connecting through yoga

I am proud of my Aboriginal heritage. I am a Wiradjuri woman from country NSW, a little town called Parkes. Our Aboriginality was not embraced in the past, which is why I’m so passionate about keeping this beautiful culture alive, which is why I have created a cultural awareness course for yoga.

As a yoga teacher for the last 8 years whilst discovering more about my Aboriginal heritage, I was finding so many synchronicities in these ancient cultures. From a modern day perspective we look at the world as if it is simplistic but through a complex lens. Whereas from an Aboriginal perspective we look at the world as if it is complex but through a simplistic lens. Every time we open a yoga class we are holding ceremony connecting with breath and mother earth, to connect with the long lineage of culture and ceremony beneath our feet makes each class more meaningful and potent.

what is 'connection to country' vinyasa flow? 
A unique class interweaving vinyasa yoga flow with Aboriginal culture, connecting with these powerful and ancient philosophies. When people talk about country it is spoken of like a person: we speak to country, we sing to country, we worry about country, and we long for country.

‘Land is of great significance to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples - but the connection we feel to country can be a difficult concept for non-Indigenous people to grasp. The living environment goes beyond physical elements and is fundamental to our identity. For First Australians, “country” encompasses an interdependent relationship between an individual and their ancestral lands and seas. This reciprocal relationship between the land and people is sustained by the environment and cultural knowledge. The land is the mother and we are of the land; we do not own the land rather the land owns us. The land is our food, our culture, our spirit and our identity.’(Dennis Foley, a Gai-mariagal and Wiradjuri man, and Fulbright scholar.)

Here's a thought for the week: 

“We are ‘strange attractors’. We are looking for a way to create a chain reaction, making something good. Not just for us but for the universe. But here we need to be careful not to be Emu. Emu is thinking about how fabulous, how smart, how strong and I know more. If they would just listen to me…But Emu wrecks everything because that’s not how the pattern goes. We need other people and the plants and the rocks and the spirits and the stars and the snails, the bees and the flies and the cane toads.”
(Aunty Gail Dawson’s Speech from Tyson Yunkaporta book launch)

Every week I teach two Connection to Country Yoga classes in Bondi and would love to see you there. Join me or reach out if you want to learn more.
Eve White | @ eve.e.white