Who is the Divine Delamay?
By Jessica Humphries
Meet Delamay Devi: One of Byron Bay’s brightest yoga gems.
Delamay from Byron Bay
Delamay Devi is a Byron Bay local in the truest sense: Born and bred in the area, she’s a travelling gypsy who settles back home between jet setting around the world, sharing her yoga wisdom. A long time student and assistant of the founder of Prana Vinyasa, Shiva Rea, Delamay has been teaching dance for over 20 years, and yoga for around 15. Known internationally for her retreats and trainings, she’s a true creative powerhouse who launched the first Prana Vinyasa affiliate Yoga Teacher Training in Australia back in 2017. Since then, she’s been sharing this beautifully feminine, medicinal movement around Aus. When she’s not teaching you might find her sitting on the balcony of her Mullumbimby home designing jewellery, dreaming of exotic locations and sipping a cup of tea.
On the mat: What to expect from a Prana Vinyasa yoga training with Delamay
Prana Vinyasa itself, if you haven’t stumbled upon it before, is a flowing asana practice that’s filled with subtle pulsations and vibrations. Rather than holding linear poses in a static way, Prana Vinyasa invites you to tune into your body’s inner pulsations and exaggerate them on the mat. The Namaskars are filled with oscillating movements that allow the body’s prana (life force energy) to be felt, expand and evolve. It’s a beautiful practice that challenges some of the more masculine yoga styles, and leaves you feeling open, creative and in flow with nature.
Separated into modules that correlate to the elements, each of Delamay’s trainings is taught over the duration of a weekend, allowing participants to fully integrate the learnings into their teachings and life. You can commit to a full 200 hour training or simply dip your toes into the separate modules at any time during the year-long course.
In a training, practitioners learn both classical and more modern approaches to vinyasa yoga, with teachings inspired by Krishnamacharya, Tantra, Ayurveda, Bhakti, Somatics and Shiva’s own yoga experiences.
When it comes to holding space, Delamay is a natural. She weaves her knowledge into conversation in the most effortless way, allowing each student to participate fully and contribute their own wisdom. She’s open, humble and oozes a femininity that invites her students to feel a sense of comfort and ease.
5 things I learned from training with Delamay
Yoga doesn’t have to be static ~ Everything is constantly pulsating and vibrating. Often in our yoga practice we feel the pressure to be still. To still the body in order to silence the thoughts. But yoga doesn’t have to be still. We can access a deeper sense of opening in the body and mind through inviting in and exaggerating the pulsations that are always there. This way of practicing leaves you feeling more open (and less likely to be sore the next day!).
Your yoga potential is endless ~ Recently, I’ve felt that my physical yoga practice has come to a halt. That the poses I was practicing years ago in my twenties were the extent of where I could go. But practicing with Delamay taught me that even as I age, my body’s potential is limitless - that I can continue to evolve and expand until the day I die.
Facing your fears is essential to your growth ~ Fear will always surface in your practice. But it is your choice whether you believe the thoughts or not. I went into the air module, an immersion that’s rich in backbends, scared that old injuries would resurface. I left completely injury free, with a new awareness of how my fear has been preventing me from exploring the beautiful places my body is totally capable of going.
When you think you’re done, there are so many places you can go ~ After a bit of a yoga sabbatical I was sure a 3 hour practice would leave me cooked and sore. I was wrong. After 90 minutes of movement, I thought I was done. I was wrong. The magic begins when you think you’ve reached your limit.
Teaching from the heart ~ I’ve discovered a newfound enthusiasm in my teaching. My adjustments, language and sequences have been injected with next-level heart that I didn’t even realise was lying dormant within.
Get your Prana Vinyasa fix
A Prana Vinyasa training with Delamay will leave you feeling endlessly open and inspired as both a student and a teacher.
To learn more about training with Delamay, head to her website.
Can’t commit to a full training but like the sound of this Prana Vinyasa business? No worries! Delamay teaches locally, runs retreats and offers lots of local goodness. You can find it all at her site.
Shiva Rea
Like the sound of this Shiva Rea character? You’re in luck! She’s heading to Byron Bay this week! You can find all the details at Body Mind Life! If you can’t make it, watch this space. We’ll be sharing the juicy-goss post-immersion!