What Students say about Esoteric Yoga
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Nicole Twist | 26/08/14
I have studied yoga for many years with the intention of wanting to understand the human condition and in turn, my own self at a deeper level. I have tried and practiced many types of yoga from the strong, physical traditions such as Ashtanga, to the more detail oriented styles such as Iyengar to the more gentle traditions such as Desikachar and Satyandanda. It was not until I had attended an esoteric yoga session did I truly feel the difference in what yoga was truly about and how I could feel that the true yoga was already within me, not something I had to go outside of myself to attain. That 'something missing' had been there all along, and it had been there within ME! At first I found the sessions challenging and sometimes I wanted to get up, scream and have a complete tantrum rather than having to experience the truth that was being shown to me in my own body. When I first experienced what true conscious presence was about it was truly lovely. I have learnt from attending Esoteric Yoga classes how powerful being truly gentle and present with myself is and how I can bring this quality of being into my everyday life. It is something that I am developing always within myself and now realise that this development never ends, but also this development is something that comes from inside of me and not something that I can attain outside of my own self and my own life experience. |
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Victoria Picone | 25/08/14
To be honest my first experience of an Esoteric Yoga Class was very challenging to put it mildly – and it had nothing to do with any extreme or difficult yoga poses. I had come to this gentle, loving approach that was about “living Yoga”, with many pre-conceived ideas about “doing Yoga” and what I thought yogic practice to be. I realised that I had come to believe that yoga was something I had to do and work hard to achieve. As I was so used to “doing” a very active practice, it was initially ‘excruciatingly’ difficult in the Esoteric Yoga class. The session was asking me to be still and feel me, and exactly where my body was at, without the need to fix or change how or what my body was feeling, but simply allow myself to feel it. I was used to pushing through to get a certain result or flexibility - or to spend long hours in meditation to arrive at a more exalted state. I had believed that this is what led to connection, that there was an effort involved. With Esoteric Yoga, I was now being asked to simply be rather than do. Simply acknowledging and being honest with what I was feeling, was for me the first step in allowing myself to just be. This was the beginning of true healing and reconnection. Over the years I have come to absolutely treasure what Esoteric Yoga has offered me, and continues to offer, supporting the development of presence and stillness, which I am then able to bring into my life. By simply allowing myself to be fully present with my body, I have gradually developed a deeper awareness of myself, through listening to the wisdom of my body, which is now able to speak loud and clear. My body shows me exactly where I am at and what energy I am in at any given moment. What a gift to give oneself as a practical way to self-care and develop one’s own healing. |
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Lee Green | 25/08/14
I have had the fortune of being an attendee in Esoteric Yoga classes for some time now, and I feel the blessing of what this brings to me in this simplest of techniques. Initially this deepening of the connection with me was uncomfortable, itchy, even fidgety – and yet underneath this is an absolute knowing that the place I longed for, to assist in my living with the everyday stresses and strains of my life, was literally at my fingertips. The results are profound, in that the body through these classes is made very loud, as if the technique of Esoteric Yoga is like an amplifier for the wondrous sounds and indications within. My body has a way of speaking to me now – developed over time with dedication and the amazing gentle assistance of my Esoteric Yoga practitioner – that allows me to truly feel and act on what is felt. This early warning system is much more gentle a way to live in the world and I have much appreciation for Esoteric Yoga and the amazing love that I can now feel as my foundation. Thank you for sharing this wonderful modality. |
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Marika Cominos | 25/08/14
The old saying ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ is very relevant to Esoteric Yoga, as what lays beneath the surface, inside the simple book cover, is very rich indeed. I liken it to this because the simplicity of the Esoteric Yoga format does not allude to the depth & power of what can be felt in the body in a 1hr session, that is in the most part laying down, being still and creating the space to feel the body. In fact it is almost too difficult to fathom how something so simple could be so amazing in what it offers the body and the being and how one feels! Esoteric Yoga is a self-healing modality that can be done anytime, anywhere and epitomizes the truth of yoga. To put this into perspective, in the many years before discovering Esoteric Yoga I had worked with many modalities and fitness regimes and have been regarded as an expert in my fields as a Fitness Professional, Yoga teacher and Acrobatic teacher / performer spanning a 30 year period. And I can say without hesitation that everything I have experienced has not come even close to the profoundness and honesty of what Esoteric Yoga offers. It is truly a modality sent from heaven that allows me to experience and connect to a most natural rhythm and thus a way of being that is harmonious, healing and feels so yummy in my body. In fact I would go as far as to say that it is the foundation of true vitality. If I were to summarise my highlights and appreciations of Esoteric Yoga they would read something like this…
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Sue Queenborough | 25/08/14
The fact that Esoteric Yoga had no poses or vigorous movements challenged my idea of what yoga was about. This was very different from any yoga I had previously experienced. However it was a very revealing way to work and I found it difficult to stay focused and my mind constantly wanted me to DO something. Instead I was invited to simply BE with my body and make very gentle small movements, feeling the quality of how I moved. My body ached and I was very resistant to feeling the truth of what my body was telling me. I wanted action, not to be confronted with simply being and feeling my feelings as they arose or to accept them, which is what the invitation was here. Ouch! Part of me wanted to return to the postures and movements, to be stimulated and distracted from what I was feeling. I have now been attending Esoteric Yoga classes for about 5 years and I love them. I feel more comfortable in my body and more connected with myself now. I also feel very different in the way I go about my day, with less raciness and more stillness in my body. Life flows more easily and I find myself less stressed with time. My life has improved enormously as I have become more accepting of myself and others, by connecting to a deeper, truer part of myself which continues to deepen and unfold. |
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Giselle Cant | 25/08/14
I have not found anything that puts me more in touch with my body instantly as what Esoteric Yoga does! I regard it as a vital tool for building connection with my body as an integral part of my healing. lt gives Yoga its true meaning. |
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Leonne Sharkey | 25/08/14
I have attended Esoteric Yoga classes for over a year now and continue to do so as I have felt the profound effect that these sessions have had on my life. When I do an Esoteric Yoga class I have am supported to connect with myself very deeply. Often at the beginning of a session I will be suddenly become aware of many aches and pains within my body that I don't usually let myself feel. I can feel how driven or rushed I have been and it can be downright uncomfortable. Without exception at the end of every session I find that the pain I felt in my body at the beginning of the session is gone once the session is over. When I pay attention to my body, stay present and allow myself to feel what is there to be felt it feels like my body is able to let go of the aches and pains it holds on to. When the session is over I am left with an amazing marker of presence and a feeling of ease in my body that I can come back to at any time throughout my day or week to support myself. Esoteric yoga has provided a foundation for me to reconnect to body when life gets busy or stressful. When things get tough I now know through lived experience that I have a choice as to how I respond - I can feel my body, honour what I feel, physically support my body the best way I can and be tender and loving with myself in everything I do or I can attempt to numb my body and drive myself through discomfort and stress (which I find invariably results in more stress). I now choose to reconnect to myself far more than I did in the past and it has had a very positive impact on my life. When I choose to reconnect to my body, I feel I am far more productive at work, make less mistakes and have more physical coordination. My relationships and connections with others blossom when I am aware of my own body because I can truly listen and feel at ease. I highly recommend Esoteric Yoga to anyone that wants assistance with any kind of stress in their lives. |
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Simone Lewis | 25/08/14
Esoteric yoga has always been a deeply nurturing modality for me. It has supported me to really understand what is going on in my body and develop more honesty and awareness. |
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Bianca Barban | 26/08/14
Attending a 6 week Esoteric Yoga course was a beautiful way to observe the patterns and behaviours that can play havoc with my life. This modality brings such an amazing depth of stillness and awareness to the body through the simplicity of moving with conscious presence or moving with body and mind together. Attending an Esoteric Yoga class is like receiving a gift - the gift of me. There are no awkward, hard poses, such as those used in traditional yoga, only super gentle movements completed lovingly that support you to deeply feel your body. Never before in a yoga class had I been asked to move with such love and delicateness, all other types of yoga I had tried were devoid of tenderness and felt to be about pushing myself to achieve a certain posture with the aim of bringing relief to the body, almost as a way to distract myself from how I was living. |
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Christine O'Brien | 25/08/14
Esoteric yoga is a great everyday tool to build confidence in the body to help you in so many different ways. I can use Esoteric Yoga to help me care for my body by having the understanding of what my body is capable of and what it may not be comfortable with - and this I can use anywhere anytime. I have received the benefit of Esoteric Yoga in many areas of my life by allowing myself the time to feel what my body is saying and to be gentle with myself and trust myself enough to listen. With this more loving connection with myself my life has become less confused and stressed, and I am now able to steer my own life rather than feeling like life is controlling me. |
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Vicky Geary | 25/08/14
When I was first introduced to Esoteric Yoga I had been practicing yoga in its many forms about once a week at different yoga schools and studio’s. It was not until I did an Esoteric Yoga class that I began to feel what yoga was truly about. I was flexible and strong in my body, but I now know I was missing something crucial to experiencing the true power of yoga – connection with me. I had to admit for the first time that I didn’t know how to truly connect with myself and I didn’t know what that felt like. Esoteric Yoga began to introduce me to a new way of being and living that I had never experienced before. Through Esoteric Yoga I began to feel what I have now come to know as stillness. This is a quality that nourishes my body from the inside out. This stillness comes alive when I choose to stay present – when I feel my body and keep my mind focussed on what I am doing. I would start to feel gentle, deeply relaxed, and literally at one with myself. This allowed me to re-connect with a depth and stillness I had forgotten was possible. I realised I was starting to meet me again. Each class allowed me to get to know this new quality from my body and the effect being present had on my body. It was a whole new way of being with myself. I had always known Yoga to mean union, but through learning how to lay down, stop and connect with myself, I began to discover what union felt like in my body. It took classes of doing very little movement to re-acquaint myself with this deeper truth within me again. I am now learning to move and live in a quality that maintains and sustains this beautiful stillness I have re-discovered within me. Knowing myself from this stillness, this union with myself, has been life changing and has allowed me to appreciate the true power of yoga. |
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Alison Macdonald | 25/08/14
I really appreciated you talking about “surrender” in this morning’s class as I have had issues with resistance, trust, surrender and letting go. I felt the yoga class clearly showed me what that resisting/not surrendering feels like in my body and how the distractions of my mind get in the way of being present enough to practice letting go. The “holding on” I often feel in my body is in contrast to how I feel after each class where there is a sense of flow within me and in the activities of preparing for work. I am in awe of Esoteric Yoga, that it can reveal the subtle (and easily overlooked) ways we live that create disharmony in the body. |
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Gabriel Conrad | 25/08/14
I have attended Esoteric Yoga group sessions for a number of years now and find that I always have a choice to which level of depth I take my engagement during the class, between classes and at the end of a series of classes. I can either come from a stance of doing it because it is good for me – it is good to take time out, it is good to move consciously and it is good to experience what moving that way feels like or I can
I have found that Esoteric Yoga is nothing like the yoga classes I attended in the past which for me were about flexibility and strength. I did get stronger and I did get more flexible, but my mind used to run riot during these classes and throw up anything and everything at all, from elation about an achievement to despondency about not being able to do a certain pose or not be able to do it well enough. Strength and flexibility are still important to me, but I don't seek it in yoga now; my Esoteric Yoga classes are about an ever deepening connection to me and how to nurture that connection in my daily life. And thus, I can say that Esoteric Yoga never really stops and that the learning and deepening just keeps going on. |
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Judy Felix | 25/08/14
What I love about Esoteric Yoga is the way it supports me to connect, truly and deeply to my innermost self. It provides a moment in the day where I am able to rest deeply in my body and I'm able to take this into my day. I find I have much more presence and awareness in all that I do in the day after an Esoteric Yoga session. Likewise, if I have an Esoteric Yoga session at the end of the day, I sleep like an angel and wake, more often than not, with a smile on my face, feeling much more rested and vital than at other times. Esoteric Yoga changes the way I breathe. I breathe more deeply and any tensions I'm holding in my body become exposed to me and release themselves. Tensions in my shoulders, neck, jaw, any tightness I might have in my chest or my arms, and tensions I might be holding internally, such as in my digestive system, slowly start to release during an Esoteric Yoga session. The effect is as powerful as if I had had a session with a healing practitioner. Esoteric Yoga doesn't involve any physical asana positions. It is simply about stillness and connection to the innermost self. It can be done lying still on the floor or sitting in a chair. It is the most amazing yoga I have experienced in its simplicity and its power. |
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Helen Simkins | 24/08/14
I held the belief that yoga was a sort of ‘cool’ and ‘spiritual’ exercise modality or practise that I had on past occasions attempted to take up – without success. I always thought that I was somehow lacking in the spirituality (and flexibility) required for devoting myself to yoga … I will never forget my first Esoteric Yoga session that exposed to myself how I had come to place so much importance on my mind and so little on listening to what was going on in my body. So much was being revealed to me about the way I had allowed my mind to drive my body through life … and boy was it uncomfortable! But there was something really special happening too: after each session I felt more deeply relaxed, calm and solidly connected to my whole being than I could remember. I was really enjoying this feeling. After 5 days of classes my love for Esoteric Yoga and its powerful simplicity was born. |
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Joan Calder | 24/08/14
For me the practice of Esoteric Yoga has been a new and deeply changing experience. It has encouraged me to be more aware of my body in a way I have never felt before. I have become more aware of my body from the inside. This comes about from the simplicity and beauty of connecting with my inner stillness - just being with myself, in the body, noticing things I would never have noticed so acutely before, such as the mental complexities and the emotional turmoils, the pains that I have always ignored and the tensions in the body. From this place of true inner stillness it has been possible to just observe them without trying to push them away – it is quite amazing how the tensions in the body gradually recede and disappear of their own accord. |
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Alexander Plane | 24/08/14
I totally cherish the Esoteric Yoga sessions you offer online. They are super powerful, and I get so much out of each of them. Totally amazing, and what a great way it is to prepare for my work day. |
