Also known as Yoga of the Celts, Wyda encourages us to deepen our yoga practice by familiarizing ourselves with the expressions that connect us to our own land and helps us to see that yoga is also part of western heritage.
It is the movement theory of the Celtic druids that aims to unite man and nature and to help people to achieve harmony, health, and contentment through mindfulness. This philosophy, which was born in Northern Europe, is similar in terms of exercises to Qi Gong and Yoga.
It is practiced outdoors in the great outdoors, by the sea, lake or best of all in a forest, a powerful natural environment for your energy work.
Long ago, the druids, people who spent their lives mainly in the forest, the healers and scholars of the Celtic culture, knew a holistic practice to bring body and mind into harmony, Wyda.
It is also logical to assume that the old age reached by the Druids was partly due to a physical, spiritual and emotional method of exercise.
The teaching of Wyda basically distinguishes between three energy fields:
• – The vital field, located in the navel area, controls the body’s organs and hormonal system.
• – The emotional field in the chest area regulates moods and feelings.
• – The mental field in the head area, between the eyes, regulates brain performance and senses.
Each of these fields is attributed certain essential forces, elements and seasons, special characteristics and functions.
If these three fields are in balance with each other, we can feel our inner strength. Wyda exercises strive to bring the subtle energies into harmony with each other and to keep them in this harmony.
I first practiced Wyda at Mountain Hideaway Forestis in the Dolomites. A powerful landscape surrounded by ancient forests and high mountains at an altitude of 1,700 meters. This place has a tremendous energy that you can feel as soon as you arrive.
The wooded area around Forestis invites you to practice Wyda all year round. In summer the benefits of the trees and the earth combined with the sun shining through the wood are at their greatest. Begin your practice by choosing an area, a tree in the forest, that draws your attention and begin your breathing and practice. You can also combine Wyda with forest bathing, tree hugging.
It is important to wear outdoor clothing that is comfortable enough to move around in and keeps you warm and safe (hiking shoes, sun hat, sunscreen.)
Once you’ve done it, you’ll come back and incorporate it into your daily practice that can be practiced anywhere in nature.
