Date: Saturday March 17
Time: 10:00 am > 12:00 pm
Price: $35
Register: maysan.marouf@gmail.com
Description:
The essential things in life are not seen with the eyes, but with the heart (Antoine de Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince)
Join me for this 2-hour long Forrest yoga workshop and gently peel away the layers that shield your heart. Lengthen chest muscles, strengthen the thoracic spine; cultivate empathy and (self) compassion, lift your mood, sweat and have fun !
Opening the heart has physical, emotional and spiritual benefits. On an anatomical level, working long hours on a laptop or computer in a somewhat hunched posture creates an imbalance between the muscles in the chest (that are shortened) and their antagonists in the upper back(that are over-stretched). By correcting this asymmetry, we can prevent or reduce physical ailments such as lower back pain, short breath or problems with digestion. But there is a feedback mechanism at work as well through which improved posture and especially opening the front of the body can help with confidence, anxiety even depression.
We will start our journey with meditation and pranayama to centre and direct energy into the heart area. An intelligent Forrest yoga sequence will then lead us through core work for a strong foundation, heat-creating suns and baby backbends to warm up before safely diving into deeper layers. Holding poses for longer periods will facilitate exploring your individual edge and shift emotions held in muscle and fascia. We will unwind gently from the stronger backbends before finishing with yoga nidra in Sivasana.
BIO Sabrina Anna Jacobs
Certified Forrest Yoga teacher; RYT 200 (Chicago 2015)
Forrest yoga CET with guardian Sandra Robinson (London 2016)
Forrest yoga mentorship with guardian Sandra Robinson (Peterborough current)
I first came across yoga in 2005 whilst working in finance in Singapore. Initially mostly attracted to the physical practice that helped me cope with sitting in front of a computer all day, I quickly realized that there were much wider benefits: Yoga and various related practices offered new avenues to deal with the repercussions of childhood trauma: depression, anxiety, eating disorders. Over the course of the following 10 years I explored various yoga styles being based in Singapore, Sydney and London. I developed a regular meditation practice following the teachings of Jack Kornfield and in 2014 completed a program in mindfulness-based stress reduction (developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn) with the London Meditation Institute.
Back in London a friend introduced me to Forrest yoga in early 2015, and by my second class I was in love. For me the Forrest practice (called after its creatrix Ana Forrest) combines everything I want from yoga: The focus on releasing neck and shoulder areas (the tenseness in my shoulders had meanwhile advanced to a chronic state), going into deeper layers of fascia by holding poses for longer periods, the emphasis on breath, core work and connection with Spirit, the delicious assists!
At that time, I felt I needed a professional change as well. After 15 years in banking I called it a day and started my own trading business that provides me the flexibility to teach yoga part-time and to explore deeper into the mind-body connection. I joined the foundation training with Ana Forrest in Chicago in the autumn of 2015.
Currently I run two weekly Forrest classes in London, assist Forrest workshops and teach privates. It’s my aim to play my part in Ana’s vision of ‘mending the hoop of the people’: to reach many more beings with the healing powers of yoga. I have just embarked on the year-long mentorship program with Forrest guardian Sandra Robinson (Peterborough) to continue to grow and develop my skills – technically and emotionally.