Summer Solstice – Yin Yoga And Gong Bath

The summer solstice is a marvelous time to honour our connection with the sun as the source of light and also honour the spiritual fire within; a time to celebrate the fullness of life, to raise our energy to generate abundance and manifest our dreams. And what better way of doing so than in a combined yin yoga and gonging practice.

There are wonderful synergies between yin yoga practice and the gong bath such that, after an hour and a quarter of tranquil, meditative yoga, participants typically share an acuity of hearing – and of being – that can make the ‘gonging’ experience particularly deep and meaningful.

On such a pivotal day in the calendar as the summer solstice, intentions set in the moments after the yin yoga practice ends and the gong bath begins can be very powerful.

why yin yoga?

The yin yoga practice will specifically focus on the energetic ‘sun’ centre of the body, manipura chakra, through a combination of poses that stimulate the manipura chakra.

Yin yoga is a beautiful healing practice giving us a break from our daily busy lifestyle. Being in the yoga poses for a longer time, in stillness, we open the meridian lines and allow the energy (chi) to travel more freely. We become receptive to many aspects of our being, the physical, emotional and spiritual. When followed by a gong meditation we are even more open than before and therefore receptive to its healing qualities. The depth experienced is beyond words and can only be felt on a deep cellular level.

why gong bath?

In a gong bath the cleansing metaphor holds true as the vibrating tones of the gong break through the mental and physical blocks of mind, body and spirit to promote a deep sense of well-being, relaxation and inner peace. The sound of the gong has the effect of timelessness – and of de-materialisation. People often have the experience of floating in space, or in an ocean. Some have inspiring visions or see colours.

More than a musical instrument, the gong is a conduit for vibrational waves of energy, releasing reverberating tones of great fullness and resonance that interact with the human body on a very deep, even cellular level.

The gong facilitates deep meditation; it can open all the chakras and enable healing to more readily occur, as the body concentrates on drawing in the sounds it needs to re-align and harmonise itself.

The silence which settles when the gong bath ends is often very profound. Most people emerge from a gong bath feeling extremely relaxed, re-energised and refreshed. The aura, nerve and immune systems seem strengthened and the inner voice of higher consciousness more easily heard.

register: please visit the website or call evolve on 020 7581 4090

the teachers:

gonca has trained extensively in yoga anatomy, dynamic yoga, yin yoga, pranayama, meditation and yoga philosophy with paul grilley and maarten vermaase, as well as sarah powers, john stirk and others.

She has completed advanced training courses in anatomy and physiology, yin yoga, pranayama and chakra meditation. She has been assisting her teacher paul grilley in his teacher trainings in europe over the past four years.

She also has two years experience working in an addiction clinic in london and uses yoga and meditation techniques to help students overcome depression, anxiety and addiction.

gonca believes that yoga practise should be enjoyable and result in participants feeling great after the class, both physically and mentally. She tailors her classes to individual or group needs and expectations and offers options for different levels of experience, physical ability and flexibility.

gordon spent the early part of his musical career working with such luminaries as the mime artist lindsay kemp, the velvet underground’s john cale and punk star toyah wilcox. He later ran an improvising electronic jazz combo, the space cadets, and, more recently, began composing and recording music incorporating the sounds of nature, notably birdsong, along with devotional material such as shamanic poetry and buddhist chant.

He was drawn to the gong several years ago through a deepening involvement in yoga and meditation and it has since become his main sphere of interest.

He studies with grand gongmaster don conreaux – the world’s foremost authority on the gong – and offers gong baths regularly in group sessions and on a one-to-one basis in brighton and london. He currently employs a magnificent 42 inch cosmo gong, a beautiful 32 inch paiste gong, a mysterious 32 inch sound creation earth gong, a 28 inch chinese wing gong, temple cymbals and chimes.

Additional info:

This event is open to everyone regardless of yoga experience.

Please wear comfortable clothes for yoga and bring some layers to keep you warm during the gong bath.

Blankets will also be provided.