Rachel Kelly, Professional Development Coordinator at the Tavistock Institute and a teacher of the Alexander Technique, talks to staff and guests about some key concepts, philosophical ideas and the myths and fantasies around the Yoga Event, which has been a part of the annual group relations Leicester Conference for the last 8 years.

Rachel Kelly has been administrating the Leicester conference for the past 11 years and has led the Yoga Event for the past 6 years. In this talk Rachel begins by inviting the listeners to experience some yoga, in the moment. She goes on to explore the question of Why the Yoga Event? – how can we offer experiences in the Leicester conference that are creative and relevant yet ensure that these are true to the fundamental tenets of designing and conducting Group Relations conferences. Rachel clarifies some fundamentals about the nature and purpose of Yoga and its contribution to members’ learning. She talks about what the Yoga Event looks like within the conference, her own experience as leader and goes on to explore what the Yoga Event might represent within the conference, coming out of the myths and fantasies expressed and some of the resistances it faces.  She finishes by offering another experience – waking sleep or the Yoga Nidra.

Snippet

Powerpoint

Recording of the talk

Rachel’s talk: On the Yoga Event at the Leicester Conference, was presented as part of Food for Thought: Lunchtime Talk series at TIHR.

Rachel Kelly is passionately committed to life-long learning and continual personal and professional development. She has been a teacher of the Alexander Technique for a number of years: a gestalt field that can be studied and practiced to rediscover or re-learn the integration of your psychophysical self through conscious awareness – towards vitality, inner strength, presence, poise, health and wellbeing. She is the Alexander Technique teacher at Cancerkin at the Royal Free Hospital, London.

All this informs Rachel’s evolving interest in the integration of mind, body, spirit, particularly through the study and practice of Yoga. She currently leads the Leicester conference’s Yoga Event and occasionally teaches yoga at the Institute, as well as developing her knowledge and practice of this ancient discipline. Thinking and writing about how Group Relations, the Alexander Technique, Yoga and administration interconnect is one of her current core interests.