The whole ambience of care and compassion which Ann offered right from the beginning has been extremely helpful, and I have loved working with her and the other members of the group.  I feel we have supported each other as well as benefitting greatly from Ann’s comprehensive knowledge, compassion, wisdom and expertise.  I found the three circles activity in Week 2 especially helpful at a time of great challenge with my health.  The mediations and compassionate check in have helped me focus on my body, how it feels and what I need.  I have loved the power of compassionate self-touch, and the lotus mudra.  What happened in the group in that session was metaphysical and magical! There have been surprises: I align myself with earth and water, and hate having cold, bare feet.  But in the meditation about the 5 elements, I felt such a gentle, soothing breeze playing around my feet that I focused on the healing power of air, and felt lifted and held.  On the same element, I have benefitted considerably from the breath work, and now often use one of those exercises to help me get to sleep or go back to sleep when I am struggling with insomnia.  I have learned to be much more mindful of my window of tolerance, and how to re-regulate myself or to sit with uncomfortable feelings and tensions knowing that they will pass.  As someone who has tried to practise yoga since being a teenager, and always giving up because it gave me a headache or I felt I wasn’t flexible or balanced enough, I have loved the movement practices, and Ann has given me a new perspective on yoga as something which can be practised with adaptations such as sitting, or having support, or just doing as much of the movement as I can manage.  The week when we did the pelvic tilt and bridge, I felt my hips move in a way I didn’t know was possible, and that gave me a lot of joy and trust in my my body.  This course and being part of this group are experiences I shall treasure for the rest of my life.  Ann’s extensive provision of resources gives me a library of ways in which I can continue to build on what I have learned in the course.