Unlocking the power of healing: The potential for transformation through yoga and meditation
“You can only heal others when you yourself have TRULY healed.“
I have been feeling a draw to run yoga and wellbeing retreats for many years. Last year I ran my first 2 successful retreats and witnessed some profound shifts amongst the participants who joined. At the end of my last retreat, I understood for the first time what it truly meant to hold space, to shine your light and to share your vibrational frequency with others.
During the closing circle, I led with a spontaneous short chakra meditation that I hadn’t planned. The words ‘came to me’ as I sat in meditation, connected to source energy. Of course, I had become familiar with the group during the weekend, and what I had observed influenced the words that I shared.
Retreat revelations and healing transformations
After the meditation, we each went around the circle and shared 1 main take away. There were some big revelations, some tears, some laughter and one person had experienced a huge healing transformation from chronic back pain. The pain was so intense pre retreat that she took a lift in the minibus to get to the retreat lodges, rather than walking with the main group. By the end of the retreat she was participating in full yoga classes, walking with a spring in her step and walked back to the carpark on the last day rather than taking the minibus!
However, the shift that stood out for me the most was the lady who, when it was her turn to speak, instead burst into a full chorus of a nursery rhyme in Greek. Her voice became progressively louder as she continued singing at full volume, a smile beaming across her face. She was completely present, free and lit up in that moment. We all sat, silent, witnessing her full expression, holding space.
Afterwards, she shared that she hadn’t been able to sing that song since her father had passed. She shared that during the short meditation I led, when I was reflecting on the energy of the throat, she received a message from her inner being that she would be able to sing that song! As I write this now, it is sending shivers up my spine!
It was such a joy and privilege to witness. I put on an uplifting tune and we all spontaneously stood up and danced.
The energy in the room was electric – we joined hands and the electricity sparked around the circle.
As I danced freely, I could feel vibrations running through me, just as they had during the 10-day silent Vipassana meditation retreat I sat a few months prior, and just as they did whilst I was holding space during classes and meditations over the weekend.
I knew I was experiencing something special. For the first time I understood fully what it meant to be a retreat leader and to share your raised vibrational frequency with others.
My own healing journey
During my second round of Chemotherapy the year before, during a meditation, I received this beautiful, reassuring and poignant message from my inner being:
“Do not be afraid, I will not forsake you. You can only heal others when you yourself have TRULY healed. It had to be this way”.
It was such a clear message that I wrote it down straight away.
All the self-development and work I had done up until this point in my life had been helpful and valid, however, I hadn’t completely healed myself yet. I still had blocks. I still had releasing and letting go work to do, and I hadn’t yet become fully aware of my own conditioning.
It was my cancer journey where I experienced what it meant to be completely free and not bound or effected by external influences – to truly surrender and to be able to cultivate elevated emotions no matter what. And it is something I will always be so grateful for. It has opened me up to so many more possibilities and I believe and have experienced how EMOTIONS are the most important aspect of our day-to-day life.
Yoga as a healing system
I don’t proclaim myself to be a healer, as that implies I am doing something to someone else, which is disempowering. I do however feel that I am developing a natural gift in supporting others to heal themselves. Not only from my professional training and experience, and the books I have read, but most importantly, from lived experience and continual self-practice.
It’s an ongoing journey that will continue forever – and that’s what I love about yoga!
Authentic Yoga has been described as a healing system. To help us process and release anything that is holding us back from living our best lives, so we can live in alignment with who we really are and what is in our best interest as well as those around us.
I still have a few spaces left on my upcoming retreats this year in June and late September / October. If you are a Harmonise Graduate and wish to attend, and finances are a barrier, please get in touch.
If you are curious to find out more about the philosophical and spiritual aspect to yoga and want to delve deeper. Or if you are considering embarking on a yoga teacher training course, and are passionate about weaving in philosophy, mindfulness, somatic movements, trauma sensitive language and the language of embodiment to empower your students…
You may be interested in our 1 Day Yoga Foundations Course on 10th June.
We also have spaces on our upcoming Pilates teacher training course.
Both teacher training courses are taking bookings for September (with early-bird discounts available now) and we have an Open Day coming up on Sunday 11th June – we would love to see you there. We also offer access grants for our teacher training courses for those on a low-income, so please spread the word to anyone who you think might be eligible and interested in applying for one of these (details on our website).
If you are already a yoga or pilates teacher and would like to thread more somatic movements and embodiment language into your classes, then our Fascia and Movement Workshop is for you
Article by: Clare Francis
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