Spring Heart Opening: Sound bath, Garba dance, Hatha Yoga

About
Our Spring Heart Opening invites you to awaken your senses and reconnect with the natural rhythms of renewal. This nurturing retreat weaves together the healing vibrations of sound with Demir Aliu, the expressive flow of dance with Jacqui Dreessens, and the grounding practice of yoga with Alita Trafton.Allow yourself to open your heart and restore inner balance.
Set in the tranquil environment of Bancoora Inn, surrounded by the beauty of spring, participants are guided through an immersive sound journey, the richness of Indian Garba dance of the Sacred Feminine and gentle Hatha Yoga.
Designed to release tension, invite joy, and deepen presence. Through mindful connection, movement, and music, this retreat offers space to rejuvenate body, mind, and spirit—celebrating the blossoming energy of the season and the awakening of the heart.
Date
Sunday 26 October 2025 1:45 PM - 5:00 PM (UTC+11)Location
Bancoora Inn Traditional Ryokan
291 Breamlea Rd, , Connewarre VIC 3227
PROGRAM
1.45PM ARRIVAL
Bring your own water bottle, yoga mat, bolster, cushions, blanket and settle into the beautiful Bancoora Inn space.
Bring something personal for our Spring altar and take it home fully charged with love, compassion and shared abundance for yourself.
2.00pm - 5.00pm
The sound immersion will flow into the dance embodiment which will then segway into the flow of traditional Indian Garba dance music. Beautiful chanting to the Mother Goddesses of Creation will then lead us into a gentle Hatha Yoga with Alita and finishing full circle back to Demir's Sound Immersion and Yoga Nidra.
What a luscious afternoon!
There will be no breaks but a continuing flow of energy.
Feel free to go to the bathroom at anystage.
Demir, Jacqui and Alita will be constantly holding space for your safety and emotional wellbeing.
DEMIR ALIU

Immerse yourself in the transformative sound journey of a multi-instrumentalist, intuitive sound artist, performer, and facilitator whose work bridges the realms of music, ritual, and soulful connection. Through original songs and spontaneous improvisation, Demir creates beautifully woven soundscapes that blend acoustic instruments, ancient ritual tools, and expressive voice. Each sound immersion becomes an exploration of the threads that connect us across cultures, times, and cosmic influences—a journey through vibration, emotion, and the shared human need for expression and belonging.
Participants are invited to rest, listen, and feel as layers of tone and resonance awaken inner landscapes, inviting harmony, stillness, and a renewed sense of connection to self and the greater whole.
JACQUI DREESSENS

Garba Dance of the Sacred Feminine is a traditional Indian “dance of the womb” that honors womanhood and celebrates Shakti, the feminine principle. Rooted in spiraling anticlockwise movements through the feet and hips, it offers a meditative flow that nurtures balance, change, and transformation. Your dance embodiment will explore three divine aspects of the Mother Goddess—Bhvaneshwari, Mother of the Universe; Durga, Mother of Power and Protection; and Lakshmi, Mother of Beauty and Abundance. The dance begins by acknowledging Shakti within, then develops embodied movement into improvisation and choreography, celebrating the divine dance of body, mind, and spirit.
Jacqui is an ethnochoreologist, multidisciplinary artist, and community arts practitioner whose work is inspired by nature, ancestry, and place. Her teaching weaves Western Classical Ballet, Contemporary Dance, Tai Chi, Yoga, Feldenkrais, and Laban Movement Analysis, enriched by training with the Soni School of Garba Dance in Mumbai and a Master’s in Ethnochoreology (First Class Honours) from the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance. As Director of Wild Moves International since 1991 Jacqui offers a deeply embodied and global approach to movement, rhythm, and connection with spirit and land.
ALITA TRAFTON

Alita has been teaching yoga since 2010. She’s passionate about sharing the many benefits of classical style Hatha Yoga and Yoga Nidra (guided deep relaxation) with anyone from absolute beginners to seasoned yoga practitioners. Her teachings include turning inwards being mindful of breath and body to find a balance between comfort and challenge, creating space for the body and mind to strengthen, rejuvenate and relax. During our Spring Heart Opening Retreat Alita will offer a Hatha yoga practice focusing on our heart chakra, Anahata, to help facilitate the flow of radiant inner beauty & love which can lead us to a blossoming of new beginnings, as well as help open our hearts to Lakshmi, goddess of well-being, harmony & abundance who personifies generosity, compassion, and empathy. Practice will conclude with a mini Yoga Nidra for relaxing and restoring radiance of the heart.