My experience of the Yin Yoga Immersion was profound and, at the same time, very subtle.
I had no expectations as to how I would feel after a yin session but the day after the first class I awoke feeling deeply changed. It was as though a heavy blanket I had been under was removed – when, I don’t know, it just wasn’t there anymore. The blanket symbolized a sense of heaviness I had been feeling about my life and that morning I felt so much lighter for no logical reason – my material circumstances had not changed but something within had and was radiating a new energy outward.
I believe part of the change was due to the practice we had done the previous evening – a practice which, guided by Danielle’s encouraging commentary and use of imagery, appeared to reach parts of me that needed realigning to the Universal source. Her comment about our feeling that ‘we’re not going to make it’ when in fact, ‘we always make it’ resonated with me and I know my meditation on those simple words was also one of the catalysts for my shift in perspective.
The third day I awoke again with a sense of a deep internal shift and had the same thought as the previous morning that ‘I hadn’t really done much’ in terms of asanas. This was one of my discoveries – the non-intrusive feel of Yin practice belies the depth that it reaches – we are deeply moved in such a loving way, we are able to release what needs to be released effortlessly. Actually a lot had been ‘done’ and probably being able to let go of the ‘I’ in the practice enabled this ‘lot’ to happen.
I found the exploration of bone structure and body types a fascinating revelation which had me re-thinking alignment and understanding that some poses are physically impossible for some people and also that modifying a pose is sensible and required in such cases – not the ‘wimp-out’ that my ego told me it was.
The connection made between trauma and body work was made tangible working through the yin sessions – staying in the moment of finding physical stress and trauma, gently staying in the poses allowing emotional and perhaps spiritual hurts to surface and exit.
I hope my testimonial is not taken as being a dramatic road to Damascus type experience – there was no heavenly choir, I didn’t go into a Hollywood diva meltdown and no aliens descended from above to proclaim me their leader.
What I loved about Yin yoga was the humility of the practice, I guess, and through this humility, it enabled me to allow myself to have a more humble experience which then allowed me to let go of stuff.
And of course, Danielle’s loving and generous approach was all part of the magic of our time at True Self. I would not have been able to attend if the offer of negotiating a trade – bartering skills and products for training – had not been made.
I give thanks to the Universe for the opportunity to participate in the immersion training and ask for blessings of abundance to be bestowed upon Elizabeth from True Self and of course, Danielle.
Namaste
A-dZiko Simba
