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YOGA
DIVING - What Is It?
Yoga: means a unification (yoke) of body, mind, spirit.
Diving: a submersion in the sea, underwater breathing.
The Fusion: a way to feel a state of no-mind, a letting go
of the mind and self, an experience of an altered state of consciousness
through body and mind awareness.
The Yoga Diving Course is completely unique and
the first of its kind in the world. Led by two experts in their
field, Barbara Gordon and Monica Farrell, the week will give you
an introduction to Yoga and diving with a Yogic approach to the
latter. It is suitable for everybody - divers and non-divers, experienced
Yoga practitioners and beginners in both fields.
The Yoga Diving Courses take place at the Reef
2000 Dive Centre located at the beautiful Bedouin
Moon Hotel
on the northern outskirts of Dahab, a haven of natural beauty on
the idyllic Red Sea Coast.
THE YOGA DIVING COURSE - The Low Down
The
Yoga Diving Course combines techniques of hatha yoga asanas, pranayama
and meditation with scuba and apenea (breath-hold) diving in a beautiful,
natural environment.
The focus of Yoga diving is to bring about inner transformations
through meditative experiences of the body/mind both on land and
under the sea.
We combine Yoga asanas and breathing with diving
techniques. This approach brings us to incredible close encounters
with nature and helps us feel stillness, relaxation and altered
states of consciousness.
A Yoga and meditation practice in the quiet of the Sinai desert
and floating in the pristine blueness and living colors of the
Red Sea is an experience which cannot be compared.
Combining Yoga
and diving allows us to experience another body-consciousness
through the weightlessness achieved through diving.
Non divers will learn diving in an open, respectful and natural
way and receive a relevant PADI certification. Certified divers
can markedly better their buoyancy skills and ability to observe
the life undersea as well as increase lung capacity and improve
air consumption.
The course has also helped many to overcome their fear of water.
All diving groups are small, so that Monica can spend as much time
with each individual as required. Many of our customers have commented
that they feel "incredibly looked after".
For all, Yoga diving removes stress and encourages a freedom from
thought. Diving helps you to experience breath and movement underwater
as a form of meditation. Taught together, diving and Yoga can
open you up to different worlds, both inner and outer.
THE
COURSE - What's Included?
- One Daily Yoga Class including asanas, pranayama and meditation
techniques with one free day.
- Four Days of Diving (2 dives a day)
- Dive Theory and Planning.
- Shallow water skills practice and application of breathing,
asana and meditation work under water.
- Open Water Naturalist Dives and observation/study of relationships
in the sea.
YOGA DIVING- faq's
Q. What is Yoga Diving? Is it Yoga under the water ?
A. Yoga Diving is a synthesis of yoga, meditation
and scuba diving. Our goal is to teach you techniques and benefits
of Yoga and meditation through Yoga asana (postures), breathing
(pranayama) and scuba diving. It does not necessarily include
yoga postures underwater but sometimes we include this. The focus
of our dives is through observation of nature how to enter the
meditative mind.
Q.
How can Yoga help me learn diving or improve my dive skills ?
A. The practice of Yoga is essentially to help
you relax and enter an expanded state of consciousness. Diving
can do the same thing when taught through a yoga framework.
The
Yoga Diving course includes specific breathing exercises that
help with stress management underwater, proper breathing for scuba,
improving air consumption, and increasing flexibility and fitness
for diving. Most of all Yoga and diving when "married" can
help you understand what meditation is and how to incorporate
mediation into your daily life.
Q.
How is Yoga Diving different from a normal dive course?
A. Yoga Diving includes daily yoga asana practice
which is tailor made for the individuals who are diving. Also, the
diving experience is taken step by step in a wholistic, respectful
and individualised way. That is, no two people learn the same way
so the course is not overly standardised. Rather, it is student-driven
in it's focus and schedule. You learn diving at your own pace in
a safe, no-stress environment.
Q.
What dive certification will I get after the Yoga Diving course?
A. You can obtain whatever certification you'd
like during the week according to your previous training and experience.
This includes the most basic of scuba certification like PADI Scuba
Diver or Open Water or can include PADI Advanced, Nitrox or Technical
Diving courses. Goals are set together with your instructor in keeping
with what you want.
Q.
I've never done Yoga before. How will I keep up with those who
do it all the time?
A. Yoga is a practice of self-discovery. There
is no competition or comparing in either the Yoga or diving in
this course. The classes are run with modifications for beginners
and challenges for more advanced students. The atmosphere is light
and fun not overly serious. Yoga diving is for de-stressing, not
adding to it!
Q. How can diving enhance my Yoga practice?
A. In scuba diving you experience weightlessness
and an automatic sense of being in the "now," the present
moment. To stop the chatter of the mind and enter the "now"
is the goal of Yoga. Diving can bring you to this kind of meditative
state very quickly through body sensations in the water and the
harmonious interaction with nature. Our course helps to make these
experiences more explicit and then bring them to an integration
of mediation to your daily life.
COURSE REVIEWS - A
few quotes from our guest book.....
My Sinai Experience has been magical and only enhanced by losing
my yoga meditation and yoga diving virginity to you both. Om Shanti
Barbara and Monica, love always,
Jeremy Coleman
London
Thankyou for being fantastic teachers and lovely people. I was highly
stressed when I arrived due to work - and now I'm not!
Andy Tarrent
Belgium
Babs and Monica, what a fabulous holiday - thanks for the re-introduction
to diving, and especially for my first proper yoga. I really enjoyed
it - I have been inspired - magic!
Cara
London
Dear Barbara and Monica, Thankyou so much for a great holiday -
the yoga and diving has been superb - the pace (relaxed and easy)
has been just right - what a tailor-made holiday - your friendly
approach and style will be fondly remembered!
Justin Ryan
Bristol
I had visions of diving in groups with competitive bores who only
talk about diving, but how wrong I was! My experience of diving
has been beautiful and serene. Lots of Bedouin tea drunk in Bedouin
places by the sea and relaxation with Monica. Many insights.
Yoga
has been immensely satisfying, I felt at first it wasn't strenuous
enough, as I was used to Ashtanga in the past but allowing myself
just to breathe sometimes and let the gentle approach work on
me has been amazing. The feeling that I'm in the right place at
the right time is huge! Thankyou both so much!
Sophie Lees
London
Yoga, diving, the Bedouin experience, what more could one want!!!
A perfect holiday!!!!
Elaine Parsons
Oxford
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Poolside
at Bedouin Moon Hotel
Yoga Room at Bedouin Moon
Bedouin
Moon Gardens
monica
farrell
barbara
gordon
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