Jose Calarco is Ana’s co-director of Forrest Yoga. Jose comes from a long history of shamanism, the arts, music and healing, bringing his decades of experience as an artistic prodigy to Forrest Yoga. Jose is also Director of the legendary Australian  Indigenous company Descendance Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Dance

Theatre www.descendance.com.au. Descendance won the UNESCO (United Nations) competition as the world’s best Indigenous live show in a field of over 70 countries.

Jose Calarco is a bridge to the spirit world. As Ceremonial Leader for Forrest Yoga and co–teacher with Ana Forrest, he creates and teaches ceremonies, tells creation stories from the traditions of the First Peoples of Australia and other shamanic traditions and weaves these into the yoga practice. Jose brings his passion, playfulness and heartfelt respect for the ceremonial traditions of the First Peoples to every Forrest Yoga event. A musician and songwriter, Jose uses the language of music to convey messages of the spirit for which there are no words. Jose’s music invites students to attune to the cosmic vibrations all around us, which helps us realize that we are that vibration: Jose’s music is an invitation into the feeling of coming home.

Jose’s experience as a faith healer and Medicine Man spans over 30 years. He has collaborated with Indigenous wisdom keepers like Medicine Woman and Australian cultural treasure Kathy Marika of the Yirrikala People of central Northern Australia, and he co-created Descendance Aboriginal with Indigenous elder and Song Woman Imelda Willis of the Yidinji and Kandju tribes. Imelda is Jose’s Spiritual Mother and was a rare woman who has been fully initiated. She adopted him as an equal into her tribes in Far Northern Australia, sharing knowledge and hope with each other and with the world. Jose’s extensive travels with Descendance to over 40 countries has guided him to participate in a multitude of Indigenous ceremonies with a vast array of different cultures from around the world.