Pamper Evening in aid of MacMillan Cancer Support

16/10/19 £5 on the door 7pm to 10pm

Come along to this beautiful evening of nurture and relaxation.  Taster sessions offered:  Reiki, Reflexology, Hand massage, Facial reflexology, Indian head massage, Rahanni  healing, Chrystal healing, Angel card reading/clairvoyance, Hopi ear candling, Mocktails made with essential oils, Detox juices. Silver Jewellery, Wraps/Head scarfs

Incredible raffle prizes valued from £10 to £100 – Cost £5.00 per strip.

Balancing on and off the Mat

19/10/19 £25.00 2pm to 4pm

Life is a balance of holding on and letting go…

Rumi

This workshop is the place for you to develop your yoga practice a little further, understanding how to balance yourself on the mental and psychic levels, as well as during your physical practice (Asana).

You will learn a little of theory behind the breathing techniques (Pranayamas) and tap into your energy centres (Chakras) to balance yourself on a daily base; not just when you’re on the mat.

On the physical aspect, you will learn that the three essential elements to maintain the body stable are alignment, strength and attention. We will practice balancing poses that build awareness on how the body moves and discover the feeling for postures that you aim to achieve. Special attention is given to improve core stability, so much needed as the body ages.

This workshop is a place for you to ask questions and is suitable for beginner and intermediate levels.

Tip before you come: have a light meal 3 hours before the workshop and bring a water bottle. All equipment needed is provided.

Donations of sanitary products for the ‘Red Box Project’ gratefully received, but not compulsory.

Core Workshop

26/10/19 £25.00 1pm to 3pm

“Core” is a word that’s thrown around in the fitness industry quite frequently. “Tighten your core” your Bootcamp teacher might shout, or you can bet your last dollar there will be a core section in your circuit class, maybe your yoga teacher might suggest that a strong core is needed to perfect your tree pose.

 This workshop goes deeper into what the core is, what you can do to strengthen it and why you should base every yoga pose from your centre line to gain strength.

 Don’t worry it won’t be two hours of planks! But it might hurt the next day to belly laugh.

 Sarah will lead this workshop to open your mind to how to build strength from the middle outwards.

 Herbal tea and a small snack will be served at the end.

Solar Plexus Chakra Workshop

11/11/19 £25.00 2pm to 4pm

 £5 to Chrohns and Colitis UK

Solar Plexus (Manipura) Chakra 

Colour: Yellow

The solar plexus chakra, or Manipura, is the center of our willpower, self-esteem, and energy of transformation. Located about six inches above your belly button within your diaphragm, the solar plexus chakra is associated with the colour yellow and the element of fire.

This chakra is responsible for regulating the energy associated with action, intention, identity, and vitality.

A blocked yellow chakra can hold the physical side effects:

You suffer from a digestive system disorder such as IBS, ulcers, hypoglycaemia, diabetes, etc.

You suffer from frequent gas, constipation or stomach upset

You have excessive weight around the stomach (i.e. a pot belly)

Lack of confidence

To switch on this chakra we will practice backbends, balances and core work to support, stretch and strengthen the area and empower the student.

Tension Release Workshop

23/11/19 £30.00 12:30pm to 2:30pm

We store tension in the body like hundreds of tiny bubbles,  when you shake a can of fizzy pop those bubbles contract and cause pressure within the can, until the pressure is released by pulling the can’s ring/tab.  

Tension can accrue through any form of shock, startle, surprise, from a trip, fall, injury, fears/phobias/fright/freeze response and can manifest as pain, aches, headaches, lower back, joint, gut imbalances. The main stress muscles are the Psoas and Trapezius that impact lower back, Pelvis/hips, shoulders and neck pain, headaches, and jaw.

 In this 2 hour workshop we learn simple techniques, “Tool for Life”, how to tap into that tension, and ways to allow the body to release it, much like releasing the tab on a fizzy can of pop to release the bubbles. any emotional friction, tension that has been held over days, months or even decades, all building into physical tension in the body leave the body by a natural mechanism or reflex called Neurogenic Shaking.  

When the body is stressed, muscles tense up. Muscle tension is almost a reflex reaction to stress — the body’s way of guarding against injury and pain – a defence mechanism. With sudden onset stress, the muscles tense up all at once, and then release their tension when the stress passes.   On occasions the body forgets to relax after the stress has past, unless it is reminded the body is safe, calm and its OK now to relax.  

This workshop is practical with some theory and lots of delicious stretching, releasing tension and ends with a deeply blissful Meditation.

Introduction To Qigong : Tao Of Winter Workshop

02/12/19 £30.00 4.45pm – 6.45pm

This workshop will introduce beginners to Qigong, and reinforce new understanding for those that have practiced some Qigong in the past.  The Five Elements in particular, Kidney/Bladder Meridians Water/Winter and working with the emotions of Fear, Anxiety and our Adrenal well being.

Winter is Storage, the time of the Kidneys ‘Zhi’ and ‘Jing’ essence, which must be protected and nourished.  This is done by storing our energy (Qi) rather than expending it.  It is the most yin of the seasons.  The weather turns cold and everything in nature goes to sleep.  When water is still, the sediment settles out of it and the water becomes beautifully clear and reflective, like a mirror.

Qigong movements such as the Energy Gates is a powerful winter practice. It activates the water element in the body. Standing is very yin, as is Cloud Hands, Healing Sounds, Winter Deer exercises – when you focus on the downward flow of energy. These practices and many others strengthen the kidneys and help them store energy better.

Physiologically, healthy kidneys can help eliminate toxins, maintain water levels, blood pressure pH levels and support our reproductive health. Kidney’s also relate the ears, tinnitus, hearing and ability to listen well.   Our kidneys also ensure strong bone marrow development.  Mentally and emotional they are related to our sense of will, drive and peace.  In balance they help us move in a good relationship with fear.  Out of balance, they can cause us to be challenged by the flow, the unknown and feel anxious about the future.

 The softness of movement in Qigong invites us to slow down and begin to listen more closely.  Listening in a quality intrinsic to winter and water in Chinese medicine, acupuncture, Kinesiology and Qigong.  Listening allows us to access to depth, wisdom and spaciousness.

This 2 hour workshop is theory, practical, Kinesiology, Qigong breathing, meditation and movements to bring us into balance for the Winter.

Heart Chakra Workshop

04/12/19 £25.00 2pm to 4pm

£5 to NSPCC

Heart (Anahata) Chakra 

Colour: Green

Physical Location: Directly above the heart.

Element: Air 

In this 2-hour workshop we will explore the Heart chakra and look at its connection between the physical and spiritual. How it resonates in the body and how we can incorporate it into our yoga practice and daily lives.  

Each chakra can move out of alignment from time to time causing blockages, causing you to feel off balance either physically or emotionally. Blocked heart chakra symptoms include:

Restlessness

Difficulty trusting others

Impatience and irritability

Lack of empathy

Some of the physical symptoms of a blocked heart chakra can include these

Insomnia

Increase in blood pressure

A decrease in immune system function

You may also be dealing with a relationship that has come to an end, not just romantically but friendships, or the loss of someone, or you have feelings or struggles accepting ourselves or a truth about ourselves which can also push the heart out of alignment and require heart chakra healing.

An open-heart chakra can allow you to better understand your needs and the best ways of meeting them. Opening the heart involves loving yourself and giving love to others, there may be intense emotions which you may find they become less frightening to you, finding ways of accepting and moving past these emotions without repressing them is all part of chakra healing.

In this workshop we will look at Yoga asanas (poses) that will help open and balance this chakra, along with meditation techniques, visualisation and affirmations. When your mind, body and spirituality are all working together it’s easier to create harmony within the body.

Throat Chakra Workshop

11/01/2020 £25.00 2pm to 4pm

£5 to Little Havens Children’s Hospice

Throat Chakra 

Colour: Blue

Throat Chakra/ Vishuddha Workshop

Vishuddha means to ‘purify’ and when we nourish our throat Chakra, we cultivate positive and respectful communication with others and healthy self-expression to live with the yogic concept of Satya ‘speaking our truth’. In this workshop we will learn how to nurture this chakra to rebalance physical and emotional health issues.

Along with therapeutic postures, we will explore sound and vibration through mantras and specific breathwork, allowing for the free flow of prana, our vital life force. Please join Sam, our Yoga teacher and Wellwoman Yoga Therapist who warmly welcomes everyone to the mat.

Namaste 

Third Eye Chakra Workshop

08/02/2020 £25.00 2pm to 4pm

£5 to INAD in aid of Evie

Heart (Ajna) Chakra 

Colour: Purple

THE VISION CHAKRA

NAME: Ajna

LOCATION: Middle of head at brow level

ELEMENT: Light

COLOR: Indigo

PURPOSE: Insight, intuition, vision

DEVELOPMENTAL AGE: Puberty and beyond

BALANCED: Clarity, vision, wisdom

IDENTITY: Archetypal identity

GIFTS: Clarity, insight, imagination

RIGHT: To see and be seen

EXCESSIVE: Delusions, hallucinations

DEFICIENT: Cynical, close mindedness, denial

In this 2-hour workshop we will explore the Third eye chakra and look at its unique power, how it resonates in the body and how we can incorporate it into our yoga practice. Some of the problems that can be associated with a blocked third eye include:

Lack of faith in your purpose

Feeling pointless

Indecisiveness

Finding your work or life insignificant

Paranoia

Physical symptoms can also be triggered: 

Headaches (including migraines)

Eye discomfort

Back and leg pain

Sinus pain

This chakra represents Wisdom, Faith, Mystery and Loyalty and is located on our brow in the centre of our forehead. This is the sixth chakra in the energy system and is associated with spirituality and is seen as the gateway to other spiritual realms and our higher consciousness. This chakra is the link between our minds and our outer bodies, allowing you to see both internally and externally.

Ajna chakra is the centre of our spiritual connection leading us on the path of Enlightenment. In this workshop we will explore some of the asanas (poses) that help us to unblock our third eye, we will look at how meditation, mantra and affirmations can be used to stimulate energy flow and be guided into them to explore your own unique journey, bringing an open, curious mind and heart as we explore and delve into The Third Eye chakra.

Please remember to bring a water bottle and eat a light meal at least 3 hours before.

Crown Chakra Workshop

07/03/2020 £25.00 2pm to 4pm

£5 to Changing Pathways Domestic Violence Charity

Crown Chakra / Sahasrara Chakra

Colour: White/Purple

Crown Chakra Workshop

In this 2hour workshop you’ll tune into the seventh Chakra of your body, the Sahasrara Chakra which vibrates the colour white or purple (or sometimes gold) where the feminine (shakti) and masculine (shiva) powers unite and we can transcend into samadhi a state of bliss.

The crown chakra, is the seventh primary chakra and is located at the crown of the head. Its element is thought and the corresponding endocrine gland is the pineal gland & linked closely to the brain & nervous system.

Like the Third Eye Chakra, this chakra deals with divinity, enlightenment, and true and complete balance. This serves as a connection to the universe and helps breed our imagination and self-creation.

Just as the root chakra grounded us to the earth the crown chakra unites us to our spirit.

When the crown chakra is strong we feel a balanced connection to the spiritual side of our lives. Our life’s work takes on a deep spiritual meaning and everything we do becomes humanitarian by nature.

In this workshop we will be working through 4 of the 5 principles of yoga, asana, pranayama, meditation & relaxation to allow our mind, body & spirit to unite. We will be chanting to remove any obstacles; we will work on asanas leading the energy up from the root chakra to the crown chakra and have a peaceful meditation & visualisations to ignite the shakti & shiva forces and enter samadhi.

Getting ready to come: have a light meal 3 hours before the workshop, bring water & a smile and be prepared for a blissful practice.

With love & light,

Andrea