As Tracey so beautifully puts it 'love is everything', which feels like the perfect message to kick start the New Year. It was so interesting to chat with Tracey about her training in Shamanism, the healing power of nature, and to get a little insight to her classes here at Highcliffe. We can't wait...!
I am great thank you! It’s the start of 2023 and the sun is shining. I’m feeling super excited for the year ahead.
Over 20 years ago. I’ve had a regular practice for most of that and did my first training in India over 10 years ago but started teaching after my second training 7 years ago.
Shanti Sundays is a yoga clothing and lifestyle brand I created around 10 years ago born from my love of restorative yoga and beautiful things. Restorative yoga has been a real life anchor for me over the years. There is nothing quite like it for settling the nervous system. A healthy nervous system is the cornerstone of our wellbeing. I make beautiful bolsters and accessories that are designed to encourage making conscious rest a regular practice.
A writer friend coined the phrase “the woman bolstering the body with love” which I loved. The Shanti Sundays strapline is ‘love is everything’ and that permeates all I do. Self love and love for our Earth.
When I started studying and practicing shamanism, I had to be closer to nature. I’d spent a lot of time in Cornwall as my sister and nieces live here. I wanted to be closer to them as the girls grew up and had many friends here so it made perfect sense.
I’ve studied energetic healing and body wisdom practices including reiki, yoga and restorative yoga alongside the Earth based wisdom practices of shamanism, Andean mysticism and the myths and mysticism of my Celtic homeland. I’ve learned that harbouring a deep connection to nature is vital for our wellbeing. Nature is our true nature.
I work with people to help them reconnect to their true essence through energetic healing movement, rest and ritual, supported by our plant allies. When we are settled in the body and rooted in the body of nature, we can open our awareness to receive the deepest inner wisdom and guidance from the source. I help support that process. Embodied beings with regulated nervous systems and open hearts, we are the medicine the worlds needs.
My initial training was a 3 year a training called the Medicine Wheel which involved lots of deep inner work through shamanic journeying, initiations including vision quests in the wilderness, dieting rare plants, 2 trips to the Amazon Rainforest receiving initiations from native teachers and plants, lots of ceremony work and meditations to bring us into a deeper relationship with our soul and the spirits of nature.
The shamanic path is a path of illumination, at times hugely confronting but necessary deep dive into the soul but the gifts are untold. I have learned and seen that we are all interwoven from the same living energies; rooted in earth, nurtured by water, animated by air, powered by sun and guided by the cosmos.
My classes are dynamic and strong but using long holds as opposed to fast paced movement. I am very alignment focused having worked through injuries in my own body. I’m teaching Dynamic Pilates on Tuesday and Dynamic Yoga on Friday mornings. Some teachers are often in one camp or the other but I think they compliment and enhance each other beautifully.
I’ll also be holding a monthly restorative class and bi-monthly circles that combine the elements of movement, rest, sound, song and shamanism. These offer a retreat from daily life and the opportunity of a gathering in circle with like minded souls.
Cacao is a beautiful, gentle yet powerful heart medicine. Let’s host one for Valentines weekend!
Get as much early sunlight as possible, cold sea swims and plenty of rest on my bolsters.
Life is a ritual. I have many, whether that’s simply lighting a candle, smudging the house or making daily offerings to nature. I like to sun gaze at sunrise and I always make time for some movement, meditation and time on the bolsters every day.
I’m super excited to be moving into a new house in January near Newquay on the Estate where I teach my retreats. I’ll be able to hold intimate retreats and gatherings at home for conscious souls to come together to co-create, rest, heal and settle our nervous systems so we can focus our collective awakening and saving our beautiful planet.
To see the full timetable and to book a class, head to the Facilities page of our website. All classes are booked with the yoga teacher direct.
