Interoception Yoga & Zhineng Qigong
Photography by Victoria Vettese
Are you feeling it?
Interoception is the process through which we detect, process and respond to the messages that our body is sending us. But too often the lines of communication are blocked and we become disconnected or misinterpret what our bodies are telling us. At the heart of yoga & qigong is the ancient art and practice of interoception. In our classes we use current insights from cognitive neuroscience, somatic and interoceptive psychology, and cutting edge understandings of anatomy, alongside traditional philosophical teachings and mindful somatic movement practices. We explore how somatic movement, breath-work and meditation can bring us back into tune with our bodies, help quiet our minds and allow us to reshape our attitudes and behaviours in our daily lives.
An academic, a yoga and qigong teacher, Laura loves to combine her research from cognitive neuroscience and the psychology of interoception with traditional somatic yoga and qigong practices. Her academic research examines how emotional, neurobiological and psycho-physiological factors can affect our attitudes, identities and behaviours, often unbeknownst to us. An avid student of yoga for many years, as her practice intensified, she became more and more interested in how her two passions intertwined - hence the birth of Interoception Yoga. Laura’s yoga journey began very young. Both her granny and her mum were qualified Iyengar yoga teachers. It was not uncommon to come home and find her granny standing on her head in the hallway. Laura was tagging along at yoga workshops from her early teens. Her granny continued to teach and share her love of yoga well into her 70s. It wasn’t though until she was pregnant with her first child that Laura really leaned into yoga herself, and later still that it began to take over her life. After many years of taking general classes, and hunting out international teachers wherever her work travels took her in the world, she became more and more drawn to ashtanga around 2016. She undertook her Mysore foundations 1 & 2 training with David Garrigues and continues to have a regular Mysore practice at Meadowlark Studios, under the guidance of Emma Isocivi and Amy Hughes. She has studied in mysore intensives with international teachers Sarah Hatcher and Greg Nardi. Laura began her teaching journey as a 200 hour registered yoga teacher accredited by Yoga Alliance Practice Professionals. She subsequently trained in Trauma-Informed Yoga, with Edinburgh Community Yoga (50hrs), Vinyasa Flow (50hrs) with Joanne Ewen and Yin & Restorative (100hrs) with Nadine Watton. In 2022 she completed her advanced training as a 5 Filaments Specialist with Karen Kirkness. She continues to be mentored by Karen and assists Karen in her delivery of 5 Filaments Adjustment practicums. In 2023 she was authorised to teach Zhineng Qigong Level 1 & 2 by Master Zhu Conghua, Director of the Taian Huaxia Taijiquan training center, China. She will complete her advanced Level 3 teacher training and Qi healing in March 2024.
Feedback.
"Friday night was wonderful! a good ambiance for practice and the way you had it set up was lovely. The session was just what I needed after a busy week. I loved the chanting part. I really enjoyed the movements of the body and working through the chakras and placement within the body”