Dear Qoya Community,

I hope this email finds you well and with a strong pulse of life in your heart. As I sit down to write to you, I feel an immense amount of energy, change, pain, gratitude, and L I F E swirling through me.

One of my daily practices to navigate these times has been to connect with nature. In my studies with the Andean tradition, one of the central teachings is to develop personal relationships with the beings of nature where you live. One of these primary relationships would be your paqarina, your nature mom, who is the closest water to where you live. The invitation is to get to know her. Ask her what sort of offerings she likes. I originally brought mine flowers; however, since she is a stream that dries up when it's hot, she asked me to bring her water on the warm days. After making an offering, I listen to what she has to say. I often encourage myself to take my questions to the master teacher Mother Earth, and some days, I have the good sense to write down the essence of the wisdom. Here are some of the things I've received in the last month:

Growth is happening.
There is (always) beauty here.
Bless this mess.
Get closer to see more clearly.
When the ground has what it needs, I will show my abundant flow. Feed what needs feeding first. (Don’t prioritize those with the most privilege.)
Stay true to yourself.
We are here together and stronger together than alone.
Let your life be an altar and tend to it.
Be in harmony with your cycle. I am in harmony with mine.
Please don’t worry about doing it wrong. The essence is connect with your heart. Feel resonance in your body. Communicate. Speak and listen.
More quiet moments will help you.
Don’t be so hard on yourself. Just grow and move on.
Do not doubt yourself anymore.

If you went to visit your paqarina/nature mom, brought an offering, and listened, I wonder what you would hear?

Another main Q'ero teaching is about being in right relationship, also called ayni. I am infinitely grateful for the time that I have spent learning from the Q'ero traditions and am consistently asking how I can be in right relationship, when I have received so much from their generosity of spirit. One way is to ask you as a fellow member of the Qoya community to support them at this time. Many indigenous families moved from the mountains into the city of Cusco to share their teachings with the tourists who were coming to learn and remember things like staying connected to nature. This connection to nature is seen as essential to receive the empowerment needed to collaborate for a sustainable future. I invite you to join me in supporting the Q'ero at this time as they are being impacted by COVID-19. Even a small $10 donation can feed a family for 3 days. This is a timely request from the community and your generosity is so appreciated. Click here to donate.

I will also be offering a class Sunday, August 16th from 3:00-4:30pm where all proceeds from the class will go to the Q'ero, in which we will be invited to dance with the theme of Right Relationship.

Click here to register.

I taught a Qoya class online this last weekend on Sunday called Begin Again, and afterwards I had this moment of creativity to take all the song titles (bolded below) and reflect on the experience I had while dancing, weaving the wisdom from my body with the song titles and references to the pillars in Qoya we dance with (intention setting, circling, heart opening, hip opening, etc.) I am inspired to share it with you as Qoya is always standing for the embodiment of our essence, so that when creativity comes in, we can trust it, express it, and follow it. For the solutions of the New are likely arriving in New, non-linear, goose bump affirming ways.

To listen to the playlist, click here.

Reflections from Qoya Class Begin Again — July 26, 2020

A New Beginning is before us. I am seeing the systems of this world portray themselves like a bright shiny diamond that is unethically sourced.

Perhaps the world is also ready to find a truer treasure, something that intends to tend the embodiment of women, a Ruby in the rough.

At this point in my life, I yearn for initiated hospice workers to circle around white supremacist patriarchy as it receives its terminal diagnosis.

I dance to "What's Love Got to Do with It?" and I hear my heart open as it whispers, “Everything."

As the sensation of air tingles on my skin, I feel the next song "Herfra Hvor Vi Star." I don't know what it means, but Google tells me it means "from where we stand" in Danish. My hips tell me to slow down and switch servers.

Make me a midwife of the New and stay The Course. I offer my movement as prayer that it may be so for me and that May You Find a Light that guides you on the path that is uniquely yours.

Is pleasure without the contrast of Grieving a shadowy delusion? (An appendix from my appendix asks.)

Now it's Over. Now I'm Awake. I practice the art of transitioning with spaciousness to integrate the discernment found.

Alone I linger, and together We Rise, shaking ourselves free from anything that keeps us from Beginning Again.

For 2 minutes and 58 seconds, Joy becomes the teacher and invites everyone to board her Love Train.

Insight awaits. Let Go and dance freely.

Share your commitments to Start Over and Begin Again.

Receive your Queendom as you stretch the remembering of your Self into the fiery cosmos. From above, see the Union of Earth and Ocean that is here.

Admit it, Endings are Beginnings.

Every time I dance, I am renewed with inspiration to feel the transformation that embodiment practices offer us in these times of great transformation. To be able to move with and through the many layers of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual experience is necessary. For me, an initiation into my power to release, reclaim, and better support the communities I am connected to is strengthened with dance, which is why I am so passionate about sharing these tools.

Do you feel called to deepen your experience with Qoya? If so, here is some information on our upcoming teacher training offerings, many of which I will lead online.

Phase One: Complete the self-paced Intro to Qoya training (offered at a Pay What You Can rate through August 1st).

Phase Two: Take the Online Initiation training with me online on September 12 - 13 or check out our other in person trainings, currently available this fall in England, France, and Spain with more dates and locations coming.

Phase Three: Teach 11 practice classes to friends and family and submit student and self evaluation forms for three of them. A practice class can be taught to one person, to the same person multiple times, the same class multiple times, or to other teachers in training.

Phase Four: Take the Online Intensive training with me this fall. Two trainings are currently available:

October 17 - 24
November 14 - 21

Phase Five: Integrate your intensive experience by continuing to teach and weave these embodied practices and philosophies of Qoya into your daily life.

Questions? Please reach out to info@qoya.love, and we'll get them answered. If you feel the call to deepen your personal experience with Qoya for yourself or to lead Qoya circles online and in your community, I encourage you to trust that feeling!

Finally, the Pay What You Can period for all our self-paced online courses is running through August 1st, so please register for anything you feel called to explore and let others know who you think may benefit from Qoya and our online courses.

Thank you for gathering in this space of remembering.

With love,
Rochelle