Characterised by powerful, flowing movements that channel and transform the body's energy, Dru Yoga claims to improve people's lives off, as well as on, the mat – physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Senior Dru yoga teacher, Jane Clapham, explains.
Dru, short for druvam, is a sanskit word, meaning “a still point”. In a nutshell, Dru Yoga aims to create healing and unity by combining asanas, pranayama (breath) and the ancient Eastern tradition of mudras (hand gestures). All this comes together to create flowing sequences that balance the energy centres of the body and help facilitate expression.
Accessing the power of the heart by reaching a point of stillness is essential to the process of healing painful emotions.
Within Dru Yoga there are specific, easy to practise sequences that work to transform different negative emotions into positive ones. The intention is to take the trapped energy caught in this pattern and releases it safely.
Unblocking your energy
The keystone of Dru Yoga is a process called Energy Block Release (EBR). Every day we have emotional energy thrown at us. Sometimes we can handle it; sometimes we can't.
Emotional energy enters the body via the joints, enters the muscle structures, and ends up in the internal organs, from where discomfort and, in extremes, disease begins. Energy Block Release Sequences help release energy blocked on the physical, mental and emotional levels.
Classes vary according to the teacher, but there is always a meditation element to the practice, and the emphasis is on a flowing practice pitched at all ability groups.
The outcome of a January 2006 survey, designed by psychiatrists and answered by 450 Dru students and teachers, illustrates how beneficial Dru yoga can be.
In the survey, 85% of respondents said their energy levels had been boosted by regular practice. Over 80% reported an improvement in stamina and strength, while 86% noticed an improvement in their breathing.
Amazingly, 89% said they are now better able to handles stress, while 91% agreed Dru Yoga has the power to transform negative thinking. In common with most types of yoga, better sleeping is another pay-off: 68% of people who answered the survey said their sleeping had improved.
The point of difference
Very often the question is asked as to how Dru Yoga is different from Hatha Yoga, or any other branch of yoga.
The answer is that Dru Yoga makes use of the different levels of being to facilitate the release of energy, and to transform awareness and consciousness. Because we can directly reach these levels, the results are rapid.
This system has formed the basis for our detraumatisation work in post-war zones, including the North Caucasus, Northern Ireland and in Africa. It is proving effective at treating any traumatic circumstance because it transforms emotional pain without having to re-live the experience of trauma.
Dru Yoga's 240 hour teacher training courses, registered with the Yoga Alliance, are held in London, West Midlands, Leeds, Scotland and North Wales.
Over 600 students are currently in training at schools in the UK, Ireland, The Netherlands, Australia, Canada and the USA. Around 10% of these are already trained in another yoga discipline. Courses run for periods of from one to four years.
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