ABOUT KUNDALINI YOGA AND SOUND THERAPY HOLMFIRTH

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KUNDALINI YOGA 

THIS IS AN ANCIENT PRACTICE THAT OFFERS THE TOOLS FOR SELF EMPOWERMENT. IT ELEVATES MOOD, INCREASES FOCUS AND ENERGY LEVELS, INDUCES CALMNESS AND BRINGS CLARITY TO THE MIND. IT IS AN UPLIFTING PRACTICE THAT COMBINES BREATH WORK, MOVEMENT, MANTRA MEDITATION AND RELAXATION. THESE ASPECTS ENERGIZE THE BODY, RELAX THE MIND AND AWAKEN THE SPIRIT. KUNDALINI YOGA WORKS ON ALL THE BODIES SYSTEMS PARTICULARLY THE GLANDULAR SYSTEM (ENDOCRINE) AND HELPS US RELEASE ALL OUR FEEL GOOD HORMONES! IT IS KNOWN AS THE HOUSEHOLDERS YOGA AND IS COMPLETELY SUITABLE FOR EVERYONE. 

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BREATHWORK (PRANAYAMA)

'BREATH SUSTAIN US'

OUR BREATH IS AN ENERGY DELIVERY SYSTEM, IT IS A MAINLINE FOR PRANA (LIFE FORCE) AND IS THE ULTIMATE RENEWABLE FORCE. CONSCIOUS BREATHING ALLOWS US TO PUT BACK WHAT WE PUT OUT AND IT IS THE MEANS BY WHICH WE CAN CULTIVATE A RELATIONSHIP WITH ENERGY ITSELF. 

IN MANY CULTURES IT IS SAID THAT THE CONTROL OF OUR PRANA CAN EXPAND OUR PERCEPTIONS, KINDLE SPIRIT, HELP US MASTER OUR THOUGHTS, EMOTIONS AND PHYSICAL HEALTH. IN KUNDALINI YOGA WE CAN USE THE BREATH FOR ANYTHING WE NEED - RELAXATION, ENERGY, HEALING, CREATIVITY AND  EXPANDED CONSCIOUSNESS. 

WE PRACTICE MANY DIFFERENT BREATH TECHNIQUES IN KUNDALINI YOGA AND ALWAYS START MY CLASSES WITH A PRANAYAMA PRACTICE. 

'BREATH IS TO YOGA AS WATER IS TO LIFE'

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 KUNDALINI MEDITATION

THE PURPOSE OF THIS IS TO RAISE THE KUNDALINI ENERGY WHICH IS PRESENT AT THE BASE OF THE SPINE IN THE ENERGY BODY. THIS ENERGY ONCE ACTIVATED, MOVES UP THE SPINE THROUGH THE CHAKRAS AND WHEN IT HAS REACHED THE CROWN CHAKRA AT THE TOP OF THE HEAD, IT BRINGS ABOUT A COMPLETE AWARENESS AND CONSCIOUSNESS OF THE BODY AND MIND. WE USE SPECIFIC MUDRAS (HAND POSITIONS) AND EYE FOCUS, AND MOST KUNDALINI MEDITATIONS ARE ACCOMPANIED BY A CHANTED MANTRA. THE LENGTH OF TIME WE MEDITATE FOR IS BASED AROUND NUMEROLOGY AND WE CAN START WITH AS LITTLE AS 3 MINUTES! THIS CAN BE ALL IT TAKES FOR YOU TO START FEELING THE POSITIVE CHANGES. 

 MANTRA

WE CHANT MANTRA IN EVERY KUNDALINI YOGA CLASS YAY! SO - 

WHAT ARE MANTRAS AND WHAT DO THEY DO?

WHAT IS CHANTING AND WHY DO WE CHANT?

ONCE YOU UNDERSTAND THE YOGIC TECHNOLOGY OF MANTRAS, AND YOU HAVE THE POWERFULLY ELEVATING EXPERIENCE OF CHANTING KUNDALINI MANTRAS, YOU WILL WANT THE WORLD TO CHANT! CHANTING IS A MAGICAL WAY TO UPLIFT YOURSELF. 'MAN' MEANS MIND AND 'TRA' MEANS TO TUNE THE VIBRATION SO MANTRA IS A SOUND CURRENT WHICH TUNES THE MIND. WHEN WE CHANT A MANTRA WE ARE CHOOSING TO INVOKE THE POSITIVE POWER CONTAINED IN THOSE PARTICULAR SOUNDS. WHETHER IT IS FOR PROSPERITY, PEACE OF MIND, INCREASING INTUITION, OR ANY OF THE OTHER MULTITUDE OF POSSIBLE BENEFITS INHERENT IN MANTRAS, SIMPLY BY CHANTING THEM WE ARE SETTING VIBRATIONS INTO MOTION THAT SHALL HAVE AN EFFECT. IT DOESN'T MATTER IF WE UNDERSTAND THE MEANING OF THE SOUNDS OR NOT. IN ADDITION TO THE VIBRATIONS SET IN MOTION, SOMETHING ELSE HAPPENS WHEN YOU CHANT. THERE ARE 84 MERIDIAN POINTS OR PRESSURE POINTS ON THE ROOF OF THE MOUTH, AND EVERY TIME YOU SPEAK YOU STIMULATE THEM WITH YOUR TONGUE. BY STIMULATING THESE PRESSURE POINTS ON THE UPPER PALATE IN A PARTICULAR SEQUENCE, USING THE RIGHT 'ACCESS CODE', YOU INCREASE SECRETIONS OF THE HYPOTHALAMUS GLAND AND ACTUALLY BRING ABOUT A CHANGE IN THE BRAIN CELLS. YOU AFFECT THE CHEMISTRY OF THE BRAIN IN A VERY POSITIVE WAY.

WHAT'S NOT TO LIKE? COME AND GIVE IT A TRY. 

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SOUND THERAPY 

SOUND BATHS OFFER US A SPA-LIKE SESSION AND THEY CAN BE JUST WHAT YOU NEED TO RELAX AND RESTORE. SOMETIMES IN LIFE, WE FEEL ANXIETY OR WE FEEL STRESSED AND WE CAN FIND OURSELVES HOLDING ON TO NEGATIVE ENERGY OR FEEL HEAVINESS IN OUR HEART. A SOUND BATH WILL GIVE YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO LET GO OF ALL OF THAT AND JUST RETURN TO A STATE OF CALM AND WELL-BEING.

THERE IS A LOT OF RESEARCH THAT SHOWS THE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS OF SOUND THERAPY AND THESE ARE JUST A FEW BENEFITS OF SOUND BATHS AND SOUND THERAPY -

CALMS YOUR BODY AND MIND

REDUCES STRESS AND ANXIETY

INCREASES FOCUS AND CLARITY

DECREASES TENSION AND FATIGUE

BOOSTS YOUR MOOD AND REDUCES FEELINGS OF ANGER

IMPROVES SLEEP

ELEVATES FEELINGS OF WELL-BEING

AS TO HOW YOU WILL FEEL AFTER A SOUND BATH — THERE’S A WIDE RANGE OF EMOTIONS THAT COME UP FOR PEOPLE, FROM BLISSFUL TO SPACED OUT. BUT MOST PEOPLE FEEL AN OVERALL SENSE OF RELAXATION.

THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO RELAX AND HEAL YOUR INNER SELF. YOU’RE LIKELY TO FEEL CALM, CENTERED AND BALANCED. YOU’RE ALSO LIKELY TO FEEL UPLIFTED AND INSPIRED AS YOU CONNECT WITH YOUR OWN POSITIVE ENERGY. ALL THAT IS REQUIRED OF YOU IS TO TURN UP AND LAY DOWN.

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 CACAO

CACAO WAS GROWN IN SOUTH AMERICA THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO AND USED AS A RITUALISTIC MEDICINE BY AZTEC AND MAYAN CULTURES SIGNIFYING LIFE AND FERTILITY. THEY WOULD SIT TOGETHER IN CIRCLE, DRINKING CACAO TO COMMUNE WITH THEIR GODS. IT IS CONSIDERED A SACRED MEDICINE HEALER AND RITUAL AID AND WAS GIVEN TO WARRIORS WHEN THEY RETURNED, SERVED IN RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES AND APPEARED ON THE TABLES OF THE ROYAL COURTS OF THE DAY. 

CACAO WAS BROUGHT TO EUROPE BY THE SPANISH WHERE IT WAS SWEETENED WITH SUGAR AND SPICES AND KEPT A SECRET FOR MANY YEARS!

SLOWLY WORD SPREAD AND IT WAS MADE INTO SOLID CHOCOLATE. TODAY, MUCH OF ITS CEREMONIAL UNDERSTANDING HAS BEEN LOST AS IT IS CONSUMED HEAVILY MIXED WITH SUGAR, MILK, AND FATS. 

PURE CACAO IS A SUPERFOOD AND ITS SACREDNESS IS BEING REALIZED ONCE MORE AS THE WESTERN WORLD IS SLOWLY BECOMING MORE CONSCIOUS IN HOW THEY THINK, LIVE AND FEEL. 

CACAO HAS INCREDIBLE HEALING PROPERTIES AND IS VERY NUTRITIOUS, NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH COCOA POWDER OR HOT CHOCOLATE, CACAO IS RAW CHOCOLATE WITHOUT ALL THE ADDITIVES. THE PUREST FORM OF CACAO HAS TO BE SOURCED ETHICALLY AND CEREMONIAL GRADE CACAO DOES NOT COME IN POWDER FORM, IT COMES AS A SOLID BLOCK.

SOME OF THE MANY BENEFITS OF USING CACAO ARE

PLANT MEDICINE

HEALING/REASSURING

NATURAL ANTIDEPRESSANT

ENHANCES MEDITATION

OPENS OUR HEART ENERGY

INCREASES CONCENTRATION/FOCUS

GIVES FEELING OF DEEP PEACE

REGULATES BLOOD PRESSURE AND BLOOD SUGAR

STRENGTHENS THE CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM

CONTAINS MAGNESIUM, COPPER, ZINC, IRON, CALCIUM, MANGANESE, SULPHUR AND PHOSPHOROUS.

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DRINKING CACAO GIVES US PHYSICAL, SPIRITUAL AND EMOTIONAL FEELINGS OF WELLBEING. WE CAN REALLY HEAR OURSELVES THINK AND WE CAN HANDLE STRESS MORE EASILY.

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SPIRITDANCE

DANCE! THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MOVING TO THE SOUND OF MUSIC THAT CAN TAKE ALL OF OUR CARES AWAY. THERE ARE ALSO ENDLESS PHYSICAL, MENTAL, EMOTIONAL HEALTH BENEFITS TO DANCING. PARTAKING IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY THAT INVOLVES DANCING CAN LITERALLY CHANGE US! DANCE IMPROVES OUR HEART HEALTH, IT HELPS OUR BALANCE AND STRENGTH, GIVES A MENTAL BOOST, HELPS COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE, IS INCLUSIVE, SOCIABLE, BOOSTS MOOD AND SO SO MUCH MORE! I AM A QUALIFIED SPIRITDANCE FACILITATOR SO PLEASE SEE MY BOOKINGS PAGE FOR MY NEXT 5 WEEK COURSE. ITS FANTASTIC AND LOTS OF FUN!

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