One day a few years ago I found myself flicking through an Australian Yoga Life magazine, and I stumbled upon an advertisement for a workshop in Brisbane with Simon Borg-Olivier. I have no idea why I decided that I had to attend, but was certain that I wanted to go. I had never met Simon before, and knew very little about him. There was just something pulling me, so I decided to find out if there was still room for me in the classes. As it happened, there was, and the woman I spoke to was so friendly and encouraging, that I booked in right away.
That was back in November 2008. The course I attended was called Applied Anatomy & Physiology of Yoga. It was presented over the course of two three-day weekends, and was attended by Yoga students as well as physiotherapists and acupuncture practitioners. You see, Simon is an inspiring teacher with a wealth of experience in several different styles of yoga, but he is also a physiotherapist with a great deal of knowledge about the meridians used in acupuncture. He also presents a university course in Applied Anatomy & Physiology, on which the workshop was based. It certainly wasn’t your average Yoga workshop. I think it’s fair to say that it was the most fascinating and inspiring event I had attended in years!
I came back from Brisbane very inspired by what I had managed to absorb and digest from the sessions. Simon packs a lot in though, so it wasn’t long before I decided I needed to go back for more, and to clarify some of the notes I had managed to scribble down. Kelly was fascinated too, so we decided to go to Sydney to attend classes at Yoga Synergy, which is the school Simon co-owns with Bianca Machliss. We spent about a week there, attending as many classes as we could get to. We also took the opportunity to speak with Simon about offering a workshop to our students here in Wellington, which he did in August last year.
The Yoga Synergy style is an interesting blend of Eastern Philosophy and Western Medicine. In fact, on the Yoga Synergy website it is described as a synthesis between Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, Iyengar Yoga, Tibetan yoga and modern medical science. Visit www.yogasynergy.com.au about the approach and the five sequences taught there. These sequences are based on the five elements. When Kelly and I were in Sydney last year, the focus was on the Fire element. I found the repetition useful in that it allowed me to understand the principals Simon was teaching more fully. When we came back to Wellington I was excited to be able to offer my students a deeper understanding of his teaching. In my own experience, and based on the feedback I received, this approach created a lot of core strength, and a greater awareness of the movement of energy (prana) and information (citta) around the body.
The workshop led by Simon in Wellington last year was a great success. We had a lot of fun, and we learned so much! It was a great opportunity for our students to get to know Simon too, and to find out what a lovely man he is. The sheer amount of information he imparted was quite intense at times, but all in all, it was such a wonderful experience that we have been working for some time to get him to come back for a follow up!
On February 19 & 20, Simon will be presenting a workshop called Firm but Calm – Sthira Sukham Asanam. It will once again be held at the 4e Dance Studio in Fifeshire Avenue (off Cambridge Terrace). It will consist of four three-hour sessions based on the Yoga Synergy Earth sequence. While it may seem like a long session for those of you who haven’t done a lot of yoga, rest assured that there will be breaks, and that there will be times when Simon will lecture and demonstrate, as well as times when you’ll be invited to join in with the flowing sequences he has designed. It will be a great mix of theory and practical experience, and you will no doubt come away with a new perspective on this ancient practice!
We are offering you the opportunity to work with Simon for the incredible price of just $300 for the whole weekend if you register and complete your payment process before we close on the 19th of December. After that, there is still the early bird price of $320 if you pay by January 21, 2011. For more information please see our events page. To book, please call reception before December 19, or email lynda@yogaunlimited.co.nz after that.
We hope to see you there!
~ by Lynda Miers-Henneveld.
