Yoga & Rest for Late Summer
Yoga & Rest for Late Summer - A Workshop
2nd August 9.30am-12.00pm
Shirley House, Psalter Lane
A special workshop for everyone and every body to celebrate the slow turn towards the end of Summer. To linger a little in the late summer haze. This is the Gaelic Festival of Lughnasadh or Lammas it's sometimes known as - the festival of the first harvest and late summer - we'll be working with themes such as nourishment and abundance. Traditionally this festival is celebrated by making straw dollies, eating the first harvested grains and breaking bread together and making fires.
In traditional chinese medicine (TCM) there is a fifth season, late summer: the season of the earth element which governs the spleen and stomach and our digestive systems. In traditional Chinese medicine, our bodies reflect the natural world we live in and being in harmony with the seasons increases health and well-being. In TCM the spleen, stomach, and digestive system are at the center of health, regulating and harmonizing the effects of seasonal extremes and the digestive system.The earth element is all about food and nourishment, what we eat, and how it makes our bodies feel. You can read more about TCM and the Five Elements here.
In Body Psychotherapy and Biodynamic Massage our digestive systems and digestive tract take in more than just food. A healthy digestive system digests not only food but all our experiences and emotions. It is discerning. We have the ability to close our mouths, as well as open them, to food, emotions, experiences. If swallowed we are able to process them appropriately, to integrate them into our beings, to trust our gut to eliminate what we don’t need and absorb what we do. Eating is closely associated with our ability to take in, to nourish ourselves, and fulill our needs. Stauffer is a leading author on this and I highly recommend her writings and books.
If we say no to certain emotions - if we are unable to allow them to be felt and integrated, then we may find ourselves undernourished. Or unable to express how we really feel and unable to say what we need. Perhaps we often feel like we absorb too much of what is around us and feel ourselves taking in too much of someone else’s emotions. We may find it difficult to say ‘no’ and also difficult to say emphatically ‘yes’.
It’s such an interesting time of year and one that I love to work with. The earth element is closely linked to this idea of the mother (mother earth!) and nurturing and nourishment - it calls into question our whole attitude and being towards nourishment and how we feel about it and accept it.
So… come with me to lean into nourishment and nurturtuing. To soothe any feelings of worry, anxiety or ruminating thoughts that often accompany an out of kilter digestive system and the earth element. To welcome all of you and all of your emotions in a space where you can rest, absorb and gently move to process all that you have planted this year.
Yoga, somatic movement and rest will be offered to deeply nourish - with poses and movement designed directly to nurture this element of the earth. To be with what is present; to slow down, to integrate and absorb, to listen to what we want to let go of, to invite ease and support from within and deepen connection between our mind and body.
If you’ve been giving a lot of yourself recently then this is a space to fill your cup.
If you feel disconnected, distraught or overwhelmed at what’s going on in the world then this is a place to connect and remember - there is power and resistance in simplicity and rest.
We will be moving with any feelings of burnout, overwhelm and feeling the ground beneath our feet. We’ll be leaning into the support and nourishment of the earth.
Deep rest and Yoga Nidra to help us connect to ourselves, to connect to the ground and the nature around us.
Poetry to enliven the spirit and help us connect to parts of us that we may not be aware of. To connect to the heart through words that may call to us in surprising ways.
Food will be a theme here as it is traditionally with this festival - with seeded bread on offer, energy balls made from sweet potato, chia and nuts; turmeric and ginger homebrew tea. Food that sustains us rather than contributes to burnout or overwhelm.
ALL are welcome and ALL of you is welcome xxx