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These sessions are online via the Zoom app (you will receive the zoom link in your confirmation email). I have over 35 years of experience with helping people find real solutions to many of the common place conditions that arise in all kinds of body work and has been doing this online for over a decade now. It doesn't matter whether what you like to do is Yoga, Tai qigong or any body-mind practice (including sports and all forms of exercise) - If I can see how you move and breathe, I can help you unravel any complications that arise. If you would like to book a series of 1:1s you can get good discounts by buying a 1:1 package (look under "Members' Resources - Membership Options" - then scroll down to the 1:1 packages) I can then give you things that are specific to you to work with - in other words, with expert guidance, you get to have the empowering experience of working it out for yourself. Yoga teachers and other body workers looking for deeper understanding of how the human body can heal itself will also find great value and relevance from these online sessions.

These sessions are online via the Zoom app (you will receive the zoom link in your confirmation email). I have had over 35 years of experience with helping people find real solutions to many of the common place conditions that arise in all kinds of body work and has been doing this online for over a decade now. It doesn't matter whether what you like to do is Yoga, Tai qigong or any body-mind practice (including sports and all forms of exercise) - If I can see how you move and breathe, he can help you unravel any complications that arise. Marc can then give you things that are specific to you to work with - in other words, with expert guidance, you get to have the empowering experience of working it out for yourself. Yoga teachers and other body workers looking for deeper understanding of how the human body can heal itself will also find great value and relevance from online sessions with Marc. If you would like to book a series of 1:1s you can get good discounts by buying a 1:1 package (look under "Members' Resources - Membership Options" - then scroll down to the 1:1 packages)

I have 2 decades of experience with helping people find real solutions to many of the common place conditions that arise in all kinds of body work. It doesn't matter whether what you like to do is Yoga, Tai qigong or any body-mind practice (including sports and all forms of exercise) - If I can see how you move and breathe, I can help you unravel any complications that arise. Sessions begin with me finding out what it is you want from your practice, including information about any recurring body-issues that seem to interfere, but mostly where you would like your practice to take you - what you need from it to support you in your life. We will then find something for you to relax into, so that I can give you a new idea to try out, then we work with it. I will give you 'different' ways of approaching things so that you can gain a brand new somatic experience in your practice - new ways of moving, and thinking about the body, that will point you in the direction that you are looking for. If you are seeing me in my lovely Garden space, if/when it is appropriate, I will also offer gentle hands-on guidance as you engage with certain actions & movements. And I am 'speaking to your body' as we go. Hands-on leads to the most profound of experiences - your body has a voice, and I am listening to what it is saying as we work. In-person hands-on sessions can be an intense experience, so it is important you give yourself some space after, just to give you time to absorb and centre. My work is appropriate for anyone looking for deeper understanding of how the human body can heal itself; anyone that wishes to improve quality of life with age.

Upcoming workshops & retreats where you directly experience what can happen when you apply yourself to Acquaviva Yoga (Scaravelli inspired). Anchor 1 Online Yoga Workshops & In-person Events Multiple Dates Platinum/Gold deep dive morning with Marc Sat 10 Oct Online - via Zoom - Register for Event Link Details & Booking Heart, Twickenham Date and time is TBD Twickenham United Reformed Church Hall Details & Booking Go to the Members Area for the replays

Resource of the online Scaravelli inspired yoga workshop recordings. To access the recording you will need to be logged in to the website as a member Anchor 1 On-demand Workshops (most recent at the top) Access is FREE for Gold and Platinum members. 9th April 2022 The breath and support (incl. headstand) 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... Awakening movement from the centre 2nd March 2022 Natural hips, open heart 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... Helping you liberate the spine behind the heart 26th March 2022 A gentle building awakening of the spine for the Spring 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... Senses, physical expression, the core and the spine. 19th March 2022 How to approach your practice 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. THIS is how you do it 12th March 2022 Clarity about 'gathering in to open out' '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. Sourcing outward action from the centre 26th February 2022 A workshop for the neck & throat 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) A development of support that liberates the neck and shoulders. 19th February 2022 Understanding support from within and without 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. Simplifying and strengthening movement and support 12th February 2022 Between the centre and your hands & feet 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. From the hands & feet to the core and throat 29th January 2022 The core and the hands, the spine and the feet... A powerful global map of the way we interact with the world that resolves most local join and spinal issues.... Flying from within, and grounding from above 22nd January 2022 Head neck and knees 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 A gentle build up to strength and ease 15th January 2022 The whole thing ... 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. Our options and favourable ways of doing things 8th January 2022 Integrating inward with outward. 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 The breath, the spine, and interaction with the world 18th December 2021 A broad-reaching workshop 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.... An exploration and celebration of the body & breath 11th December 2021 Freeing up the heart & neck 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. Awakening the nature of movement from the heart. 4th December 2021 The limbs the core and the head 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... Integrating everything with the centre. 27th November 2021 The Limbs, the Core & the Breath 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 masterclass in pranayama and posture 20th November 2021 Legs knees feet and hips 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 Reinventing how we use our limbs 6th November 2021 Exploring your relationships to above and below. 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 Looking at 'wheel'. 30th October 2021 Taking care of YOUR issue during practice, and Shoulderstand 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... Taking care in shoulder stand 23rd October 2021 The deepest and kindest of explorations... 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! A workshop for if you are feeling rough.. 16th October 2021 How to frame your attention in practice 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. Recognising when to 'change gear' in posture work 9th October 2021 Try it out in another posture! 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! How to understand what the body needs to do... 2nd October 2021 Discovering the centre 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.... Gathering towards the heart 18th September 2021 A whole-body solution to neck and shoulders 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... 'The breath of Atlas' 11th September 2021 A celebration of the hips 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) Learning to let go of the internal holding of the hips so that they can support you! 28th August 2021 Kindness to the spine through the breath 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 Saturday re-treat workshop 21st August 2021 The Sacred Breath II - introductory workshop 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. The choices we have in our breathing... 7th August 2021 The solution is the breath! 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) An accidental prequel to 'the Sacred Breath 2' 24th July 2021 Moving breathing and living from the Centre 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. The ultimate healing 17th July 2021 From without to within | From within to without 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. Creating the space to heal 4 10th July 2021 The Spine and the viscera 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. Creating the space to heal 3 3rd July 2021 The neck, head & shoulders 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. Creating the space to heal 2 26th June 2021 The hips & lower back - 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. Creating the space to heal 1 19th June 2021 Coming home ~ to the centre of release. 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. Saturday morning re-treat 12th June 2021 Learning the power of letting go 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... Saturday morning re-treat 24th April 2021 The return to Innocence 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... Saturday morning re-treat 10th April 2021 Moving from the deep spaces within 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. Saturday morning re-treat 13th March 2021 A general workshop dealing with specifics that people brought. 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. Saturday morning re-treat 27th February 2020 Waking up the core 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 Saturday morning re-treat 6th February 2021 The Breath and the space all around 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... Saturday morning re-treat 23rd January 2021 The breathing Earth 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. Saturday morning re-treat 9th January 2021 A Celebration of the Body A very pleasurable workshop exploring the importance of whole-hearted expression in movement, taking your attention to the things that really matter.. Saturday morning re-treat 28th November 2020 Inner pelvis & the ribcage 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 Saturday morning re-treat 14th November 2020 Pranayama and Posture 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... Saturday morning re-treat 31st October 2020 Front back and sides 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 Saturday morning re-treat 17th October 2020 The Solar Plexus and Throat 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... Saturday morning re-treat 26th September 2020 Neck, shoulders & back to the spine! 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. Saturday morning re-treat 12th September 2020 Rhythms of Practice Deeper into saluting the sun! Saturday morning re-treat 5th September 2020 Sun Salute revisited 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... Saturday morning re-treat 22nd August 2020 A Poem for your Practice 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. Saturday morning re-treat Become a Gold/Platinum member for access 25 July 2020 10:30am -1:00pm Saturday morning re-treat 'Creating the Conditions' Finding support, so that we can find internal space through a release of tension, then bringing yourself back from space and support to arrive in the centre of things ... Your video is here 11 July 2020 10:30am -1:00pm Saturday morning re-treat Gathing towards the Centre to open out in all directlys - Bridge, reclining leg extensions (all variations)forward bend, crow, and seated wide stride side bends. Your video is here 4 July 2020 10:30am -1:00pm Saturday morning re-treat Grounding from the core and opening from the heart... Bridge, reclining twists, squat, and movements towards shoulder stand. Your video is here 28 June 2020 10:00am -4:00pm OGT for Yoga Scotland The fluid core response to support from contact, the Primary curves of the spine at the centre of movement & opening Your video is here 20 June 2020 10:30am -1:00pm Saturday morning re-treat The fluid core response to support from contact, the Primary curves of the spine at the centre of movement & opening Your video is here 13 June 2020 10:30am -1:00pm Saturday morning re-treat Hips, groins, sciatic release, looking after wrists, your breathing relationships to the ground Your video is here 6 June 2020 10:30am -1:00pm Saturday morning re-treat Hips, the core movements away from the hips, the ribs in side bending and twists (and what the head does) and how the whole thing can relate to the feet and heels. Your video is here 30-31 May 2020 (4 sessions) Weekend in the Garden Moving from the core... This theme began on the Saturday in response to questions about the lower back, tail and sacrum, and continued through the weekend - a groundbreaking weekend! Your video is here 23 May 2020 11:00am -1:00pm Saturday morning re-treat Develop sensitivity to the relationships between active contact and the movements of breathing, with a view to find support and space for any area of the body you might be interested in resolving... Ends as always with a guided deep relaxation. Your video is here 16 May 2020 11:00am -1:00pm Saturday morning re-treat A deep opening for the upper spine (relationships between arms wings and head to the ribs in reclining eagle) and a patterning understanding of the core responses in relationship to the use of the feet and contact with the earth) Your video is here 2 May 2020 11:00am -1:00pm Saturday morning re-treat I start by explaining my model of how to solve any joint issue, and go on to explain my overview map of the body and how we can return to natural function.. . Followed by a masterclass in 'through the joints'... Your video is here 25 April 2020 10:00am -4:00pm BWY Somerset CPD Change perspective, Transform Practice A day of exploring the outcome of letting go of 'fixed mental impressions' in physical practice, (ref. Patanjali's sutras). Your video is here 18 April 2020 11:00am -1:00pm Saturday morning re-treat Hands, feet, wrists & ankles and their connection to the core responsiveness of the body. Reclining eagle, leg extensions, standing postures, standing balances, twists Your video is here 11 April 2020. 11:00am-1:00pm Saturday morning re-treat A strong hip-opening session from reclining to bridge, to (an unusual) leg extention, followed by lunge to triangle base and posture, also thread-the-needle, a structured reclining twist on theme and a deep guided relaxation Your video is here 4 April 2020 11:00am-1:00pm Saturday morning re-treat Naturalization of practice - following the rhythmic flow that accompanies the release of the breath. Release into bridge -Spinal rolling - Thighs & pelvis ' relationship to the spine Your video is here 29 March 2020 11:00am - 1:00pm Heart Twickenham - Online The foundation practice: Mahapranayamasana and 'Through the joints' A generic principle of support and freedom in movement Your video is here 28th March 2020 11:00am -1:00pm Saturday morning re-treat The importance of the ribs in support and their relationship to the pelvis... A full-range flowing session with a good 15 mins deep relaxation at the end. Your video is here 21 March 2020 11:00am - 1:00pm Saturday morning re-treat This week 's session involved a gentle, pulsing, rhythmic flow workshop, with plenty of moments for rest, and ending with a deep relaxation & chant. Your video is here

Embodied Living 1 - the fundamental principles. This is the first of a series of 6-week online yoga courses designed to transform your day to day life Embodied Living - 1 Scroll the Principles of Practice Free access for Platinum members .... a 7-week course to change your life Content 7 videos approx 90 mins each Cost: £47 ~ Enroll now Ask a question top description Introducing Acquaviva Yoga These recordings of my live online 6-week courses are designed to give you a complete guided tour of the body, bringing awareness to key relationships through action and breath, using simple functional postures and movements as the framework . Week by week you be guided in specific practices that bring you directly in touch with the body's innate intelligence. The course acts as structured support for the process that this initiates. I offer new ways of understanding movement and support, that will greatly enhance your practice, whether you are a complete beginner or experienced Yoga practitioner from any style of practice. Sessions are around 90minutes each - there are 7 sessions in total and you will have access for life. The live courses were run with one session per week, and I strongly recommend organising this same structure for yourself: Each week (at the same time if you can) watch and participate in the workshop of the week, giving yourself the following 6 days to practice and apply the principles. The courses are constructed to work in this way, and if you overload with too much information by moving on too quickly you will simply miss the process. During the first 45-60 minutes of each session, I will guide you through specific practices and relationships based on the theme for the week. The second part of the session involves Q & A with the live participants, and I offer practical yoga solutions. People that go through the recorded version of this course have said that this part is just as relevant to their in-the-moment practice as if they were there live. With the recordings, you also have the advantage of being able to pause, rewind and redo parts that catch your attention. To make the most of this course, my advice would be to practice a little bit daily. 10 or 15 minutes will do, although if you are enjoying it, and have the time to do more I have found that there is no actual limit to how long I could practice if I wanted to. If you start with something that caught your interest on the session, the body will begin to remind you of other things.. It could be a principle, a direction of attention, or some relationship that I invite you to explore. If this kind of awareness finds its way into your daily life, then you will have begun the process of embodied living. It is quite a natural outcome of the practice, but only if you invite it. It is this that changes people's lives - there is an empowerment that comes with listening directly to the body's own intelligence. It gives us accurate clues about how we truly feel about things, and its voice can act as the wisest of guides through life. It is this particular realisation and experience that my students find to be one of most profound benefits of practice. - Marc J Acquaviva - This Course If you have access, click below to enter the class Introductory Workshop General Principles of Practice Session 1 Making friends with your touch. Session 2 Making Space Session 3 Finding your Centre Session 4 The Practice - finding your flow Session 5 The Breath is the key Session 6 Letting go into the outcome! What sort of experience or fitness do I need to follow this course? No experience is required, and no particular level of health is needed for you to begin a journey that will improve both health and quality of life. This work is appropriate for everyone from total beginner with a curiosity about the body-mind relationship, through to fully experienced teachers looking for new depth, new inspiration and real solutions to the common issues encountered in yoga. The baseline requirement is a willingness to explore new ways of looking at things, together with a desire for change. How long do I have access to the course? You should have access for life - as long as the internet and the Acquaviva School of Yoga are alive. Each course promises to change my relationships to body and mind... How do these courses differ from each other? That's a big question! Before you experience it the best answer I can give is this: The principles behind my work involve working out how to create the conditions that will allow ANY body to find deeper integration. I have discovered and have been working with 6 fundamental conditions, each of which offers its own path to freedom with practice and time, and each could be considered a 'type' of yoga. But when practiced in conjunction and in natural sequence, effectiveness of practice is off-the-scale, and transformation is inevitable. Each Course takes your through the entirety of these Conditions in sequence, but each individual Course, in sequence, centres around one of the fundamental principles. Also, I am responding in the moment to the live participants, so specific content will be guided by specific groups. Basically, principle-based content is infinitely expandable despite being based on simple principles (in the same way that you can look at the same thing from an infinite number of angles)... I hope that answer wasn't too confusing! You will understand how it works and evolves, as soon as you have experienced one course. Frequently asked questions Meet the author of the approach Marc J Acquaviva Yoga saved my soul... I began practicing yoga in the 'Scaravelli-inspired' style at the age of 30 in1991, and I used the fundamental principle of 'listening to the song of the body' to find my way out of a great deal of chronic physical pain. In the process I discovered that there were other ways of relating to the body, and to life, that can almost instantly relieve the symptoms of a wide range of very common physical issues, and my discoveries have allowed me to help others also become free of theirs. In practicing new relationships, the issues simply fade away, along with the historic complications that put the issue in place, so the natural outcome is nothing less than personal transformation. And this is possible for absolutely anyone that is willing to apply themselves to what I have discovered. I have been sharing my work with people since 1999. Its effectiveness has led me to define my own style (and School) of Yoga: running courses, workshops, retreats and teacher trainings. My mission is to spread this work as far as I can, and with the advancement of online technology, this is becoming more possible. At 58 I feel like I am at the beginning of my life! and I want to share this possibility with the rest of the world. contact CONTACT US Top of page Sign up here to join our Newsletter Feel free to connect with Marc and Abigail and they will be happy to respond to any questions you might have . Success! Message received. Send Click here to apply for Short Courses, CPD and Trainings . Acquaviva School of Yoga 15 Ranelagh Villas, Hove BN3 6HE.

If your body is not happy, you're not listening. If you want to feel better in your body, you need to be able to understand the practical functional reasons your body doesn't feel good. Then you might be able to do something about it. Often, if our bodies complain whilst we are just doing something, because we are busy 'doing', we ignore the signals and simply put up with the consequences of our actions later on when we've stopped. We even expect this to happen, and sometimes treat our aches and pains as a badge of honour that proves we managed to do the thing that we had decided to do. Or if it's an old injury, we assign the pain to the event that caused it, rather than the fact that we aggravated the old injury whilst we were busy 'doing'. And if we keep ignoring the signals the body will try its best to protect itself.... A joint under threat will stiffen with tension in an attempt to restrict the movement that could damage it. Your spine will lock into whatever shape it has to hold to make it safe for the rest of you to be upright, and it will get tired and sore wherever you hang off it for support when you relax.. Ignoring the body blocks the outcome you are looking for The ironic thing is that ignoring the body to fulfill the agenda of our identity, however well intentioned, leaves the identity experiencing itself, life and reality, through the lens of this complaining body that we have been ignoring as we misuse it. Simply learning to explore how your body feels AS you do things, can change your life. Originally inspired by the work of Vanda Scaravelli, my yoga has taught me that although this might be a common experience, it's not inherently 'true'. I've understood directly that my experience of myself is entirely dictated by the way I relate to life itself. The only way to engage with life is through our bodies, and our experience depends entirely on how we use it. Changing the way you do things so that your body is happier, changes your life! "Yoga is the song of the body - you just need to listen" "When you practice this way you become happier and more intelligent" Vanda Scaravelli "But this is just the way my body works" Changing anything you do habitually is notoriously difficult. Because we only 'know' what we already do, and any attempt to 'control' the body can only last as long as you think about it. And 'thinking; about the body to move it is by definition unnatural, so whatever you learn to do to your body cannot be adopted as natural. But if, instead of making the body surrender to the voice of the mind, you can learn to surrender the mind to the voice of the Body, all of a sudden 'new' ways of moving and breathing simply become new experiences of yourself that the mind can learn from. Yoga is .... You just need to start listening. And if you listen quietly but attentively to the body's signals whilst trying out familiar movements in experimentally new ways, the body will immediately tell YOU when you stumble on a better way of doing things... It will feel 'right', and both you and your body will be happy about the outcome... That's when you understand what 'Yoga' means. Whilst doing this, mind has unified itself with body, and both aspects of you benefit. The practice opens the mind to a broader intelligence and softens the rigidity of the identity construct, so that consciousness can receive new experiences of itself. Experiencing can ONLY be done through this precious body that has been gifted to us for this very purpose, and when the body is given the right conditions, it can let go of apparently permanent complications with a single cycle of the breath, and return to its natural state, along with the mind that is experiencing it. This uniting of body, mind and soul is what I believe the practice of 'Yoga' means. Anything else is destined to keep the wheels grinding in the way they always do, with the inevitable results that you might expect from continuing to do exactly the same things in exactly the same way with exactly the same issues arising. " Through dedicated practice the Yogi can escape the endless wheel of Kharma " The Hatha Yoga Pradipika If you want some guidance from someone that has been on this journey for the last 35 years or so, this is what I'm here to do. Book your free 15min online consultation here.

Meditation is a key practice that is mostly skipped over, simply because of how difficult it is to both still the mind and remain upright. However, there is a very good reason that daily meditation is advised by all wellness practitioners... A mind that runs on autopilot non-stop from the moment you wake up til you sleep, is working in the most inefficient way possible. How often have you been agonising over some problem that needs to be solved, but you just can't see a solution whatever you try? Then at some point after you have given up trying, and you happen to be relaxed and open, and then out of nowhere a solution to the problem just pops into your head - fully formed and obvious. And you wonder why it hadn't occurred to you whilst you were doing all the agonising. This is your deeper kind of intelligence kicking in. And it only has space to do so when you surrender the binary process of thinking about something, and allow your entire (subconscious) brain to process the task at hand with its 3 dimensional view of things. Daily meditation gives you this reset, because the thinking mind is assigned entirely to the embodied task of organising things so you can relax and breathe whilst balancing upright, and the purpose if it is to give you a direct experience of something in those moments of release. Whilst you are simply experiencing, the broader intelligence is present with you along with the embodied freedom that got you there. And with repetition, it becomes becomes something you can rely on to steer you well during your day. The first 15 mins is the set up (relaxing upright takes some work and new understanding) Then I offer a practical way of introducing a daily chakra meditation to your life with a 15 min guided meditation This will include observations and practices that will not only cause the mind to centre and become still, but it will also set you up physically for a new way of being in the world... If you would like to experience this meditation with my direct guidance, you can book a FREE 15 min consultation with me at wwe.acquaviva.yoga/book

If the hips or lower back feel stiff, tight or painful in postures, the chances are that you habitually support yourself with a holding pattern of the psoas and/or illio-psoas muscles, and if you do that in an unbalanced way (if you are right- or left-footed), it leads to scoliotic holding patterns to compensate. Knowing this does nothing to help you, because trying to 'open' or 'stretch' these muscles will simply cause them to resist your efforts. The problem is that they are being given the job of supporting you whatever you are doing (including trying to stretch them). The solution is simple Take the job of support away from them by giving yourself other ways of supporting yourself ! Working to support yourself differently will lead to an intense strengthening of muscles you probably don't even know you have (because they are currently not needed), but the good news is that this 'other way' can become effortless, because the muscles I am talking about naturally take part in both support and breathing (IF you are not holding yourself up with the hips and spine). The Class: The first part will give you the direct experience of what it actually feels like to let go of the Psoas family of muscles, and what follows will develop the support you need to replace it - support that relates to the breath and the ground beneath you, then we apply the same efforts in a posture or two to experience the difference in action. Enjoy! If you would like to get some direct and personal support for whatever is going on for you, you can book a FREE 15 min consultation with me at www.acquaviva.yoga/book