Testimonials
Kathryn you are truly divine and bring health, joy, peace and truth into my life. I look forward to seeing you soon!
Jan Harvey
If I could feel as I did today,
My heart was flying my inner voice knew what to say,
I rose to the sky, I connected to the earth,
I let go of the old and my heart embraced a new birth,
A soul full of love a heart that came to dance,
The light filled me so gently, the power, I was in trance,
To feel right at home in the body of love,
Is to touch, is to feel, to fly like the dove
The softness, the gentleness, the innocence of a child,
The openness, the freedom, the curiosity runs wild,
If I could feel as I did today,
There would be nothing I could not accomplish,
nothing could stand in my way .....
A poem written by Shannon after attending an
Artistry of the Soul afternoon in Brunswick Head
This was my second Yoga Retreat with Kathryn in Ubud Bali. I thoroughly enjoy and benefit greatly from her teachings. Her program is very varied and so interesting and also challenging. Which is what I personally enjoy. I love the style of Yoga and I also love the singing, chanting and other body movements. It really frees up my creativity. I look forward to the next Retreat.
Rita Rikelle
I am deeply grateful to have participated in the 'Artistry of the Soul' retreat in Bali last week with a group of phenomenal women. We held each other in an invisible, resonant circles of sisterhood and sound, we merged body and breath, we chanted, we wrote from our hearts, we ate delectable food, we laughed from our bellies, we danced, we held space for each others' secret desires, we saw each others' raw, naked souls, and most of all.... we loved. Kathryn Riding is a magic weaver, the most incredible yoga teacher I have ever experienced and Alice Farebrother is an exceptional facilitator of creative writing. Thank you Universe!
Joia Holman
Kathryn Riding embodies a depth of being and immersion in her craft that goes beyond her decades of dedicated practice and training. She has an immense intuitive gift for guiding the body, heart and soul toward deep insight, creative expression, inner joy and ultimately healing. Kathryn undertakes this calling with unwavering respect, love and compassion; tuning in to people with authentic tenderness and holding a space where I feel every essence of who I am is honoured and expanded in the most magical of ways.
Chelle Wallace
Thank you for a fabulous course. Artistry of the Soul is indeed a perfect title. You hold a special space for our exploration, with strength, grace, poise and a stunning stream of creative openings that each of us can bathe, grow and expand in. I loved all the classes and the elegant way in which you conducted them and the way you bring out the best in each of us. Yay!
Mary McCarthy
What a week, to be immersed in your beautiful tones and intuitive guidance. Thank you again for this opportunity for a week of soulful bliss.
Simone Dempster
It is a rare find when a person of such talent can hold a space to teach others with such grace and love. Kathryn Riding offers an enriching journey of growth in a loving playground of yoga, improvisation, voice and movement.
Kathryn’s wisdom gently caresses as it guides you into a place of opening, allowing you to find your authentic expression. It was such a privilege to be guided by Kathryn, she is indeed a very special being!
Ozlem Beldan from November 2010 retreat
After Bali
Bali is leaving me
Starting from the toes
The bright red flashes I’m taking off
with chemical precision
What stays is within
And it gains momentum,
this transformed version of me
that wants mindful embodiment
Bali is not in earshot
Or even in my sights
But I hear and see a new world
Ever more mindful of my soul
What stays is within
Remembering shape and stillness;
this transformed version of me
with cells rearranged.
Teresa Culkin Lawrence
Kathryn's yoga is unique, combining different styles and her wisdom gained over many years of teaching. She caters for all levels. Beginners to experienced yogis come away feeling refreshed and invigorated. And I for one want to go back for more and more. I wish I could pack her up and move her down to Sydney.
Her improvisation classes are a must. Although some people may feel inhibited initially, she gently encourages the inner child in all of us to come out and play. A wonderful experience. I'll miss both her classes.
Pamiela Berenson
Kathryn's Yoga and Improvisation work offers a most exhilarating journey of self reflection and intuitive self-understanding. One is released from the presuppositions of how and what one should be, say or do. Instead there is the offering of a portal to the self, one that is liberating and energising. I noticed many of us grew wings and flew with the energy of life that was there waiting to be acknowledged. Kathryn's work is profoundly healing, an awakening of consciousness and a liberation of the soul. For those seeking to discover behind the reflection - I strongly recommend it!
Karine Shellshear
The best treat I could have given my self and my body. Having time to relax and unwind with Kathryn's guidance brings remarkable results. I feel clear calm and conscious.Yoga classes take place in the most picturesque surroundings, palm trees, ducks and rice terraces. I shall certainly come back for more. Thank you Kathryn for a enlightening experience.
Peta Laurisen
What it has done is change my life. I have found a new well spring of creativity, a new passion for life, a new perspective on reality.
I feel transformed in the very cells of my being. Kathryn’s vitality, flowing energies and wisdom were profound. I found myself in a new world – dancing, singing, laughing, creating. I like this new me.
Margot Cairnes
The improv. was the big surprise and whilst challenging for me, a man, on a mental level, extraordinary in its effect on my creativity and, without wanting to overstate it, even emotional openness.
Sean Nuna
Kathryn Riding is a magician. Her yoga and improvisation transform nerves, suspicions and shyness into light, laughter and openness. She can change a group of strangers into an ensemble. Bravo!
Theresa Miller
At all stages I found myself doing things I never would have believed I could, with new achievements each day built on the foundations of everything which had preceded.
This was all made easier by the magical venue. Melati Cottages is a serene and beautiful place where anything feels possible. Rather than being a resort where everything runs to clockwork, it is a modest place built on goodwill, flexibility and the special Balinese sense of the aesthetic.
Rob Wheeler
The Dance/Improvisation classes bring out your emotions, creativity and easy movement. There is no pressure and it's amazing how inspired and how much braver and more confident you feel as the days pass. The music is sublime. I felt my week in Bali was a nurturing time that was beneficial to my mind, body and spirit. The combination of Kathryn's guidance and caring, all the natural beauty in Ubud, the Yoga, the Dancing & Improvision, the massages, relaxation, good food and good company left me feeling happy and healthy. It's a time of rest, relaxation, colour, beauty and inspiration - you'll stretch and grow.
Arianne Cross
My "Artistry of the soul" Bali experience with Kathryn and Vijoleta was one of the most woderfull things I have done in my life. I couldn't believe how liberating both mentally and physically Kathryn's eclectic yoga and poetic improvisations linked with Vijoleta's kind, patient, instructive photography and writing sessions could be. The word "can't" was forbidden. How happy this made me, I can only begin to express. I have already booked for next year.
Galina Zinchenko
Kathryn's gentleness and ability to connect with everyone makes this a retreat for all levels of ability. This was my second retreat with Kathryn, yet I learnt new things, opened new emotional doors and returned home happier, healthier and stronger.
Jane Cornes
A pulse, a breath, a rhythm
Mind is still
body present, listening...
A random memory floats past
a hidden narrative,
a piece of pure abstraction...
I feel at peace when I dance.
I become one with my body
I transcend my body,
feeling a deeper wisdom
an undefinable energy...
Evelyn Aston
Kathryn Riding embodies beauty and creativity in everything she does. Anyone who is fortunate enough to attend her Artistry of the Soul retreats will leave feeling both more grateful for the beauty of their body and its ability to tap into a realm of wisdom that will unleash their hidden potential for creative expression to achieve a loving connection with others. Being guided through her gentle yet challenging yoga classes by her soothing voice in a gorgeous wantilan set in the midst of nature is a delicious treat, and her joy-filled Interplay sessions in the afternoon are the icing. I have attended several of Kathryn’s retreats in recent years and never tire of them.
With gratitude – Marta Grutka (Singapore)
Yoga retreat, sounds wonderful but I was a little concerned about how I would manage several hours of yoga every day for a week. Well I need not have worried, Kathryn's gentle encouragement, constant care and expert yoga instruction, made the hours fly by. The improvisation was a real treat, moving freely to music, finding our voices in all sorts of ways and being together in a supportive group. To be part of people's growth as well as my own was unexpected but wonderful.
All this in a setting that started with the morning thrill of roosters' crows, walking the path through paddy fields to the beautiful yoga building and listening and watching the antics of the ducks doing their own version of vacuum cleaning the paddy fields. I have returned to my Melbourne life calm and at peace with the world, with great memories of a very special holiday In Bali.
Adrienne James
Jan Harvey
If I could feel as I did today,
My heart was flying my inner voice knew what to say,
I rose to the sky, I connected to the earth,
I let go of the old and my heart embraced a new birth,
A soul full of love a heart that came to dance,
The light filled me so gently, the power, I was in trance,
To feel right at home in the body of love,
Is to touch, is to feel, to fly like the dove
The softness, the gentleness, the innocence of a child,
The openness, the freedom, the curiosity runs wild,
If I could feel as I did today,
There would be nothing I could not accomplish,
nothing could stand in my way .....
A poem written by Shannon after attending an
Artistry of the Soul afternoon in Brunswick Head
This was my second Yoga Retreat with Kathryn in Ubud Bali. I thoroughly enjoy and benefit greatly from her teachings. Her program is very varied and so interesting and also challenging. Which is what I personally enjoy. I love the style of Yoga and I also love the singing, chanting and other body movements. It really frees up my creativity. I look forward to the next Retreat.
Rita Rikelle
I am deeply grateful to have participated in the 'Artistry of the Soul' retreat in Bali last week with a group of phenomenal women. We held each other in an invisible, resonant circles of sisterhood and sound, we merged body and breath, we chanted, we wrote from our hearts, we ate delectable food, we laughed from our bellies, we danced, we held space for each others' secret desires, we saw each others' raw, naked souls, and most of all.... we loved. Kathryn Riding is a magic weaver, the most incredible yoga teacher I have ever experienced and Alice Farebrother is an exceptional facilitator of creative writing. Thank you Universe!
Joia Holman
Kathryn Riding embodies a depth of being and immersion in her craft that goes beyond her decades of dedicated practice and training. She has an immense intuitive gift for guiding the body, heart and soul toward deep insight, creative expression, inner joy and ultimately healing. Kathryn undertakes this calling with unwavering respect, love and compassion; tuning in to people with authentic tenderness and holding a space where I feel every essence of who I am is honoured and expanded in the most magical of ways.
Chelle Wallace
Thank you for a fabulous course. Artistry of the Soul is indeed a perfect title. You hold a special space for our exploration, with strength, grace, poise and a stunning stream of creative openings that each of us can bathe, grow and expand in. I loved all the classes and the elegant way in which you conducted them and the way you bring out the best in each of us. Yay!
Mary McCarthy
What a week, to be immersed in your beautiful tones and intuitive guidance. Thank you again for this opportunity for a week of soulful bliss.
Simone Dempster
It is a rare find when a person of such talent can hold a space to teach others with such grace and love. Kathryn Riding offers an enriching journey of growth in a loving playground of yoga, improvisation, voice and movement.
Kathryn’s wisdom gently caresses as it guides you into a place of opening, allowing you to find your authentic expression. It was such a privilege to be guided by Kathryn, she is indeed a very special being!
Ozlem Beldan from November 2010 retreat
After Bali
Bali is leaving me
Starting from the toes
The bright red flashes I’m taking off
with chemical precision
What stays is within
And it gains momentum,
this transformed version of me
that wants mindful embodiment
Bali is not in earshot
Or even in my sights
But I hear and see a new world
Ever more mindful of my soul
What stays is within
Remembering shape and stillness;
this transformed version of me
with cells rearranged.
Teresa Culkin Lawrence
Kathryn's yoga is unique, combining different styles and her wisdom gained over many years of teaching. She caters for all levels. Beginners to experienced yogis come away feeling refreshed and invigorated. And I for one want to go back for more and more. I wish I could pack her up and move her down to Sydney.
Her improvisation classes are a must. Although some people may feel inhibited initially, she gently encourages the inner child in all of us to come out and play. A wonderful experience. I'll miss both her classes.
Pamiela Berenson
Kathryn's Yoga and Improvisation work offers a most exhilarating journey of self reflection and intuitive self-understanding. One is released from the presuppositions of how and what one should be, say or do. Instead there is the offering of a portal to the self, one that is liberating and energising. I noticed many of us grew wings and flew with the energy of life that was there waiting to be acknowledged. Kathryn's work is profoundly healing, an awakening of consciousness and a liberation of the soul. For those seeking to discover behind the reflection - I strongly recommend it!
Karine Shellshear
The best treat I could have given my self and my body. Having time to relax and unwind with Kathryn's guidance brings remarkable results. I feel clear calm and conscious.Yoga classes take place in the most picturesque surroundings, palm trees, ducks and rice terraces. I shall certainly come back for more. Thank you Kathryn for a enlightening experience.
Peta Laurisen
What it has done is change my life. I have found a new well spring of creativity, a new passion for life, a new perspective on reality.
I feel transformed in the very cells of my being. Kathryn’s vitality, flowing energies and wisdom were profound. I found myself in a new world – dancing, singing, laughing, creating. I like this new me.
Margot Cairnes
The improv. was the big surprise and whilst challenging for me, a man, on a mental level, extraordinary in its effect on my creativity and, without wanting to overstate it, even emotional openness.
Sean Nuna
Kathryn Riding is a magician. Her yoga and improvisation transform nerves, suspicions and shyness into light, laughter and openness. She can change a group of strangers into an ensemble. Bravo!
Theresa Miller
At all stages I found myself doing things I never would have believed I could, with new achievements each day built on the foundations of everything which had preceded.
This was all made easier by the magical venue. Melati Cottages is a serene and beautiful place where anything feels possible. Rather than being a resort where everything runs to clockwork, it is a modest place built on goodwill, flexibility and the special Balinese sense of the aesthetic.
Rob Wheeler
The Dance/Improvisation classes bring out your emotions, creativity and easy movement. There is no pressure and it's amazing how inspired and how much braver and more confident you feel as the days pass. The music is sublime. I felt my week in Bali was a nurturing time that was beneficial to my mind, body and spirit. The combination of Kathryn's guidance and caring, all the natural beauty in Ubud, the Yoga, the Dancing & Improvision, the massages, relaxation, good food and good company left me feeling happy and healthy. It's a time of rest, relaxation, colour, beauty and inspiration - you'll stretch and grow.
Arianne Cross
My "Artistry of the soul" Bali experience with Kathryn and Vijoleta was one of the most woderfull things I have done in my life. I couldn't believe how liberating both mentally and physically Kathryn's eclectic yoga and poetic improvisations linked with Vijoleta's kind, patient, instructive photography and writing sessions could be. The word "can't" was forbidden. How happy this made me, I can only begin to express. I have already booked for next year.
Galina Zinchenko
Kathryn's gentleness and ability to connect with everyone makes this a retreat for all levels of ability. This was my second retreat with Kathryn, yet I learnt new things, opened new emotional doors and returned home happier, healthier and stronger.
Jane Cornes
A pulse, a breath, a rhythm
Mind is still
body present, listening...
A random memory floats past
a hidden narrative,
a piece of pure abstraction...
I feel at peace when I dance.
I become one with my body
I transcend my body,
feeling a deeper wisdom
an undefinable energy...
Evelyn Aston
Kathryn Riding embodies beauty and creativity in everything she does. Anyone who is fortunate enough to attend her Artistry of the Soul retreats will leave feeling both more grateful for the beauty of their body and its ability to tap into a realm of wisdom that will unleash their hidden potential for creative expression to achieve a loving connection with others. Being guided through her gentle yet challenging yoga classes by her soothing voice in a gorgeous wantilan set in the midst of nature is a delicious treat, and her joy-filled Interplay sessions in the afternoon are the icing. I have attended several of Kathryn’s retreats in recent years and never tire of them.
With gratitude – Marta Grutka (Singapore)
Yoga retreat, sounds wonderful but I was a little concerned about how I would manage several hours of yoga every day for a week. Well I need not have worried, Kathryn's gentle encouragement, constant care and expert yoga instruction, made the hours fly by. The improvisation was a real treat, moving freely to music, finding our voices in all sorts of ways and being together in a supportive group. To be part of people's growth as well as my own was unexpected but wonderful.
All this in a setting that started with the morning thrill of roosters' crows, walking the path through paddy fields to the beautiful yoga building and listening and watching the antics of the ducks doing their own version of vacuum cleaning the paddy fields. I have returned to my Melbourne life calm and at peace with the world, with great memories of a very special holiday In Bali.
Adrienne James
