Integrating the craniosacral concept of ‘Breath of Life’ into massage and yoga practice

Taught by Howard Evans in Alaro, Mallorca

Although craniosacral therapy is generally associated with osteopathy many of its principles and techniques are well suited to the hands of masseurs.

This 30-hour course will introduce the craniosacral concept of ‘Breath of Life’ - the Western equivalent of ‘chi’ or ‘prana’ - and teach the skills and techniques necessary to perceive it, relate to it and allow it to work with us in our massage and yoga practice.

This is a practical course offering abundant opportunity to be touched by the Breath of Life as it flows through us, through our clients and through our practice space.

The aim of the course is to develop a way of working that reduces the labour, increases the joy and enhances the benefits of our work.

This course will cover the following topics organised as four interweaving days:

1 History and development of craniosacral therapy
Introduction to the craniosacral concepts of Inherent Health,
Breath of Life, Primary Respiration and fluid tides.

2 Introduction to the therapeutic concepts of evenly
suspended attention, relational field, shifting perceptual fields
and resources.

3 Working with fluids and tides.
Relating to the Long Tide, mid-tide, still-points and stillness.
Palpating, perceiving and dialoguing tides and rhythms.
Bowls and domes – working with lateral structures and membranes.

4 Introduction to the concept of ‘practitioner neutral’.
Working at the feet, pelvis, respiratory diaphragm and thoracic inlet.
Working at the cranial base, tentorium and cranial dome.

Hours: Saturday 12 May 13:00 thru 20:00
Sunday 13 May 10:00 thru 18:00
Saturday 9 Jun 13:00 thru 20:00
Sunday 10 Jun 10:00 thru 18:00

Price €300 for 30 hour (4 days)

Photo by Lola Gomez

Howard Evans has a vast experience of craniosacral therapy, offering his work at all stages of life from birth to death, in sickness and in health. Unlike osteopaths working in the cranial field, he does not involve himself in the assessment and resolution of cranial lesions. His expertise is in working with the body’s organisation of its physical, emotional and psychological experiences in the soft tissues and fluids.

This approach to craniosacral work can be thought of as a form of silent psychotherapy. Through a subtle dialogue with the patient’s body and the organising intelligence of the central nervous system, hidden or forgotten patterns formed in response to insult and injury can be gently revisited, reassessed and reorganised. The process is deeply satisfying and resourcing and its aim is a more open, calm and graceful way of being.

Thai Massage with Howard Evans

Thai Yoga Massage course in Mallorca

Study with Howard Evans - teacher of Thai Massage since 1994

This 60 hour course is suitable to professional masseurs who want to extend their repertoire as well as complete beginners who want to explore massage for work or simply for the pleasure of practicing on friends and family.

This practical course offers a lot of time to give and receive massage as well as to practice yoga.

The course will be taught as four weekend as follows:

Saturday 24 September 2011 from 9am to 5pm
Sunday 25 September 2011 from 10am to 5pm

Saturday 22 October 2011 from 9am to 5pm
Sunday 23 October 2011 from 10am to 5pm

Saturday 19 November 2011 from 9am to 5pm
Sunday 20 November 2011 from 10am to 5pm

Saturday 17 December 2011 from 9am to 5pm
Sunday 18 December 2011 from 10am to 5pm

Each weekend is complete and aims to leave participants relaxed, embodied and resourced.

Come and join me on this wonderful study retreat in Croatia.

‘The 2010 Free style Thai Massage European Gathering takes place on the island of Veli Iz, near the coastal city of Zadar, Croatia. The event begins on Wednesday, 23rd of June at 10 AM, and closing ceremonies are on Sunday, 27th of June 2010 at 3 PM.

The core of the Gathering will be numerous specialized workshops held by internationally respected teachers. However, the major goal of the event is to connect European Thai massage practitioners and teachers on a larger scale and to straighten the European Thai massage community. In Europe, many practitioners struggle on their own, often isolated in their own countries, and this event is an effort to improve that situation by providing a unique opportunity for dozens of practitioners from a various lineages to meet and work with each other on their own continent. This is especially important for those practitioners who have never visited Thailand and have never felt the great spirit of the Thai massage motherland, or how it feels to be connected to a large number of colleagues.’

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=118920521457768&v=info

3rd October, I will be offering a workshop on craniosacral therapy and the concept of inherent health under the auspices of Experience Matters.

The Ashram (www.theashram.com) is running its famed and challenging program in Mallorca this year and I am happy to be offering my massage skills throughout September.

Venue: Alaro, Mallorca

Dates: 10, 11, 17, 18, 31 October and 1, 7, 8, 9, 10 November

Hours: Saturdays from 13:00 to 19:00. Sundays from 10:00 to 16:00

This 60-hour course teaches the myofascial approach to Thai Massage developed by Howard Evans during fifteen years of practice and teaching. This is described in the book, ‘A Myofascial Approach to Thai Massage‘, published in January 2009 by Churchill Livingstone.

Traditional Thai medicine is based on the concept of a system of 72,000 channels called ’sen’ through which, it is said, energy is transformed and distributed in the human body. In Thailand much of the theory of this system has been lost. Of the little that remains there is a series of diagrams outlining the ten major sen used in Traditional Thai Massage. In the West these are often likened to the meridians used in Chinese acupuncture or shiatsu.

The myofascial approach to Thai Massage teaches the sen as myofascial pathways similar to those used in Structural Integration (or Rolfing). This approach brings clarity and simplicity of action to the massage allowing the practitioner to relax into the practice, and invite ever-deeper levels of relaxation in the receiver.