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july 2017yogajournal.com.auTHE MAGIC
“Being around Gwyn makes you feel like
a better person,” uttered one of Gwyn’s
students before our first session. The
Peter Pan of the yoga world, Gwyn is
reminiscent of a down-to-earth,
20-something surfer boy from the sunny
coast. And almost all of that is true.
Gwyn Williams, 51, is the founder of
Zenthai Shiatsu, an integration of Zen
Shiatsu, Thai massage and osteopathic
technique, which began more than 15
years ago. His creation has now grown
to become an evolving movement-based
therapy program, with yoga classes
known as Zenthai Flow — a practice
that integrates flowing asana with the
philosophies of the Chinese five
elements and meridians. All of Gwyn’s
workshops and trainings (held mostly
on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast and in
Bali) have an element of solo work,
active partner flow, and Zenthai
Shiatsu bodywork therapy.NEW BEGINNINGS
I hadn’t spoken to many people about it.
In fact, I hadn’t interacted with many
people beyond my family for months.
It was a strange and unique feeling to
express, and left me feeling a little
isolated and misunderstood. For the
past 15 months I’d been living with
my younger sister, and 10 months
ago she had given birth to the new
love of our lives, my beautiful nephew.And so we were three. It felt self-
indulgent to express aloud that I hadn’t
been feeling like myself lately, and
despite being completely in love with my
nephew, my identity felt as though it had
been engulfed by this new Aunty Jess
status. I had little left for myself, my
yoga practice or my teaching.
By the time I arrived in Bali for the
Zenthai Flow Facilitator Training, I felt
exhausted, confused and socially
awkward — unsure how my former self
had found it so easy to connect with
others. We arrived in the afternoon. The
anticipation from the participants was
palpable, as we sat in a big circle ready
for the adventure to begin. “Welcome,
and good on you for being here,” Gwyn
said with a broad, genuine smile.
“What you put into this training is what
you’ll get out of it,” he mused as we got
to know each other and prepared for a
transformational 18 days ahead. As I
drifted off to sleep that night, I felt
soothed by Gwyn’s kindness, and
already more myself than I had in
months.EARTH ~ NOURISHMENT,
GROUNDING, AND BOWING
DOWN TO THE GREAT MOTHER
The first morning I awoke to the sound
of the local Balinese Hindus chanting
their daily prayers and, as I looked
outside to the early morning darkness, I
felt equally excited and terrified to be inthis unfamiliar environment where I
would be more disciplined with my
practice and schedule than I had been
in a long time. During our morning
sweaty flow, we watched the sun rise
over the ocean, as Gwyn gently posed
the question, “Do you want to keep
telling yourself your story, or do you
want to heal?” During this first, earth
element-themed class, I drifted into
one of the most deliciously still
Savasanas of my life.
After class I was famished, and as
I chowed down on exotic fruits and
sweet Balinese porridge, undistracted
by conversation as we honoured a
noble silence until 9am, I looked
around at my fellow students. Ageless
yogis with sparkling eyes so committed
and devoted to being there and soaking
up the teachings that Gwyn so humbly
offers. Many of these students were a
part of Gwyn’s nine-month Zen Thai
Shiatsu training course, or had simply
had a massage treatment with him,
met him at a festival or practiced in
his classes, strongly resonating with
his vibe. I could relate. My own
journey landed me here because I’d
met Gwyn many times over the years
at yoga events. Despite his busy
schedule and high yogi profile, Gwyn
had always made time for me (as he
clearly does for everyone) and we’d
become easy friends. After hearing
whispers of his inspiring teachings, I“Forget the past, don’t invite the future, don’t get caught in the world of appearances
and trust in your own innate nature.” — Baba Ram DasPHOTOS: JULES CARDILLO