Kinesthetic Bliss and Bamboo YogaPlay.

“Through movement you discover the stories held inside your body; and through the power of expression and creativity, you begin to write the new ones.” ~ Sofiah Thom

Sofiah will be offering a taster of her work in an off the grid night presented by Serpent & the Honeybee.  An evening of collective ritual healing for women in Boulder on Saturday July 17th from 7-9 p.m, $10 donation. Sofiah will then be offering a 3 hour expressive healing arts workshop called Embodying the Graceful Warrior Within on Sunday 4-7 p.m.

Both Saturday and Sunday will be held at: Kelly’s Barn, 1360 Sumak, Boulder, CO.  80304. The cost for both Saturday and Sunday is $50, $10 donation for Saturday, $45 for Sunday

Wednesday, July 21st 7- 9p.m in Denver at Soma Studio, 2540 West 29th Avenue, Denver CO 80211, www.studio-soma.com, $20 in advance $25 at the door.

For more info, check out Bamboo Yoga Play.

I met Sofiah Thom through a friend of mine who told me I absolutely had to meet her and her husband Brendan when I was down in Costa Rica.  I heard they had a beautiful yoga studio and accompanying lodging there—a perfect complement to the “roughin’ it” mentality my travel partner and I had had throughout most of our two weeks in CR.

When we showed up, we immediately fell in love.  Not only could we get our first yoga session in since our trip began, but we could also relax in our lovely room and covered porch overlooking the trees of Dominical.  We felt that after so many long hikes and crazy adventures, this was the perfect way to end our trip.  It was.

What I did not realize was that Sofiah’s style of yoga would truly change my practice, and not just my yoga practice either, but my life practice.  While you are taking her class, her mellifluous voice describes a Way.  I call it a Way because “technique” or “style” would inadequate to describe it.  The Way she describes is steeped in an ancient meditation tradition that she and I both serendipitously practice.  The tradition called Latihan would be far too complex for me to describe, yet one of the key understandings is that we as spiritual beings have a direct connection to the greater Spirit and that through this connection we can heal ourselves and even evolve ourselves.  While I have been practicing Latihan for almost a year now and yoga for several, I’d never seen the direct connection between the two—until Sofiah.

When she describes her Way, the Bamboo YogaPlay, she uses the phrase Kinesthetic Bliss, or in layman’s terms, go with what your body tells you is right, whether that’s a pose that feels especially good or one that feels challenging, if your body says yes, so do you.  What this creates is a discussion between your mind/spirit center and your body that is truly liberating.  Much of our world has separated the Self from the physical self; Sofiah’s Way teaches people how to find an uncanny harmony between often discordant parts of one’s being.

As I found myself in variations of poses I’d never considered, simply because Sofiah encouraged me in the moment to listen to the impulses within the body asking for a different motion here or an extension there, I felt incredibly deeply the meaning of the phrase “kinesthetic bliss.”  Simply put, she provided me the space to be open with myself to explore what was really right for me, not just what my yoga teacher claimed was.

Since her class, I must admit, it’s been nearly impossible for me to attend other yoga classes (I even canceled the membership I had at the local studio).  They are too formulaic or rigid, disconnected and patterned.  Now, I base my yoga practice on the places my body wants to go.  When you quiet your mind and allow your body to lead, magic happens.  I have Sofiah to thank.  What I’m looking forward to now is my next lesson with Sofiah to further my introduction to this powerful Way.  Fortunately for those in Colorado, she’s there for a couple weeks—get ready for a deeper connection to your own self-originated bliss.