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Your Teacher. Your Breath. a pranayama workshop with Maria Cutrona

Your breath will always let you know the quality of your mind. Mind agitated, breath will be agitated. Breath fluid, mind will be open and relaxed. The two work together to drop us into the energetics of yoga; the “heart” of the practice.

Exploring the ancient practices of pranayama, we will delve into “breathing with sound,” Kapalabhati, and Nadi Shodhana. Clearing energy through this deep work we come into the more subtle experiences of our practice and drop into stillness, resilience, and grace. You are never without your most informative teacher, your breath.

Techniques for finding perfect balance: Menopause, Hormones and Yoga with Karri Jinkins

These daily strategies will ultimately help us to arrange the five elements (earth, water, air, fire and ether–that make up our unique constitution) in an optimal way to make us to feel more stable, comfortable and joyful as our bodies transition into the next faze of life. Many of us may believe that discomfort, and hormonal imbalance are a normal part of aging and menopause, however this workshop will help to dispel this common but incorrect belief.

Karri has over 20 years of experience teaching yoga, meditation, Ayurveda and nutritional counseling to people looking to improve their health, as well as to those suffering with conditions such as anxiety, obesity, exhaustion, hormonal imbalances, auto-immune diseases and depression. She specializes in women’s health and immune-functioning through all phases of the reproductive, perimenopausal and post-menopausal periods. Karri is a contributing author for the book Yoga Sadhana for Mothers and has written for various digital sites including The Huffington Post and Archetypes. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. karri@kjinkins.com

paradise retreat with megna paula

We will meet in Ocean Park, Puerto Rico (a ten minute cab ride from San Juan airport; 4 hours flight from NYC) Thursday October 10th, and stay through the long weekend, parting ways on Tuesday October 15th, feeling relaxed and rejuvenated from six days of yoga, beach, exploration, fresh fruit, full sun and amazing food.

I’m designing a sweet and intimate experience for us, limiting the group to 8 people, which will give you and I the opportunity to spend meaningful time together and deepen your yoga practice, no matter how long you’ve been practicing (teachers as well as beginners are welcome!). Nothing is mandatory and everything is included: daily yoga, sunrise/sunset meditations, day trips to beautiful local places (including the rainforest!), the best brunches, and a full immersion into the natural beauty of the island.

We’ll be staying at the enchanting Dreamcatcher, where I have been staying for the last few years of visits to Ocean Park. You will love it; just one block from the beach and five minutes walk to restaurants, cafes, fruit stands, and açaí bowl heaven.

Yoga & Pilates weekend retreat with jenny campbell & Brynne Billingsley

We will be staying at a beautiful, modern farmhouse in the Catskill Mountains, located 2.5 hours from NYC.

for more information: email Jenny@urbanomnyc.com or visit UrbanOmNYC.com/#retreats

Teaching Skills: Observation, Expectation and Interpretation with Amy Matthews

In this workshop we will look at “observation” as an important skill that can be practiced, and that is fundamental to being able to work therapeutically with people. Drawing on ideas from Laban Movement Analysis and Body-Mind Centering, we’ll explore and practice naming our own perspectives, offering observations, and seeing what therapeutically might arise from the conversation.

Amy Matthews, BMC Teacher, IDME, CMA, RSMT/RSME has been teaching workshops and courses in the US and internationally since 1994. She is a Certified Body-Mind Centering® Teacher, an Infant Developmental Movement Educator, a Certified Laban Movement Analyst, and a movement therapist and yoga teacher.

Amy is the Program Director of Sonder Movement Project, which offers the Somatic Movement Educator and Infant Developmental Movement Educator programs for the School of Body-Mind Centering, and is the co-founder and co-director, with Sarah Barnaby, of Babies Project in NYC – a space dedicated to developmental movement for babies, toddlers, adults and elders.

Amy taught with Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen in Berkeley CA, and was on the faculty of the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies for 10 years. She also co-authored with Leslie Kaminoff the book Yoga Anatomy.

Visit Amy’s website at www.embodiedasana.com

The Nervous System, Trauma Sensitive Yoga, Savasana | Annie Piper

While it is true that asana generally can be extremely helpful in managing symptoms of post traumatic stress and generalized anxiety, there are specific tools and strategies that can lift virtually any yoga class to the level of ‘trauma sensitive”. Many of the skills you will learn in this workshop will create a more nurturing  and empathic environment and help to minimize  triggering vulnerable students in a typical yoga class.
  • holding space  – what does this mean? how do I do it?
  • how might I assist a student who presents or self describes as traumatized ?
  • what is my own relationship to trauma and anxiety and how does this relationship make me a better teacher? (good news : it really does)
Please prepare by reading the chapter on Yoga in The Body Keeps The Score by Bessel Van der Kolk and it is recommended that you own Dave Emerson’s book.

the intersection of philosophy & practice: meditations suggested by the Yoga Sutras

oct 26-27: saturday & sunday, 12:30-3:00pm
$35 for one, $65 for both
union square
Join Maria Rubinate and Barbara Verrochi for an exploration of the Yoga Sutras and the art of meditation.
These workshops will include an overview of the four chapters (padas) of the Yoga Sutras and a discussion on specific, universal, and applicable themes found therein. All levels are welcome and no specific background is necessary.
Discussion will be punctuated by practical instruction, including practice with various (15-20 minute) meditation techniques to develop focus and cultivate qualities like kindness and equanimity. These practices promote equilibrium in the mind from which a strong meditation practice can flower.

an evening Lecture with Eddie Stern

Even after thousands of years, yoga continues to be an infinitely interesting and exciting practice and philosophy, never growing old, and always staying new. In this class, we will look at some of the reasons why this is so.
Eddie Stern is a yoga teacher, author, and lecturer from New York City. He is known for his multi-disciplinary approach to furthering education and access to yoga, as well as his teaching expertise in Ashtanga Yoga. He recently released his first solo book, One Simple Thing: A New Look at the Science of Yoga, which examines in clear and simple language the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms that make yoga an effective practice. He is also the creator of The Breathing App, which guides the user in a paced breathing exercise that balances the nervous system, helping to improve sleep, and reduce stress and anxiety.

Embodying Justice in the Yoga Community with Kate Johnson

As yoga teachers, we’re not just teaching yoga — we’re teaching people.  How can we make our classes as accessible as possible for people of all backgrounds and lived experiences?  And how might we more deeply embody principles of equity and justice to facilitate that goal? Join yoga teacher and organizational consultant Kate Johnson for a mindful, embodied approach to cultivating equity and reducing harm.  You will leave the weekend with fresh insights about your own identity and how you show up in the yoga classroom, and with a toolkit of best practices for teaching yoga in diverse communities in an authentic, liberated way.

Kate Johnson loves working at the intersections of spiritual practice, social action and creativity. She’s a recent graduate of the 4 year Teacher Training Program at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, and has over 800 hours of training as a yoga teacher. Currently, Kate teaches at New York Insight, The Rubin Museum, the School for Visual Arts, the Kripalu Center, Spirit Rock and at the Institute for Contemporary Art in Philadelphia. She is also on staff at Buddhist Peace Fellowship, where she designs online programs integrating Buddhadharma and Social Justice education. Her first book, Radical Friendship: Seven Ways to Love Yourself and Find Your People in an Unjust World, will be published in May 2021. www.katejohnson.com

Dates:
Saturday, October 17th:

  • Where Do We Begin?   Mindful Speaking and Compassionate Listening
  • Liberation Lexicon: Developing a Shared Language
  • Power Mapping:  Locating Privilege and Oppression in Ourselves and in Our World


Sunday October 18th: 

  • What Would You Do?  Case Studies from the Field
  • Toolkit:  Gathering Best Practices for Embodying Justice in the Yoga Community

 

Cost:

    • $50 Saturday Only
    • $80 Saturday + Sunday (if you sign up for the weekend, you must attend both days)
    • $120: 10-hours applied towards 300-hour accreditation | includes 3 hours homework
    • If you are interested in the 300-hour accreditation email us at info@theshala.com
    • If you need financial assistance or are interested in our scholarship program email us at info@theshala.com

Meditation with Jocelyne Stern

 

  • monday april 15th: forgiveness practice
  • Friday april 19th: loving kindness practice
  • monday april 22th: compassion practice
  • friday april 26th: space practice

 

Jocelyne has been practicing these meditation techniques for fifteen years, and is authorized by Kamala Masters to teach. She has been a student of Ashtanga Yoga since 1988, and studied with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois from 1991 until 2009. She is the co-founder of Ashtanga Yoga New York.