Yoga Nidra and Your VOICE: Vocal Explorations for All

This inspirational and practical day of vocal techniques, harmony singing and yoga nidra practice was hugely popular on its first London outing January 2018. Those who attended that event in January are most welcome to come again, because the songs and nidras are not pre-set or scripted - it is a responsive and fluid programme, designed to meet the needs of those attending on the day, and for that reason it will not be precisely the same as it was in January - but rather an inspirational development using a similar format.

Have you a voice?

Do you use your voice to share yoga and/or yoga nidra? Do you sing? Are you a bit shy to sing?

Have you ever wondered how you could more joyfully and effectively use your vocal range, depth and breadth to bring more nuance and heartfelt authenticity to your teachings?

Have you ever felt tempted to use your voice to offer mantra, chants, songs, poetry, inspirational readings, or even just a lovely, confident and heartfelt OM in the context of your yoga (nidra) teachings?

Have you ever enjoyed singing together (maybe in harmony?) with others, or singing in the bath or shower, and then lost the nerve to bring that joy out in your yoga (nidra) classes and teaching?

Would you love to be able to share what brings you joy, including songs or mantras or phrases of poetry in your teaching, confident your voice will carry your feeling of love and joy to your students?

Would you appreciate the opportunity to explore creative ways to use your voice when teaching yoga (nidra) with the guidance of skilled and experience tutors with a reputation for originality and heartfelt authenticity in their practices of sharing voice and yoga and yoga nidra?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then this is the day for you!

We have created a day to support you:

• If you share yoga (nidra) with groups or individuals;
• If you would you welcome a chance to explore the capacities of your voice, as a soothing, calming presence, or as in inspirational channel of sharing mantra and song and poetry.
• If you would you appreciate the chance to spend a day in the company of other teachers from a range of different background and traditions who all want to share their voices together and experience the deep revitalising nourishment of Total Yoga Nidra and Dreamsong interwoven together with powerful and effective Vocal techniques

You will experience and learn:

• multiple nourishing yoga nidra practices
• multiple valuable vocal techniques for deepening connection and confidence with your voice • multiple pranayama tools (breath techniques) to support voice projection and power
• multiple methods for integrating voice and heartfelt authenticity for use in teaching

The intention of this day is to inspire creative explorations in how we can use out voices, singly and together when we share the teachings of yoga (nidra). We will rest together in multiple practices of well supported deep Total Yoga Nidra experiences, and we shall sing together, and explore our voices in many practical experiences of responsive, open and creative and inspirational voice and body that supports the richness and heartfelt authenticity of our voices however we choose to use them. A range of different singing, and other vocal practices will be shared, and harmonies explored.

There will be plenty of opportunities for questions and discussions of specific issues relation to total yoga nidra and health. This means that if you have specific personal or professional interests relating to yoga nidra that you are invited to bring your questions and experiences to share with the group. The programme is open to responsive, intuitive attunements and adjustments to meet the specific needs of those attending.

This experiential day-long workshop is open to everyone who is currently practicing, sharing and teaching yoga (nidra). All yoga (nidra) teachers/yoga therapists/health care practitioners who are currently practicing and working with yoga (nidra) are invited to attend this day of continuing professional development. It is emphatically non-dogmatic and non-denominational, respecting and welcoming teachers of all forms and from all schools of yoga (nidra). The day counts as continuing professional development (CPD) for teachers who have completed prior trainings with Uma, and the Yoga Nidra Network, and can also count towards CPD points for other yoga teachers and teachers/therapists who have prior trainings in yoga (nidra). Mental health care practitioners and health care practitioners with a practice of yoga nidra, and experience of sharing yoga (nidra) with their clients are also welcome to attend the day, provided they have a living interest in and regular practice of yoga (nidra). 

Proposed schedule

1000**** Please arrive by 1000 to have a cuppa in the café and be ready for a prompt start at 1030
1030 Sounding our hearts and voices in Yoga Nidra: Dreamsong welcome yoga nidra practice with mantra, integrated with, and leading into meditative song - Uma and Susie Ro together
1100 Welcome Meditation, introductions and motivations (reasons for attending the day)
1130 Listening, Sounding, Laughing, Playing and Singing Together – warming up our bodies and our voices – Techniques with Susie for connecting to our heartsong, freeing our natural voice and experiencing the real joy of singing together from our hearts -
Comfort break
1245 Dreamsong Multi-vocal Total Yoga Nidra practice, with music, poetry, mantra and song - Uma and Susie Ro integrate voice and instruments – the group ends with voices and hearts lifted in mantra, tuning into the sound of heartsong.
1330-1430 LUNCH 
1430 Freeing the voice with HeartSong – Singing and sounding together with Susie, techniques for deepening our connection to heartfelt listening, and feeling and sharing our voices
1500 Questions and offerings - issues arising from morning practice, also opportunities for sharing from personal and professional experiences of vocal challenges and delights in teaching yoga (nidra).
1515 Dreamsong Total Yoga Nidra practice, Uma: mantra and song in Nidra, followed by song and harmonies with Susie
1545 Further vocal experiences and harmonies together to support the nourishing exploration of our own unique voice, and our own heartsong.
1620 Bhramari and Total Yoga Nidra practice with Uma: yoga nidra for supporting positove vibrations in our bodies, and nourishing and strengthening our voices.
1715 Further questions and evaluations
1730 Closing