TIME FOR YOU

Most of us are pretty rubbish at taking time for ourselves or are not always in a position to do that. Here we find out about local health and relaxation practitioners and some very special offers for HU3 residents.

Mixed Origins

Ana and Lauren, who we discovered through their yoga work, offer us more than good posture.

Why the name “Mixed Origins”?

Lauren: Ana is from Guatemala and I am from the UK. We now live in HU3 on Coltman St. We moved here just before the lockdowns.

Ana: We want to work in the community and share our knowledge, skills and experiences and get us all more connected – with our bodies, selves, each other.

Lauren: I learnt Yoga and Reiki in India and it changed my life, then I got into teaching it. We have been leading yoga at Lonsdale Community Centre and it’s been great. Meeting women, sharing the beautiful space and magic of yoga.

Why HU3?

Ana: There’s so much in one place. There is a bit of everything.

Lauren: It reminds me of India. It's real and not too designed. It feels safe and there’s so many different people. We love the sense of small strong communities and we are slowly building a great network.

Ana: It’s pivotal for our survival that we, humans, have a network, and we see that’s how we can contribute to this community. We can bring people together and support one another. Being inclusive is really important. We are trying to bring this inclusion to the spaces, we hold be that yoga or women’s groups. We all like the familiar, but when people meet and form relationships with others they see and learn other ways of living and being. We believe that having access to therapeutic spaces is beneficial to everyone. Sadly often only certain people can access them because of the cost or lack of services provided. But we ask why is everyone not receiving these complementary therapies?

How do you work?

Lauren: We want to support people. We, like lots of people, have experienced trauma, which makes us think everyone deserves to feel alive, human and to live in a humane system. A lot of people are going through a hard time with an empty cup. We all deserve the opportunity to take time so we can fill up our cups.

Ana: The fast-paced British culture means we don’t allow time to do this, it’s not normal or we think we can’t have this. People think they don’t need to talk and keep everything inside.

Lauren: When Ana first came to the UK, she couldn’t believe how many people were coping with not expressing themselves emotionally.

Is this why you do what you do?

Ana: Yes, I am a psychologist. Many of us think it’s not right or we shouldn’t talk about how we are feeling. We are in-doctorinated early and lack an emotional education which encourages us not to talk about how we feel. We block this ability to look into ourselves and see our personal needs. When we recognise this we can start moving forward. Our work involves having physical contact with others, the giving and receiving of emotions can be felt through our skin, that’s why physical contact is so important it could be as simple as holding hands. We say it's ok to feel shit, people can cry and feel sad, angry and scared. By acknowledging that these are human emotions allows us to cultivate more compassion for ourselves and others. We create a safe space and environment for people to start diving into themselves.

Lauren: We are promoting self-care and inviting people to connect to their bodies. Without a connection to the self, life can feel isolated, but a life with connection to the self means you’ll never be alone.

Ana: We can connect to everything when we see ourselves as nature. There’s no difference between anyone or any species. We are all the same living thing. Everything is alive in us and we are alive in everything.

Lauren: We would love that people could see themselves as part of a large diverse connected community supporting and enriching each other.

What do you love about what you do:

Ana: I love how the body feels in motion and expressing emotion.

Lauren: I love creating environments that allow free expression, free from judgement.

Enjoy

A sound and movement workshop led by Anna and Lauren. 5 places total. Mats and blankets provided. Come in comfy clothes. @mixed_origins.sc @yo_go_girlyoga

»Where: Lonsdale Community Centre

»When: Friday 15th September or 29th September 6pm – 7:30pm

»Book: Message Kate on 07713 647 715