Yoga, Pranayama and meditation on the beach in Amed, Bali.

Our new training space is sitting right on the beach in Jemaluk Bay, Amed. Due to it’s deep walls, warm water and lack of currents, not to mention stunning natural beauty, this bay is fast becoming recognised as the best place in Bali for recreational free-diving. But free-diving is only half of what we do here.  In our beach-side Yoga sala we also offer daily classes of Asana  and regular classes of Pranayama and Meditation. Here are some pics taken over the last few days by the wonderful Mr Caine Delacy.

getting closer…

Weather has picked up very nicely the last few days. The peak of Agung has been clear, the sun shining and the water warm and clear. The last few days have seen some very pleasant free-diving. All hail the return of sunny days…

Onsite, things here have been plodding on, as fast as they ever do in Amed, Bali.

These will probably be the last pics before the place is all shiny, bright and ready to be filled with stuff…

This space will be used for free-diving theory, yoga and meditation practice and then for hanging out later on…

 

                                                                                                                                                                                       This will be the funkiest little free-diving gear storage space anywhere… 

 

 

 

At the moment, we have the ugliest front in Bali. But in one month (or ten) this ugly place will be the first purpose built free-diving/yoga space in Bali…watch this space.

Free-diving is for everyone…

Or at least almost everyone…

If you watch TV and follow forums on the sport it’s easy to believe that you have to be young, ultra-fit and preferably beautiful to free-dive, that it’s a past-time of aquatic supermen, and smoking hot babes in Mono-fins. The media loves the idea of free-diving as an extreme sport, of divers going where angels fear to tread, silently sliding into the dark blue..

But that is only part of the picture…

If you are basically healthy and free of certain health issues then free-diving is as accessible as Yoga, and gentle yoga at that. You don’t even have to like water..

Free-dive training has reached a point where almost anyone can safely learn it, given the right training structure and instruction. At the basic level it is in fact much safer than SCUBA diving.

PADI keeps telling us it’s fun, but no-one considers SCUBA an extreme sport…

The last while we’ve had lots of very different types of  basic level students. From the more obvious candidates for free-dive training, such as surfers or spear-fishermen, to the more unlikely ones. We’ve had a 50 year old ex-smoker(heavy), a young headscarf wearing Muslim girl and even people with a quite deep fear of water. For me these are actually the most rewarding students, some of the people of get the most out of free-diving. They also show that free-diving is not just a sport of uber-athletes but something is open to (almost) anyone.

Recently we had two great ladies, who at the same time as putting a smile on all our faces also confronted their deep fear of water. Going from being unable to breath through a snorkel to free-diving at night on the liberty shipwreck, they earned all our respect and admiration.

All hail Elin and Nelli.

In their own words…

Since I was a little child, I was not able to put my face under water. I even could not swim in a lake because of being afraid of the depth. I remember myself sitting on the shore and not being able to put the mask on my face. I was terrified of even the thought of going out in the water.  And that was the first day. On the third day I found myself in 17m depth holding on to the rope and … surprise: I loved it!!! I would not call myself a free diver, but I am able to do snorkelling on my own and even doing duck dives to go further down to explore the world down there holding my breath with a smile on my face. This course has been life changing for me and it opened up a whole new world!

 Nelli Schmidt, Germany

 I came to Amed, where Mathew is teaching free diving. I did’t know anything about it. And always been afraid of water and the thought of even swimming with head over the surface gave me a heart attack especially in the blue water! For Mathew to teach me free diving was quite hard since I was so scared. But he always saw me as an individual and gave me the teaching I needed. From not even being able to be on my own snorkelling where I can’t see what is beneath me. I can now duck dive in to the blue water on my own. I even went out night diving in complete darkness cause I felt so secure with my instructor. Before we went out for the night dive I felt like throwing up and crying, that’s how scared I was. And one hour later I was duck diving on my own with no light in deep black water, and at the same time I enjoyed it! So he has not just taught me how to free dive, but also how to overcome my big fear of water!

Elin Larsson, Sweden

Thanks Ladies, it’s been a real pleasure to train with you. Come back soon and we’ll do some chumming for sharks…;)

Timetable for Oceanic Yoga and the breath at Villa Boreh

This special retreat is for people with an interest in the trans-formative power of Yoga and the healing energy of water. It is aimed at people of all levels of physical and yoga ability, including those who are not aquatically inclined.

For both complete beginners and more advanced students alike, the retreat will be a fascinating exploration of the mind and body.

This very special retreat is a journey of self discovery through two related elements, water and air. It’s a journey during which we will re-discover our aquatic heritage and transform our relationship to water, deepening our awareness of our own minds and bodies and the invisible bridge between them, the breath.

The tools for this adventure in self-understanding are the ancient insights of yoga and meditation supplemented by the modern techniques of elite free-divers.

We will practise yoga asana, pranayama and meditation to come into the subtler aspects of the breath and we’ll use the techniques of elite free-divers to harness our aquatic potential. We will focus on developing aquatic comfort, using water as a healing medium. This is not a competitive free-diving course, the free-diving aspect of the retreat is entirely optional.

Asana

Our Asana practice will focus on exploring the qualities of stillness and motion, opening up the channels of the body to move in a more fluid way. In held poses we’ll find the subtle movement even in supposedly static asana. In flowing vinyasa we will explore the inner stillness that comes with breath awareness and Bhandas(psycho-muscular locks .)

Breath

The breath is the bridge between mind and body, the conscious and the unconscious. To develop control over the mind and body first we must understand and control the breath.

Using the know-how of elite free-divers we will also learn how to access the breath in new ways. We will learn about the physiology of the breath and learn how use that to influence the mind and body, along the way transforming our relationship with water.

After tuning into the physical breath we shall explore subtler aspects of the breath, with the use of Asana and meditation we’ll tune into the breath as energy and move towards the healing power of Pranayama, the vast science of Pranic energy cultivation .

Water

We’ll take our fresh understanding of the breath into the healing medium of water. All terrestrial life was born in the ocean, just as we are born in the waters of our mother’s womb. When we understand our latent aquatic ability and learn to be in water it’s with a sense of home-coming or reunion.  It is this sense of inner union that is the essence of yoga. Essentially what we will be practising is a form of oceanic yoga.

The training offered will include;

Daily Asana practice with a focus on fostering a personal practice through self understanding.

Aquatic Meditation in the pools and ocean and dry meditation in the wonderful yoga sala of Villa Boreh

Breath-work; focusing on developing understanding of the respiratory process and using the breath optimally, using it to influence both the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.

Yoga Nidra; this wonderful technique of guided meditation is a very effective way of communicating with the deep unconscious. We will be using it to effect deep emotional release and create inner states of peace.

Mantra meditation; exploration of the deep power of Mantra over the mind and body and in removing emotional blocks.

Theory of Tantra and Chakra system; An exploration of the Chakra system with focus on the second Chakras relationship to water.

Bhandas; we will train in the three principle psycho-energetic locks of Yoga to develop more conscious control over both the muscular and energy patterns of the body.

Pranayama; we will explore the ancient  yogic art of energy cultivation through the breath. This is one very powerful path into subtle awareness, meditation and the art of healing with Prana.

Instruction in Basic Free-diving; an exploration some of the techniques used by Elite free-divers to develop control of the autonomic system and become more fluid and comfortable in the aquatic element.

There is also the option of 2 days extra training to do some more advanced Free-diving with an excursion to free-dive at the glorious ‘USS Liberty’

In Villa Boleh we have a special place to embark on this adventure, a wonderful Spa resort with three different pools, including a therapeutic Watsu pool. Just in front of our sanctuary we have our oceanic playground. Little current, rich waters and good visibility make this the perfect place for to enjoy newly re-discovered aquatic heritage.

Also on hand will be the well-respected and highly experienced Thai massage teacher and healer Felicity Keebaugh. She will be offering health assessments and therapeutic treatments in various healing forms including Thai massage and Ki nei san, a very powerful Taoist healing art.

Dates October 15 to 22 Villa Boreh, North Bali.

Time-table

The structure of the retreat will be a in two parts, so that people can sign up for three days or seven days, with an optional two days extra, for deeper free-diving training and a trip to ‘USS Liberty’ shipwreck. In this way those who are stuck for time or unsure if it’s quite for them will be able to do the three days without commiting to the whole retreat.

The first three days will be on exploring the link between the breath, yoga asana and energy, with some waterwork focusing mostly on coming into the breath and relaxation. We will use many tools of the incredible existential toolbox that is Yoga, developing fluidity in our mind and body and will then bring that fluidity into the water.

All sessions are entirely optional, the combined benefits of all the training will be fantastic but the retreat is aimed all levels and physical abilities. As the timetable is very full, it is understandable that some people will not come to all classes. After all it is a holiday.

On site and assisting on some sessions will be the very experienced Healer and Thai massage teacher Felicity Keebaugh. Our training can be combined with a holistic diagnosis and a course of bodywork treatments to optimise the benefits of your practice. Felicity is a gifted and intuitive body-worker whose experience spans decades. For more details see Villa Boreh October

Day one

7 Yoga Asana, tuning vinyasa(movement)to the breath and adapting type of breath to asana(held posture)

8.45 Breakfast

10.30 Breath training; Opening the lungs and understanding respiration

Aquatic meditation in pool, using water for muscular and emotional release.

12.00  Lunch

15.00 Yoga Nidra; Yoga of the dream state, Use of creative visualisation and Deep Relaxation to access  the subconcious and deep unconscious.

16.30 Oceanic meditation. Practicing aquatic mindfulness in the beautiful Bali sea.

17.30 Yoga asana; exploring the qualities of Bramhana(energising) and Langhana(releasing) breath in held asana.

Class in Mantra chanting as a tool for coming into the body and calming the mind.

19.00 Dinner beside sea.

Day 2

7 Yoga asana; learning Uddiyanna Bhanda(abdominal lock) and Moola Bhanda(root lock)

 8.45  Breakfast

10.30  Discussion of chakra system and relationship of 2nd chakra to Water.

Prana vidya meditation (healing use of prana)

12.00 lunch

15.00 Yoga Nidra

16.30 Aquatic mindfulness meditation

17.30 Yoga asana, use of Bhanda(psycho-muscular locks) in asana

Prana Vidya

19.00 Dinner.

Day three

7 Yoga asana; exploration of the character and energy of different  Asanas, holding for a bit longer and finding the subtle movement in stillness.

8.45 Breakfast

10.30 Pranayama(Yogic science of energy cultivation through breath control) theory and practice of Prana Vidya(healing with pranic energy)

12.00 lunch

15.00 Yoga Nidra with guided visualisation into the deep.

16.30 Ocean time, snorkelling using breathing techniques of free-Divers to enter into meditative state.

18.00 Short Asana practice and Prana Vidya

The first three days are an gentle exploration of some of the many life tools that yoga and free-diving have to offer the modern seeker. Day four to seven will follow a similar schedule adapting training to suit the individual and group energy levels. On all levels we will go a that bit deeper, adapting our yogic tools to suit individual needs and interests.

The focus of our asana practice will be on fostering self understanding to create a personal practice for the student. We will explore the various benefits of different asanas and their energetic character so that asana can become a powerful tool for self balancing and the breaking down of physical or energetic blocks.

We will the explore in greater depth the powerful science of Yoga Nidra and use it release deep blocks on the unconscious and subconscious levels.

We will also study a little deeper physiology of the breath and techniques of elite free-divers to stimulate the para-sympathetic nervous system and minimise O2 consumption. For anyone who is interested will take our training into the ocean and practice apnea, with an aim towards fostering deep relaxation and aquatic comfort.

For those particularly interested in the aquatic side of our practice there is the option of taking an two days training, with the focus mainly on free-diving and then taking a trip to dive the incredible ‘USS Liberty’ ship wreck.

Oceanic Yoga and the breath @ Villa Boreh

An exploration of the mind and body through the healing medium of water, using yoga, meditation and the techniques of elite free-divers.

This special retreat is for people with an interest in the transformative power of Yoga and the healing energy of water.

For both complete beginners and more advanced students alike, the retreat will be a fascinating exploration of the mind and body.

This very special retreat is a journey of self discovery through two related elements, water and air. It’s a journey during which we will re-discover our aquatic heritage and transform our relationship to water, deepening our awareness of our own minds and bodies and the invisible bridge between them, the breath.

The tools for this adventure in self-understanding are the ancient insights of yoga and meditation supplemented by the modern techniques of elite free-divers.

We will practise yoga asana, pranayama and meditation to come into the subtler aspects of the breath and we’ll use the techniques of elite free-divers to harness our aquatic potential. We will focus on developing aquatic comfort, using water as a healing medium. This is not a competitive free-diving course, the free-diving aspect of the retreat is entirely optional.

Asana

Our Asana practice will focus on exploring the qualities of stillness and motion, opening up the channels of the body to move in a more fluid way. In held poses we’ll find the subtle movement even in supposedly static asana. In flowing vinyasa we will explore the inner stillness that comes with breath awareness and Bhandas(psycho-muscular locks .)

Breath

The breath is the bridge between mind and body, the conscious and the unconscious. To develop control over the mind and body first we must understand and control the breath.

Using the know-how of elite free-divers we will also learn how to access the breath in new ways. We will learn about the physiology of the breath and learn how use that to influence the mind and body, along the way transforming our relationship with water.

After tuning into the physical breath we shall explore subtler aspects of the breath, with the use of Asana and meditation we’ll tune into the breath as energy and move towards the healing power of Pranayama, the vast science of the cultivation of Pranic energy.

Water

We’ll take our fresh understanding of the breath into the healing medium of water. All terrestrial life was born in the ocean, just as we are born in the waters of our mother’s womb. When we understand our latent aquatic ability and learn to be in water it’s with a sense of home-coming or reunion.  It is this sense of inner union that is the essence of yoga. Essentially what we will be practising is a form of oceanic yoga.

The training offered will include;

Daily Asana practice with a focus on fostering a personal practice through self understanding.

Aquatic Meditation in the pools and ocean and dry meditation in the wonderful yoga sala of Villa Boreh

Breath-work; focusing on developing understanding of the respiratory process and using the breath optimally, using it to influence both the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.

Yoga Nidra; this wonderful technique of guided meditation is a very effective way of communicating with the deep unconscious. We will be using it to effect deep emotional release and create inner states of peace.

Mantra meditation; exploration of the deep power of Mantra over the mind and body and in removing emotional blocks.

Theory of Tantra and Chakra system; An exploration of the Chakra system with focus on the second Chakras relationship to water.

Bhandas; we will train in the three principle psycho-energetic locks of Yoga to develop more conscious control over both the muscular and energy patterns of the body.

Pranayama; we will explore the ancient  yogic art of energy cultivation through the breath. This is one very powerful path into subtle awareness, meditation and the art of healing with Prana.

Instruction in Basic Free-diving; an exploration some of the techniques used by Elite free-divers to develop control of the autonomic system and become more fluid and comfortable in the aquatic element.

There is also the option of 2 days extra training to do some more advanced Free-diving with an excursion to free-dive at the glorious ‘USS Liberty’

In Villa Boleh we have a special place to embark on this adventure, a wonderful Spa resort with three different pools, including a therapeutic Watsu pool. Just in front of our sanctuary we have our oceanic playground. Little current, rich waters and good visibility make this the perfect place for to enjoy newly re-discovered aquatic heritage.

Also on hand will be the well-respected and highly experienced Thai massage teacher and healer Felicity Keebaugh. She will be offering health assessments and therapeutic treatments in various healing forms including Thai massage and Ki nei san, a very powerful Taoist healing art.

 

Dates October 15 to 22 Villa Boreh, North Bali.

 

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