A lot can happen in just one day.
For example, take Being Of Power : an all-day intensive taking place one month from today, at Baptiste Yoga San Francisco. It’s a relatively new program, designed for anybody and everybody wanting to create a shift in their life.
We decided to ask Suzie Newcome – Owner of Namaspa, to give us an insider’s tip on what this transformative program is really all about:
Baptiste Yoga: You just got back from leading your first Being Of Power program. What did you love about it?
Suzie Newcome: It really is a taste of a Level One Training. It’s the real experience of what’s possible when you dive into this work. Even though it’s a taste–because it’s one day–it still has a promise of lasting transformation. It delivers powerful curriculum to each of the participants.
BY: Can you give us a taste of what “Being Of Power” means?
SN: An embodied experience of what power really is. There are a lot of interpretations of it. That’s the discussion right off the bat: “What is power?” We talk about that, and how most of us usually experience power as a default way of being. We also talk about what power looks like when we’re not in default. We create it in the moment together.
The program is inspired by Baron’s book, Being of Power . We go into the Practices and Techniques of Baptiste Yoga (asana, meditation, and inquiry) and we look at the nine practices right out of his book. Together they get everyone to experience true power, both on and off the mat.
BY: What are some of the experiences from participants?
SN: It was amazing to see so many shifts in people at the workshop I taught in New York. There were several people whom I personally witnessed shift in the moment. And then so many people came up to me after who said they’d experienced a shift in their partner-sharing or by standing up and sharing with the group. They were really able to see something–a decision they’d made about themselves, and the way they were limiting themselves–in a way they hadn’t seen before.
The cool thing is that’s not something you can really forget. Once you see a blind spot, you can’t unsee it. That the power of Baptiste Yoga and the experiential training we use: People can see it in an instant and then they can choose something different.
BY: It sounds like a really big day!
SN: It’s definitely a full and deep day. It goes 9-5, and yoga is integrated throughout the program. We breakdown meditation and inquiry. There’s something for all levels of experience. We had a lot of people who were very new to yoga, as well as people who’d gone through teacher training. They all got something out of it no matter what their level of experience was. And everyone took home a workbook–and many bought Baron’s book–to keep the program alive for them afterwards.
BY: What would you say to someone who’s on the fence about attending?
SN: Consider the level of change you want to make in your life. If you want to make a big shift, it’s going to require a bigger commitment. That’s really what the whole day is about: If you want things to show up differently in your life, you have to see where you’re doing the same things over and over again. Then, choose something different. This day will be a focused and intentional disruption to your usual way of doing things, as a way to reset and become more powerful and effective in your life. It’s such a great program!
BY: And you’ve done a lot of Baptiste programs.
SN: [Laughs] Yes! And I always get something new out of them. I get an elevated perspective in my life, no matter how things are going. Going to a Baptiste program gives me a chance to look at my life as it is in that moment and make a difference. I’ve gone to a weeklong program and then turned around and went right to a short program and thought, “I’m not going to get anything out of this,” and I was totally wrong. On a daily basis, we’ve all got our complaints, or things we feel blocked, frustrated with, or even feel resigned about. These programs are an opportunity to get a leg up in our lives. Every program gives an opportunity to take a time out and get a new perspective.
BY: What else should people be excited about with BOP?
SN: Intensive programs are an amazing opportunity to experience a Baptiste studio, too. Visiting a studio outside your own is an amazing way to disrupt what you know, and experience a different community. Beyond the curriculum, it’s an opportunity to explore and experience outside what you usually do.
Interview conducted by Baptiste Yoga San Francisco teacher, Jessica Kenny .
