Yoga Festival Program

Discover the magic of Gita Yoga. This unique style of Hatha integrates pranayama, slow flow, and specific postures to balance body systems, specifically our endocrine glands. When all systems function well we feel good. Behind these glands are our energy centres/chakras. When our energy is aligned we open our channel of consciousness. With this channel clear we feel more aligned with ourselves, more connected with others, with nature, and all that exists.

Come to this session for a fun, interactive, energising twist on your day. You'll learn basic elements of tantric theory as you engage in eye gazing and energy play with a new friend. Be ready to laugh and experience awe. Tantra is a truly delicious practice that is the way of the heart lived through the body. It invites you to connect with yourself and others and builds more intimacy and connection in your relationships.

An intention led, all levels session integrating a centering pranayama, gentle mindful movement and beautiful sound elements, draped in sung mantra and wrapped up in the intention of loving kindness.

Welcome to an hour of Sound, inviting peaceful relaxation and stillness, as you submerge yourself in the sacred Tibetan healing vibrations of sound, stimulating natural balance for your mind, body and soul.

Qigong is many things. Embodiment practice, movement therapy, self-care, energy healing, gentle exercise. One of the best ways to describe the practice is gentle and restorative exercise therapy. The purpose of the practice is to release physical, mental and emotional tension and stress, which allows the energy of the body to circulate more freely and with less stagnation and blockage. The practice has its origins in ancient China and is one of the branches of Classical Oriental Medicine, it is closely related, but not the same as Tai Chi. Qigong activates our body's energy system and the innate self-healing capacity of the body and can be likened to form of moving meditation. Sessions incorporates acupressure, slow stretches, gentle flowing movement, breath-work and stillness, accompanied by a strong focus on presence. During Qigong we focus and anchor our attention on the breath, the body and the awareness of Qi; the feeling of aliveness within. When practicing our intention is to be embodied and present, to connect with ourselves in a holistic way. There are numerous principals and dimensions to this beautiful form of self-nourishment and restoration, the essence being to slow down, soften the heart and to do less.

Join Jen for a class using a strap. Find your way deeper into your poses, get tangled up, stretched, released. Challenge your balance, move with breath, and find your edge. You'll be glad you did. BYO if you have a strap, or borrow one of ours (class set avail). Walk away feeling lighter and stronger.

Use your body and see how easy it is to release....! The psoas is one of our deepest core muscles. It is the only muscle that connects our legs to our spine and is often too short, which causes back pain, period pain and other postural alignment issues.

Weave together yoga and dance.

The vagus nerve connects the brain to the gut, regulating our digestion and digestive enzyme secretion. Poor gut health influences inflammation, mood and anxiety levels. The psoas also has a strong connection to our experience of anxiety and the diaphragm influences both the vagus nerve and psoas. Learn how easy it is to release the psoas and calm the nervous system, moving from 'fight/flight' to 'relax' or 'rest/digest' mode with: movement/yoga breath diet and lifestyle habits to cover every base for the vagus nerve.

Because we can’t scrub our inner body we need to learn a few skills to help cleanse our tissues, organs and mind. This is the art of Ayurveda.” In this workshop, we'll blend ancient Ayurvedic principles with a modern Integrative Health approach. You’ll explore the power of the liver, cleaning rituals, how to make them appropriate for the modern day yogi, while taking pause to drop out of the mind and into the body with breath and rest.

Start your day with a soothing practice designed to regulate your nervous system and build more nervous system resilience. Experience poses suitable for stress relief and learn about how they support you to de-stress and calm your stress response. This is perfect for those wanting an injection of something soothing and people wanting to manage their overwhelm and stress in wholistic, nourishing, doable ways.

In this crafty slow flow yoga practice, you are encouraged to tap into the shiny energy of your heart. We’ll play between gentle grounding shapes and build towards a fluidity that embraces opening through the heart. This integrative practice will draw upon mantra, asana and pranayama for the ultimate heart centred experience.

An integrated practice that begins and ends with the voice. In this class we will work with Kirtan; call and response, to ground into our guided yin practice and end in celebration.

The Garba dance is a traditional Indian folkloric circular dance. Often referred to as the 'Womb' dance to honor womanhood, and pay respect to an array of mother goddesses. Grounded in the feet and hips, it is a spiraling anticlockwise movement meditation that cultivates balance in the flow of change and transformation. It is celebrated at the Navratri Festival's nine nights and dedicated to the different aspects of the divine feminine principle, or 'Shakti'. Come and cultivate your joy

The essence of Place– evocative Sound Journey with Nicky De Gruchy and Peter Baird.

Breath flow yoga, is based on a traditional vinyasa flow practice known as Ashtanga, that focuses on three elements know as the Tristhana; the breath, the gaze, and the effort of asana. Welcoming all abilities and bodies, this class will provide options for beginners and advanced yogis concluding in my favorite pose of all time known as Savasana, accompanied with a little sprinkle of live sound.

We will use a somatic breathwork technique that uses connected circular breathing to shut down the thinking mind and journey into the subconscious. This breath allows us to move beyond logic and access deep emotions and incomplete stress cycles in the body. This cyclical style of breathing has the potential to unlock feelings, stories and emotions which may result in a physical and/or emotional release. The invitation is to be in the body, to feel and surrender.

What is it that you need today? In this class we will explore the therapeutic approach to yoga, with the intention of nurturing and healing our mind, body and energy. We will practice asana, pranayama and meditation with a focus on Shtira sukham asanam - steady, stable, and comfortable practice.

You will be introduced to the NEW way of Laughter Yoga. We will focus on working with Core energy centers (Chakras) and Emotions related to each chakra. You will experience the main emotions (both negative and positive) and learn why expressing them in a correct way is important for our wellbeing.

Anatomy Fundamentals in Yoga (West meets East)

According to Ayurveda, bloating, gas, constipation, diarrhea, anxiety, depression, weight gain or loss and any other ailment represent a state of imbalance in our natural elemental state, referred to as “vikruti”. When our state of imbalance accumulates and does not leave the body through the normal routes, the state of vikruti is heightened and can be observed through ill health and diseases. So, how can you defend against these imbalances? Ayurveda recommends a preventative approach to well-being to maintain an optimal level of balance leading to a healthy ‘agni’ (digestive and metabolic fire). Join us as we delve into an exploration of how to build a daily routine that is simple and effective. At this session, we will cover: - An intro to ayurveda - The concept of dinacarya - Tips & techniques on how you can support your wellbeing using ayurveda on a daily basis