Welcome to Soul Sessions, a journey into a vividly connected world that could be yours... if you play your cookies right. We at Soul Sessions believe we can offer you more dynamically flavoured speakers than a Chinese banquet in Botswana. You still there? If you aren't chuckling on the inside now, you need a Soul Sesion more than anything. Besides, the sixteenth ticket purchased comes with the salt and pepper shakers. Will they be yours?
Soul Sessions are provocatve bi-monthly events drawing global leaders in holistic and western medicine, entrepreneurialism, enlightenment and wellbeing to our private Sydney studio for wildly stimulating evenings packed with visceral punch. Join us.
Big love,
Eloise King
Soul Sessions Founder
UPCOMING EVENTS
Moving amidst the mass of white Australia is a number of highly revered indigenous elders who are conduits for ancient knowledge, deeply spiritual wisdoms and are the chosen Dreamtime story-tellers. Many white history books state that the first Aboriginal Australians arrived by boat between 40,000 and 60,000 years ago. Indigenous elders, however, know that their ancestors have been roaming the Australian landscape for at least 80,000 years. Since the beginning, they've organised themselves using a complex network of knowledge, faith and practices bound tightly in The Dreaming. It was passed on between generations through narrative and story-telling. This session is for those wanting to bathe in the Dreamtime legend of our indigenous elders in the lead up to Australia Day this year.
Indigenous Healing
Date: Tuesday January 24. 6pm-9.30pm.
Official address of Soul Sessions Studio: 18/1-19 Regent St, Surry Hills, Sydney. Important notes: Studio entrance is around the back on James Street. Best parking on George St.
Max Dulumunmun Harrison, or Uncle Max as he is widely known, is an Elder of the Yuin people. His prominence in the community has seen him share the podium at major events with spiritual leaders from around the world, including the Dalai Lama; consulted by government on land rights issues; and teach his traditional wisdoms and culture to many thousands of people. Uncle Max grew up on the South Coast of NSW as part of a close community where a collection of boys and young men were still selected for initiation into ancient ways. Today, he has direct access to the spiritual wisdom of his Aboriginal ancestors who lived as long as 80,000 years ago. Seeing the widespread marginalisation of his people and the lack of respect and acceptance of indigenous traditional teachings, he began what has become his life's work. Over the past three decades, he has taken thousands of people onto country, teaching his traditional culture to architects, environmentalists, government ministers and advisers, medical practitioners, researchers and international students. We welcome Uncle Max to Soul Sessions this Australia day week.
Gumaroy is a descendant of both the Gomilaroi and Wakka Wakka nations. He has travelled extensively around the the globe as a yidaki/didgeridoo player, song man and poet. His work as cultural teacher and performer has seen him sharing his knowledge passionately across five continents, countless albums and hundreds of festivals including
Glastonbury, Woodford, Vancouver Folk and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals, as well as events such as the World Rugby Cup in Paris in 2007 and the Mayotte Cultural Festival off the coast of Mozambique. For the past seven years he has performed world wide with the highly acclaimed Ganga Giri band; his songs have featured on their past three albums.
Gumaroy's life is now dedicated to recording and preserving the precious songs and stories of his people and communicating the wisdom in these ancient ways; ways that hold him steadfast in todays ever evolving world. Today, he is back in his beloved homeland and comes to Soul Sessions to share his knowledge, wisdom, opinions and love for indigenous culture, Australia, and all things in it. "We need to acknowledge the past and move forward as one," he says.
Uncle Max Eulo is one of Australia's most colourful aboriginal elders, renowned across the land for the smoking ceremonies he conducts at sacred events. He was one of the most sought after elders to conduct blessings during the Olympic Games in 2000 and the chosen elder to appear during the Pope's Australian visits of 2008 and 1987, where he blessed the Pope himself. Uncle Max's smoking ceremonies begin with lighting twigs & leaves in a wooden Coolamon made from a gutted tree. As the smoke and flames grow, he waves the smoke consciously, blessing the area to rid it of negative energies and call in the good spirits. Uncle Max is from the Budjedi tribe of western NSW; he has been doing smoking ceremonies for over 30 years, performing at festivals, museums, galleries, political events, schools, corporate events, international conventions and jails.
Tantra. It's the stuff of the sex Gods, non? It's a free love cult made popular back in the sixties and seventies, oui? It's a new age spiritual sex therapy inviting you to explore yourself through your connection with another, is it not? The way to it all, of course, is through dedicated practice of every position in the Kama Sutra, Hinduism's ancient and wisdom-fuelled sex manual. Are we right? In actual fact, Soul Sessions doesn't profess to know much about the sacred sexual practice of tantra. We are, however, fascinated to find out more. Come meet our dedicated tantric practitioners for an enlightening night of tantra this Valentines Day. The alternative is your local Italian joint. Which has got your heart beating faster?
Be My Tantric Valentine
Date: Tuesday February 14. 6pm-9.30pm.
Official address of Soul Sessions Studio: 18/1-19 Regent St, Surry Hills, Sydney. Important notes: Studio entrance is around the back on James Street. Best parking on George St.
After almost 10 years of chartered accounting and a party girl lifestyle, Martina Hughes woke up to the realisation she was using career, partying, friends, food, shopping and anything else you can think of in a futile attempt to fill a 'hole' inside. That 'hole' was what took her on a journey inward and home to herself. Transformation came through inspirational books, moving away from her home town of Launceston, breath work sessions, meditation, exercising, adopting a healthy lifestyle, studying shiatsu and energetic healing, taking six months to travel the world, and then returning to Sydney to undertake an intensive training in breath work and rebirthing. All this helped her make peace with her life experiences and align her actions with her deepest heartfelt values, but there was still something missing. Then she discovered tantra and with it, her life's work. "Tantra has been and continues to be my greatest teacher, " Martina says. "For me, tantra is about all of life – the way I eat, the way I treat my body, the way I meditate, the way I relate to friends and family, the way I connect with my intimate partner as well as how I experience my sexual energy." She comes to Soul Sessions to introduce us to tantric philosophy and how it can help with the following things:
• Re-connection with your inner self
• Deeper sexual experiences, greater intimacy and a stronger sexual spiritual connection
• An increased level of sexual energy and overall wellbeing
Tantric facilitator David Anderson is passionate about liberating people from society's conditioning and restrictions around sexuality, sensuality and intimacy. He knows that the restrictions and beliefs we have about sexuality and intimacy stop us from being fully present in relationships and get in the way of us fulfilling our sexual and intimate needs and desires. "Tantra is a way of life," David says. "It supports people to live lives ignited by full hearts and open to giving and receiving love, passion and joy. Sex was something I was drawn to out of animal instinct; but I was never particularly good at it, and intimacy was foreign to me. Tantra changed all that." David comes to Soul Sessions to deliver his top ten tantric tips for better sex and intimacy.
Passion is the juice that keeps us moving forward. Purpose is the thing we were born into this life time to do with all of our heart. Power is the experience we have of ourselves when our thoughts, behaviour and actions resonate with our highest nature. This session is for people who want to a fuller understanding of how the three Ps support each other to become fully realised in each of us. Join us.
Passion, Purpose, Power
Date: Thursday February 23. 6pm-9.30pm.
Official address of Soul Sessions Studio: 18/1-19 Regent St, Surry Hills, Sydney. Important notes: Studio entrance is around the back on James Street. Best parking on George St.
Pip McKay is one of the world's hidden keepers of profound ancient knowledge. Soul Sessions founder Eloise King says: "I sat at a dinner table with Pip one night and soon realised she holds wisdoms and knowledge that very few people have access to. Her approach to life, personal and spiritual development is one of the most unique I have ever come across." At the age of nineteen years, Pip suffered severe depression that was related to childhood abuse and the death of her father. She sought answers using both traditional and alternative means, and eventually entered into a spiritual apprenticeship. Pip spent the next 20 years being initiated into the Western Mystery Tradition, the key component of which was the study of archetypes, symbolism and the secrets of consciousness. Whoa! At the same time Pip overcame dyslexia to gain an honours degree in english literature, studied acting in New York, became an NLP Trainer and founded her company Evolve Now! Mind Institute. In 2001 Pip created Matrix Therapies, a form of therapeutic coaching to assist people heal past negative events, influences and emotions. In 2004 Pip began sharing the secret wisdoms of the Western Mystery Tradition. She comes to Soul Sessions to share her approach for finding passion and purpose using concepts from Plato and the archetypes.
Nick Psaila is an accomplished entrepreneur, a holistic lifestyle and a business coach who created Upology, a framework for discovering your purpose and aligning yourself with it for maximum personal power and profit. In his twenty years of entrepreneurial experience, Nick has built businesses up from scratch and turned them into multi-million dollar operations by working intelligently with the principles bound together in Upology. "Once people start seeing the UPside, they start tapping into that infinite source of power and opportunity that exists in all of us," Nick says. "That's when people change; that's when businesses change; that's when lives as a whole change for the better and people start really living." Nick has collected a host of qualifications in Holistic Coaching (CHEK Institute), Neuro Linguistic Programming, Bio Mechanics and Body Talk and is currently completing both his MBA (UNSW) and a graduate certificate in Change Management. He comes to Soul Sessions to share these with Sessioners at Passion, Purpose and Power.
Money is a result. Have you ever wondered what the difference really is between those who have millions or billions of dollars and those who scrounge around to pay the bills each month? Some very wealthy and successful people believe it comes down to what T Harv Ecker calls your Money Blueprint, that is, how your inner programming affects the results you have financially. "Rich people really do think differently to poor and middle class people," Ecker says. A big part of that thinking is whether, deep down, you are able to think and say yes to money and follow through.
Say Yes To Money!
Date: Wednesday March 21. 6pm-9.30pm.
Official address of Soul Sessions Studio: 18/1-19 Regent St, Surry Hills, Sydney. Important notes: Studio entrance is around the back on James Street. Best parking on George St.
Loral Langemeier is resident money expert on the Dr Phil show. She's a New York Times, USA Today and Amazon best-selling author and her next book - Yes! Energy: The Equation to Do Less, Make More - will be in book stores February 2012. Langemeier has built businesses in a variety of industries, including real-estate, green-recycled glass, and online marketing firms – several of which have grossed millions. She has shared her high value strategies at seminars all over the world, teaching people her simple recipe for capitalising on their skills and talents to make new money. As a single working mother, dynamic speaker and motivator, wand owner of business Live Out Loud, Inc; Langemeier comes to Soul Sessions to teach you simple tools to generate cash and build wealth
Second speaker coming soon.
Yoga is a practice for physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing that has been around for more than 5000 years. In fact, it predates written history. It is not a religion. It has no creed or fixed set of beliefs, and there is no prescribed god like figure to be worshipped (officially). Yoga is an organised system of asana, breathing and meditation that worked for our ancestors wanting greater personal freedom, health, longevity and a heightened Self awareness. It is the same system, fundamentally, that has spread throughout the world and now works for old and new yogis abound. But is it? What does the ancient practice of yoga mean to us in the west? How does it serve us? And how can we better understand its offerings for the modern world? Aum.
The Modern Yogi
Date: Thursday April 19. 6pm-9.30pm.
Official address of Soul Sessions Studio: 18/1-19 Regent St, Surry Hills, Sydney. Important notes: Studio entrance is around the back on James Street. Best parking on George St.
Once upon a time, grand yogi Duncan Peak was an elite military paratrooper. Transferring his highly disciplined approach from his military career to training across many yogic traditions, he now owns and teaches yogic wisdoms throughout a collection of studios he's founded or supported in creation. Dunc knows yoga to be a vehicle for understanding the mind and ultimately transcending our attachment to ego identity. He comes to Soul Sessions to explore the connection between the ancient practice of yoga and the modern individuals quest for inner peace and transcendence.
Second speaker coming soon.
Have you ever had the thought or feeling that you may be going mad? Perhaps, even, that the constant stream of phone calls, emails, work pressures, relationship needs and traffic is just all too much? It's not a pleasant space but, the truth is, more and more of us are finally asking ourselves the question, why do we do it and what's it all about? Modern life, that is. This session is for people who have recognised the treadmill and are ready to explore firstly, the possibility that we may actually be able to get off, and secondly, real ways to do just that. The more of us that have the courage to move in that direction, the less pressure there will be to keep running.
Are We Going Mad?
Date: May 10. 6pm-9.30pm.
Official address of Soul Sessions Studio: 18/1-19 Regent St, Surry Hills, Sydney. Important notes: Studio entrance is around the back on James Street. Best parking on George St.
When Vedic Meditation teacher Gary Gorrow first learned to meditate, it left a deep and lasting impression on him. Despite studying at UTS and working as a young print journalist, TV camera operator and advertising photographer, it was the direct learning he received from meditation teacher Dr Thom Knoles that he counts as his true higher education. After six years of integrated study with Knoles - a man recognized as the worlds foremost expert on Vedic Meditation and its related sciences (see Soul Session Raising Inspired Children) - that included direct experiences of higher consciousness and knowledge, Gary went to live with him in the mountains of Flagstaff Arizona and later in Northern India where he gained accreditation to teach the subtle art of Vedic Meditation. Today, Gorrow is regarded as a leader in the next generation of self growth experts. He dedicates himself solely to working with individuals to maximise performance and achieve success in all areas of their personal and professional life. Gary is an independent teacher of the Vedic Meditation Technique, an Ayurvedic Health Consultant and is also co-founder of '1 Giant Mind' a non profit organisation undertaking a global initiative to unite science and spirit in the world's largest experiment and assembly of meditators in human history. He comes to Soul Sessions to explore the madness we are putting ourselves through and techniques to find calm amidst the modern storm.
Dr Libby Weaver (Ph.D) is the author of Rushing Woman's Syndrome, to be released January 2012. She has a PhD in biochemistry and an Honours degree in Health Science (Nutrition & Dietetics). With more than 13 years of private practice under her belt, Dr Libby has also facilitated programmes at luxury health resort Gwinganna. "Rushing Woman's Syndrome is a condition that is making people fat, lackluster and unhappy," she says. "We really do need to slow down but it is a condition I witness every day in my clients and a health picture I love assisting people shift. When you get on top of it, it truly changes everything including your ability to burn fat, produce steady energy and sleep well. All of these are life changing health parameters." Dr Libby has worked with stay at home parents, busy professionals, prominent sports people and Hollywood stars. Talented spunk Hugh Jackman says: "Libby embraces a holistic approach by treating the root cause of an ailment. Her extensive knowledge of how the body works makes her a "one-stop shop" in achieving and maintaining ultimate health and well being." She comes to Soul Sessions to talk about just how common this modern rush has got and how bad it is for our health.
It's been said that you need two types of saving funds as a modern parent: one for your offspring's education, the other for their therapy. British Psychologist Oliver James wrote an anxiety provoking book about the parent-child reality titled They Fuck You Up. Whoa! But what if we didn't have to fuck our kids up? What if the world's best thinkers applied their knowledge and expertise to ways we can raise a generation of kids who are equipped to handle just about anything that comes their way? What if parents could get access to cutting edge science and information far superior to anything that has ever existed before? What if, we as parents arm ourselves with new tools and modi operandi that mean our children are raised consciously? What if? What if?
Raising Inspired Children
Date: May 20. 6pm-9.30pm.
Official address of Soul Sessions Studio: 18/1-19 Regent St, Surry Hills, Sydney. Important notes: Studio entrance is around the back on James Street. Best parking on George St.
Dr Joseph Dispenza D.C. is a high-profile neuroscientist, chiropractor, lecturer and author who's continuing education has been in neurology; neuro-plasticity; brain function and chemistry; cellular biology; memory formation; and aging and longevity. He is an invited member of Who's Who in America, an honorary member of the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners, the recipient of a Clinical Proficiency Citation for clinical excellence in doctor-patient relationships from Life University, and a member of Pi Tau Delta – the International Chiropractic Honor Society. His contribution to quantum thinking saw him featured in the award winning film, What the BLEEP Do We Know!? and more. Over the past 10 years, Dr Dispenza has lectured across six continents, teaching thousands of people how to re-program their thinking through scientifically proven neuro-physiologic principles. More recently, he has applied these principles to parenting by contributing to Dr Rosina McAlpine's book Raising Inspired Children. His book Quantum Parenting is set to be released in 2012. He comes to Soul Sessions to help you, help your kids create a life full of magic for themselves.
Dr Rosina McAlpine is an international award winning researcher and teacher holding posts at the University of New South Wales (Australia), The University of Glasgow (Scotland) and currently at the University of Sydney in the Faculty of Economics and Business. When her son was born in 2007, she extended her research into child development and parenting to discover there was so much ground breaking information parents just didn't have access to. Her commitment to doing the best by her own son combined with her passion for research inspired her to corral the work of some of the world's best thinkers in her recently released book, Raising Inspired Children. Dr McAlpine comes to Soul Sessions to teach us about equipping our kids with solid life skills that will help them tackle anything life throws at them.
Raising Inspired Children
Date: June TBA. 6pm-9.30pm.
Official address of Soul Sessions Studio: 18/1-19 Regent St, Surry Hills, Sydney. Important notes: Studio entrance is around the back on James Street. Best parking on George St.
When it comes to your health ignorance is not bliss, it's bullshit. While good natural and traditional western medicine is important for progressive health and worthy longevity, bad medicine is everywhere. Some of it is food related, some of it lifestyle-fuelled, and some of it dispensed by well-meaning (but ignorant) health professionals. Soul Sessions Founder Eloise King was appalled to find the words FAT FREE! emblazoned across the top of a stocking-shaped lolly bag received by her son, 6, last christmas as though it was a good healthy choice for consumption. Ignorance is not bliss. In fact, some of us are killing ourselves slowly, without even knowing it. This session is for those interested in the cutting edge truth about getting healthy.
Naturally Healthy
Date: Thursday 5th July. 6pm-9.30pm.
Official address of Soul Sessions Studio: 18/1-19 Regent St, Surry Hills, Sydney. Important notes: Studio entrance is around the back on James Street. Best parking on George St.
Hormone balance is vital to ensuring physical health and healthy weight, but also emotional, mental and spiritual well-being. the problem is that most of what women have been taught about their bodies and hormonal changes is inaccurate, outdated, or simply wrong. Sherrill Sellman N.D., Naturopathic Doctor (Board Certified in Integrative Medicine), is a women's natural health expert, psychotherapist and journalist in the field of women's health. She is the best-selling author of Hormone Heresy: What Women MUST Know, What Women MUST Know to Protect Their Daughters from Breast Cancer, The Return of the Ancient Seed and The Promise of hCG: How to Banish Fat, Resculpt Your Body and Rebalance Your Metabolism. Dr Sellman is an international lecturer, host of two women's weekly radio shows, senior editor and contributing writer to numerous health publications. After SS member Wendy Colaco heard Sherrill speak at Soul Sessions in 2010, she was determined to deal with her endometriosis of 20 years differently/naturally. Within months, she was off long term medication, completely free of the condition and the owner of a far more positive prognosis on her potential to have children.