Amy Massey is a tutor on our Pregnancy Yoga Teacher Training.
Amy’s passion is Ayurveda which has been guiding her life for more than a decade. Her online module, Ayurveda and Yoga for Women is available from the end of July 2021.
It’s part of the pregnancy training but it’s so delicious we’re making it available to anyone interested.
If you’re keen to find greater balance, nurture and delight – especially with kitchen healing then check out Amy’s offerings of care with us, read her interview below and more about the upcoming Pregnancy Yoga Teacher Training and the options here >>
Contemporary Yoga (CY): Congratulations Amy, your online Ayurveda for Women’s Health and Pregnancy is Contemporary Yoga’s very first online module. How long is this module, who is it for and what will people learn?
Amy Massey: We’ve estimated 10 hours study time - though if you’re as keen as me on kitchen healing you may like to allow a little longer for kitchen play! There are theoretical elements that are worthy of further research/reading and many practical elements within this course, including beautiful practices for self care, massage, mantra, meditation and mudra too - and so the exact duration of time dedicated to this course and these practices may be unique to each student.
The course is accessible to all, there are no prerequisites, though it perhaps holds special appeal for those interested in working with women, women embracing living in health-giving ways, yoga teachers who are teaching pregnancy yoga, and those who are simply wanting to offer practical support to women entering motherhood - and, of course, this training is for women themselves who are preparing to conceive, currently pregnant or with newly born babes.
CY: We’ve had a sneak preview of the module – it looks divine – so heartfelt and warm with lots of education, great videos … and wonderful recipes – our taste buds were tantalised just reading those recipes. What’s been your favourite part of developing this module?
Amy: These wisdom ways are truly meant to nourish and nurture women as they transition into motherhood. In its simplest sense, the essence of Ayurvedic practices for women’s wellness is care.
It is my most sincere hope and intention this course may make these deeply nurturing traditions of care more accessible to women, their families, friends and communities, in turn bringing greater well being to women and children.
In that sense, compiling these resources and presenting this course in an online format has felt deeply satisfying - simply knowing that this information may reach women who are searching for it.
photo by oliveandpop.com
I’m inspired by women. Our lives, our stories, our day to day, hardships, heartbreaks and heart-warming experiences of mothering, the incredible capabilities of our bodies and capacities of our hearts - and I’m inspired by the possibility that all women may be held with reverence and respect through this precious and powerful transition.
CY: Can anyone do this module? Or do you have to be part of the Pregnancy Teacher Training?
Amy: The learnings are accessible to anyone as an introductory level course in Ayurveda for women’s wellness. The course is tailored especially for Contemporary’s Pregnancy Yoga Teacher Training and so naturally the focus is on supporting women entering into motherhood with a continuum of Ayurvedic care, from preconception, through pregnancy and postpartum.
CY: Your involvement in yoga is uniquely women-centred/inspired and you’re focussed on women’s pregnancy journeys – it would be great to hear more about what inspires and fascinates you about your work with women …
Amy: I’m inspired by women. Our lives, our stories, our day to day, hardships, heartbreaks and heart-warming experiences of mothering, the incredible capabilities of our bodies and capacities of our hearts - and I’m inspired by the possibility that all women may be held with reverence and respect through this precious and powerful transition.
Ayurveda gives us simple ways of supporting women (ourselves and others) with daily habits, rituals and healing practices to nourish, nurture and enliven our bodies. Ayurveda also gives us a wider sense of self, a greater sense of belonging, a way of understanding ourselves and others in relationship to our families, our communities, our societies, our natural world - we are in relationship with it all.
CY: How did you come to be where you are now in terms of Somama Yoga & Ayurveda and your work with women? Were there pivotal moments, lightning bolt realisations, goal-oriented direction, organic evolvement….?
Amy: Sparked from my love of Veda, Somama Yoga & Ayurveda has been a gradual unfolding, motivated in equal parts by my own journey into motherhood and the journeys of those women around me. It was all I wanted to do, to bring care and support to other women around me.
And it began so simply with basket deliveries of Ayurvedic food, practical offerings of support, sharing of birth stories, breastfeeding support in community groups - such seemingly simple things, while my own little boy was still in arms … nowadays it’s heartwarming to hear stories from women I once cared for, caring for other new mothers!
When we moved to Motueka, there wasn’t a Yoga studio space in town here … so what was once the family lounge was promptly cleared of couch and coffee table and aptly dubbed the ‘yoga lounge’ where I offered yoga classes for small groups of women.
The past 18 months brought some changes (for most everyone!), including classes and consultations moving out of the home space … into the online space! Wow that’s been fun, sometimes tricky, certainly different! I hadn’t planned to move into the online space but I’m growing to love and appreciate the ease and accessibility - I love that I can connect with women anywhere, from my lounge in small town Motueka.
I found a (surprising!) richness in connecting with teachers, mentorship opportunities and learning in the online space, a way of connecting one-to-one with teachers around the world I might not have otherwise had an opportunity to connect with and learn from.
CY: There doesn’t appear to be many Ayurveda trainings in the Aotearoa? If someone was interested in diving deep into Ayurveda what would you recommend?
Amy: Starting with an Ayurvedic approach to our own health and wellness is a great place to begin learning Ayurveda - a road of learning that is uniquely our own!
There are some online courses and education programs I have listed in the course resources, linking students with further education opportunities and mentorship programmes with some incredible teachers and practitioners of Ayurveda around the world.
See Amy’s bio:
yogateachertraining.nz/profile/Amy+Massey/
Amy’s website, Somama Yoga & Ayurveda
somamaveda.com
Further information on the Pregnancy Yoga Teacher Training >>
Amy’s online Ayurveda for Women’s Health Course >>