Sorry - this event is cancelled

There is another Open Space in June

Classic Othona 'time out': restful days in a friendly community setting. For Open Space you can book and pay for as many or few days as you wish.

As an option from Tuesday to Friday there will be group sessions with sound therapist Lucy Starchild. Her workshops "Freeing the Inner Voice" will be an opportunity for you to rediscover your unique inner sound. Through the use of natural sounds, toning, simple movements and chants you will move with ease into an expression of your own authentic voice. Lucy's gentle sensitive approach provides a safe and supportive environment. Expect to be both surprised and delighted. (There will also be an opportunity to experience a sound bath.)

More about Lucy's work and her background follows the Charges Chart below.

Lucy writes:

For the past twelve years I have worked with my voice using natural and spontaneous sounds. As well as being deeply satisfying this has been a catalyst for change in my life. And on many occasions I have been privileged to witness the transformative power of sound in other peoples’ lives. My teacher was Chloe Goodchild; international singer and founder of ‘Naked Voice’ work. And in the past two years I have qualified as a sound therapist with my teacher Simon Heather, founder of The College of Sound Healing. I have run one day voice workshops, a series of workshops as well as working one to one.

Before my journey with sound began I had little confidence in my voice and believed and that I could not sing. So it was a great source of joy to me to realise that ‘YES, I can sing’. But I need to say here that my work with authentic sound is not about singing per se. Instead the discovery of my singing voice was a very happy by- product on my journey to reconnect with my authentic sound. My work with sound is about allowing sound to be expressed freely, without expectation, without judgement. The techniques I use to enable people to do this are simple. So they can easily be taken into the daily life of anyone who wishes to continue working with their natural voice long after the workshop has finished.

My experience of connecting with my inner sound is that it is empowering. It stimulates my innate creativity and increases my sense of well being and is a joyful experience. At the heart of my teaching are the following qualities:

Awareness: Body awareness; breath awareness; noticing; witnessing.

Intent/Allowing: Very important. This is our willingness, at the outset, to open up to our own unique sound. Even a little willingness is sufficient. Being present, moment to moment to what is occurring without expectation, without censorship, and without judgement.

Listening: To ourselves and others without judgment.

Silence: Paying attention to and honouring the silence between our sounding. As we do this we realise that it is from the silence that all sound comes and to the silence that all sound returns.

My teaching style is relaxed and, I hope, encouraging. I encourage my students not to have any expectations as to how their voice ‘should’ sound but rather to come with an open attitude, to be interested and curious. Curious as to how their unique inner sound is sounding right now in this moment. I have the richness of my own sound journey to share with others. And the sharing of it is my delight. Truly it is.

The beauty of my way of teaching is its simplicity. But beneath this simplicity is the profound potential for healing on many levels. Sound is fundamental to our lives, to our experience of ourselves as individuals, fundamental to the expression of our humanity. Allowing the expression of our own unique sound is a unifying experience. And as such allows us to satisfy our fundamental need for connection, connection with ourselves, others, nature and Source. And as we allow our connection to our own unique sound to deepen we discover an inner resource that is a constant presence in our lives, available for our use whenever we return our attention to it.