Marc,
Thank you for the wonderful yoga- it was so inspiring to receive the gift of your teaching. It just felt so right. My yoga has been in the doldrums for some time. I have spent weekends before, years ago with Scaravelli influenced teachers, but always left feeling I see they have some thing beautiful and fluid in their bodies, but I haven't a clue how to even begin to delve into this. I have revisited Vanda's book over the years, but not been any the wiser. No slight on the teachers - perhaps I wasn't open enough, whereas your route map is very clear - you have obviously managed to distill the essence of it into principles which can be taught beyond the 1-1 situation . I have some idea now of how to set about experimenting with this.

Eunice Stephen (Kathy Julius Yoga Trust, Aberdeen)

"After working with Marc, I felt I had come home to my true body and was more relaxed and open in my posture.

The workshops were demanding in a delicious way as I knew I would benefit if I could work more with the principles Marc was teaching me."

Mari MacRitchie

(www.bodysense.co.uk )

Hi Marc, This is David, i came on your last weekend yoga workshop in Glasgow. I am writing to you in thanks for sharing your amazing knowledge and wisdom. I have felt a deepening in my yoga practice that i never new existed. This has created a significant breakthrough in my life, there is no doubt now that i want to teach yoga and make it a huge part of my life.I feel very blessed to have this knowledge... thank you!

Very much looking forward to meeting again

David

“Marc, practicing with you over the last four years or so has helped unravel and deepen my yoga to the point where it has completely transformed from where I started. Working with you has helped me recognise old habits (which die hard!!) and to face these with equanimity and calm. You have taught me to free myself from instructions which I tended to grip upon, and instead feel, breathe & ground my way to a lighter spine, leaner body and I hope longer, healthier life!"

Clare Maddelena

"Marc is a sensitive, intuitive and gifted teacher. He is able to see your body patterns and sense what to change to help you feel more whole, physically, mentally and emotionally. Each time he works with you indiviudally you get an experience of being a bit more whole which you can them try to bring about for yourself.

I began the course saying I wanted to change in mind, body and spirit but I had no idea where this would lead. I have been practising yoga for 13 years and changed alot in this time, but I was still amazed at how the change was accelerated working in this way with 'structural functional relationships' . When I focused my practice on my shoulders, my emotional defenses opened up and show me so much clarity about the healing that was needed. The physical strength I gained from working in this way gave me the courage to face what I found and to do what needed to do to bring healing. The result has been a major shift in my life ... something I wanted for a long time and but couldn't see previously how to bring about. I feel very lucky. "....
Dear Marc ...

I'm really enjoying working with the sequence. My daily practice usually begins with the seated twist/ kapalabhati thing, followed by the sequence and then some time working on a part of the course to hone back in on the detail. I so much more whole and in my body after the sequence, my body feels 'worked' and I arrive at a more peaceful place. I am teaching the sequence and the most of the students love it and feel benefit from it."

Sally Raoch
 

Dear Marc,

Just a quick note to say huge thanks for a fascinating if exhausting weekend. It seems a revolution has to occur in my yoga practice. As in all the best revolutions there is both enthusiasm for it and resistance to it. Your teaching was excellent however and thanks to your own dedication and persistence I'm able to draw inspiration.

I'll now crack on with practice and homework and look forward to seeing you next month. Best Wishes,

Cath Brzeski

Marc is a teahcer whi I feel has the ability to support you through the whole of your journey without there being an obvious goal! I feel he has introduced me to my own body's magical ability to free itself from restriction and heal itself. After the class every cell of my body feels renewed.

Nikki

Thank you for today, it felt great to create space and integrate within.

Delamay Deva

Yoga weekend with Marc Woolford, Brighton

“No stretching!” a seemingly baffling non-yogic command rapped out by Marc during Sunday’s session. Unsurprising in the context of the Scaravelli method and Marc’s evolution of his yoga. We were dealing with the idea of the spine as the central axis of movement and support, having explored the breath and the bandhas during Saturday's session. It seemed that every movement, every investigation we made served to illustrate how one might move from external mechanical responses, to quieter, internal rearrangements. Freeing the breath so that the spine is relieved of its habitual burden of carrying the weight of the body. Instead support might be found from forming new stuctural relationships, creating space in the fluid core, allowing movement to follow the release of the exhalation.

As to be expected from a workshop, we looked at relatively few poses, but took plenty of time to watch Marc demonstrate and verbalise his suggestions. Adjustments were shared with the group and Marc attended to us all individually, so that our body could access this way of working, creating in Marc’s words, “Less conflict” thus then leading to “Integration”.

Marc concluded Sunday’s session in a most beautiful and unexpected way, as we rested in savasana he coaxed gentle chords from a harmonium and chanted one of my favourite Sanskrit mantra: sahana vavatu accompanied by wide, expressive oms. It was a delicious soundbath, the excited street sounds of Brighton falling away as we bathed in blissful vibrations, immersed in relaxation, a perfect conclusion.

Jivayoga: Jennifer's blog

"My first experience of yoga was when I was in my mid twenties (I’m 53 now), I thought I would try it because it looked so elegant and graceful and well it’s supposed to be good for you isn’t it? Most of the people in the class were already bendy, I was (and still am) short dumpy and not very bendy. With the help of a massive pile of blocks and cushions and the ingenious use of several straps the poor teacher attempted to manipulate my unyielding form into the appropriate shape for the posture under consideration. I found the experience humiliating, painful and confusing and after a few weeks concluded that yoga wasn’t for me.

Throughout my life I have done some sort of exercise, I especially enjoy aerobics and dance and it was at my local gym about twenty years later when I next tried yoga. I thought it would be a good stretch class after my workout but this yoga was a totally different animal to the first one I had tried. I quickly came to understand with great relief that I could just work with the body I had using the ground and breath, it wasn’t all about achieving the ‘posture’.

Over a period of years I have become a serious student enjoying workshops classes and holidays and now I am thinking about it to write this I realise that it has a massive impact on my life as a whole. From a physical perspective I no longer panic if I get a twinge in my back after doing a bit of gardening because I know I have the tools to fix any aches and pains that crop up, I think this is especially important as one ages. I feel it is helping my posture which has boosted my confidence.

There is also a psychological effect, this is harder to explain but the model for working with the body is equally applicable to all aspects of life and I continue to learn and apply these ideas to my benefit.

To anyone thinking of coming to one of marcs’ workshops or retreats I would say if nothing else you will have a very enjoyable few hours and if you are prepared to take on the ideas and work with your body the benefits are massive. "

Ella Josiah