Integrative Embodiment & Living Yoga Unlock deep body wisdom+disrupt linear paradigms Align body+mind+soul with Nature Teacher Trainings & Mentorship
☆ Elemental Wisdom ☆
Hi Reader,
First a new blog piece that I'm very excited about:) leading to our upcoming Elements, Intro to Ayurveda & Origins of the Chakras weekend workshop, and join us for ALIGN: Evolutions in Embodied Practice!
Excerpt from Chakras, Elements and Embodiment ~ new blog on Medium
When I was a teenager, I was enraptured by earth-based spirituality in many forms, primarily relating to the elements. For years it was a core thread of my identity, connecting to the more-than-human world by honoring the elements, the cycles of life, the cycles of the day, moon, seasons, and how the elements were in a constant interweaving dance with everything in Nature.
When I started to learn about living yoga through Ayurveda, and about the origins of the Chakras, the elements came alive for me like never before. The pancha maha bhutas (five great elements) have their root in the Samkhya system of cosmology (read on below). They are the roots of both Ayurveda and the Tantrik use of elemental bija mantras (‘seed’ syllable sonic resonance) as a core practice toward the state of yoga… one that gave rise to the concept of Chakras.
The Chakras are truly about personal practice… and always have been.
Rather than being affected by someone else -opening, healing, clearing, cleansing or aligning- the map of the Chakras originated as a description of experience from within yogic practice.
The direct experience of the Tantrik householder in their daily yoga sadhana, primarily focused on bija mantra sonic resonance as the gateway to experience the state of yoga, is where Chakras as a map of the more-than-physical body arose. It is also in this practice where we find a paradigm shift towards seeing the body as sacred, and that embodiment itself is a gateway to experience yoga as connection and oneness. Before this time ritual connection to divinity was either about transcending embodiment or only facilitated by an intermediary, or both.
...Multiple tantric texts describe that the elemental bija mantras were so effective at freeing the flow within the subtle body (unhooking from identification with mental constructs, emotions, etc.) so that the practitioner would experience the state of yoga, that their bodies were spontaneously moved by the sound! This is the oldest known recorded evidence of movement in the yoga traditions — an ecstatic state of spontaneous expression, as an effect of the sonic resonance bija mantra practice of the elements.
This is the birth of our understanding of chakras, as well as the birth of embodied practice in the yoga traditions.
These shared roots are so fascinating to me, as is what we find in these texts describing the spontaneous movement in the practitioners: fluid, undulating, circular, dynamic and shaped by the sound itself, meaning the sound was integral and part of the embodied expression.
...Modern bodymind, nervous system and movement science is also pointing us toward ideas that are more resonant with the ancient Tantrik descriptions than modern mainstream physical yoga. Vibration, oscillation, waves and spiraling fluid patterns (of the body or sound vibration, and everything inbetween) are the fundamental pathways of movement on every level. These ideas lead us to more integrated and healthy embodiment not only in movement but also in nervous system regulation as well as balanced emotional and mental health. (There is so much more here, for later writing:)
...read the whole piece HERE.
We'll be sharing much more in this workshop, in its first time offered online: Subtle Body 1: Elements, Intro to Ayurveda & Origins of the Chakras this weekend, February 10-11, 9am-1pm PT. I'll be joined by special guest teacher Christopher Tompkins who will be sharing direct translations & chakra mantra practice from source texts. Take a look at this link for a comprehensive list of topics covered, and reach out if you have questions!
🌹
ALIGN: Evolutions in Embodied Practice
3-part mini-training (Feb 21-23) plus special embodied practice class (Feb 24)
We’ll gather LIVE to explore how we ALIGN to our body+mind and nervous system, as well as to yoga philosophy and Nature... through embodied practice.
It’s different than we’ve been taught. Go beyond method to ALIGN with principles beyond modality.
ALIGN is the equivalent of a $200+ workshop - in my interest to have multiple levels of accessibility for learning, registration is only $27 - plus, teachers can get 5 CEUs (YA or I-AYT) for attending the live event. It's a great opportunity to get a taste of my teaching and the Kutilaa School to see if you want to go deeper together. Yes, recordings will be available. No one turned away for lack of funds.
Embodiment is so much more than the physical. Come explore and discover the ripple effects to transform you life and the world.
In service to life & liberation,
Michelle
PS. Bay Area Special Event: For a few more weeks, join Tranquility Tuesdays with myself and other teachers for a unique fusion of somatic yoga, deep relaxation and immersive art. Set within the mesmerizing backdrop of the Resonance in Light art show, surrounded by the enchanting sounds of the Gamelatron and sound-reactive immersive light sculptures - these weekly embodied yoga sessions offer an unparalleled experience to unwind and soothe body, mind and spirit. Take a look at last year's show HERE.
Grab your spot and join us for this special experience HERE.
Feb 6 + sound bath & March 5+12 with Natalya and friends | Feb 20+27, March 19+26 with me. Here's a peek at the space!
☆ Weekly Classes ☆
- Prana Vinyasa Flow | Wednesdays 630-725pm | Folk SF + streaming live
- Embodied Resilience | Thursdays 9-10am PT | online + lifetime recordings
- Somatic Flow + Restore | Mondays 645-8pm | Cloudbreak Yoga Sausilito | begins March 18
☆ 2024 Trainings & Events ☆
- Subtle Body 1: Elements, Intro to Ayurveda & Origins of the Chakras | Feb 10-11 | online
- ALIGN: Evolutions in Embodied Practice | Feb 21-24 | online
- Advanced Anatomy: Preventing & Working with Common Injuries | Feb 24-25 | Folk SF
- Envision Festival | March 4-11 | Costa Rica
- Subtle Body 30hr Immersion | March 27-29 | Folk SF
- Agni: Ayurveda, Digesting Experience & Tantrik Philosophy | April 13-14 | online
- Building Resilience | April 20-21 | online (start of Embodied Resilience™ Atelier 2024, open to public)
- Heart & History of Namaskar | April 27 | Folk SF + online
- Embodied Anatomy: Fascia, Biotensegrity & Beyond | May 4-5 | online (part of Embodied Resilience™ Atelier 2024, open to public)
- Lightning in a Bottle Festival | May 22-27 | Buena Vista Lake, CA
- Embodied Anatomy: Fascia, Biotensegrity & Beyond | June 1-2 | online (part of Embodied Resilience™ Atelier 2024, open to public)
- Embodied Resilience™ Anatomy of Spiral Design & the Axis Syllabus | June-Sept | online (part of Embodied Resilience™ Atelier 2024)
- Fall modules announced soon.
*If you're tech-savvy and interested in the potential of work-trade, please reach out!*
🌹
The Kutilaa School of Embodied Resilience is dedicated to offering accessible opportunities for helpful & relevant education on Living Yoga, Ayurvedic wisdom & evidence-based embodiment practices for physical, mental & emotional wellbeing specifically for modern life in a changing world.
The Kutilaa School of Embodied Resilience constitutes a Yoga Alliance registered yoga school offering in-depth, world-class yoga teacher training at the 300-HR level, as well as cutting-edge continuing education for movement teachers of all styles. In service to the needs of modern lives, we align deeply to the roots of yoga while adapting the powerful teachings to be practical, valuable and relevant today.
A core mission of the Kutilaa School is to ignite a shift from standard approaches to modern postural yoga towards regenerative, healthy embodied practices through non-linear movement, aligning more truly with yogic teachings of truth, non-harming and unity, as well as with our body as a footprint of the intelligence of the flow of life.
If you've read this far, thank you!! Birthing an online school takes alot of heart & hard work. 🌹
If you know anyone who could benefit from embodied resilience or living yoga practices, the greatest gift of support is sharing these offerings with friends.
Thank you in advance!
Michelle Nayeli Bouvier
Integrative Embodiment & Living Yoga Unlock deep body wisdom+disrupt linear paradigms Align body+mind+soul with Nature Teacher Trainings & Mentorship
Hi Reader, Today we explored playful gait patterns, balance, and seated mobility that reveal our counter-spiraling spine! Today's recording is ready for you! Your link to revisit and enjoy today's practice: Here's the YouTube private link for 18 Sept 2024 - Counter-Spiraling Spine Since this is a monthly subscription, the past 3 recording links will be appended to these emails You can access and replay these recordings forever... please SAVE THE LINKS for yourself Past 3 weeks of recordings:...
Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony. ~Thomas Merton This week: intro to nervous system regulation, and an invitation to Finding Balance donation retreat. 🌹 Your nervous system is the gatekeeper of your bodymind state. It’s responsible for everything from your heartbeat to digestion, your sense of pain, your mood, and giving the 'ok' for change- like healing. Learning how to regulate your nervous system is key to accessing a sense of groundedness,...
Hi Reader, In May we'll be exploring patterns of movement that support body + brain functioning and integration. Today we explored crossing patterns (also: contralateral), how they coordinate the core, the limbs, balance, our brain hemispheres and more. Some interesting reading on how crossing patterns help your brain HERE & HERE. Crawling is one of our favorite crossbody patterns. Your recording link to revisit and enjoy today's practice: Here's the YouTube private link for 2 May 2024 -...