I really had no idea what to expect when arriving at Up & Down. All I knew was that I deeply trusted Irene and Elia’s work and I had a profound curiosity and calling to attend their offering.
As a Holistic Wellness Activist I attend immersions in search for a deeper connection to my body, spirit and life, so that I can continue to be awake to my capacity and authenticity while living and breathing what I share. My continuous exploration of wellness modalities over the last 16+ years has been a gradual movement from superficial and linear layers of understanding my physical, mental and spiritual well-being to a far more significant and integrative experience. I say this only because this workshop provided the most holistic, integrative opportunity I have yet to immerse in. I can’t wait for the next one!
There’s so many specifics I could say about my experience, and yet it seems my words fall short of truly describing what it was like. In short, my body has never felt so free and my heart has never felt so interconnected – two things I cherish greatly. The balance between Irene and Elia’s shared wisdom, guidance and invitation for self-exploration was so masterful. It completely fulfilled my desire to learn sustainable ways to re-connect to the deeper layers of my authentic capacity while increasing my whole-self wellness.
Beyond my pursuit for immersions as a wellness activist I vulnerably arrived at the workshop with exhaustion, grief, overwhelm, PTSD, and a general feeling of disconnect from Self. I share this because in no time I felt safe, supported, and comfortable to share in and explore my dis-ease. I was continuously reminded of what it means to surrender and coexist as a physical being, so there was a deep letting-go and acceptance that took place personally for me over those days. So much of the stubborn tension in my body literally melted away and my joints felt like well-oiled machines that had a range of motion far beyond what I had been working towards in my yoga practice for years. Other profound nuggets are that I re-established my relationship to gravity by accepting it’s presence and learning how to work with it instead of fighting against it. My relationship to the immediate and extended environment suddenly became a tool for grounding and being more embodied, rather than the stressful place my body started perceiving it as since my traumas.
Tying it all together, my unique exploration of the mind-body connection has been so liberated since. I was gifted the ability to sense the origin of so much of my discomfort, while on so many levels, learning how to find resolve in the simple movement practices, guiding principles and joyous free-flowing explorations that Up & Down covered.
Like I said, I can’t wait to continue this journey in the next one.
Thank you so much Irene and Elia. Your dynamic is such a gift.
