender of your weight...

This was a rather special workshop where I guide people through various 'innocent' relationships between the body and itself, between the person and action, and between action and the world around you .... people ended up doing whatever the body felt like doing and the instructions were the same for everyone...

This workshop was an exploration of the possibility of sourcing our movements from deep within. The fluid core and the ribcage/thoracic spine relating to each other and to the world around you.

This Saturday re-treat was all of my regulars, so I simply spent the time working with how to liberate particular local issues that, in the end, everyone needs to pay attention to. The outcome was pivotal for many of the participants.

This one began as usual with some deep exploration of how our 'breathing earth' can lead to a deeper responsiveness from within - I then guided through some postures to take advantage of this new inner strength

On this Saturday re-treat, I was once again inviting people to find the 'breathing earth' but then expanded into how the central spaces of the body can be connected to the space above and all around you... We included the solar plexus and then in standing postures, particularly the throat...

This exploration of your breathing relationships with the Earth and the Space above in a series of simple postures .... My game-changing new approach in practice.

A very pleasurable workshop exploring the importance of whole-hearted expression in movement, taking your attention to the things that really matter..

This week we were looking at resolving whole-body complications by exploring how the ribs and the core responses within the pelvis work together. We tried it in a few things including a gentle sun salute

Today's workshop was centred around the understanding that the 'goal' in any posture is to let go into it, and that the only way that this can happen (well) is when the movements of breathing act equally as our support - for this to happen, these movements need to relate to where we are in contact with the ground...

A gentle guided workshop to take the whole body into enviro-somatic release... by the end you'll have an embodied idea of how to relate between earth and space criss-cross style

This week we went into a depth of work that would normally be reserved for a course - finding movements that are sourced in spacious relationships between two fundamental chakras to the world around (through touch and space - a bit of an offshoot from the ongoing Enviro-somatic Intelligence series...

This started as a gentle reclining sequence for releasing neck and shoulders, and ended up as a deep practical exploration of the 'gathering towards' quality of touch.

Deeper into saluting the sun!

This week , inspired by a 1:1 request for some help with getting inspired again when teaching sun salute, we had a go at it as a group, and participants took the opportunity to ask about particular sticky points in postures and transitions...

This workshop followed my yearly Acquaviva intensive retreat, and the whole week led to me writing one of my 'practice poems' - a memorable and practical guide to physical practice.