CSTA’s inaugural conference day took place on 20th September, giving members and non-members an opportunity to come together as a community: to connect, reflect and be inspired.

The day featured talks on the theme, From the Heart, with guest speakers offering rich perspectives drawn from years of embodied experience in the field of craniosacral therapy. Sharing their insights and inspirations, conversation ranged from heart mechanics to consciousness, from circulation to the dynamic, reciprocal nature of CST.

CSTA secretary Gerri McLoughlin provides a summary of day:-

The conference kicked off with opening inspiration from Sarah Nesling, whose meditation prayer ‘Tending the Heart’, helps heal and nourish the heart and all that the heart holds. The prayer was given to Sarah by Michael Shea after she had a takotsubo left ventricle failure last year, colloquially referred to as broken heart syndrome.

Jo Coole, from Circle Cranio presented a piece called ‘Sangha of the Heart’ – how the heart develops within a field. She delicately led us through the exquisite formation of the heart in the womb and then had us up on our feet, sparking us to connect with our own inner rhythm, connecting us all to the rich depths of our community.

Then it was Jane Shaw’s turn, coming all the way from Northern Ireland to be with us to represent Body College. Titled ‘Fractured Rhythm’, Jane took a deep dive into the topic of dysautonomia, listening to the profound story the heart is telling. Her evocative reading of the Inuit tale, ‘Skeleton Woman’, has me re-reaching for Women Who Run With The Wolves by Clarissa Estes.

After lunch, ex-trustee Giulia Vaccari’s piece, ‘Heart-Centred Breath’, set a sweet tone. She skillfully used her drum and chimes to lull everyone into a gentle focus, inviting us to settle consciously into our own breath, our own fluid fulcrum.

Finally, it was our current trustee Lizette Villaverde’s turn with ‘Holding the Heart’ – embodied safety through the pericardium. She outlined the subtle power of the pericardium, how this amazing fluid-filled membrane acts as both receiver and protector. Then Lizette had us up on our feet again with a powerful heart-opening exercise and we were all stretching like cats!

A big thank you to all the team who worked so hard to stage this event: trustees Áine Ashby, Beatrice Doubble, Carol Mather, Dawn Goodes, Sheila Dobey, Lizette Villaverde; and special thanks to Andrew Koval-Radley for being a fantastic MC on the day.