Ganja Yoga
Follow Your Bliss
Dee Dussault
[email protected]
www.followyourblisstoronto.ca
www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=103479397283&ref=ts
Ganja (along with other psychedelic drugs) stimulates an area of the brain called the ‘Pineal Gland’ – a tiny eye-shaped area between the eyebrows which, among other things, regulates light.
In meditation, we activate this “third-eye chakra” (energy centre) to achieve greater spiritual awakening (“enlightenment”).
Therefore, if you couple the psychedelic affects of entheogens with a meditative yoga practice, you may be able to awaken this area more quickly/deeply!
Join us for a trippy ganja-yoga experience for body, mind, and spirit.
When the mind is stilled in yoga, the psychological experience of time ceases to exist. Altered states, such as those produced by cannabis or deep meditation (and the coupling of the two) can help us to bring our awareness deeply into the present moment, producing transformative effects that can carry forward into ordinary consciousness.
While it is important (and also fun!) to cultivate a meditative practice without dependence on visionary medicines, cannabis is an entheogenic ("God within") substance has been used by spiritual aspirants for thousands of years. The idea is to use psychedelics such as ganja to enter altered states, and then have a reflective practice in which we can cultivate permament traits, even after the buzz has wore off.....
~ Come explore the depths of your inner world and yogic practice in a safe space. We'll smoke some bud (bring your own) outside (optional!), from 8:45-9pm or so... and then start the worlds-most-relaxing-and-trippy-yoga-class, ever (!) from 9pm-10pm. All levels.
Bring a mat, blanket, or towel to sit on.
Dee runs a small yoga-studio-healing-arts-community-space from her home, called 'Follow Your Bliss: Yoga. Tantra. Life.' She is so delighted to see her vision of a community space that focuses on co-operation, consciousness, and creativity manifest before her very eyes, and she loves supporting other spaces which share in this endeavor.
Follow Your Bliss is a yoga studio unlike any other in the city, with super-affordable yoga classes and healing arts, as well as parties and events where consciousness-raising, healing, and the following-of-bliss are top priorities.
Dee has been practicing yoga for over fifteen years. She is a recent yoga graduate from ‘Sananda’, and she lives, breathes, and teaches a comprehensive style of Hatha yoga that focuses on yogic practices as a vehicle for the transformation of consciousness.
Dee also leads Tantra and Sacred Sex workshops, as well as cannabis-assisted yoga classes ("ganja-yoga"). She is interested in exploring as many paths to the mountain-top of consciousness as she can, while creating a safe space to allow others to do the same.
As well as being a social entrepreneur, Dee considers herself a visionary community builder, and she invites anyone who is interested in sharing their gifts at Follow Your Bliss to contact her because she's excited by all of the committed and inspirational people in Toronto who are creatively manifesting the evolutionary impulse!
Naked Before the Infinite: Nude Yoga!
by Dee Dussault on Wednesday, December 7, 2011 at 5:16pm
For those who know me … A little secret that you may find surprising…
~ I finally had my first ‘nude-in-public’ experience just a year and a half ago!
Although I’m a self-identified hippie yoga chick, and am totally comfortable in my body, and I've been nude in front of cameras and in sexual contexts aplenty, I hadn’t had the opportunity to hang out nude in public with others before. There was always a shyness because my friends weren’t taking off their swimsuits, and I didn’t want to be the only one. ... I had hang-ups about being considered an exhibitionist or show-off. Less shyness about showing my body than shyness about what others would make it 'mean' that I wanted to be nude.
... Then there was Om Festival, 2010.
Om is a deliciously clothing-optional environment, and I remember the thrill and slight-nervousness of taking off my underwear (- I didn’t even bring a swim suit. I was ready to take the plunge!!), - in front of a bunch of people and …
… Absolutely nothing amazing happened.
No weird looks. No accusations of being an exhibitionist. No shyness.
Nothing.And yet: Everything. Getting to check that ‘things to do’ item off my list.
Realizing how much I love just chillin’ in the nude with others.
Looking at other bodies and seeing a range of variations and beauty in the human form.
Feeling the sun and breeze on my skin.
Allowing myself to be vulnerable and exposed, and sinking into that new feeling for my own growth.
Now I’m a convert, a Hanlan’s point junkie. Sauna Night? I'm there.
And then I extended my new love of naturism to my yoga practice and teaching, offering my first nude-yoga class for a group of about 7 women on a chilly October night, and it was AMAZING. So, here's a little note about that.
First, - What Is ‘Naturism’?
People who consider themselves ‘naturists’ defend social nudity in public and in private. Naturists encourage a world in which we are undefined by the clothing we wear. Naturists believe that being naked (some prefer the word ‘nude’) with others can help you to gain a stronger sense of confidence, body acceptance and self-respect.
What Is Naked Yoga?
Naked yoga is exactly what the name says. It’s about showing up and practicing with nothing but your ordinary and yet extraordinary animal body. This au natural class encourages you to embrace another layer of freedom in your yoga practice; it’s an opportunity to remove a large social barrier (clothing), - and then practice yogic awareness in an environment that embraces an even freer, more fully revealed Self.
It is a yoga practice that holds an intention of a holy body free from shame, guilt and suffering. By removing our clothes we are encouraged to examine our bodies and our belief patterns. We let go more quickly of what is holding us back, and move more deeply into our truth and our bliss. Naked yoga practice is about accepting and revering the body as a temple in all of its shapes and sizes and celebrating the union of body and spirit. This practice removes the clothes and the identities we place on ourselves when we wear them. Naked yoga is about accepting the totality of the form of the body and immersing into the ecstasy and absolute potential of the body-soul union. Unlike other spiritual philosophies, practices, or traditions that work to transcend the body, this practice celebrates the materiality of the body fully with reverence, joy and abandon.
Isn’t it just a gimmick?
I’ve been asked the same of Ganja Yoga.
A gimmick is something that is made to intentionally stand-out in order to increase its appeal. It’s a quirk of little relevance or practical use.
If you’re a variety-seeking Western yoga practitioner who always craves the next-big-yoga-thing, but find that the novelty of hip-hopyoga, Yoga Dance, Acro-Yoga, or Ganja Yoga does nothing for your personal growth, reflection and development beyond the 2 hours on the mat, then the yoga served as nothing but a gimmick for you.
However, if an outside-the-box way of practicing yoga has a positive impact on your life, your connection to the divine, and your way of being in the world, then it isn’t a gimmick, it’s just unconventional.
Why practice Naked Yoga?
- To quietly (our loudly) live outside of society’s norms
- To enjoy greater freedom of movement due to the absence of clothing
- To accept one’s body and experience being vulnerable with the naked body, and (like I did at Om), to realize that (other than being beautiful and free and liberating!), nudity really is no big deal.
- To see other naked bodies. Real naked bodies. Lumps and bumps and so-called imperfections. To over-ride Hollywood’s notion of nakedness with something more real and diverse. To see and be seen, and to accept and be accepted.
- To notice the movement, texture, and temperature of the air on your skin as you practice. To notice feelings about seeing and being seen as they come up and to work with them in a yogic way.
My 'Nude Yoga' Etiquette
- Disrobing of clothes is a ritualized event. Please do not remove your clothes before you have been instructed to do so.
- At no time may you touch another yoga practitioner or teacher while they are practicing yoga. (Um. Duh???)
- Proper hygiene is expected for class. Please come freshly showered. Please avoid wearing fragrances.
- There is NO LATE ENTRY or early departure from class. Please arrive ten minutes early, and plan to stay for the entire time frame of the allotted class.
- The instructor reserves the right to ask any practitioner to leave at any time for any reason. - Right now, it's just for ladies. But, if you're a man that is interested, please message me and if we get a good number, I'll create some co-ed classes.
Frequently Asked Questions about Naked/Nude Yoga
Why do you practice naked?
There are as many answers to this as there are people who do yoga naked. Practicing yoga naked isn’t necessarily better than practicing clothed – it’s a different experience, and people have different reasons for doing it. Some enjoy the greater physical freedom. Some want to work on issues of shame and self-image. Some appreciate the clarity of seeing the instructor’s body. Some enjoy the taboo-breaking thrill of getting naked. Still others see nudity as a profound spiritual experience – a shedding of armor and barriers, and the social masks we present to the world, an opportunity to shed our judgments of ourselves and each other. Taking off our clothes – consciously and ritually – is a way to create sacred space that can be intimate and healing.
"What if something 'comes up' during class?"
Erections are often feared in Naked Yoga, but rarely happen: Students will have much to focus on in order to achieve and maintain the postures and breathing. And yet, erections come up and go down, and are part of being a fully functional being living in a body. No part of the body is ever shamed or discouraged. Part of this practice is about healing and removing shame and guilt from all areas of our body, and accepting the beauty of the body in the totality of its expression. Erections can be caused by any number of sensory stimuli or different types of energy moving in the body and mind. Yoga is about deepening self-awareness and honoring your own self-expression is every way; if you get an erection during the class, treat it as part of the yoga. Breath into it, observe the energy surrounding it, and then keep going with the yoga class.
How ‘sexual’ is this class?
While extremely sensual, being nude is not necessarily ‘sexual’. It depends on your definition of ‘sexuality,’ – and yoga is all about looking deeply into our conditioned beliefs and learning more about ourselves. Naked yoga has no overt sexual focus. It is about practicing yoga in an environment free of limitation. Sometimes there’s a sexual energy, or chemistry. That’s perfectly okay. We can enjoy sexual energy as it comes and goes in our body, without needing to act on it. We can channel the energy to inform and expand our yoga practice, as opposed to trying to suppress it.
What kind of person is this class for?
This class is not necessarily designed for exhibitionists and narcissists. The spiritual aspects of yoga are much more central to the practice than showing off or picking-up. This class is for people who have a regular yoga practice. The level is upper-beginner/intermediate. Students should be comfortable with their yoga practice before coming to Naked Yoga.
Are classes co-ed? What is the gender balance?
Right now, classes are for women (and trans) only. In the future, I'd love to hold more co-ed classes that will be all- inclusive: gender, age, shape, size, and sexual orientation. The ratio of men to women is irrelevant, and will not be disclosed to any man who asks.
Do I have to be nude for this class?
All participants must be nude in order to maintain an equal footing among the group. All students will be on the same level – that’s the whole principle. Dee will create a sacred space, and you will have time to get comfortable at the beginning of the class before the disrobing ritual.
What if I'm on my moon (menstrual) cycle?
Bodies are honored in all shapes, sizes and energetic flows. Honor and CELEBRATE your menstrual cycle in all its phases, and respect your body how and it wants to be honored in this practice. If you want to wear underwear during this time, that is supported.
I hope this clarifies what NUDE YOGA is for me. Stay tuned, 'cause there's an article in this week's LIFE SECTION of the Toronto Star about my classes!!!
WHEN: Every Thursday ngiht, starting January 19th. (Except the last Thursday of the month, which is Ganja Yoga at Loft 404...)
WHERE: 'The Bliss Den' - (also known as 'Dee's Place'...) ~ 50 Camden street, unit 103, buzzer #225 416.550.4137 (text only) EXCHANGE: $15 or 20 class passes for $200 (class passes valid at all my classes)