Movement for Living Well Retreat
Organizer: Movement for Living Well
Dates: November 3-9th
We move to live. When we move well we live well. Using Yoga Asasa, Slings Exercises and conscious breathing we will spend a week together deep diving into our wholeness. Our movement will enhance our felt sense of our tissues and stimulate our ability to listen to the wisdom of the body. This in turn enables us to move well and be well. Each day will begin with an early morning practice where I will share my own personal morning routine which involves a series of movements and breathing techniques. We will come together for a further 2 movement sessions, before lunch and dinner. In between there will be time for rest, reflection, nature, ocean, fun, talks and laughs. This is an opportunity to be away from life’s demands, take in fresh clean food, sunshine and fresh air and be guided by Stephanie to move your body in a nourishing and vitalising manner, helping to balance your autonomic nervous system and be whole. Stephanie’s almost 3 decades experience teaching movement is vast, spanning from the traditions of classical ballet and contemporary dance, remedial Pilates and classical Pilates, dynamic Hatha and Iyengar Yoga, body work, and science informed fascia focussed training. She draws inspiration from all these forms of movement and infuses all of these practices into her teaching. Teaching movement is Stephanie’s dharma, it’s her life’s work and passion.
“Stephanie Ross-Russell’s vocation is to teach movement for living well in your everyday life. Whatever your size, shape or level of ability, you will feel the benefits of her teaching. Whether you are a Pilates or yoga instructor, personal trainer or an average person, like me, who spends too much time sitting, or hunched over a computer, you will benefit.
She has an extensive background in dance, yoga, Pilates and Slings Myofascial training. She has a great understanding of anatomy, physiology and the mechanics of movement which she imparts with a very light touch.
Her particular strength is the effort she puts into cueing postures with images and preparation, so that poses or sequences that look completely impossible at first, gradually– or even sometimes surprisingly quickly! – become accessible. Even in a class of 15-20 your struggles and progress will be noticed, and she will individually support and correct you. I’m thrilled with how much I have learned.”
“Stephanie has an incredible way of explaining how each of us can begin to develop a physical dialogue with our own body taking into account that we are all built differently. She clearly describes how we should be thinking through each movement. Her classes are a joy to be in – full of people making clear advances. Gradually Stephanie gets to know each individual and sees how they can safely challenge themselves. For example, I did a handstand after 3 months of classes. I haven’t done a handstand since I was a teenager. My children thought it both hilarious and brilliant.
I am astonished and excited to be expanding my perception of what my body can do. This is largely attributable to the work I have done under Stephanie’s tutelage.”
“Today I not only pick up fewer injuries and am demonstrably more flexible, but with Stephanie’s help I have a completely different view of healthy movement. I have also come to embrace the more meditative aspects of the practice which I have been able to integrate with my daily life which tends to involve sitting at a desk dealing with high stress phone calls and e-mails.
Stephanie has really given me a good view of how Yoga positions can be done, what they are trying to achieve and most importantly what works for me and what does not. This means that when I travel, I often now go to Yoga classes in new cities and I feel very well equipped to recognise what the teacher is trying to do in the class and also to feel very comfortable about whether I should be doing a particular movement or replacing it with something similar if that feels more sensible for me.”
