I have always loved the ecstatic state I experience when in class with Shiva Rea. I had no idea that there was a very specific structure and sequence underlying the freedom she invokes. After almost a decade teaching yoga I find myself dancing in the realms of a beginners mind as I step onto the teachers training path with Shiva.
Just days after completing 100 hours of training in 10 days, I am reveling in the way my connection to the flow of prana in my body has been ignited. I am so psyched that I have gained access to 2.5 advanced arm balances that have until now remained elusive and downright frustrating (I say 2.5 because eka pada bakasana on the left side is still eluding me, at least at this point)! Of course accessing arm balances isn’t required to enjoy the yummy states Prana Flow guides us into, yet the shift in the consciousness of my body after all these years is something to celebrate!
So what is it about this system that Shiva has created that is igniting the body consciousness? At this early stage in my training with her I am beginning to understand that the sequence, pace, rhythm, and pulsation between solar (sun) and lunar (moon) flows invite the body into a trance that ignites the flow of prana (life force) shifting the experience from moving the body to being moved by the prana. The rhythmic pulsations juice up the connective tissues in a way that seems to strengthen and entrain my mind body connection to the pulse of the prana naturally moving through me.
Embody the flow is the first module in Shiva’s 500 hour training program and I have already learned so much! I’m forever grateful for the strong foundation of understanding I have received from my teachers over this past decade, and know it has all set the stage for this new layer of evolution in my practice and experience of embodiment. Because of this strong foundation I felt prepared for the comprehensive curriculum of yogic philosophy, anatomy, and asana while at the same time being a beginner in the realm of Prana Flow. Shiva, her teaching assistant Gina Caputo, and the class assistants skillfully guided our group through this journey keeping it fresh with classes outside by the water, teaching labs, asana labs, Om work, great music and good humor. Philosophy sessions with Paul Muller Ortega and Chris Tompkins guided us deeper into the esoteric understanding of all that we were learning and experiencing. Public classes with Shiva modeled for us how to impart the wisdom of this work in a simple and structured way.
I love how Shiva’s love for world culture, free form expression, science, dance, yoga, and the rhythm of nature informs her life’s work. Shiva is offering an amazing body of work that goes beyond yoga into an exploration of embodiment and its relationship to the flow of life. Thank you Shiva!
~Heather Keely, BodaciousLivingYoga.com & LightWorksCreative.tv
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