What's going on? Awakening curiosity.
Why curiosity can be your best friend on the yoga mat.
Yoga, meditation and mindfulness practices focus our attention and awaken curiosity. We sometime get the impression that these practices, collectively called contemplative practices, are there to relax us, to take us away from our busy lives and allow us an opportunity to chill. And indeed they do have those benefits, they reduce stress levels in the body, enhance sleep and overall feelings of wellbeing. There is a deeper benefit, however, that we can explore together in our practices when we apply time, patience and curiosity.
The word contemplative is derived from the work to contemplate, to mull things over. When we contemplate something we are doing so in a way where we are engaged and interested, we are open. We are curious about things. So these practices teach us to be open and curious about ourselves, about life, keeping an open mind as our life unfolds. With this approach we are less likely to be stuck and rigid in our thinking. We are less likely to repeat the patterns of thought and behaviour that keep us stuck in old (usually fear-based) ways of being. We are open to change. And who doesn’t want to explore change, new-ness, fresh ways of thinking, moving and being in the world?
Join us on monthly Saturday morning 2-hour workshops for a deep-dive from your own little corner of the world; we will gather online together to explore with curiosity! Suitable for all levels of practice, our yoga flow is designed to get playful with familiar poses and sequences, and mix things up a little to wake up sensations in the body. We’ll pause at the roughly half-way mark for a short contemplation. You are invited to write something down during this part of the workshop - our journalling will be exploratory and playful. For the latter half of the workshop we explore yin-style yoga stretching with longer, deeper holds with an emphasis on body-scan, training the mind to settle for a little while on specific parts of the body while keeping a sense of expanded awareness of the body as a whole. Emerge brand new!
You can find out more about these workshops and other opportunities to gather in contemplation on the events and workshops page of the website. Why not take a deep-dive and join us for 5-night yoga retreats in Solar Alvura in Portugal where we begin our days in silence, restorative practices are guided by Sylvia in the light of the rising sun. Smaller events are booked via Eventbrite. Weekly community centre yoga classes have very limited spaces. Events in nature in Mutton Lane and Marlay Park as soon as it’s warm enough!