How I prepare for a Qoya class

​As much as Qoya is an adult dance class, it is equally (if not more so) a spiritual practice. It is a safe space for women to gather, share, connect, feel and dance. It is for this reason that I set sacred space as part of my ritual to prepare the room for a Qoya class. 

Setting sacred space is the practice of bringing positive energy into a space through actions and thoughts. There are many different ways to set sacred space and it might be something that you do yourself, but didn't know that's what it's called. You can smudge the room with sage or palo santo, spritz a smudge spray, burn incense, dance, sing, meditate, set up an altar, call in the four directions, chant... there really are lots of ways to bring positive energy into a room.  

I use a number of ways to set sacred space. It not only prepares the room but it also prepares me for the class. I hold space for my dancers to allow them to experience the class in the way they need to. I ensure they feel safe to explore what they are feeling and empowered to share their experiences.  They are valued, heard and held exactly as they are at the time. 

To start setting sacred space, I pick a gentle Spotify playlist to play to set the mood in the room. I then move on to preparing my altar. I use mats, candles, crystals, oracle cards, leaves and flowers from my garden to build it. Each altar is unique to that particular class. While I set up my altar, I calm my mind from the day that was and try to be as present as I can be. 

Next I roll out my yoga mats, one for each dancer and one for me. My yoga mats are from Jarin Street, a female owned and operated indigenous business from Gadigal country (Sydney). The artwork on the mats is by indigenous women artists who are all recognised and properly compensated for their art. I had been eyeing these mats for weeks before I launched Sunranges Qoya but thought they were out of my price range. Then I won some money on the Melbourne Cup (and no I don't know anything about horse racing, it was a fluke!) and decided that it was a sign to buy them. I now have one of each of their designs. 

I light my bundle of sage and first smudge myself as another way to help ground and prepare me for the class. I then dance around the outside of the room with the sage, calling in the spirit of the Qoya to help me to create a sacred space. The word Qoya means "Queen" as an empowered woman, however there was also an ancient group of people who lived around Lake Titicaca, Peru that were called the Qoya. In my mind's eye, I am calling the Qoya of the Qoya, the empowered women of the people to help me with my class. 

I go on to sage each of the yoga mats to purify them and then the altar, in particular the oracle cards. I want to ensure that each woman who comes to my class is able to select the card that calls to her without interference from my energy or the energy of a previous class. I put my sage into the paua shell I bought in New Zealand in an upright position to allow the sage to burn itself out. 

Lastly, I go to my own mat and start to mediate while I wait for my dancers to arrive.  

How do you set the mood for your own self care practices and rituals? I'd love to hear about them in the comments below!