Enlightened Events Blog

Yoga Therapy Training Course in Sydney with Leigh Blashki

Fri, 18 May 2012 03:02:00 GMT

We are so pleased to be working with Leigh Blashki, from the Australian Institute of Yoga Therapy, and current Vice President of Yoga Australia, to deliver Sydney's only recognised Yoga therapist training! The Graduate Certificate in Yoga Therapy is recognised by the Australian Association of Yoga Therapists (AAYT) and certified by Leigh Blashki's Institute.

This means that those north of the border no longer have to make the trek to Melbourne to do the training! Leigh will deliver the applied Yoga therapy component of the course in conjunction with Sal Flynn, who will teach the Professional Practice component. Liz Bennett will teach the Applied Anatomy and Physiology component.

I really enjoy working with Leigh andI have a lot of respect for him. Sal is great fun and we always have a laugh together. And Liz, used to be my Yoga teacher when i was living on the Northern Beaches. She is a lovely teacher. I asked Liz to teach a Synergy Yoga style class, as there were none close by.

The Graduate Certificate in Yoga Therapy is going to be a great course!

Heidi Hanley of Heidi's Vision joins the Divine Feminine line up

Fri, 18 May 2012 03:02:00 GMT

Recently, Jason decided to start a venture with Heidi Hanley. Heidi used to work with Avril Norman from In Perfect Unison, which is how we connected with Heidi. Ages ago, we spoke with Avril about Divine Feminine. Now Avril isn't one for getting up on stage so she recommended we contact Heidi to speak at Divine Feminine.

i didn't do anything about it at the time but now that Jason and Heidi are working so closely together, it has all fallen in to place!

We are really excited that Heidi is going to feature on a Channel 7 reality TV show called "The One" - search for Australia's best psychic. I am not a fan of reality TV, actually I am not a fan of TV at all but I am sure the whole family will be glued to the box for this one!

Heidi Hanley will be talking on the topic of Awaken your intuition at Divine Feminine. it is going to be a great presentation!

Meeting Martina Hughes of Tantric Blossoming

Sat, 29 Oct 2011 06:36:00 GMT

Today I met with Martina Hughes, of Tantric Blossoming. Martina and I had a chat about Divine Feminine and discussed if there was any synergy in what we are doing. Her Being Woman retreats sound great! Martina has been practicing Tantra for many years and follows the teachings of Osho. She also studied shiatsu with Jack Marshall at the former Zen Renaissance Centre in Bondi Junction. That is where Annette Loudon also studied with Jack.

Australian Yoga Therapy Conference

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 23:22:00 GMT

Jase and I survived another house move last week. Phew! Thankfully that is over. We have moved so many times in the past few years that I have lost count. Not going anywhere for quite some time…..!

The program for the Australian Yoga Therapy Conference is starting to come together quite nicely now. I was really pleased that Dr. Shirley Telles agreed to come out from India for the conference. She is an amazing woman. Actually, one of the most interesting things has been seeing how highly regarded she is by her peers. Professor Marc Cohen, Australia’s wellness guru, is keen to meet with her in Melbourne and Dr. Maarten Immink was disappointed that he will be overseas when Shirley is in Australia.

Probably one of Shirley’s biggest Australian fans is Leigh Blashki. Leigh has recently returned from Shirley’s conference in India, held at the Patanjali Yog Peeth in Haridwar. She was the key organiser of a Yoga conference which sold out at 1500 delegates and included the likes of BKS Iyengar. Hmm, my events pale in significance! They have a yoga hall there were 10 000 people can practice Yoga. Can you imagine? The head of the centre, Swami Ramdev, is quite a phenomenon with over 10 million people reportedly viewing his Yoga TV programs. I am looking forward to talking to Shirley about Baba Ramdev when she comes out!

Shirley Telles was also part of the Mind and Life dialogues conducted by the Dalai Lama. Shirley was invited to speak on Yoga and meditation. You can watch the session here. Shirley comes on at about 33 minutes into the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GWILrlVdFU

Time I Made A Stand: The World Is Not What It Seems

Sat, 29 Oct 2011 06:02:00 GMT

by Jason Bawden-Smith

I am best known for my success in building technical businesses from an idea into multi-million dollar companies. But behind the scenes, I've been researching life’s big questions. My worldly experiences have included time with shamen in the jungles of Papua New Guinea, faith healers in Brazil, and Chinese qigong masters. I have studied many energy modalities and quantum mechanics, attended several personal growth courses, and spent one-on-one time with amazing teachers like Dolores Cannon, Bob Proctor, Nassim Haramein, George Kavassilas, and David-Wynn Miller, to name a few. These experiences plus daily meditation have helped me understand who I truly am and what this journey is all about.

I’m also a double degree scientist with a sharp BS meter, and I’m far from what some label as a “conspiracy theorist.” But there comes a time when a freethinking, sovereign being has to make a stand.

I spent several months studying the dark agenda and the control systems they use to keep humanity asleep. However, this opened more questions than it answered, created confusion, and kept me in the drama. It’s a very depressing experience, and my advice is once you get it, let it go and start searching inside of yourself for answers.

What really ticked me off was learning that the Commonwealth of Australia was not a country, which members of my family fought for in two world wars, but a corporation listed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. No kidding! Check it out yourself: SEC 0000805157. At first I thought it was a smart marketing ploy, but no, you're an employee of a corporation, not a citizen of Australia. Unbelievable!

This is first time I have expressed my spiritual knowing publicly, but the time has come for me to share my truth. To be honest, “Enlightened Events” was Trina’s idea, and I was originally only going to participate on a part-time basis. But all this changed when I met George Kavassilas last year. I guess that now makes me a promoter of spiritual and metaphysical teachers.

I would like you to listen to and read George’s material and form your own opinion. Visit his web site at http://www.georgekavassilas.org/.

For me to walk away from a high six-figure income with even higher bonuses to work as a full-time volunteer, well, let’s just say he or she has to be very special. George is special, and the message he delivers is life changing. Since I became his Manager, we have built an incredible team of over 60 volunteers, all specialists in their fields, from across the globe in less than 2 months! It seems I'm not the only one inspired by his message.

What sets George apart from others is that he has gained his knowledge through the school of hard knocks and genuine life experiences, not by studying texts and words written in stone. He’s just a down-to-earth Aussie bloke with immense wisdom and bucketloads of heart-centered, unconditional love.

Those close to me know that when I make a recommendation, it's worth investigating. You owe it to yourself to take a look at George's work. Once you get a taste, your heart will sing.

We are all on different paths, and George’s message will not be for everyone. But if you resonate with his message like I do, then do yourself a favour and attend one of his upcoming talks. Your life will never be the same again.

Kylie Saunder, Pilates Yoga Biz

Mon, 23 May 2011 08:04:00 GMT

Kylie Saunder made contact with about her venture Pilates Yoga Biz. She is helping Yoga and Pilates studio owners with their businesses. After running my own yoga teaching business for a number of years, I know I could have used some help from someone like Kylie. I signed up to Kylie’s e-newsletter. I am really enjoying reading her posts. She has some interesting ideas to share and I am sure there are many Yoga teachers out there who could benefit from some business and marketing advice. I am just lucky that I have Jase to give me advice! Actually, it is funny, Kylie studied with John Assaraf. John Assaraf was in that oh so controversial movie, The Secret, and Jason has actually been to John’s house – you know the one in the movie on the vision board?

Jonathon Murphy’s Brisbane Yoga Fest

Mon, 23 May 2011 08:03:00 GMT

Last week, I spoke to Jonathon Murphy about being a part of Yoga Fest in Brisbane. It was great to chat and hear about how Yoga Fest has grown into a successful annual Yoga event over the past 5 years. And now Jonathon has also started a Sunshine Coast Yoga Day. Actually, I think it is probably the longest running Yoga festival in Australia, surpassing Sydney’s Yoga Expo four year stint. Having been involved with Yoga events since 2004, I know this is a great achievement!

Mark Breadner, Yoga Coach

Mon, 23 May 2011 08:02:00 GMT

Today, I spoke to Mark Breadner. It has been years since we have spoken. Mark spoke at my very first Yoga conference in 2004 that I organised with the Vedanta Centre of Sydney. Mark emailed me recently offering to speak at the Yoga therapy conference in June. I am so pleased that teachers like Mark are interested in been part of the conference.

Carole Baillargeon, Darwin Yoga Space

Mon, 23 May 2011 08:01:00 GMT

I have been in touch with Carole Baillargeon. Eve Gryzbowski suggested I talk Carole about the Yoga therapy conference I am planning. It was so funny when I spoke to Carole she was so excited about the idea of the Yoga therapy conference. It turned out that when I called her the first time, she was in the USA doing Yoga therapy workshops with Stephanie Quirk. Stephanie works very closely with the Iyengar family in India. In fact, she lives there now. Carole and I did attempt to invite Stephanie to present at the conference but unfortunately, she is unable to come. Perhaps next year….. Carole is also friends with my other friend, Dr. Shaun Matthews. Small world! I recognised the name of Carole’s studio, Darwin Yoga Space, from the info. that Shaun sent out about one of his Ayurveda workshops up there.

Evolve Yoga and Wellness Festival

Mon, 23 May 2011 07:54:00 GMT

At the end of last year(!) … or last week, I spoke to Miranda Burne. Miranda is a Yoga teacher who trained at Byron Yoga Centre with John Ogilvie. She has decided to organise a Yoga Expo type of event in Melbourne later this year, called Evolve Yoga and Wellness Festival. What a great idea! Enlightened Events is going to be part of the Wellness Commune on the day. I am really looking forward to it!

Meeting Jane Elworthy and Carmella Baynie

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 01:13:00 GMT

The website is looking great. Most of our major events are up now. I still have some more interviews to do. I met with Jane Elworthy, one of our Divine Feminine speakers, and she brought along some of her frame drums to play. I also filmed a short history of the frame drum, which I will share with our community over the coming months.

Carmella Baynie and I met so I could interview her too. And much as all this videoing is time consuming, it is a great way for me to spend some time with my speakers before an event.

Interview with Petrea King

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 01:10:00 GMT

It’s hard to believe it is less than a month til Christmas. Yesterday, Rama Prasad taught his workshop on Body-Type Analysis. It was our last event for the year, which is great, as we can now focus on 2011. Rama is always a pleasure to listen to. It continues to amaze me how our speakers are able to hold the attention of the audience for a whole day!

I looked at a few more venues last week and settled on Vibe Sydney for the Australian Yoga Therapy Conference. It’s centrally located, lots of accommodation, food and parking….and that all important, feature, it’s available!

I also interviewed Petrea King. She is one impressive lady. I was deeply touched by her life story – how after so much adversity, she has gone on to positively impact on so many people’s lives.

Today’s interview was with Wendy Batchelor and her partner, Hans. We had a great discussion about the Divine Feminine and Wendy and Hans’ work in France.

Yoga Aid Challenge

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 01:12:00 GMT

After another talk in the Gold Coast, Dolores and Julia were back in Sydney for the last of the evening talks. We had another great turn out, in spite, of the heavy downpours. People came from the south coast, Blue Mountains and the Central Coast.

On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Dolores conducted her Level 1 Quantum Hypnosis Training to an eager group of students.

On Sunday, I headed off to the Yoga Aid Challenge in the Botanical Gardens. The backdrop was stunning on this perfect morning with the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge in the background. Clive Mayhew was pleased with the 400 plus turn out! It was a great experience seeing one of my early Yoga students, Gowri Sriraman, up there on the stage doing sun salutes. I caught up with Michael de Manincor, Lisa and the kids.

After a quick shower, I headed north to have lunch with the IYTA Convention committee. It worked out perfectly, as I had a chance to see Wendy Batchelor and invite her to speak at Divine Feminine. She said yes instantly. What an exciting program it is going to be! After lunch, I talked with Janet Stevens and Patricia Wigley about my ideas for a Yoga therapy conference and workshops with Dr. Shirley Telles.
This week, I interviewed Denise Cook. She is also very enthusiastic about Divine Feminine. Jason and I also interviewed Julia Cannon, about life with Dolores and Julia’s upcoming book. Then for a change of scene, I had a Skype interview with Swami Samnyasananda (Philip Stevens) in Melbourne. We discussed his presentation at the Australian Yoga therapy conference on Clinical Yoga for Mental Health professionals and his take on Yoga as therapy.

Meeting Dolores Cannon and Mind Body Spirit Festival

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 01:15:00 GMT

On Thursday, Jason and I flew to Adelaide to meet with Dolores Cannon and her daughter, Julia. It was great to finally meet in person after hearing about them for months! Dolores’ talk was very well received and it was lovely to meet some of the locals, including some Yoga teachers who had come for the talk.

On Friday, I dashed back up to Sydney to meet with Eve Grzybowski, at Simply Yoga, in Crows Nest, while Jason headed to Melbourne with Julia and Dolores.

Jason and I braved the crowds at the Mind Body Spirit Festival at Darling Harbour on Sunday. I had a chat with the Yoga teachers at the Byron Yoga Centre and the friendly people at the Shanti Mission Harmony Centres.

Yoga Australia lunch

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 01:17:00 GMT

On Sunday, I attended the Yoga Australia lunch at Govindas. We enjoyed some kirtan with Carmella Baynie and then Mark O’Brien spoke. Cate Petersen showed us the new Yoga Australia website and then we had lunch. How nice to attend an event organised by something else!

Dolores Cannon’s starts tomorrow and I have to fly to Adelaide!