Super competent and empathetic teacher who sees us all, if someone is having extra trouble or is in pain she always takes that into account
On request and as weekly classes every semester
Land with yourself and fill up with new energy and presence! We do yoga through the whole body with well-balanced yoga sequences to become stronger and more mobile and to create greater access to ourselves.
Location for own private groups: Skärgårdscentrum Korpoström
Location autumn and spring: Korpo and online courses: sign up via https://kombi.pargas.fi/
• Content: The class is based on the biomechanical themes of Virya yoga, where you get to know the positive effects of movement theory and how position (asana), breathing (pranayama), movement (vinyasa), presence (mindfulness) and philosophy work together in our relationship to ourselves and life. Each class offers philosophical thoughts for the possibility of new perspectives and with a curiosity about how we relate to yoga.
• For whom?: Welcome both the seasoned yogi and the one with little experience. The class is structured according to opportunities to immerse oneself regardless of previous experience in technology, biomechanics and philosophy. The intention is that everyone can take something useful from the mat into everyday life.
• What to bring?: Bring your own mat, yoga-blocks and band
• Booking here (link)
Strengthen your body and soul through conscious and gentle movements and gain recovery body awareness, where modern knowledge from stress management, somatics and physiotherapy is mixed with yoga’s traditional breathing exercises and methods for deep relaxation.
Location: Skärgårdscentrum Korpoström
Location autumn and spring: Korpo Kommunalgården and Nagu Framnäs.
• Content: Welcome to land with yourself in the middle of everyday life. This class offers a breathing space where we gently strengthen body and soul through conscious and gentle movements. We create an experience of presence, balance and fill up with new energy. We do yoga through the whole body with a great emphasis on presence, where we get to know the positive effects of gently strengthening the body through inner listening. The focus is on recovery and body awareness, where modern knowledge from stress management, somatics and physiotherapy is mixed with yoga’s traditional breathing exercises and methods for deep relaxation. Each class offers philosophical thoughts for the possibility of new perspectives and with a curiosity about how we relate to life. We partly do yoga on a chair, standing and on a yoga mat.
• For whom?: This class suits everyone, regardless of body type and the experienced yogi as well as the one with less experience.
• What to bring?: Bring your own mat, yoga-blocks and other props.
• Booking here (link)
Forest, peace and vitamin sea! Rest in the silence and experience the tranquility of the archipelago nature. Paddle in the sheltered bay and do yoga in a studio surrounded by forest and with a view to the sea.
Recover, rewind and nourish in the peaceful archipelago location in the forest by the sea. Experience nature through gentle guided mindfulness, forest bathing, yoga and sea-kayaking. The retreat holds a space to slow down and nourish from nature with all our senses; nurture recovery and strengthen our whole being.
Program:
Saturday
12.00 Arriving circle with tea and snack
13.00 – 16.00 Sea Kayaking starting from the beach at our location.
16.30 Dinner
18.00 – 19.30 Gentle yoga and restorative yoga
20-22 Evening snack and Sauna (optional)
Sunday:
09.00 Breakfast for people staying overnight
10-12 Gentle flow yoga and mindful walk
12-13 Lunch and closing circle
Place: Our venue is located in quiet forest surroundings next to the bay. A cosy and nature-sheltered atmosphere invites us to just be and relax. Our studio has a view to the sea with accommodation in rooms of 2-6 people.
See more detailed travel instructions to Korppoo here
Adress: Villa Markomby, Vikgrund 84-88, 217 10 Korppoo.
Suitability of the retreat: This retreat is ideal for anyone who wants to spend a relaxing weekend in the archipelago. No previous experience of paddling or yoga is required.
Price: 195€ / 220€. Lower price for students and unemployed.
Price includes: Kayak and yoga instructors, sea kayak and other paddling equipment, meals (Saturday: arriving tea, dinner, evening snack and Sunday lunch) and sauna.
Accommodation: 40€/night. Possible to book already from friday evening. Accommodation includes breakfast. Let us know if you want to stay overnight.
Instructors:
ElinMaria has over 20 years of daily experience in yoga and meditation. Trained at the Nordic Yoga Institute and Viryayoga teacher, Mindfulness Center Sweden (MfC), ISLO Dance and Somatics, Somatic Selfcompassion® trauma Informed Approach.
Gabriel has spent his whole life in nature and on the water. Gabriel is a trained sea kayaking guide and instructor for the Finnish Canoeing and Rowing Federation and the Finnish Sea Kayaking Association, and is the main-guide for the Paddling Academy.
Private classes individually or in groups
Book a yoga tailored to you and your needs! During a private lesson, we adapt the yoga according wishes and needs; with focus on strengthening the body with more physically demanding or more gentle mobilization. Re-boot and balance your nervous-system, and get more tools for stress-reduction and postural health. The class offers philosophical thoughts for the possibility of new perspectives and with a curiosity towards every-day life approach. Indoor classes are held on Skärgårdscentrum Korpoström or on request in nature/other location, depending on wishes.
Book for yourself, with a friend or together with a small group.
Price:
– 50€/pers (2-6 pers)
– 350€/group (7-10 pers)
We also warmly recommend Forest bathing and mindfulness in nature for you and your group! https://movingheart.fi/mindfulness-and-somatics/#link-mindful-nature-walk
If you want, you can also inquire about private yoga from the contact form that you can find in the footer of this page.
Land in the being of the body, bathe your senses in all the impressions of nature and give yourself a space to gently strengthen body and soul with yoga and mindfulness.
• Content: Yoga creates an experience of presence, balance and fills up with new energy. The retreat provides extra focus on recovery, relaxation and gently strengthening body and soul from the inside out. Our philosophical theme concerns compassion and exploring bodily resources for stress management and recovery. The day gives space for silence; both internal and external with gentle guidance and space for contemplation.
Part of the day we are outdoors to unwind and take in the healing powers of nature. Studies show, among other things, that after just fifteen minutes in the forest, our blood pressure is noticeably lowered. Amazing isn’t it? By consciously slowing down and resting in all the impressions of nature, we can regulate the nervous system and recover from stress, strengthen our immune system, reduce anxiety and exhaustion, and access better cognitive ability and creativity.
Mindfulness exercises create a space to unwind and to feel and experience nature through our senses; we “bath” in all the sounds and impressions of nature; in the lapping of the sea and the silence of the autumn forest, the gaze rests on the tops of the trees and notices details. We create a respite where our constantly solution-oriented mind can rest in the being of the body and nature, if only for a moment.
• Program
12-13.30 Mindfulness and Nature Bath
13.30-14 Break with silence
14-16 Yoga indoors
17 Dinner
18-20 Sauna by the sea
•For whom?: You don’t need previous experience to participate, come as you are!
• Language: Swedish with possibility of translation into English. If you speak Finnish, we try to help each other.
Welcome to spend an unforgettable day in the archipelago paddling and doing yoga on the desert islands. Rest in silence, bathe your senses in the beautiful scenery and experience the healing magic of nature. Gentle yoga, mindfulness and nature baths offer restoration, renewed vitality and inspiration.
Time and place: The starting point of the trip is Korpoström Archipelago Centre. Schedule of the excursion from 11.00 – 17.00. See more detailed directions to Korppoose here
The suitability of the trip: Suitable for everyone, no previous experience in kayaking or yoga is required.
The price includes: Local professional guides; kayaking and yoga instruction, sea kayak and other kayaking equipment, picnic lunch on the island.
Paddling equipment: We paddle SeaBirds Expedition and Scott sea kayaks, which are highly reliable kayaks designed for sea conditions. These kayaks are stable and comfortable to paddle.
Take with you: Clothes for the weather, a change of clothes, a water bottle, a swimsuit and a towel.
Archipelago Sea: Read more about our kayaking destination here
Before and after the tour: At the Korpoström Archipelago Centre you will find quality food and accommodation, a shop, an art exhibition and a children’s club. Read more here
If you wish, the tour includes possibility to combine with other programmes, e.g. sea kayaking training, mindfull nature walks or private yoga lessons.
YOUR GUIDES have long experience of guiding groups on retreats in nature.
GABRIEL is a professional and experienced sea kayak guide and instructor certified by the Finnish Sea Kayaking Association (SuMe/Nil) and the Finnish Kayaking and Rowing Association.
Archipelago Sea: Read more about our kayaking destination here
Before and after the tour: At the Korpoström Archipelago Centre you will find quality food and accommodation, a shop, art exhibition and a children’s club. Read more here
Archipelago Center Korpoström. (in case of bad weather indoors)
Time 9-10
30.6-2.8 Monday – Saturday
15 euros/occasion mobilepay or cash
ElinMaria facilitates this classes 14-25th of July
During morningyoga, our attention shifts from dynamic movements, breathing exercises, sound bowls and contact with nature to respectfully listening to the body’s needs.
Everyone can participate! You can participate with a low threshold, just as you are, without requirements and achievements! You don’t need any previous experience.
No separate registration required, bring a yoga mat. If necessary, carpets are available to borrow.
Morning yoga at the archipelago center has been a tradition for 8 years! We are now four certified yoga teachers offering our expertise! Welcome along!
ElinMaria Sydänvirta – Dynamic Hatha/Viryayoga, Somatics and Mindfulness.
Nina Jaatinen – Soft dynamic hatha, holistic yoga.
Johanna Freudenthal – Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Rocket, Hatha and Yin.
Yoga Mini Retreat – In the Lap of Spring
May 4th, 2025
€42
1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Forest, peace, and vitamin sea! Recover, rewind, and nourish yourself in the peaceful archipelago at our forest and seaside location in Korppoo.
Come and unwind to find new vitality. Immerse your senses in the awakening of spring, surrounded by the forest and the bay. Half of the program will be held in our studio, overlooking the sea, and the other half will take place outdoors, embracing all the impressions of nature.
This retreat is for everyone, regardless of your body type or previous experience. The retreat offers multi-layered practices, with opportunities to deepen your practice and cater to your own phase and needs. Come as you are!
More information about bus travel between Turku and Korppoo is available upon request. Possible to request accommodation on our venue!
Online course (zoom)
4 times
Study and learn more about the connections between self-compassion and recovery. Be part of an online community with lectures, reflection and practices to integrate selfcompassion into daily life matter.
SELF-COMPASSION We practice to be friends with ourselves in the same way we treat and approach others we care about. Self-compassion allows our nervous system to create safety in contrast to the mechanisms our bodies use when we are under stress. By cultivating caring as a response to what we experience we increase our sense of support, resilience and ability to recover. Together with gentle body oriented practices we can increase our sensory awareness/interoseption and ability to sooth, support and act on stress in day to day moments.
INTEROSEPTION AND SOMATIC’S is about the body’s ability to sense and interpret internal signals and in turn our ability to respond to needs such as rest or action and emotional regulation. Developing our interoception is closely linked to how we can manage stress, prevent exhaustion and the ability to manage our emotions and take conscious action to what we can do.
YOGA NIDRA is a guided meditation technique for deep recovery and rest. The technology is based on the body’s natural and biological processes for recovery through states between wakefulness and sleep. Part of the tradition is a variation of practices in support of recovery, mindfulness, interoception and for self-awareness. Yoga Nidra is performed in an undemanding spirit and in a comfortable position, often lying down. In this course however, we research what is the most supportive posture to practice, moment to moment.
SANKALPA AND METTA/LOVING KINDNESS
In Sanskrit ‘San’ means ‘being in touch with one’s highest truth’ and ‘Kalpa’ means ‘promise’. As part of the tradition of yoga nidra, a self-designed sentence is often used as a way to put into words an intention or longing you have for your life. In this course you will learn more about how your own thoughts towards yourself affect your stress-management and how caring thoughts can be used intentionally for more constructive ways of dealing with life. You then get to design your own sankalpa with inspiration from the Buddhist meditation technique Metta bhavana or “loving-kindness”, or loving benevolence in Swedish.
A FOUR WEEK JOURNEY In this course you get to be part of an online community sharing the journey and practices. Facilitation gives space for a felt sense of connection and possibilities to share and be enriched and supported by the presence of an community.
CONTENT and structure at each meeting.
– Guided Yoga Nidra with the theme of self-compassion.
– Resources for compassionate stress management, somatic tools to create conditions for recovery.
– Create your own space for care, rest and replenishment.
– Sankalpa as loving kindness/metta phrases
– Somatic practices, gentle yoga and mindful movement, restorative yoga
– Stress physiology, self-compassion and compassionate approach to stress – an introduction
– Reflection in conversation and/or writing
– Practically applied exercises in everyday life
– Free resources of Yoga Nidra och recordings of the classes
– An online community to share the journey.
Coming Home – Self Compassion immersion
4 Classes; Thursdays 20.2, 27.2, 6.3, 13.3
19.30-21.00 Timezoon Finland
Calculate your local time here:
https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com
Yoga & somatic/interoception for inner resilience and recovery.
Classes designed for practically applied self-compassion practice.
This course is suitable for both those who want to deepen their practice or those who want to try new ways to create recovery and inner resilience.
The classes are based on self-compassion and interoception; Being with what is and cultivating the ability to respond with practically applied approaches and methods for self-compassion/inner resilience and support. When we practice self-compassion through bodily and sensory perspectives, we create the conditions to come into contact with the body’s calm- and self-regulation system . We practice being our own inner support in the same way that we are motivated to support others we care about. By cultivating care and presence with ourselves, our sense of inner support, resilience and ability to recover increases.
Self-compassion integrated as a methodology and approach in soft and undemanding yoga, restorative yoga, somatics and interoception, polyvagal theory, yoga nidra, metta bhavana inspired meditations, mindfulness and practically applied exercises for everyday life.
SOMATIC’S & INTEROCEPTION Somatic Movement is a field within bodywork and movement studies aimed at experiencing and feeling movement from within the body. Developing our connection to our bodies and our felt sense is called interoception and is closely linked to how we manage and respond to stress, prevent exhaustion and overwhelm. This course integrates sensory modulation; and how we practically through our senses can create soothing or alerting compassion-practises for ourselves.
YOGA NIDRA is a guided meditation technique for deep recovery and rest. The technology is based on the body’s natural and biological processes for recovery through states between wakefulness and sleep. Yoga Nidra is made up of different elements to support recovery, mindfulness, interoception and self-awareness. Yoga Nidra is performed in an undemanding spirit and in a comfortable position, often lying down. In this course we explore different supportive posture for the practice.
SANKALPA AND METTA BHAVANA As part of Yoga Nidra, a self-made sentence is often used as a way to put into words an intention or longing you have for your life. In this course you get to explore your inner voice as a compassionate support and to create your own sankalpa / promise with inspiration from the Buddhist meditation technique Metta bhavana or “loving-kindness”.
CONTENT
Each class is build on 1.5h with:
– Grounding practice; Sensory resources/modulation (10 min)
– Yoga and somatics; Gentle approach to movement and positions (30 min)
– Yoga Nidra (20 min)
– Meditation inspired from Metta bhavana (5-10 min)
– Reflection/integration and possibility to share with others (about 20 min)
A FOUR WEEK JOURNEY In this course you get to be part of an online community sharing the journey and practices. Facilitation gives space for a felt sense of connection and possibilities to share and be enriched and supported by the presence of a community.
TRAUMA SENSITIVE The course is trauma-sensitive and provides the opportunity to step out and in from exercises, provides room for adjustment and alternative ways of doing an exercise, methodology with room for reflection and integration.
ElinMaria Sydänvirta Well versed in a wide range of schools in yoga and meditation with daily practice and studentship since 1996. Educated among others at Nordiska Yoga-institutet Viryayoga-teacher(RYS200h), Yoga nidra teacher (RYS30h) Mindfulness Center Sverige (MfC), ISLO Dance and Somatics and Somatic (1 year fulltime program) and as well Somatic selfcompassion® with trauma Informed Approach (100h).
Values and focus shared with my facilitation:
– Yoga as a practice where we gain access to more and more subtle levels of our body and consciousness.
– Increase an understanding of the connections between mind, thoughts, feelings (mindfulness), breath (pranayama), position (asana), movement (vinyasa) and gaze (drishti).
– To facilitate a safe and sustainable practice of yoga, with building blocks also from physiotherapy and movement theory. To gradually build up the fundamentals and development of each asana and transitions in between.
– To offer philosophical nuggets and themes where I convey philosophy with an investigative approach to enrich and create a curiosity and wonder about yoga and life and to skip dogmatic signs.
– A healing space; to integrate compassion and care for our body- and mind and its ever-changing rhythms. To find an approach in practice where we can learn from our body and heart’s and dare to be transparent with different needs in different moments.
– The joy of movement and a space of inner and outer freedom. Learning new skills can be playful and fun!
I found yoga as early as 14 years old through my curiosity about new views and approaches to life. Yoga became for me, together with other somatic practices, an important resource in dealing with my rheumatic pain and recurring depressions, and even today, yoga can keep me both pain- and symptom-free most of the time.
I am versed in many different traditions, such as Satyananda Yoga, Kundalini yoga, Iyengar yoga, Acro yoga, Yoni Shakti Yoga Therapy, yoga nidra and for many years Astangha vinyasa Yoga. With Virya Yoga I found my home as a yoga teacher and it’s humble approach based on the latest findings within movement analyses, bio-mechanics and history research and with a joy and playfulness in both philosophy and practice. Other practices that strongly influence my yoga teaching are compassion, somatics (such Body Mind Centering, developmental movement patterns), nature and mindfulness.
On this page you can read further about my approach with yoga! You will recognize the style of hatha, vinyasa and more gentle approach such Yoni Shakti Yoga. You will get familiar with somatics and mindful movement as well get some food for your philosophical thoughts!
Warmly welcome, ElinMaria
Well-balanced sequences with the foundations of Virya Yoga. Get to know the positive effects of movement theory and how position (asana), breathing (pranayama), movement (vinyasa), presence (mindfulness) and philosophy can work together in our relationship with ourselves, each other and life.
Each class provides principles for understanding themes of biomechanics for a healthy and multi-layered practice. With me you get to approach the breathing in a gentle manner and with an somatic understanding of it’s connection to our nervous system.
In my classes I offer philosophical thoughts and themes for the possibility of new perspectives and with a curiosity about how we relate to both yoga and life.
“Viryayoga stands for a modern and learning yoga, with building blocks from physiotherapy and movement theory where old knowledge is questioned and new experiences are incorporated. ..It’s about how force and movement affect the body, short and sweet movement theory, and how we use the body in a healthy way. ..As much as we constantly update ourselves with current knowledge in movement theory, we are equally devoted to yoga’s thousand-year-old philosophical roots. Viryayoga is a philosophical yoga, but at the same time undogmatic.”
/Nordiska Yogainstitutet Virya Yoga
Yoga with a focus on integrating presence and an increasingly subtle awareness of body and mind. We get a respite for recovery where we can gently strengthen ourselves through conscious and gentle movements; a meditation in movement and breathing. When we create an awareness of ourselves, the nervous system is given a space to heal and we increase our ability to be with life as it is. The focus is on recovery and body awareness, where modern knowledge from stress management, somatics and physiotherapy is mixed with yoga’s traditional breathing exercises and methods for deep relaxation.
Embodiment and somatics is an approach to integrate our whole being; our mind and body in relation to the earthly matters and forces. We will engage in practices that settle us deeper in relationship with gravity, ground reaction force, our hearts, center and breath. While coming at home in our bodies and it’s relation to the Earth our perception changes and we get a wider access to what we are and what yoga can be. With a somatic approach to yoga we may give the possibility to direct our practice to bring freedom and easy to our body rather than the traditional approach where yoga is practiced in order to control the body.
ElinMaria draw inspiration from Body Mind Centering, developmental movement-patterns, Mindful movement and a deep curiosity of the wisdom of our bodies. I give the same value to building blocks from physiotherapy and movement theory as well from the inner understanding, listening and felt experience of the body and body-consciousness. From this rich soil I build up a curiosity towards our body-systems and changing rhythms of our living breathing bodies.
“Where is the alignment of the inner vinyasa? How do we accept the alignment that we have so that we are the most balanced in the body that we have at the moment? Not the body that we used to have or the body that we want to have or the one we see the picture of the ‘right’ form, the ‘right’ shape, the ‘right’ hair color, the ‘right’ sized foot.”
– Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen
Bathe your senses in all the impressions of nature, anchor your body’s landscape with nature’s and give space for the experience of contemplation and vitality. When we do yoga in nature, we are invited to land with the present and we become naturally integrated with changing surfaces and sensory impressions. The focus is on grounding ourselves in ourselves and integrating the experience of nature in and around us, recovering the nervous system from stress, increasing cognitive ability and creativity and building presence, balance and new vitality.
ElinMaria roots her own yoga practice partly outside, in the nature and in different seasons. I love the creativity and possibilities that nature offers; how it breaks my habits and bring me to the present moment. With nature I have a lot of fun; making body-puzzles with my body and interesting nature surroundings, expanding my mind to all the impressions of nature. How about asana balance with the gaze resting on the water or changing clouds? Arm-balance on top of a stone? Or adjusting my inter-versions with a branch in the tree? Rest upside down on rocky hill or smell the moss in i moist forest? To contemplate of nature inside of my and it’s interconnection to nature around me support me stay humble and full of wonders!
Yoga can provide a space for our human drive to seek meaning, context and value in this wondrous experience which is life. With yoga, we can explore philosophical and ethical approaches that can nourish this longing. Yoga can touch on more existential questions that touch on ethics and our place in the world or questions that touch our health, for example.
Yoga’s rich philosophical tradition has its origins in Eastern philosophy, where Hinduism and Buddhism influenced and developed the multi-faceted approaches to yoga that are practiced today. Classical Yoga literature and philosophy are around 2500 years old and are based on traditions that can enrich and give new perspectives to Western perspectives on existence. In the East, a holistic view of human dominates; where body, soul and intellect are a whole and in a constant interaction unlike in Western culture where they are considered as separate entities that many times have nothing to do with each other.
Classical Yoga can be described as a way to gain insight into oneself and life, where the physical practice is only a small part of what coin the concept of yoga. Modern yoga has developed around the physical yoga exercises and their positive effects on well-being, stress management, fitness and health. Yoga is today strongly connected with an ideal of beauty and the idea of the perfect body. By including philosophy in our yoga practice, yoga can gain a value base that is not based on disciplining the body to perfection but instead exploring possible approaches to ourselves and life. Perhaps this is where yoga can be different from other physical forms of exercise or today’s today’s capitalist body culture; even existential aspects of existence are allowed to take place and a holistic view of being alive is examined.
ElinMaria’s yoga teaching integrates an exploratory and philosophical approach to life’s big or small questions where there are no obvious answers. I think it is just as important for us humans to create room for existential wonder as it is to consolidate resources for well-being in life. I’m curious to make a holistic approach graspable for the context we now live in and then practically feasible; through body and mind. The philosophical nuggets that I share here are not only from the classical literature of yoga, but have their inspiration equally from modern Buddhism, mindfulness and somatic practice. I convey philosophy with an investigative approach to enrich and create a curiosity about yoga and life and I skip dogmatic signs. In my classes, a humble exploration of both body and bud is encouraged, where not infrequently humor is also given space when we engage with philosophical statements and approaches.
What I hope when you come to yoga with me is that you get a space to most of all just be; into the body and the present where there is an experience of consciousness that is not just the constant default mood of the intellect. At the same time, I want what you take with you from the yoga mat to be grains of thought and questions that can create a curiosity and wonder about how you want to live your life.
With me you may, if you wish, explore;
– What do you hold sacred and how do you want to take care of what you love in your life?
– How do I relate to myself and what I experience here and now; in the body, mind, thoughts and feelings?
– How do I experience it when I deepen my contact with body, movement, breathing, position and gaze?
– What happens when I contemplate a holistic approach to body and soul; myself in interaction and relationship with the outside world?
– How can compassion and non-violence change my perspective and approach to life?
– In what way can yoga be a resource for facing life as it is with all its moments of both suffering and happiness?
– How can Eastern philosophies be an inspiration to create more wonder, care, compassion and meaning in my own life?
Difficulties and suffering in various forms is something that unites us humans. Compassion makes us aware of how we belong to each other and can create meaning and connection with the world around us. When we cultivate empathy, we open doors to better understand the situation and suffering of others and it gives us the joy and strength to respond to it in compassion.
A fundamental approach in Eastern philosophy is to understand how we all, both humans, animals and nature, interact and influence each other and therefore it is ethically valuable to take care of each other, to cultivate a concern for others. Buddhist tradition, witch has roots in the yoga philosophy, calls for compassion for all sentient beings as a basic approach in living. Ahimsa, the first ethical guideline in Yoga Sutra, is a Sanskrit word commonly translated as non-violence. I’m curious how to integrate teachings of compassion into the yoga-practice, allowing us to feel co-related and understand the foundations of interconnectedness, in our attitudes and our bodily matters.
Compassion is today a proven and research-based method in the West as a way to increase well-being and resilience in the midst of life’s challenges. Self-compassion is used both as a therapy and as a method to increase the quality of life and create social change.
“Somatic Self-compassion is understanding the stressful world we live in today, and a desire to find tools to understand and remain grounded and nourished in these difficult times.” /Kristy Arbon.
Self-compassion is a radical way of recognizing suffering as part of being human and an understanding that being our ally rather than our enemy leads us to more constructive and sustainable ways of dealing with life. We practice being our friend, even when we need it most. With compassion, we can build a foundation for inner support in our learning processes and a sense of belonging, with the ability for our nervous system to create security in contrast to the survival mechanisms our bodies use when exposed to stressors.
“In the presence of one firmly established in nonviolence, all hostilities cease” /Yoga Sutra Sutra 2.35
I aim to integrate a pedagogy of compassion into all my teaching as a recurring approach to ourselves and each other, both through attitudes and specific exercises. Practicing yoga with compassion and non-violence is a corner-stone for the ability to integrate presence and be with ourselves, so to say the very central practice of meditation. Without compassion, being with discomfort becomes to hard and will guide us rather to dissociation than wholeness and connection. As an ethical direction, compassion can give our yoga practice a wider dimension where our care for ourselves generates care for others as well. When we recognize our place in life as part of a community, perhaps our yoga can contribute to a greater peace, not just our own.
“Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.” /Buddha
More info coming!
More info coming!