Moving From Within Embodiment & Bodywork Immersion w Daphne Chua
VENUE
Mala Dhara Yoga Retreat Center Chiang Mai Thailand
TIME
Start: 2:00 PM - July 21, 2019
End: 12:00 PM - July 28, 2019
Moving from Within:
Embodiment & Bodywork Immersion
July 21 – 28, 2019
Mala Dhara Yoga Retreat Center & Eco Resort, Chiang Mai, Thailand
The Embodiment & Bodywork Immersion is a journey. A journey into the senses to uncover our very own physical and subtle mind-body mapping, bringing to our consciousness the way we inhabit in our environment, and how we respond to elements and people around us. It is a journey to unearth the treasure trove of our innate healing through breath, movement, bodywork, meditation and self inquiry.
The embodiment approach in this immersion will shine a light on our habitual but sometimes unconscious neurological patterning that manifest into how we breath, our holding gait, and our reactivity to circumstances. These are manifested through pre-dispositions, deep-seated patterns, trauma, as well as years of conditioning.
Bringing together mindfulness based techniques with somatic tools, we will gain more clarity into our own emotions and behaviour as an embodied biological process, this will enable us to live and move with greater ease and grace.
This will be 2 x 50 hours immersion for yoga practitioners, bodyworkers, movers, dancers, coaches, caregivers… anyone who is looking to understand the pathways of connectivity between the body, mind and spirit. We will work with movement through the lens of embryology, developmental patterns, fascia and connective tissue. Delving into breathwork, yoga therapy applications, traditional Hatha Yoga principles, Yoga Nidra, Restorative Yoga, visualisations, vocalisations, self inquiry and bodywork.
When we explore from within through a sensory rather than cognitive approach, our mind can de-clutter and re-wire towards a moment-to-moment presence in wellness.
Be EMPOWERED to access your own transformation and healing. You will also be able to apply these tools in teaching yoga or movement, self-care, or in offering tactile touch or bodywork to support your clients and your loved ones.
COURSE DETAILS
This program keeps evolving every year as I continue to expand the scope of my work and study in the areas of therapeutics, somatic therapy, movement education and neuroscience.
This year, the central theme will revolve around the Therapeutic Applications through the lens of Developmental Patterns – in which I’ll be covering:
- Embryology and how we can further understand our mind-body blueprint through our developmental journey
- Fascia & Connective Tissues through the phases of developmental patterns – inquiring into how movement evolves and shapes us through evolution, environment, emotions, culture, habits and how we can explore and repattern through embodied anatomy, relearning, and deep rest.
- Spatial Medicine: Tap into our kinesthetic and spatial intelligence through proprioception and interoception by refining the nuances of our awareness in a sensory-based learning environment.
- Nervous system regulation and therapeutic healing through the Vagus Nerve – this part is of special importance to those dealing with chronic pain as well as for teachers / therapists / coaches out there who’d like to understand and explore how to hold space and co-regulate through breath work, yoga therapy and somatic movement.
- Hands-on bodywork: as usual there will be a significant amount of time dedicated to tactile work. The power of applying a gentle touch to heal is formidable. In addition to hands-on techniques, we will also cover ethics, permission, client-therapist relationship, intention, attention, therapist posture integrity and self-care.
This will not be a typical yoga immersion.
We will be working with the tools of yoga therapy ~ movement, asanas, sound, visualisation, meditation techniques, Yoga Nidra, breathwork and pranayama… grounded by a knowledge of kinesiology, myofascial meridiens, embodied anatomy, neuroscience, understanding of chronic conditions etc. In addition, we will also look at some classical yoga philosophy and yogic texts, and discuss how they can be applied in contemporary therapeutic settings.
What I’ll be sharing is a distillation of the different aspects of my studies from Hatha yoga to movement science, a decade of teaching experience, as well as drawing from case studies of the work I’ve done. I personally feel that it is important to communicate the meldings of these teachings and principles that I embody as a student, teacher and therapist, and then leave you to explore and seek out the answers yourself.
Module 1 – Walking the Talk: Foundations in the Trinity of Body-Mind-Spirit
(50 Hours)
- The Principles of Yoga, Somatics & Bodywork as Therapeutic Toolkit
- The Anatomy of Breath: the 3 Diaphragms + Therapeutic Applications
- Our Relationship with Gravity: Yielding / Propping / Collapse
- Fascia principles & Developmental Origins
- Cultivating Spatial & Emotional Intelligence: Proprioception & Interoception
- Embodied Anatomy & Kinesthetics
- Body Reading 1: Pathways
- Our Nervous System & Polyvagal Theory
- Therapeutic Presence: Holding Sacred Space & Nervous System Regulation
- Bodywork: The Art of Touch – ethics, intention, attention
- Bodywork: Release Techniques for Chronic Holding Areas (Back / Neck / Shoulders)
- Core Connection: The Intricacies of Diaphragm, Pelvic Floor & the Psoas
- Restorative Yoga & Yoga Nidra
- Pancha Maya Koshas ~ The 5 layers of the body
- Pancha Vayu – The 5 winds of the body
- Pancha Maha Bhutas – The 5 elements
Module 2 – The State of Being: Diving Deep into Embodiment
(50 Hours* ~ Pre-requisite : Module 1 or have taken previous trainings with Daphne amounting to minimum 30hrs)
- Embryology & Developmental Patterns (building upon Module 1)
- Yoga & Bodywork for Chronic Conditions & Pain Management
- Embodied Anatomy & Kinesiology (building upon Module 1)
- Body Reading 2: Read Between the Lines (building upon Module 1)
- Exploring Myofascial Meridiens in Therapeutic Applications
- Core Connection: The Intricacies of Diaphragm, Pelvic Floor & the Psoas (building upon Module 1)
- The Physiological Effects of Subtle Practices: Mantra / Mudras / Kriyas
- Bodywork: Listening to Body’s Inner Rhythms
- Bodywork: Release Techniques for Chronic Holding Areas 2 (Digestive Issues, Tension Headaches, Auto-Immune)
- Restorative Yoga & Yoga Nidra
- The application of the 8-Limbs of Yoga in Therapeutic Settings
This immersion caters to:
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- practitioners, movers, athletes looking for efficiency and sustainability in movement, as well as injury rehabilitation
- yoga teachers and movement educators looking for more clarity in communicating their work experientially and holistically, especially if you are offering (or hoping to offer) classes to audience with specific conditions, in both group and one-on-one settings.
- bodyworkers who would like to cultivate more holistic, non-linear sense of tactile awareness and body-reading skills
- caregivers and coaches looking for simple and intuitive interoceptive and hands-on tools to help clients with self regulation
“I’ve finished Daphne’s 100hr embodiment training half a year ago, and I’m still feeling the profound changes in my on-the-mat and off-the-mat practice until today!
Her inquiry-based approach on deep sensing and awareness is such a contemporary and important approach rising above the many yoga schools that are constantly popping up today.
The 2 weeks of her YTT training offered so much more than just cognitive and experiential knowledge of anatomy and asanas, but transformed my deepest sense of awareness in my body. I left feeling like a newborn who never tasted the true feeling of motion, and of being alive and conscious in and of my body. I keep walking, moving and dancing with a sense of pleasure and joy brought about by the awareness and perception of my body as fluid, gentle and a well integrated unit. Keeping in mind Daphne’s first and last question “What is embodiment to you?” and constantly developing new answers to it 🙂
I can’t wait for her next training and I highly recommend her to everybody who’s interested in sculpting their yoga from within!”
~ Lucie Krobova, Dancer & Dance Teacher, Amsterdam
Embodiment transcends all genders, all ages, all conditions. This work promotes wellness and self-care through a body-centred, sensory approach to learning. It focuses on the premise that the body is shaped by the mind, and that the mind can be reshaped by the body (neuroplasticity) – vis-à-vis the nervous system – to effect body chemistry, digestion, immune system and energy levels.This is not a one-size-fits-all go-to approach. It is work for the curious, the inquisitive and the courageous. What is it like to let go of old beliefs that do not serve, to completely embody our true essence as a living spirit, to be a human-BEING instead of a human-DOING?
“Between stimulus and response there is a SPACE.
In that SPACE is our POWER to CHOOSE our response.
In our response lies our growth and our FREEDOM”
~ Victor Frankl
Itinerary:
Arrival, Registration, Dinner & Opening Circle for each module (July 21st & July 28th)
3:00pm – Registration
4:00pm – Practice
6:00pm – Dinner
7:00pm to 8.30pm – Opening Circle
Daily Schedule
06:30 – Meditation, Breath & Movement (Optional Self) Practice
08:00 – Breakfast
09:30 – Embodied Anatomy, Inquiry, Theory & Discussion
12:30 – Lunch
14:00 to 17:30 – Bodywork Practice
18:00 – Dinner
19:00 to 20:30 – Evening Program (alternate evenings)
July 26 and August 2
07:00 to 10:00 – Morning Practice
Brunch & Departure
“My experience from the immersion was eye-opening. Over the past years, I knew that I was not doing something right, but could not figure out what it was. Daphne identified the specific misalignments in my body and guide me into finding them. She articulated very well in how bodies are supposed to move, what habits to maintain to keep the body healthy. I can already feel that my musculoskeletal structure changing and my joints are better aligned. Before the course, I used my body parts to do Yoga, trying to fit my body into the asanas. Now I am using Yoga to keep my body aligned, with healthier and better positioning for the different part of my body. I have had many issues with tilted pubic bones, twisted spine, knee pain and feet pain, but they are now better with the right exercises. They also brought me a positive effects for non-yoga activities. I enjoy occasional social dancing, and when I went to a practice, I can feel that my posture has improved, and my body and legs are not as tired and aching as before. I believe that continuous practice, awareness and mindfulness are the key. All the best and thanks again for your insights and dedication.” ~Yoko Yamoto, NGO worker, Japan
Read more about Daphne and what people have to say here.
Check out pictures of the last immersion!
***Limited scholarship places are open for interested students who might have financial constraints. Please write in to Daphne for details.