Living Love workshop in Shanghai - Living Love/Cynthia Connop

By invitation I arrived to lead a Living Love workshop in Shanghai on July 28th to offer a Living Love workshop for 4 days. As it was my first visit to China, it was leap into the unknown in many ways.

I arrived at the bustling airport in Shanghai close to 11pm, after a long day of travel, and was met by the promoter Mr Huang, who speaks no English, and his son who luckily does speak fluent English. On the long drive to the hotel, through this vast and incredible city, Mr Huang’s son informs me that his father has organised an extra night class during my workshop – a women only night class on sex education, by their request. I was bit surprised but then I thought ‘Ok’, and said ‘Yes’. Inside wondering to myself what will they want to know – anatomy, orgasmic responses, tantra?

My first day there is a preparation day so I have the morning to sleep, rest and arrive at 1pm for meetings at the hotel training room, which is a windowless room, with a padded floor, full of symbolic objects and Chinese artefacts. Then a quick lunch at the local broth shop wiht Mr Huang and his assistants, where we select our fresh ingredients into a plastic basket which are then cooked in broiling broth, and it was delicious. It’s all very happy and organised in a family type of way, no one speaks English so most of the time I don’t have to talk much, which ends up being relaxing. I can just be and let the sounds flow around me. The main assistant has a phone with a translation app so we can cover the basics.

I had an interpreter and Miranda was a switched on woman, she works with lots of trainers and so understands psychological and workshop language. She gave me good advice at times on how to share my work in her culture.

The first day of the workshop set the scene – the participant introductions were deep, with people revealing big issues and intimate facts. There were a lot of tears. It was predominantly women in the workshop, but even with just a few men as the days went on we managed to get good polarity happening!

I learnt that Family Constellations is very big in China. There is a sense of being oppressed by one’s ancestors. In one of the workshop open circles, I had an opportunity to address this issue of ancestors in a different way, guiding that by choosing to love now they were healing backwards into their lineage, (and forwards into the future.) That we can’t understand everything from the past and work it though, but we can heal it in the present moment. This was very well received, they were moved and understood.

So many things happened, I was challenged and opened in all kinds of ways. The group loved doing exercises, being up and moving. Simple touch was extremely powerful and emotional as there is little touching in the culture and for some participants not even as children. On the last day we did group theatre pieces exploring a range of sexual essence energies – and they were incredibly beautiful, creative and laugh out loud funny.

It was a packed four days. I did some private sessions too and the night class. The night class was a mixture of anatomy, orgasms and tantra. Plus some exercises to open to pleasure and desire that I could do with only women present. The curiosity was very high, the women had a hunger for my knowledge and experience.

It was a busy in my time in Shanghai, but the level of support and care I received was perfect. It was what I needed to be able to do the workshop with ease and grace. Plus I love Chinese food, finding it healthy and wholesome, so that helped.

The participants have given great feedback, they loved the workshop and went on we chat social media to talk about it in glowing terms.

As one of the Living Love trainees commented, ‘These brave, curious souls are choosing to change their lives and the destiny of their generations to come’. I honour their growth.

I’m going back to do more workshops in December, adding a ‘How to be a Woman’ 4-day workshop….. it seems this is an issue in China as the women feel very neutral or masculinised, and want to change and explore their feminine essence. Now, in both men and women, there is a thirst for sexual discovery, personal growth, psychology, and opening to love.

So I feel very grateful for the opportunity to lead my Living Love workshop in Shanghai- what an experience!

with love

Cynthia