The inception of Tulayoga happened one Sunday evening when I was 25.
A friend had just returned from a workshop with Paul Terrell, a former student of Benjamin Marantz - the creator of Acrosage.
She came knocking at my door to share what she had learned and to deliver an idea that changed the course of my life.
I remember her lifting me unsteadily, and as she found the balance, weight and gravity lost their hold.
I let go of control, and found myself floating, without references or thoughts, in infinite space.
It was a return to the womb. It was a return home.
I then watched someone receiving a treatment, and the quiet beauty of it captured me.
From that evening, so many beautiful consequences have followed
and I am extremely grateful to Benji, Paul and Gilly for passing me this gift.
After learning some basic postures I began to play, somewhat fanatically, and to discover and expand on the practice.
It was the beginning of an appreciative and nourishing connection
between my conscious mind, my feelings, my physical body and the present moment.
It was only five years later, while traveling through India, asking myself "what makes me happy?"
that I understood the position, time and space it was taking in my life; how my practice had naturally evolved and refined
and the effect it had on me and the people I came into contact with.
I named it Tulayoga and decided to make, what was once my play, my "work".
Over the last 2 decades, Tulayoga and massage have become the core meditative practices in my life.
They bring the active and receptive aspects of my being together in focused harmony through my body
and they continue to bring me calm, thoughtless embodiment.
Through teaching others to give Tulayoga,
I see that it brings to them everything it has brought to me:
It grounds us in our physical bodies, our sensations and the present moment.
It encourages and supports a healthy sense of trust and heart centred intimacy.
It teaches us to balance strength and control with gentleness and letting go
so that the masculine and feminine aspects of our nature can come together in cooperative harmony.
Tulayoga strengthens our confidence and control in action
while developing our ability to receive and sense the tensions and feelings of others.
It helps us adapt to the unique differences of others and to feel at ease with simply, being, together.
It teaches us to focus and observe rather than panic, and to relax in a position of responsibility.
We get to experience in a very direct way how holding or releasing our own tension effects the people we are close to.
And perhaps the most beautiful aspect of giving Tulayoga to others is the honour of feeling their trust,
of witnessing their release, their sighs, laughter and tears, and to have the shared experience
of transcending the physical and entering a perfectly still and timeless state of consciousness, together.