When we decided to move to Beijing around this time last year, loads of people asked me if I was scared. I had no idea what they meant. Why would I be scared? As it turns out, I had lots of things to be scared about. The first six months in Beijing were one long scary story. If I knew what would happen to our family, we would have never gone to Beijing in the first place. Luckily for us we were not scared and we did not let fear stop us from moving to another continent. But fear is an emotion that will stop you from doing many things. The fear of Chinese public toilets made me stop drinking water in the summer and I developed kidney stones. Now this example is extreme, but fear stops us from partaking in exciting activities as well.
Hannah Northcott, a certified yoga instructor and yoga therapist and Carnisa Berry, a life coach, are combining their powers and organizing an event to help us have a full experience in both body and soul. The event will be a time to reconnect with oneself while also being part of a community. Berry encounters many people in her work that are stuck in life because of fear. Berry explained me that ”fear gets trapped in our bodies and manifests as anger and frustration, when a mother understands her fear and can identify it, she can make wiser and healthier decisions’ and passes this along to their child.
I am more than excited to join Northcott and Berry for this mini yoga retreat and discover how fear keeps many of us from living our dreams. The last day for early bird registration is March 4th and costs RMB 350. After March 4th, registration will cost RMB 400. The ticket price includes a light breakfast, and the retreat will be held at Upper Dance Studio of the Dome International School of Beijing Shunyi, Beijing. Please see below for more information and to find out who to contact.
Pauline van Hasselt has been working for beijingkids since October 2016. Born in Wassenaar, The Netherlands, she moved with her husband and her 3 year-old daughter to Beijing in June of last year. Prior she lived in the Netherlands, Belgium, Paraguay, Texas, and London, studying and working as a chef. Pauline enjoys biking around Beijing, finding markets and new restaurants, reading crime and fantasy books in bed, and most importantly, turning her house into a home for her family.
