Shakti Kutir - inner space.

Yoga with a twist!

Long-time yoga enthusiast Siobhan O’Hanlon has finally found the approach that suits her. Hidden away on the West Hill in the heart of Hastings is Chris Elam’s energy cottage Shakti Kutir, a place to relax, retreat, refresh, reflect and replenish.

For Chris Elam, its manifestation came from his own years of experience seeking authenticity through the practice of yoga, looking inward, and the growing desire to spontaneously share and teach all that arose from that empty space within. “The intent for building the hut was to offer people a holistic space to be themselves, to feel at ease in stillness, to offer the chance to experience hidden layers of creative energy within each individual. That is the present and future projection,” he says.

Shakti Kutir - the way in.

Stepping in to Shakti, Chris has created a unique energy within the hut which will certainly continue to attract those in need of respite and spiritual inspiration. The space shape shifts from being a centre for yoga practice manifested as a free-flowing style focusing on mindfulness and gentle stretches. Chris wants people to understand what yoga really is about away from its fuzzy reputation. He teaches a form of hatha yoga, with the emphasis on the feminine principle, with its receptive, watchful aspect, rather than the extroverted masculine approach and its body beautiful, competitive and visual approach.

Shakti Kutir then becomes a place of retreat, a safe, ambient, space in which to experience Ayurvedic massage, an ancient health treatment using warm herbal oils massaged with hands or feet to ease physical and emotional stress whilst clearing and calming the mind.

Every week Chris holds an open meditation group “where we explore the sense of presence, and the life force, through breathing and mindfulness. It’s a very lively hour, where real communication takes place through silence, but to get to this point, a sincere approach is needed, a return to the hum of spirit.”

The vision of Shakti Kutir has the wisdom of Chris’s experience of practicing and teaching yoga and meditation for over 20 years. He studied in India with accomplished masters including Swami Isa of Kerala and the Ayurvedic master P Nair from whom he learnt the ancient art of Ayurvedic massage and pranic healing.

Chris maintains none of this would be possible without his love affair with India. He has been visiting since 1989, and every time he returns there is an opportunity to deepen his connection to the wisdom teaching and to enable his students to experience the subtle energies that are part of our fundamental being through the medium of Ayurveda and yoga.

“Trust is a key word here in this space, to be able to let go and trust the process of awakening to the subtle energy body,” Chris believes. “This cannot be discussed, rather deeply experienced through a personal encounter; trust in oneself is strengthened and mental, physical and emotional health elevated”.

Finally for those who want to engage with humour and yoga, laughter is very important to Chris. He has recently launched Scouse Yoga, a light-hearted, fully engaging 10-minute view on YouTube that says it all – yoga with a twist!

See Chris’s website.

Also in: Home Ground