Chocolate Yoga™ is the merging of two of your greatest pleasures, chocolate and yoga. It not only sounds good, but it quite literally IS good for you.
Chocolate Yoga™ is a yummy fusion of Cacao Ceremony with Kundalini Yoga, to shift your yoga practice into a whole new dimension…
It allows you to experience the medicinal properties of ceremonial grade cacao moving through your body in a specially designed kundalini yoga practice, involving Ceremony, Pranayama, Asanas, Dance, Relaxation, Chanting and Meditation. We bring these elements into union with the magic of cacao so you can celebrate a much deeper connection to your body and soul.
The first thing we do in a Chocolate Yoga class is what we call a “Chocolate Ceremony”. During this blessing ceremony we give thanks to the Cacao Spirit (remember that the Mayans from Guatemala and Mexico were deeply spiritual and honored the spirit in all things), we call for the Cacao Spirit to bless us and our practice and then we drink the Cacao intentionally, in a hot Chocolate form.
We then begin exploring, via various forms, how the cacao moves throughout the body. In a Chocolate Yoga™ class I always tell my students to be ready to meditate, move, breathe, stretch, laugh, cry, dance, chant, shift, expand and elevate. Sometimes it may even be all at once!
There’s really something for everyone. Kundalini Yoga is more than just a physical practice. It is a transformational journey that offers facets of yoga that are not usually promoted in the ‘body beautiful’ trend of yoga today, such as mantra (sound), mudra (seals), bhanda (locks), pranayama (breath), meditation and movement within postures.
Known as the “yoga of awareness”, Kundalini Yoga is practiced with the eyes closed to bypass the egocentric focus on elaborate contortions of the physical body, bringing the focus instead to inner experience and spiritual growth. We’ve found that by working with the Cacao, students can gain a direct experience of how their Kundalini (potential) energy can bring profound mental, physical, emotional & spiritual healing.
By the end of the class, everyone is generally so blissed out, they don’t want to leave. So we offer cups of tea, fruit & nuts and all have a good chat. This time together after class is gold. There is so much inspiration and creative energy that is available at this time. I often encourage students to then go home and write or journal, paint or draw… or work on whatever creative project they may have going on… or simply go and be with their loved ones… to spread the love.
Why is Chocolate Yoga™ so good?
Well for a start Cacao is a superfood.
– It is one of the highest sources of antioxidants; with far greater antioxidants than red wine or green tea.
– It is super rich in magnesium, so it helps all the muscles of the body relax, this is ideal for the practice of yoga!
– It increases the neurotransmitter activity in the brain to increase clarity of mind, focus and attention; great for meditation practice!
– Strengthens and builds the health of the heart. As a vasodilator, it’s great for anyone suffering from High Blood pressure, as it lowers BP.
– Detoxifies the liver (and kidneys) and generally cleanses the body
– It’s a natural Anti-depressant; with the extra release of serotonin and dopamine it is a mood lifter, which is what gives us the euphoric, blissful experience
– And if that’s not enough, unlike regular chocolate (which is filled with sugar and dairy) Cacao is great for weight loss.
But we’re not talking about your average block of chocolate from the supermarket – that just won’t cut it. All the refined/processed sugars and dairy that get added actually eliminate the medicinal properties. So we are talking about pure Ceremonial Grade Cacao, which is chocolate in its purest form; ground from the beans, with the cacao butter intact.
To the Ancient Mayans Cacao was believed to be “the food of the Gods” which not only opened the door of the heart, but also the door to greater consciousness. So ultimately, we are using the chocolate for its spiritual qualities. As a powerful heart opener we use the chocolate to connect us to the spiritual essence of yoga – which is union. Yoga means union. For us, that is union between the physical and spiritual; the body and the soul. We use the chocolate simply as a way to open the body & mind to experience the soul.
