Hi, friends -

A couple of weeks ago I announced that my team and I were in the process of soft-relaunching CROCU, a practice I taught internationally for nearly two decades. Today I’m sharing a bit more about CROCU’s approach and framework.

CROCU (pronounced “crow-koo”) is a simple 7-step, body-centered movement practice which helps connect us more deeply to our core — our body’s nexus or center point. In as few as 3 minutes per day, CROCU’s 7-step Alignment Sequence and Core Breath Exercise helps strengthen not only our physical core, but our mental, emotional, and spiritual “cores” as well: our own understanding of our core values, our core purpose, our core missions in life, however we might express them.

CROCU turns the mind/body connection on its head, as it were. Rather than using the “upper” mind, the brain, as a tool influencing the body, CROCU centers the body as our path into wholeness. The physical movements in CROCU’s 7-step Alignment Sequence, when done mindfully, create a process that enables us to access wisdom held within our bodies, opening us to insights into our mental, emotional, and spiritual conditions as well. Over time, as we deepen our relationship to our bodies through CROCU, we can not only access, we can even shape our experience of mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. That last part - the ability to influence our experience of wellness through mindful movement - was a surprise discovery that shifted the entire trajectory of my work.

I have taught CROCU to an unimaginably diverse group of nearly ten thousand private clients and large seminars around the world. The breakthroughs my clients and students experienced as a result of following this simple practice inspire me to this day.

Some of what they reported:

• greater calm and emotional consistency at work and home
• improved mental focus and presence when communicating, especially in emotionally-charged situations
• increased clarity and ease in setting priorities and decision-making
• consistently higher levels of physical energy and stamina
• higher quality of life and appreciation for the value of their time
• improved sense of health, well-being, and integrity in all areas of life

Because the practice was originally developed as a voice technique, I assumed that these breakthroughs were the result of  people “finding their voices,” which certainly I think was true. However there were some transformations, and dare I say, even healings which went far beyond, far deeper than a new freedom of self-expression. I later came across some of the rapidly growing body of research into the Enteric Nervous System (ENS). Sometimes called the “second brain” the ENS is located in our gut and has a far greater impact on our experience of well-being, safety, and wholeness than was previously believed. Since CROCU’s aim is to help people connect with and activate their “core” which is located in the gut, I dove into the research to try and connect the dots. I will share more on those discoveries in my next blog post.

Back to CROCU. Over the years of my active teaching, I found that certain ideals or principles emerged as helpful tools that could enable my students to go deeper into a mindful approach to the movements of CROCU’s 3-minute daily 7-step Alignment Sequence, the foundation of the CROCU program. Those 7 principles also provide the framework for a 28-day program which we will be making available as an online course later this year.

Here are the 7 body centers and their corresponding principles:

1) FEET -> STABILITY

2)  KNEES -> RESILIENCE

3) HIPS -> FOCUS

4) TORSO -> OPENNESS

5)  SHOULDERS -> CAREFREENESS

6)  NECK -> VISION

​7)  HEAD -> ALIGNMENT/INTEGRITY

In future blogs I will unpack the significance of each of these principles from mental health, emotional, and spiritual perspectives, and how they relate to each body center as part of the daily practice.

In the meantime, we invite you to hop over to our 28-question self-assessment questionnaire at https://www.icrocu.com/do-you-crocu.html. After responding to each of the statements, you will receive an email which will share a point-based “snapshot” of where you are in relationship to your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. I hope you find the insights helpful and affirming.

We’re delighted you're on this journey with us. From all of us at Team CROCU, we wish you good core health and joy in living your core purpose.

Yours from the core,
Shyla

We shall not cease from exploration,
and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started
and know the place for the first time.
TS Eliot

Welcome.
To some of you, I offer a warm welcome back to a space we have shared before, where together we have made life-changing discoveries, inspired one another, built community, laughed, and healed.

For those of you who may be new, we are so glad you’re here. Welcome to CROCU, the newest iteration of a body/mind practice I have taught to thousands of students around the world during my 20+ year career as a coach, trainer, facilitator, speaker, and performing artist. It has been known by other names over the years, but its simple transformational power remains the same.

CROCU (pronounced “crow-koo”) is a simple 7-step, body-centered movement and breath practice which helps you connect more deeply to your core — your body’s nexus or centerpoint — providing a powerful technique to optimize your well-being. In as little as 3 minutes per day, CROCU’s 7-step Alignment Sequence and Core Breath Exercise can help you strengthen not only your physical core, but your mental, emotional, and spiritual “cores” as well: your core values, your core purpose, your core mission in life, whatever those might be for you.

CROCU turns the mind/body connection on its head, which is why we refer to it as the “body/mind” connection. Rather than using the mind as a tool influencing the body, CROCU centers our bodies as our path into deeper or higher wisdom and insight. The physical movements contained within CROCU’s daily practice create a process which, when done mindfully, tune us into the wisdom held within our bodies, providing insights into our mental, emotional, and spiritual conditions. As we deepen our relationship to our bodies through CROCU, we can not only access, we can even shape our experience of mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. More on that soon, here on the blog.

Team CROCU has been busy. We have 7 all-new ebooks in the works, the first of which can be found on Kindle and here on our website. We are offering customized personal training packages with the talented, internationally-acclaimed personal trainer Dipuo (Dee) Mankheli, CROCU’s in-house coach. We will be launching our new online course, Live From Your Core, later this year. We’ve got a 4-day retreat in the works for 2024. And much more.

In the weeks and months ahead I will be sharing stories and CROCU wisdom here on the blog, which I hope will become a place for you to source inspiration, peace, and joy to support you on your journey.

Speaking of journeys…before beginning one, we must know where we’re starting from. Hop on over to the questionnaire “Do You CROCU?” and take a few minutes to get quiet and check in with yourself. May you discover meaningful, helpful insights to guide you on your journey toward wholeness.

So here’s to new beginnings, old and new friends, and the joy of the journey. We look forward to meeting you along the way.

On behalf of Team CROCU, again: welcome.

Yours from the core,
Shyla