What better to do on a Saturday night than go to a 2 hour yoga nidra session? We gathered, around 25 women and men in a workshop which was held in a magical space. Fairy lights twinkled across the ceiling, nests of mats, bolsters, blocks and blankets were placed in a circle around an alter of flickering candles. And we were greeted with hot tea and offers of even more blankets and eye pillows to make ourselves comfortable. I wasn't sure what to expect, I hadn't been to a deep feminine, yoni yoga inspired womb yoga group before and didn't know the teacher, although I had dipped into one of her books and she came highly recommended from other teachers.
We started (yes started!) with Yoga Nidra, a very long practice involving singing and yawning. We lay swaddled in blankets (very womb like) and still wearing my beanie hat, and it was blissful. After the Yoga Nidra was a unique series of mudra based moves and chanting, including encouragement to make as much noise as possible. That woke us up!
The invitation was to follow the guidance or do whatever felt right, or do nothing at all "if you are in a yoga class and everyone is doing the exact same thing, just leave" was the advice. Yes, this was my kind of yoga. We greeted each member of the class in turn as a group and learned where everyone had travelled from. This is something I'd like to introduce into my classes, there was such a sense of community and gratitude in bringing us all together.
This gentle practice based on feminine principles of flow, soft lines, expression and a bit of fierceness built, will definately add to my small group classes. I experienced some beautiful mudra flows, and meaningful sequences that really released tension I didnt know I had in my hips, but also a practice that was really heartfelt.
If Yoga Nidra and Womb Yoga sounds interesting to you find out more at http://www.wombyoga.org/events-and-courses.