Hats Off To Mr John O'Donohue

So if you’ve popped by to any of my sessions lately you may have noticed my wee obsession with this man!

My mum told me about John O’Donohue whilst discussing another poet we also like, Mary Oliver. So I got on to Google and searched him up. I instantly hitched on to his words & even better still listening to his Irish mellifluous tones.

Check out the man himself here chatting to Buddhist monk Sharon Salzburg.

Shared this poem above in the Friday Flow sess last week…

Whilst writing this piece, something spooky happened my phone pinged and this word popped on the screen as my ”word of the day”(yup got a geeky app for that!)

Sui Generis

Definition: Something very unique and that there is no-one else or nothing else of the same kind and so you cannot make judgments about them based on other things.

However what I think O’Donahuge is saying is that we are all sui generis.

John was a Catholic Priest for about 19 yrs then a Helgean philosopher. His most famed work is the Anam Cara published in 1997, A Book Of Celtic Wisdom. His last book “To Bless The Space Between Us” was his last piece before his sudden death in 2008 he was only 52 yrs. A fusion of Celtic mysticism & Christian theology is at the core of O'Donohue's writing.

Anam Cara is a phrase that refers to the Celtic concept of the "soul friend" in religion & spirituality. The phrase is an anglicization of the Irish word anamchara, anam meaning "soul" & cara meaning "friend".

Anam Cara reminds me of this parallel, the term Ahaṃkāra (अहंकार)is a Sanskrit term that is related to the ego and egoism - that is, the identifying with or attachment to one's ego. comes from an approximately 3,000-year-old Vedic philosophy, where Ahaṃ is the "I" and kāra is "any created thing" or "to do". The term originated in Vedic philosophy over 3,000 years ago, and was later incorporated into Hindu philosophy, particularly Saṃkhyā philosophy.

Happy mulling over a cuppa.

Trauma Informed Yoga

FEELING SAFE

Sometimes we want to take a regular yoga class, learn how to make some yoga shapes, sweat, feel strong & flexible, meet some new people..... but it doesn't feel safe.

A number of things may feel unsafe in a yoga class, especially for trauma survivors:

• the class is large and people are close together

• Sanskrit or chanting may be a part of the class

• the instructor dresses in revealing clothes

• you're touched without being asked

• the class involves partner work

• students are singled out with compliments & criticisms

• students are expected to wear tight 'yoga' clothing

• there is little understanding of the triggering or dissociative potential of yoga props eg. straps and blocks

• there is little understanding of the triggering or dissociative potential of metaphorical language eg. stand as though like a tree, rooted to the ground

• although variations are offered, instruction is commanding in tone, rather than invitational

• emphasis is placed on achieving an ideal, externally judged, shape

If any of the above have bothered you, it might be that a Trauma Informed Yoga class would suit you better.

WHAT IS A TRAUMA INFORMED YOGA CLASS?

An opportunity to take a yoga class with a trauma informed yoga teacher.

Your teacher will:

• be informed about triggers, flashbacks, dissociative states & overwhelming emotions

• make space for you to step out of any practice and any class

• attend to dynamics of safety, especially as they might effect trauma survivors

WHAT A TRAUMA INFORMED YOGA CLASS IS NOT.

• TIY classes are not therapy

• participants will not be asked to share their trauma histories or to process their memories

These classes are trauma informed classes. As such, we understand that the content may be triggering. We encourage students to take any necessary steps in their self-care. No prior yoga experience needed.

Location

Our sessions will be in the SUPability Centre (entrance down by the Sandy Bay ramp.) Sandy Bay beach Gibraltar

Cost for 8 week programme

£120 for 8 week programme (it works out to £15 per session)

Half of Payment £60 to please be paid before our first session please. The second instalment to please be paid after 4 weeks. If you can not attend a session please notify me, cancellation time 24 hrs minimum. Refunds are not granted. In the unforeseen circumstance I have had to cancel a session, I will offer another session date.

I will send you the payment info after you enrol.

A % of your entry fee goes to support our SUPability charity because it helps people to experience SUP in a fun and safe way, who may not otherwise be able to access the sport.

Day/ Time TBC

Some of you may want to have a 🏊 swim 🏊‍♂️ after … we have a changing room available on site.