Arm balances in our asana practices are a challenging and fun way for us to build strength, lean into fear, play with our practice and empower ourselves. In this workshop we will build up from the most easily accessible arm balances, working closely with proper alignment and different variations of the forms. From that stable foundation we expand into more challenging and complex arm balances. We will also explore how to incorporate these arm balances into our Vinyasa practice, as well as how to link together several asanas. Come and learn to FLY!
For centuries, yogis have touted the benefits of having our head lower than our heart in inverted positions. Inversions have many therapeutic benefits including sending fresh, oxygenated blood to the face and mind, realigning the vertebrae, reversing the pressure of blood flow in the body, draining the lower extremities of lymphatic fluid, and bringing an overall sense of relaxation to the mind and the body. In this workshop, we will work through all types of inversions, with a combination of restorative and strengthening poses. We will approach the asanas mindfully and feel all the comprehensive benefits and joy of being upside down. Most of all, we will explore our own bodies and have fun!
Backbending in our yogasana practice can either conjure feeling throughout the spectrum of emotions from deep seated fear all the way to ecstatic jubilation. Whether you enjoy the practice of backward extensions, or would like to learn to approach your backbends more soundly, this workshop will meet you precisely where you are. We will work from the most basic of backbends, continuously adding more challenges and ways to safely progress the forms. Many yogis say, “A person is only as young as their spine is flexible.” In keeping a supple spine, we invite our consciousness to expand through our subtle body, and the Divine spiritual energy, Shakti, flows more freely to enhance our experience of Being.
Yoga Philosophy tells us that there are five layers, or Koshas, to our being, and as an onion can be peeled back layer by layer, so can our being, as we practice accessing more subtle parts of our being. In this immersion we work from the external Kosha, Annamaya Kosha, inward towards our Bliss Body, or Anandamaya Kosha. Our Bliss Body is always present, has always been present, will always be present, but is oftentimes shrouded by the grosser sheaths of our being. Through practicing asana, pranayama, kriya, mantra and scriptural study, we will incrementally activate and access more subtle layers of our being, on our journey to discovering our Highest Self.
Begin this New Year clearing out old, stagnant energy which is no longer serving us, and inviting in new habits and virtues that serve our Higher Purpose as well as enriching our lives and the lives of those around us. In this immersion we will cleanse mind, body and spirit through a plant-based, whole foods diet, daily mantra recitation, invocations, asana, pranayama, meditation and Yoga Philosophy. Come revitalize, renew and begin 2017 with a fresh outlook.
Within each and every one of us dwells Goddess, the source of creative energy, often referred to in yoga as Shakti. Join us as we embark on a five day journey to activate our chakras through practices that ignite our bodies and our prana. As we journey to activate this Shakti energy, we will also work on cleansing our bodies to further purify and clarify our intentions and well-being, with a plant-based cleanse. Ignite your body, mind and spirit as we journey into the spring season, a time for new beginnings, a time to bear witness to creation around us, and within us.
