Evening Satsaṅga : 7:00-8:30PM

What is ‘Yog’ and How to Find it in Your Life?

With over 5000 years of history, Yog has been used, expressed, practiced, taught and understood in more ways than we could begin to comprehend. However, one thing that can be said about this ancient and deeply profound art and science is that it is here for each of us to support us in our own, personal life journey.

In this Satsaṅga (gathering of truth/good), we will explore some of these often disparate ideas (To sweat or not to sweat?), look at various interpretations on what Patanjali meant by: अथ योगानुशासनम्॥ (Atha yogānuśāsanam), and try to undo some of the misconceptions or confusions about the practice and goals of yoga.

Feel free to bring questions!

• included in full day or full weekend attendance or available as individual workshop sign up

Getting to Know Yourself Through Sūrya Namaskāra (Sun Salutation): 10:00AM-6:00PM

Introduction & Slow Flow I

Like any beautiful musical composition, a yoga practice flows with its own unique rhythm. This rhythm may be fast, medium, slow or anything in between but in it there is an inherent stability and integrity and both a rhyme and a reason.

In this flow session, we will take advantage of the space and time a slower moving flow affords us to explore our body, breath and mind in ways we may have forgotten or missed when moving quickly.

• included in full day or full weekend attendance

Workshop 1 - Everything is Samasthitiḥ

Yoga is Balance. To balance, we need a center around which to do so. SAMA is that Center.

In this WS, we will use the profound practices of Samasthitiḥ (equal/centered standing) and Samavritti (equal/centered waves) along with key standing poses of the Sūrya Namaskāra sequence to create a strong foundation for our physical, mental and spiritual yoga pursuits.

• included in full day or full weekend attendance or available as individual workshop sign up

Workshop 2 - Getting to Know Yourself through Bhujaṅgāsana (cobra) & Ūrdhva Mukha Śvānāsana (upward facing dog)

Ūrdhva Mukha Śvānāsana is an often overlooked pose of the Sūrya Namaskāra sequence. However, it is a gateway to and a prerequisite for many of the challenging poses we come across in our yoga practice. In this WS, we will forge the foundations of cobra and updog: roots in the hands and tops of the feet, actions that lift us up against gravity and strength and flexibility required to create a safe and healthy backbend that will serve us a lifetime!

• included in full day or full weekend attendance or available as individual workshop sign up

Intro to Prāṇāyāma (Breathing Techniques)

Prāṇāyāma breathing practices come in a astounding number of shapes and sizes. Some involve intricate mudras and others complex ratios. However, before getting too carried away with this profound yet risky practice, it is essential to establish dṛḍhabhūmiḥ - a firm foundation. Much like the āsana practice, if we lack awareness for our tendencies and misgivings in the prāṇāyāma practice, we can end up doing more harm than good. In this session, we will learn how to create that firm foundation which we can then refine and use to go into a deep state of relaxation, cultivating a more focused mind.

• included in full day or full weekend attendance

June 4 Getting to Know Yourself Through Sūrya Namaskāra (Sun Salutation): 10:00AM-6:00PM

Slow Flow II

This session is part II of our slow flow series where we will explore flow in a slow and methodical way to experience both a sense of control and, at the same time, release. This balance exemplifies what Patanjali encapsulated in the 12th sutra of his treatise when teaching us about the two powers of abhyās (effort) and vairāgyā (detachment, release). Both are necessary to help us reach the goals of our yoga journey.

*अभ्यासवैराग्याभ्यां तन्निरोधः॥१२॥ Abhyāsavairāgyābhyāṁ tannirodhaḥ||12||

• included in full day or full weekend attendance

Workshop 3 - Getting to Know Yourself through Adho Mukha Śvānāsana

Adho Mukha Śvānāsana (downdog) is a seemingly simple yet deceptively challenging pose that can teach us so much about our saṃskāra (habits, mental impressions)! In this WS, we will investigate this fundamental pose and let it teach us how to better create roots, lengthen out of these roots, and recognize and address flexibility issues or imbalances in the shoulder girdle and pelvis region. It’s good, hard work and the reward is increased awareness, healthier joints & muscles and a solid foundation for those elusive advanced arm balances!

• included in full day or full weekend attendance or available as individual workshop sign up

Workshop 4 - Getting to Know Yourself through the powerful Vīrabhadrāsana series

The Vīrabhadrāsana series of poses are commonly attempted but often misunderstood. Their meaning is far deeper than simply 'warrior' pose. By understanding the legend of Vīrabhadra, we begin to unpack the ferocity and beauty in these poses. In this WS, we will look at how these poses are related to each other and to Samasthitiḥ and how to apply these poses to your individual needs. We will explore options for modifying the level of challenge and use pairwork and the eyes of our fellow practitioners to help better see ourselves.

• included in full day or full weekend attendance or available as individual workshop sign up

Sūrya Namaskāra (Sun Salutation) Flow: Putting it all together

Sūrya Namaskāra is much more than just a common yoga flow sequence. Through it, we can experience the life-giving power of the Sun! In this session, we will apply the lessons from WS 1-4 to cultivate a deep understanding of the Sūrya Namaskāra sequence and perhaps get a glimpse into how it can provide a template for all the poses you will ever do.

• included in full day or full weekend attendance