Fran's Shala

Fran's Shala Shala/Śālā {Sanskrit} > a sacred home
◇Gansbaai Studio: massage, fascia, yoga+pilates
◇Global Retreats: S'Africa, Bali, India
◇Ceremony:

17/03/2026

CALLING ALL CACAO LOVERS ~ bookings are OPEN ~

This very special immersion is a highlight in our calendar.. . and this year and will be taking a small group on our Cacao Pilgrimage to Bali from 23-28 August!

Bali Pilgrimage Highlights:

🌴 Six days living in the world of Cacao, sacredness, ceremony, ritual, & of course the landscape & culture of Bali.

🌴 Cacao Ceremonies, drinking rituals, and meditations to tune in to the elements of Fire, Earth, Water, Air & Ether.

🌴 Day excursion to visit our Cacao growing communities in the west of Bali, where we visit a Cacao farm & the community cooperative where the fermentation, drying and sorting happens.

🌴 Excursion to an artisanal bean-to-bar chocolate shop to see the process of raw chocolate making, as well as a small workshop on processing Cacao beans into Ceremonial-Cacao paste.

🌴 Workshops & lectures to understand the physical & metaphysical properties of Cacao and how to work with Cacao as a transformative heart medicine.

🌴 Many opportunities to engage with the friendly, gentle Balinese people & immerse yourself in their culture

🌴 Time to explore the surrounding area and enjoy nature walks, or rest and reflect.

While based in the village of Penestanan, Ubud, we gather daily at a local artist's residence situated in a traditional family homestead, where we are always so lovingly welcomed by our Balinese family.

Midway through our Pilgrimage, we travel to the western area of the island to visit the Cacao growing communities. While we are there we hold a Cacao Ceremony on the land, surrounded by all the Cacao trees!

Another excursion is to a Cacao work-shop, where Cacao beans are processed into the Ceremonial-grade Cacao paste that we bring to South Africa. The outing is complete with a yummy Cacao and raw chocolate tasting experience.

Throughout our pilgrimage we learn how to work with Cacao as a transformative heart medicine through ceremony, ritual, meditations & lectures.

We explore the surrounding village & nature spaces, with plenty of much-needed opportunities for rest & integration, connection, & grounding.

~ more details ~ link in bio ♡

~ India Retreat 2027 ~ dates are set & bookings open! Join Fran and Ryan for our 6th annual trip to Rishikesh, the ancie...
16/03/2026

~ India Retreat 2027 ~ dates are set & bookings open!

Join Fran and Ryan for our 6th annual trip to Rishikesh, the ancient birthplace of yoga.

www.fran-shala.co.za

~ What an incredible meditation and walking pilgrimage in India, exploring the Kangra Valley of Himachal Pradesh in the ...
16/03/2026

~ What an incredible meditation and walking pilgrimage in India, exploring the Kangra Valley of Himachal Pradesh in the Himalayan foothills, weaving through Tibetan and Indian mountain cultures.

Time for reflections and integration, PLUS excitement as we prepare for our Classical Yoga Ashram Retreat in 2027 to Rishikesh in Uttarakhand, India, the birthplace of yoga...

🙏🏾Bookings are NOW OPEN
🧘🏾‍♀️Details on website: www.fran-shala.co.za

06/03/2026

The Himalayas are the soul of India or the entire Indian subcontinent. These are the oldest mountains in the world, the abode of gods and the birthplace of sacred rivers that nourish and empower millions of lives on their journey to the oceans.

Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and many other spiritual traditions have deep roots in these mountains, where the divine often meets the human.

Whether in ancient scriptures, the silence of meditating saints, or the footsteps of everyday seekers, the Himalayas have long been a sanctuary for those seeking peace, enlightenment, a sense of presence, or simply the raw beauty of nature.

Towering peaks, sacred lakes, hidden caves, and age-old temples scattered through these ranges have made them a timeless symbol of spiritual pursuit.

But the sacredness of these mountains isn’t only about religion. It lies in the very act of getting there, where your body becomes the instrument of devotion.

To walk through dense forests, climb snow-covered slopes, and trace ancient riverbeds is to experience, in motion, the deep connection between body, mind, and spirit.

"Hiking and trekking in the Indian Himalayas goes beyond endurance. It’s a spiritual journey that tests your limits and heals something deeper. Each walk becomes more than just a trail. It becomes a path to self-discovery and inner stillness." - Shivam Billore

The Tibetan word "kora" means the act of walking around or circumambulating a sacred place or object.

Circumambulation comes from the Latin circum (around) and ambulare (to walk).

For Tibetan Buddhists, kora is an integral part of devotional practice - it is a form of pilgrimage or active meditation around temples and other sacred places to purify body, speech, and mind.

For many in the Tibetan exile community in India, this is a daily routine, often performed in the morning or evening, to start or end the day with prayer.

This form of walking meditation and chanting is part of a healthy spiritual life.



01/03/2026

FREE YOUR FASCIA WORKSHOP with FRAN
💫Collaboration between Oh!Padel and Fran's Shala

Drop that Stiffness | Ace Your Recovery | Backhand those Injuries | Spin those Niggles | Smash those Knots | Lob your Limitations

🗓️ Saturday, 14 MAR, 08h45 to 11h00
🎾 R450pp which includes a FREE coffee/drink after at Oh!Yum Cafe
📍Oh!Padel Club, Stanford

In this *Fascia Release Workshop*, Fran will instruct you on her *4-step technique* to eliminate soft-tissue adhesions, freeing up the connective tissue and releasing areas of muscle tension.

🏅The aim of Fascia Release is to loosen and stretch myofascial lines to move more freely - improving overall flexibility, mobility and performance, plus reducing the risk of injury so you can truly feel like that Golden Point Padelista!

This is a specific form of Fascia Release known as trigger point therapy (and we will be using our good ol' tennis balls to do this) combined with the techniques of diaphragmatic breathing and dynamic stretching.

Just like a good racket, you will gain attributes of balance, durability and power from this workshop.

WHO IS THIS FOR?
While this is designed for active individuals and athletic folk, this workshop will benefit anyone who enjoys moving their bodies and wants to continue doing so well into their 100s.

BOOKING PROCESS (limited spots available):
💫 Secure your spot on Playtomic App
OR contact Oh!Padel +27791569263

WHAT TO BRING:
* mat/towel to sit and lie down on
* 3x 🎾tennis balls (there are a limited amount at the club so if you don't have please let us know)
* 1x 🧦shin-length sock to put a pair of tennis balls into which can tie up at the end
* ample🥤drinking water

💪🏾See you soon for a morning of Fascia Freedom!

INDIA PILGRIMAGE ~ Monks, Mountains & Masala ~Just over a decade ago, my mom and I embarked on a Tibetan Buddhist Pilgri...
27/02/2026

INDIA PILGRIMAGE ~ Monks, Mountains & Masala ~

Just over a decade ago, my mom and I embarked on a Tibetan Buddhist Pilgrimage. At the time, I was very involved in the Buddhist community here in South Africa, studying and practicing Tibetan techniques (some of which are still an active part of my daily life.

During this time we spent a few weeks immersed in the Tibetan part of India, visiting many incredible places including monasteries and nunneries for traditional Tibetan Buddhist practitioners and scholars.

Mom and I are once again on a pilgrimage in this ancient land - what a blessing!

From Delhi we took one of the (in)famous Indian railway trains to Pathankot in the far north of India, and from there to Dharamshala, in the foothills of the mighty Himalaya Mountains.

Tibetan culture is prominently centered in the state of Himachal Pradesh, India, rather than Tibet, due to the 1959 Tibetan uprising and subsequent exodus, during which the 14th Dalai Lama and over 80,000 Tibetans fled Chinese rule to seek asylum in India (crossing the Himalaya Mountains foot). The Indian government permitted the Dalai Lama to establish a Tibetan government-in-exile in Dharamshala, transforming the region into the center of Tibetan culture, politics, and educational institutions.

The region is centered around Dharamshala and McLeod Ganj, which is a vibrant hub for Tibetan Buddhism, featuring the HHDL Tsuglagkhang Temple, the Norbulingka Institute for Arts, and numerous monasteries and nunneries.

If I reflect back on my life, specifically on the how I have mostly done things, the behavioural traits of effort and dr...
19/02/2026

If I reflect back on my life, specifically on the how I have mostly done things, the behavioural traits of effort and drive are the ones which have mostly been celebrated.

While these are necessary attributes associated with achievement and success, our collective manner of "working hard", "training hard" and continual "pushing" has a tipping point - where does a healthy amount of striving turn into forcing, misalignment and burn-out?

As you are chewing on that thought, I'd like to introduce the antagonist of surrendering or allowing to counteract this perpetual "go-go-go, do-do-do" culture which we find ourselves in.

Here are 7 ways to embrace this "no-push, flow-state" approach this year, in any aspect of your life you want to focus on:

1. Establish Boundaries: Protect your time and energy by saying "no" when you need to without needing to provide a long justification.

2. Create Optimal Conditions: Instead of forcing focus, create a calm environment, reduce multitasking, and engage in tasks you genuinely enjoy. By adopting these practices, you move away from the pressure of perfection and toward a more nurturing, sustainable way of living.

3. Surrender Forced Control: True flow happens when you stop trying to engineer or force outcomes and instead trust the process.

4. Choose Alignment: Shift from "hustle" to "flow" by asking what feels peaceful and aligned, rather than what is urgent.

5. Embrace "Soft" Living: Move away from punishing, rigid routines and allow yourself to move easefully.

6. Focus on Energy, Not Results: Prioritise actions that energise you over those that drain you.

7. Feminine "Unresolutions" to Set Intentions, Not Deadlines: Focus on how you want to feel rather than what you have to do.

I have embraced these 7 flow-state practices since opening the studio at The Shala (situated in the peaceful village of De Kelders, Gansbaai) in April last year - and 9 months later (a beautiful pregnancy of time) I am proud of how this soft and aligned approach is now part of the integrity of the space.

You are warmly invited to share in the plant-medicine of Ceremonial-grade Cacao as Fran facilitates Cacao Ritual Drinkin...
17/02/2026

You are warmly invited to share in the plant-medicine of Ceremonial-grade Cacao as Fran facilitates Cacao Ritual Drinking, Meditation and Reflections for this Full Moon, weaving the Nahuale energy of her initiated path in the Mayan Cosmovision into this Sacred Ceremony.

🌞🌚 We honour the Divine in all of Nature, paying homage to the Moon and Sun, the sacred elements and directions, and the dance of light and shadow.

📅 DATE: Sunday 3 May 2026

NOTE: Bookings close when full (8 people max) or Friday 1 May at 12:00 - you will be sent your Ceremony Preparations Guide to begin a few days before Ceremony

⏰️ TIME: 09:45 to 12:00 (arrive 09:30)

💫THIS CEREMONY INCLUDES:

• Opening Sacred Space, asking permission to the land & invoking the sacred elements
• Aligning ourselves with the Mayan Calendar and the sacred Nahuale energy of the day
• Cacao Spirit invocation and intention setting
Ceremonial-Cacao receiving, cleansing & drinking ritual
• Breathing practice to cleanse & harmonise the energetic channels
• Guided heart opening meditation for spiritual connection & healing
• Receiving healing medicine as we open the heart chakra
• Moon Cycle journaling reflection
• Sharing Circle
• Closing Sacred Space

📍 VENUE:
Fran’s Shala, De Kelders, Gansbaai

💰 COST & PAYMENT:
R666 for 1 person | R1110 for 2 people

• Group size limited to 8 people
• Payment secures your booking

TO BOOK: Make payment on Cape Cacao website
www.capecacao.com/shop

‼️WHAT TO BRING: You will be sent a Ceremony Preparation Guide via email to implement a few days before Ceremony, so please book as soon as possible to start your preparations 😄

💌 For our future Ceremonies, or to arrange a private Ceremony, please email us: info@capecacao.com

🎶 THE CALL TO CEREMONY 🪶

Listening to the call of my heart & whisper of my soul,

I find myself drawn to sit in Circle…

To be facilitated in Ceremony…

To partake in the medicine of Mama Cacao…

To open my Heart…

To invite more Compassion, Kindness & Love to my life.

❤️

16/02/2026

This workshop series focuses on releasing tension and blockages in the Myofascial Lines of the back body (Posterior Chain) plus the front body (Anterior Chain).

The aim of Fascia Release Therapy is to stretch & loosen the fascia to move more freely.

By applying the correct amount of pressure, soft-tissue adhesions & scar-tissue are eliminated, freeing up the connective tissue & releasing areas of tension. In short, myofascial release through the use of rolling & trigger point release helps to free tension, strengthen the body from the feet up, reduce the risk of injury & assist in generally feeling better.

During this workshop we will be combining Ball Therapy and Rolling Techniques.

All welcome | No prior experience needed
💫Limited to 6 people
💫First come basis
💫Payment secures your spot

📅 Sunday 15th MAR ⏰️ 14h15 - 16h30
✔️Posterior Chain 💰 R450

📅 Sunday 22nd MAR ⏰️ 14h15 - 16h30
✔️Anterior Chain 💰 R450

📍Fran's Shala, De Kelders, Gansbaai

BOOKING IS ESSENTIAL:
Email info@fran-shala.co.za for banking detail

MORE INFO ON OUR WEBSITE ~ LINK IN BIO


14/02/2026

Living in sacred reciprocity with the land ...

There is a special east-facing corner in the garden at the Shala which is for Gratitude Rituals - every moon cycle, offerings and ceremonial-cacao are given to the Earth in silent meditation.

A "thank you prayer" to this Great Mother for her abundance, shelter, nourishment and nurturing blessings.

#

The annual birthday walk (with a little yoga on route)...Celebrating another trip around the sun, and this incredible la...
08/02/2026

The annual birthday walk (with a little yoga on route)...

Celebrating another trip around the sun, and this incredible landscape that I now get to call home.

Captured so beautifully by my dear photographer friends, the images give context to the energy, inspiration and support that is Fran's Shala.

De Kelders, Gansbaai >>> to Grotto, Hermanus
= Walker Bay Nature Reserve

📸 1-11
📸 12-16

05/01/2026

The boutique studio space at Fran's Shala is open again after a fabulous festive holiday with family and friends.

🙏🏾Specialised Movement, Massage, Meditation
🌱Bespoke Wellness, Retreats, Ceremony
📍De Kelders, Gansbaai 🇿🇦

~ booking is essential
~ link in bio to book / inquire


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TUNING IN WELLNESS offers an array of online & in-person expertise including Wellness Programmes, Retreats, Courses, Workshops, Wellness Consultations, Sleep Coaching, Pilates & Yoga Classes, Yoga Teacher Trainings, Events & Corporate Wellness, all of which encourage a balanced approach to body & mind health.

LITTLE STUDIO, our online Pilates & Yoga platform, offers weekly classes as well as bringing the studio to your office, school, community, home or event.

Our team of experts is devoted to excellence as we assist our clients in their journey toward optimum health & wellness. In a supportive atmosphere we inspire growth, change & well-being through movement.

Contact Fran Siebrits (founder & owner) for more information: fran@tuningin.co.za | +27 76 535 6198