Cacao ceremony
& the art of expanding
With Miz & Malika
Combining embodiment practices with the potent heart opening qualities of the cacao ceremony, Miz & Malika will guide you out of winter hibernation and into spring. Cacao, also known as Theobroma Cacao, is a powerful plant medicine, which will allow you to tap into the depth of your heart. Step into a space of loving kindness, reconnect to your heart and watch it bloom as winter transforms into spring. We will use the cacao ceremony as a practice to slow down, reconnect to what has been and letting go of what we don’t need anymore, to then step into the new season refreshed and with grounded new energy. Steadily, cautiously, blooming into new beginnings.
Spring time is guided by the wood element. At this time of year we witness how nature wakes up, how WE start to wake up! Following Malika's cacao ceremony we will dive into a deep yin and restorative practice guided by Miz.
As seeds start to grow and trees glisten with new buds, there's a force in the air, a breeze of new life with everything tense and ready to come forth.
But we can be affected by those tense imbalances in our bodies and minds - the reflections of the Wood element in terms of the impact on our movement and flexibility, our posture (trunk), and feeling unrooted or ungrounded. Our emotions may show over-eagerness, even anger and frustration, as we're just a little too ready to rush into new adventure! Working with the liver (yin) and gall bladder (yang) energies in our bodies, through gentle movement and mindful stillness we can rebalance our need to react too quickly, and become more focused and soft in our approach, steadily emerging and sensitively expanding – acting and moving with purpose, kindness, and direction.
The elemental cycle
Like a network of rivers nourishing a landscape, the meridians are the channels through which qi (chi) flows, to nourish and energise the human body like rivers nourish the Earth. Collectively, the meridians form the matrix within which the physical body functions and communicates with the energetic body. The positions of Yin Yoga affect our meridian orbits in a positive direction, and gives us a deeper understanding of our inner workings, so we learn to self-regulate more efficiently. We can embody the qualities and feelings that we find, using mindful movement to embrace what we encounter in these elemental practices, creating a more intimate relationship with ourselves and whats around us, moving through emotions and regenerating as needed.
Taoism believes that each of the five elements has the ability to draw us towards stronger emotions, behaviors (reaction/action – situation-led), tendencies (frequency of behaviour), attitudes (thoughts/feelings - experience-led), activities, moods, energies and overall health.
