Find the Shaman in you with this workshop

BENGALURU: Do you believe in uniting the world in harmony and find the lost path of peace? Chances are, there is a Shaman within you. Shamans are referred as medicine men and women, who use the connection of nature along with spirit world to heal. Bengaluru is experiencing its fourth Shaman workshop at Shoonya- Centre for Art and Somatic Practices.

Beatrice Simmons is a Shaman practitioner from Switzerland and has been leading the healing movement for the last 25 years besides championing the educational process called F M Alexander Technique.
City Express catches up with Beatrice to understand the art and science of Shamanism.

Why is Shamanism, the oldest practice of healing and problem solving, important till today?
Shamans are the walkers in between, the bridge between worlds - nature and human beings. A Shaman is a pathfinder looking for the path we have lost. We also remind ourselves that we were once together as one inhabitants of this planet. We believe in becoming one again with the elements. Our truth and the universe is an ongoing healing process which never ends. Shamanism is an animist tradition that shares the wisdom of our ancestors and nature for now and the world to come.

Tell us some little known facts about Shamans.
Shamanism is practiced throughout the world and varies in different cultures. It is imbibed in traditions such as the kinds of ceremonies, rituals, tools and instruments. Drums and rattles are very common guiding tools for Shaman journeys, as we call them. Shamans journey between ordinary and non-ordinary reality. In their own ways they create sacred space in which healing can happen. In indigenous cultures the Shaman is responsible for their whole community, politically and as the medicine man or woman. We as Shamans still feel responsible for our communities.

What are the benefits of Shamanism?
Life imbalance is reflected in illness, physical pain, emotional pain and mental pain. Shamanism brings us back to our original power and in contact with the spiritual world which is protecting, guiding and supporting us. So we can learn to listen to our intuition, our inner own voice, to be able to follow our inner guidance on our path of life. Walking on this path, there are healing ceremonies, rituals and specific healing tools. As said, we are creating sacred space in harmony where healing can follow.
 
Tell us about your personal experience.
I met a man in Turkey who was working very closely with the forest around him and had been tending it for years. The local government cleared out the forest for hotels and cottages and other development. This hurt him to a great extent. I knew this man as a peaceful strong person but when I met him he was bed-ridden. He didn’t allow anybody else to see him, except me. After talking to him for a while I asked him, “Are you angry?” and he exploded. He was extremely upset about what was going on, seething with pain and anger. I had to work with him to let go of that anger and connect again to love and the healing energy of mother earth. We also did a healing ceremony for mother earth. The next day he was walking! He says, I saved his life.
 
When and how were you introduced to Shamanism?
As a child without knowing it. After the age of 16, I started to meet important people in my life. My first teacher was Selvarajan Yesudian from India.