Article Judith Lynch. Pictures by Kathryn Smith.
Andrew Nathan led the Training Day at Wilmslow Methodist Church. 24 people enjoyed the two-hour session on restorative yoga and then a chance to catch up with each other at the delicious shared lunch which followed.
We starting lying supine in stillness, staying alert to our bodies, using our breathing to help us stay connected. Subtle movements with focussed breathing were introduced to parts of the spine, leading to an awareness of how detailed 3-part breathing can bring a lot of movement into the connective tissues. Then we moved onto small movements in head, hands, toes, pelvis and the whole spine. These were combined into a sequence with embodied breath. A small twist with knees to chest completed the floor work.
This kind of somatic movement continued in standing postures and sequences. It helps to focus awareness on what is happening internally in the body and fully incorporates working with the breath and the mind. We started with static then moving tadadana, with palms up and head raised and this morphed into deeper forward and back bends. Eventually a twist was added onto the full forward bend. We then started with mini knee bends and gradually added on movements leading to full strong pose with side bends in between. Palms together with elbows lifted then twists to each side as we inhaled rather than exhaled which is more traditional. In fact we used the in breath to start each posture or sequence and interestingly it did seem to help support the movement.
Some seated pranayama with an easy version of shining head breath then enjoyable chanting was followed by a series of yin yoga postures using blocks, bolsters and a strap. These worked into the connective tissues in hips, knees, shoulders and the whole spine. The final supported child’s pose was a delight to relax into. Andrew then led us through a sequence based on variations of the cat pose.
A rotation of consciousness relaxation was followed by a chakra related meditation and chanting, concluding the morning’s yoga activities with Om Shanti.
Thank you very much to Andrew for a well-planned, enjoyable and absorbing yoga session. I am sure it gave the attendees food for thought and some different ideas and approaches for their own practice and teaching.
Thank you to all the attendees and to the CYTA Committee for organising the event.