In a time where more than anything we need spiritual practices that nourish our soul AND our environment. This course is designed to inspire, motivate and enrich you by immersing you into this epic collaboration between the arts, spirituality and activism.
20 hour YACEP Yoga Alliance self-paced online course.
One day, you will be the ancestors that the ones yet to come will pray too.
What legacy will you leave?
What wisdom will you seed?
This course examines the connection between our personal health and well-being and the health of our world. Yoga teaches that you are the microcosm of the macrocosm. If one is out of balance, so too will the other be. Environmental restoration begins with tending to our inner landscape, and then to our personal space, then our inter personal relationships, our community, our shared spaces, our rivers, oceans, forests and mountains.
This is an invitation to face climate change and take some proactive steps towards building a better future. The world is in your hands and your health is intimately affected by that of the worlds. The Medicine Woman resides within each of us, and it is up to us to wake her up with the medicines of dance, yoga and meditation. We have the power to educate her via ecology and empower ourselves to take action through creative mediums. You have unique skills and life experiences, you have elements to steward, land to caretake, visions to seed. This is a course to activate and restore.
You will receive
· 6 Yoga practices each embodying a different element including: Feminine flows, Vinyasa flow, Yin Yang, Yin Yoga and Hatha Yoga
· 5 Downloadable Yoga Nidras set to specific binaural beats of the elements (composed by Sebastian Cuevas) and guided by Bex
· 1 Tirta Water Blessing Sound Healing composed by Walker Barnard with a Balinese water priest, Ketut.
· 5 Master Dance classes aligned by the elements, taught by Karina Christie within which you can explore feminine flow, intuitive movement, rhythm and ritual
· 6 Inspirational & educational talks by women leaders and activists from Haiti, Palestine, Mongolia, Borneo, Brazil and Bali
· 6 workshops on Yoga & Ecology themes upon each element and how this supports your life, work and environment
· Rumi Poetry Recitations by Persian Translator Maryam Maafi
This course is for
· Yoga Teachers who want to weave environmental activism into their classes and courses
· Yoga Practitioners who want to learn how yoga and environmentalism go hand in hand
· Activists who need some more support to stay healthy, focused and motivated
· Aid Workers, Social Workers and those working in the field of Development who are looking for accessible practices that they can do to support both their work, their communities and their mental and physical well being
· Coaches and Therapists who want to share some simple practices inspired by the natural world with their clients
· WOMEN who know that access to nature is medicine yet who don't always have unlimited access to the mountains, rivers, oceans and forests
· Those who are ready to make a shift away from addictive tendencies and replace them with life giving practices
· For those who don't want the commitment of a fixed schedule and want to follow their own rhythmn
A virtual retreat into Nature
Yoga and Dance have long been ways to connect and to embody the Divine. This course recognises the Divine as the Natural World. You will learn practices and ways to support yourself to be part of the solution to the world's current climate and environmental challenges. This course is designed for you to tap into your intrinsic elemental knowledge and to unlock your capacity to take action in support of social and environmental justice.
Yoga and Dance are also powerful forms of expression, prayer, and activism. We support you in drawing strength and inspiration from Nature, even if you reside in the middle of a concrete city, in the middle of winter, or yet another lockdown. Reclaim the elements in your movements and rituals. Increase your vitality, shift stagnation and develop a sincere vision for the interconnectivity that is at the heart of our world. There hasn’t been a more important time to do this than now.
Covid-19 has changed the world as we know it. For many of us, it has also meant a global culture of fear and even being forbidden to retreat into nature. Yet nature is medicine: The frequency of which has an instant calming effect on our nervous system.
Yoga Medicine
"At times I have had to throw the yoga mat to one side and dive into the ocean, immerse in the waves, roll on the earth or disintegrate into space - to be remade again and again. Yet my yoga - my practice - has been my loyal companion. It has been my way to remember what at times I have forgotten. That I am part of a much greater story." Bex.
Bex takes you on a journey into the heart of Yoga as each practice is designed to activate a specific element and deepen your intimacy with your essence as the microcosm of the macrocosm. When we feel separate and alone, life can feel overwhelming. Yet to have daily practices to tap into our true nature as an extension of the world around us can at times be lifesaving. The more we are able to shift our frequency and attune to these natural rhythms, the more lived reality will change. Our activism can come from a place of fullness and power rather than from fear and anger.
You will receive the following Yoga practices:
- Honouring the Elements: Mudra & Mantra
- Earth: Hatha Yoga
- Fire: Vinyasa Flow with core & arm balances
- Water: Feminine Flows
- Air: Vinyasa Flow with pranayama & meditation in motion
- Space: Yin Yoga
The practices are set in stunning locations around Bali.
Dance Medicine
"Dance is a vehicle for Spirit to communicate through us, teaching us how to be in relationship with the Earth, the elements, the seen and the unseen. A conversation that helps us understand we are intrinsically one with our external environment. My practice of dance, somatic movement and yoga lovingly supports my internal compass to navigate the web of life in balance and harmony. Dance is my prayer and my sacred offering to help reclaim our feminine power." Karina Christie
About the Dances you will receive:
Drop into new rhythms, movements and ways of expression with Karina who shares her years of exploring dance choreography in an accessible energising way. Her workshops take you on a deep dive to further awaken the elemental essences within you. Karina has trained extensively with Rosangela Silvestre from Brazil, where she studied the dances of the Orixás. Her Dance Classes for Medicine Woman introduce aspects of the Orixás as well as steps to find your own expression of the elements. Her classes are set to the backdrop of pristine nature in New South Wales, Australia.
Medicine Women
This course celebrates our freedom through movement as we listen and learn from women all over the world. This is a course that looks for solutions in practical ways, yet guided by our intrinsic and indigenous wisdom. You will hear directly from women who have dedicated their lives somehow to being caretakers of the elements who share their stories and what each element has taught them through their service. This includes inspirational talks for you to listen to at your own time as well as our live sessions. Together, these women bring a sense of solidarity and excitement. Rather than grieving what we have lost, Medicine Woman is designed to bring in a sense of opportunity for moving forwards in new ways and moving forwards with clarity and direction.
- Art by Breeze Karimi
We are extremely honoured to introduce some outstanding women from Borneo, Palestine, Brazil, Mongolia, Haiti, Bali, Spain and Papua New Guinea to share insights as caretakers of the elements and own healing journeys. Their stories are as educational as they are inspirational. They provide an insight into parts of the world that are often hidden from mainstream media as well as incredible projects to uplift and provoke a sense of solidarity. The challenges that face our environment are far greater than any one person can tackle, yet together miracles happen.
The Inspirational Talks you will receive include:
Space is represented by Vera Sajrawi from Palestine which is one of the most overcrowded areas of the planet. Vera works for space through her work as a journalist.
Air is represented by Mooji and Haliun from Mongolia which currently has the fourth poorest air quality in the world. Mooji and Halium campaign for clean air alongside their NGO “Breathe Mongolia.”
Water is represented by Melissa Day from Haiti which suffers from severe water shortages. Melissa and her family defend water with their lives as well as educating the next generation on how to become caretakers of this precious resource.
Fire is represented by indigenous leader Shinta Emmanuel from Borneo, whose rainforests are some of the oldest in the world and yet are under threat from insatiable fires. Shinta campaigns internationally to protect the forests which have been her peoples home long before the palm oil and cattle industries began.
Earth is represented by indigenous leader Francienia from the Amazon in Brazil. Francienia is also a university lecturer who works to protect the earth through education and her work in FOIRN NGO.
Tri Hita Karana (the 3 causes of well-being in Balinese Hindu Philosophy) is introduced by Made Murni. It is in deep respect to this culture which recognises well-being depends on harmony with God, community and the environment.
In the 4 Live Calls Bex will share her journey working in social work and activism around the world including Kolkata, Nepal, Palestine and teaching yoga in Bali’s biggest prison. You will also have an opportunity to ask questions about the content and meet some of the special guests that contributed to "Medicine Woman."
The live calls will be every Sunday 18:00-19:00 Bali time . You will receive info for how to join once you enroll.
Music Medicine
Bex collaborated with musician and sound wizard, Sebastian Cuevas to curate 5 Yoga Nidras each specially composed to a unique binaural beat soundscape. Each of the Nidras are attuned to the frequencies of the different elements, which you are able to download and listen to whenever you might need a reminder of the medicine of nature. Listening to these frequencies can make profound shifts on multiple of levels, including physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.
You will receive the following downloadable Yoga Nidra Meditations:
- Space Yoga Nidra Meditation 741hz Theta Binaural Beat for Ajna (third eye) chakra for Awakening Intuition
- Air Yoga Nidra Meditation 396 hz & Theta Binaural Beat for Anahata (heart) chakra for Liberation from Fear and Guilt
- Fire Yoga Nidra Meditation 528hz & Theta Binaural Beat for Manipura (solar plexus) chakra for Transformation and DNA Repair
- Water Yoga Nidra Meditation 174hz & Delta Binaural Beat for Svadhisthana (sacral) chakra for Security, Safety & Love
- Earth Yoga Nidra Meditation 285hz & Binaural Beat Shumann Resonance for Muladhara (root) chakra for Safety, Survival and Instinct
You will also receive a special Tirta (water blessing) Sound Healing meditation composed here in Bali by Walker Barnard and Balinese Water Priest Ketut
Ecology Medicine
Each element includes presentations that explore how yoga and ecology intersect. Bex takes you on a journey that bridges science and spirituality and how to Move for Change can bring change into motion. You will learn accessible facts from the perspective of ecology and environmentalism and how this intersects with Tantra: The invisible web which weaves us all together.
Rumi Medicine
We also welcome our special guest Maryam Mafi, to share her own translations of Rumi's poetry. Maryam is an incredible artist and story teller, as well as one of the few Persian translators of Rumi. Her books are international best sellers. Rumi’s words demonstrate how a pen can be more powerful than a sword and Love for the Divine the most powerful ally.
Maryam's books include:
Rumi, Day by Day
The Book of Rumi: 105 Stories and Fables that Illumine, Delight, and Inform
Rumi's Little Book of Wisdom
Rumi's Little Book of Life: The Garden of the Soul, the Heart, and the Spirit
Course Curriculum
- Explore Akasha: The Place of Infinite Possibility
- Introduction to the Element of Space (20:17)
- Space Yoga with Bex (69:11)
- Introduction to Space Dance (5:59)
- Space Dance with Karina (29:10)
- Caretakers of Space: Palestine (24:56)
- Space Yoga Nidra Meditation 741hz Theta Binaural Beat for Ajna (third eye) chakra for Awakening Intuition
- Soul Journal
- Moving Through the Flames of Transformation
- Introduction to the Element of Fire (17:49)
- Fire Yoga with Bex (75:52)
- Introduction to Fire Dance (7:40)
- Fire Dance with Karina (48:24)
- Caretakers of Fire: Borneo (23:20)
- Fire Yoga Nidra Meditation 528hz & Theta Binaural Beat for Manipura (solar plexus) chakra for Transformation and DNA repair
- Soul Journal
- Prayers to the Waters of Life
- Introduction to the Element of Water (17:34)
- Water Yoga with Bex (68:05)
- Introduction to Water Dance (4:17)
- Water Dance with Karina (26:39)
- Care Takers of Water: Haiti (15:25)
- Water Yoga Nidra Meditation 174hz & Delta Binaural Beat for Svadhisthana (sacral) chakra for Security, Safety & Love
- Soul Journal
- Respect to the Source: Earth Body
- Introduction to the Element of Earth (30:04)
- Earth Yoga with Bex (75:39)
- Earth Dance with Karina (36:38)
- Caretaker of Earth: Amazon (16:05)
- Earth Yoga Nidra Meditation 285hz & Binaural Beat Shumann Resonance for Muladhara (root) chakra for Safety, Survival and Instinct
- Soul Journal