Cost: Recommended fee of £10/ 2 hour session. Can provide concessions if needed.
ARNAYO Session 1: 3rd November 2024; “Beginnings & The Inner Landscape”
We began by settling into a seated circle, where each participant introduced themselves and shared their intentions for attending the group. Together, we established the importance of group safety and confidentiality, fostering an environment of deep, nonjudgmental listening. Next, we transitioned to gentle mindfulness through movement, standing together and bringing awareness to areas of tension in the body. These tensions were explored as potential connections to long-held patterns of emotional processing.By linking movement with breath, we delved into the somatically held “body maps” shaped by a lifetime of experiences. Following this movement practice, we shifted our focus to art making, creatively expressing the “inner landscape.” Using the provided art materials, participants were encouraged to explore the emotions and thoughts that surfaced during the movement exercises. These creations were later shared within the group, offering opportunities for reflection and validation.
Drawing inspiration from Environment Arts Therapy and the Tree of Life by Ian Siddons Hegginworth and Wild Mercy by Mirabai Starr, selected quotes were read aloud to highlight the authors’ perspectives;
IAN SIDDONS HEGGINWORTH:
“The Celtic year follows the natural cycle of growth but does not begin in Spring when life returns. Neither does it begin in January when our calendars start afresh. The Celtic year begins in November when everything around us is dying, because this is when the trees drop their seeds and the cycle of growth begins again” (p.16).
“The affairs of the heart belong to the feminine, the feeling self, so they are hard to track in the rush and bustle of everyday life where the tracks go unseen and ignored and are trampled over time and time again. The pathfinder (within) takes us into still and quiet places.” (p.19)
“The very face of Nature is a mirror within which we find our heart revealed” . . . “Nature and the feeling self are one.” (p.19).
MIRABAI STARR:
“For women mystics, contemplative life is not so much a matter of transcending the illusions of mundane existence or attaining states of perfect equanimity as it is about becoming as fully present as possible to the realities of the human experience. In showing up for what is, no matter how pedestrian or tedious, how aggravating or shameful, the what is begins to reveal itself as imbued with holiness, how do we make space in our lives for for this kind of sacred seeing?” (p.11)
“A miraculous event unfolds when we throw the lead of our personal story into the transformative flames of creativity. Our hardship is transmuted into something golden. With that gold we heal ourselves and redeem the world. As with any spiritual practice, this creative alchemy requires a leap of faith. When we show up to make art, we need to first get still enough to hear what wants to be expressed through us, and then we need to step out of the way and let it. We must be willing to abide in a space of not knowing before we can settle into knowing.” (p.159)
ARNAYO Session 2: 1st December 2024; “Winter’s Descent & The Fire of the Heart Cave”
Once again, we began by settling into a seated circle, where each participant shared a part of themselves, reflecting on what they were bringing to the session and their intentions for this month’s gathering. Together, we nurtured an atmosphere of deep, nonjudgmental listening before transitioning to gentle mindful movements. This time, the movements were practiced on the floor, encouraging ease and connection with the physical form.
We focused on cultivating loving-kindness by connecting to the heart’s selfless energy, ever-present as it beats for us through day and night, summer and winter. Through deep listening to the heart, we synchronized its rhythm with each breath, exploring the value of rest and relaxation that winter offers. We reflected on the importance of surrendering to winter’s natural forces by practicing self-care, staying warm, and retreating into the “heart cave” — a place of protection, faith, and renewal.
After this movement practice, we shifted to art making, creatively expressing the concept of the “inner heart cave” as a sanctuary for rest, restoration, and healing when life feels overwhelming. Using the provided art materials, participants explored the emotions and thoughts evoked by the readings and movement exercises. These creations were later shared with the group, fostering opportunities for reflection, connection, and validation.
Drawing inspiration from Environment Arts Therapy and the Tree of Life by Ian Siddons Hegginworth and If Women Rose Rooted, The Journey to Authenticity and Belonging by Sharon Blackie, selected quotes were read aloud to highlight the authors’ perspectives.
IAN SIDDONS HEGGINWORTH:
“As the days grow short the shadows creep in. The blanket of leaves grows dark and lies like a shroud upon the cold body of the earth as she draws back her fluid into herself. Winter sucks the life out of the land with a harsh and oppressive hunger, and all that is soft and warm recoils in the face of her advance. The woodland creatures hibernate, sealing up their dens to salvage and sustain the heat in the heart of themselves. . . . We too are called upon to descend. Into stillness. Into the heat of ourselves. Into feeling. Yet so often we fear descent and struggle to resist it. We fear the death of what we know, the collapse of all that supports us. We fear the shadows that we meet there.” (p.30) and “. . . every winter, Nature surrenders painlessly to this descent. She follows the cycle of her own being back down into the heart of herself. Of all of the lessons she teaches us this is perhaps the most profound, that descent is not to be avoided but embraced. Entered into voluntarily it is a sweet release and the doorway to transformation. It is the death and dissolution of the caterpillar in the cocoon.” (p.31)
SHARON BLACKIE:
“Caves: portals to an entire unfathomable world which is hidden from our view. No wonder they are both feared and revered. Mythologies from around the world offer up stories of the magical, uncanny energy which can be found inside caves, and once they were important locations for ritual, ceremony and rites of initiation all across Europe” . . . Caves are the black, chasmal mouths of the Otherworld; the gateways to transformation – the deep and enduring transformations which are delivered from exposure to the darkest of places.” (p. 110)
ARNAYO Session 3: 5th January 2025;
Once again, we began by settling into a seated circle, sharing what each of us was bringing to the session, reflecting on the time since our last gathering, and setting our intentions for this month’s meeting. The group has now found a sense of flow, and we continue to cultivate deep, nonjudgmental listening as we share the ups and downs of life. Following our check-in, we moved into mindful movement, attuning to what the body may still be holding after the winter holidays. This month’s theme centered on the idea of this time of year as a bridge—a transition between the depth of winter and the lengthening days of spring. We also explored other symbolic bridges: the bridge between masculine and feminine energies within us, and the bridge between life and death that we all navigate in different ways. Using the metaphor of the bridge, we tuned into the inner forces that sustain us through the cold and darkness—those same forces that propel plants upward from the earth toward the sun. We set intentions for what we each needed to carry across our own bridges, what might still linger beneath them, and what hopes we hold for transitioning from one side of the year to the next.
Drawing inspiration from Environment Arts Therapy and the Tree of Life by Ian Siddons Hegginworth and Belonging; Remembering Ourselves Home” by Toko-pa Turner, selected quotes were read aloud to highlight the authors’ perspectives;
IAN SIDDONS HEGGINWORTH:
“There is a point somehwere mid January when the warm of the warmth of the returning sun is enough to tip the balance between death and life and in the heart of the seed it’s slumbering spirit stirs again. This is the point of conception, . . . to stand here at the apex of the bridge balanced between masculine and feminine, past and future is to stand in a place of equilibrium and well being, witnessing the presetn from the standpoint of an oracle.” (p. 53)
TOKO – PA TURNER:
“ If we take the living bridge as a metaphor for the work of belonging, we can image ourselves being stranded on one side of a dangerous river, longing to be connection to something greater that lies beyond our reach. Whether it is the yearning to find our true place, our people, or a meaningful relationship, the longing to belong is the great silent motivator behind so many of our ambitions.” (p.16)
ARNAYO Session 4: 2nd February 2025; “The Innate Creativity of the Feminine”
Once again, we began by settling into a seated circle, sharing what each of us was bringing to the session, reflecting on the time since our last gathering, and setting our intentions for this month’s meeting. Together, we continued to cultivate deep, nonjudgmental listening, offering one another support and validation. We then moved into mindful movement practices, attuning to what the body may still be holding through the winter months. This month’s theme centered on cultivating connection to the innate creativity of the feminine self. Using the metaphor of incubation within the womb, we tuned into the creative embers of potential we all carry. Through deep listening to our inner creative forces, we explored the opportunities this time of year brings, as the returning sunlight awakens the seeds of growth. We set intentions for the new year, with self-compassion and self-care as integral aspects of our well-being. Following this movement practice, we transitioned into art-making, creatively expressing the concept of the “Womb of Creativity”—a space where we nurture our inner selves, tending to our hopes, goals, and inspirations. Using the provided art materials, participants explored the emotions and insights evoked by the readings and movement exercises. These creations were later shared within the group, fostering moments of reflection, connection, and validation.
Drawing inspiration from Environment Arts Therapy and the Tree of Life by Ian Siddons Hegginworth and Come Closer; Spiritual Awakening for the Feminine Heart” by Chameli Gad Ardagh, selected quotes were read aloud to highlight the authors’ perspectives;
IAN SIDDONS HEGGINWORTH:
“The womb is a place of ambivalence. We are ambivalent because we don’t want to leave, but we cannot stay. The womb contains us, feeds us and keeps us safe but it also confines and entraps us, and in order to grow we must break out.” (p. 58)
CHAMELI GAD ARDAGH:
“In Japanese the word hara refers to both the belly and to the significant qualities to that center. When living from the hara we ate connected to the courage and a sense a sense of centerdness to honesty and integrity.” “Unless we are experiencing our monthly bleeding or are pregnant, we usually do not bring that much presence to our wombs. Consciously bringing attention to this secret place of our bodies however, can yield the most surprising gifts”. (p. 26) We may feel a soothing sense of balance and grounding, or we may experience a greater connection to the femininity in ourselves and others. We may hear ourselves speak from a deeper sense of confidence and wisdom”. (p.27).
ARNAYO Session 5: 2nd March 2025; “Releasing the Wolf”
Once again, we began by settling into a seated circle, sharing what each of us was bringing to the session, reflecting on the time since our last gathering, and setting our intentions for this month’s meeting, with deep, nonjudgmental listening, offering one another support and validation. We moved onto mindful movement practices, attuning to what the body may be holding as the winter months are coming to an end. This month’s theme centred on cultivating connection to the inner flame we keep going through dark times, with required fanning of the flame to push us out and through. Using the metaphors of balancing the element of water (feelings) with the element of fire (passion/striving rage), we tuned into the forces of nature within that drive the waking of growth potential we all carry. Through allowing our inner creative forces to be released, we explored the forces needed to encourage breaking through the surface of rest, reaching up and out toward the sunlight, finding our own rhythms, and attuning to the heartbeat that stays loyal and true guiding us from inside. Following a movement practice, we transitioned into art-making, creatively expressing the concept of the “releasing our inner wolf energy”—taking up space to break through what may be holding us back. Tending to our feelings, hopes, fears, and inspirations. Using the provided art materials, participants explored the emotions and insights evoked by the readings and movement exercises. These creations were later shared within the group, fostering moments of reflection, connection, and validation.
Drawing inspiration from Environment Arts Therapy and the Tree of Life by Ian Siddons Hegginworth and Come Closer; Spiritual Awakening for the Feminine Heart” by Chameli Gad Ardagh, selected quotes were read aloud to highlight the authors’ perspectives;
IAN SIDDONS HEGGINWORTH:
“Just as water is a metaphor for feeling, fire is a metaphor for power and the manner in which it manifests itself, our passion, our authority or our rage, Now this flame has been lit in the belly of the mother, it begins to grow. In order for Spring to come, we now need the masculine principle, to thrust up through the soil, the child to emerge from the womb. Miraculously, it must all happen in this month, At the beginning of March all is slumbering still in the cold embrace of the earth. By the end, Spring will have arrived. The power to make this happen must be urgent, unyielding and persuasive. We feel this power arise within ourselves and it can force open the lid on Pandora’s box and expose us and others to the shadows within. Often the scariest brute in the box is our anger. In our culture today, it is hard to know where to release this but this was not always the case. ” (p. 74)
SANDRA INGERMAN:
“The destiny of your soul arises from your earthly dreams. It is essnetial to jounrey to your Inner World to develop a rich inner landscape. This creates and outer transformation and a sense of empowerment. This leads you to a relam of understanding of ‘I am enough’. And when you evolve into this place, your are not so impacted by all that happens in the outer world. You begin to move through life with grace as you step into a new dimention of life. Using the metphor of you life as a garden is a valuable way to enliven and deepen your Inner World. We live on the Eath, which is a garden, and inside each of us is a garden that needs to be cared for an cultivated. We are caretakers of our Earth garden within and without. With intention you plant the seeds you wish to see grow into strong and healthy plant in your life.” With work, you can learn to “remove the plants whose roots might habe grown strong and deep but no longer contribute to your health and well-being”. (p. 103)
