Yin Yoga Sequence for Late Summer
£35pp
Manor Farm studio, Fenny Compton
We will start this work shop with a ceremonial Cacao. Ceremonial grade Cacao revered and used for centuries as a "plant medicine" because of its heart-opening qualities and wide-ranging health benefits, Cacao added to your meditation practice is a powerful way to connect deeper with your sense of feeling, heart, and intuition.
You may have noticed a shift in temperatures, air pressure and the sweetness of your surroundings. We are now immersed in Late Summer, perhaps referred to in the West as an Indian Summer. A season of abundance and harvest, it corresponds to the Earth element and the Spleen/Stomach (Sp/St) organ systems. A sweet time of year, nature is bountiful, the Earths luscious fruits and vegetables are bursting for harvest. That sweet quality is no coincidence!, it is a disharmonious Sp/St that causes that craving for sugary goodies. Late summer is an important transitional season, slowly preparing us for the yin seasons ahead. You may struggle with fatigue as a response to this season, triggered by over-exertion or emotional stress from the activities of Summer Fire. Priorities rest, yoga and eating nourishing, earthy foods to boost your energy.
The Spleen is the largest lymphoid organ and responsible for filtering blood. It plays a major part in our immune and lymphatic system. In Traditional Chinese Medicine it is responsible for lifting the energy of the body, specifically to keep the organs in place. It creates a lightness of the mood, which is the easy going attitude of a person.
In this practice we will draw on the meridian theory of TCM, paying attention to target our Heart, Kidney, Spleen and Stomach Meridians through the Yin poses.
Gongs promote a deep sense of well being and inner peace, with participants bathed in the sounds of the gongs often experiencing feelings of timelessness, visions or colours.The deep resonance of the gongs affects the body on a cellular level, releasing tension and stress by sonic massage.
This workshop is not suitable for the following health conditions due to the powerful vibrations from the gongs: pregnancy, severe osteoporosis, epilepsy, sound sensitive conditions (tinnitus/ menieres/some migraine), recent surgery with plates/pins, pacemakers, unstable mental health conditions (schizophrenia/bipolar).
Sanitised props will be provided for this workshop but please bring a pillow case to cover my bolsters, an extra blanket for comfort, and your own mat if you prefer.
ABOUT CEREMONIAL CACAO
Cacao was used in Ritual and Ceremony by our Mesoamerican ancestors and was considered sacred. It is interesting that the ritual and ceremonial use had been lost.
Cacao had been practically diluted beyond recognition into Chocolate confections with added fats and sugars which can detract from the magic.
There is a difference in vibration when you eat a dairy filled Chocolate bar compared to a minimally processed dark Chocolate.
Drinking Cacao in it's purest form allows a deeper connection to ourselves, our own intuition, knowing and inner guidance.
The joy of Cacao has recently been rediscovered in the western World, with people consuming it in a pure form and receiving support and messages from the Cacao spirit.
Cacao is regaining its reputation as a powerful yet gentle earth medicine.
Benefits:
Gentle but powerful
Won’t push you through a door rather gently leads you there if you are willing
Can sit with her and feel the support even when not drinking her
Helps you understand yourself
Can aid clearing emotional blocks
Enables the letting go of past relationships
Connects you with your creativity
Enhances focus and mental agility
May find you no longer crave crappy chocolate
Cacao can be enjoyed as an alternative to coffee or tea