REFUGE safety. protection

Filmmakers Micah Garen and Marie Helen Carleton will share their short film Light on the Sea: One Woman’s Story from the Front Lines of the Refugee Crisis.

Maria Cutrona will lead us in meditation and slow, deep asana.

Funds raised will go directly to organizations supporting refugees. Your support will be felt be women, men, and children who have fled their homes seeking safety from violence.

Brush up your Sanskrit! taught by jenny meyer

Ideal for beginners and more experienced students, this 6 week course will review essential lessons for developing or improving reading and writing skills.If you have studied Sanskrit and it has fallen into disuse, join us ! If you are new to Sanskrit, please come!

10/27 Introduction to the Devanagari alphabet. Recognizing and learning to write the letters.

11/3 Alphabet introduction continued. Consonant combining.

11/10 Alphabet writing continued. Visarga sandhi

11/17 reading practice continued. noun endings

12/1 reading and writing practice continued. verbs and pronouns.

12/8 putting it all together

inner work class with emily mcdonnell

A weekly class 1:30 -3:30 on Mondays in October to explore dream work for artists or anyone interested in deep exploration of the unconscious. Whether you’re an actor working on a character, a writer germinating a new idea, or just someone looking for some creative continuity, dream work provides an opportunity to engage with your own material and see where it intersects with your work/life/past/unconscious. We will work with breath, the body, movement, and guided explorations into the imagination. No previous familiarity with dream work is required; this is simply about getting to know new parts of your brain. You can come in with a dream written down, a character you want to work with, an idea for a movie or play or book, or you can just show up and see where the work takes you. You will not to be asked to perform. This class is based on creative dream work done by Kim Gillingham and Marion Woodman and years of shamanic and Jungian practice.
You can sign up ahead of time or just walk in. Show up every week or drop in at any point in the season. Starting off with introductory rate $20. Always email with any questions msemcass@aol.com.

Yoga & Resonance: A talk & breathing practice session with Eddie Stern

When two or more things relate harmoniously, such as when I relate well to you, you to me, or two moons circle a planet, there is resonance. It is a pattern of harmony. Within our body, resonance occurs when our heart rate, the changes of our heart rate (called heart rate variability), our blood pressure, and brainwaves all come together in a coherent signaling pattern. When this happens, our emotional and physiological resiliency increase; inflammation reduces; cardiovascular health improves; stress reduces; sleep improves; and the nervous system becomes increasingly well balanced. It is quite simple to enter into resonance; yoga, meditation, pranayama and other practices encourage it. However, there is also a specific way of breathing, that if done for about 10 minutes a day, will train your nervous system to quickly return to an equilibrium. In this talk, you’ll learn about resonance breathing, and we’ll have a practice session that will give you a direct experience of heart-brainwave coherence.

Eddie Stern is a yoga instructor raised in New York City. He studied Ashtanga Yoga, chanting, philosophy and ritual under Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, of Mysore, from 1991-2009, and is the co-founder of Ashtanga Yoga New York, the Brooklyn Ganesha Temple, and the Brooklyn Yoga Club; he co-publishes Namarupa, Categories of Indian Thought, a Hindu art and philosophy magazine; and runs the Urban Yogis project that brings yoga and meditation to young adults and youth in disadvantaged and at-risk-to-violence communities in NYC, with his collaborator, Deepak Chopra. He also directs, along with Barbara Verrochi and Melanie Jane Parker, Breathe, Move, Rest, a health and wellness non-profit. Eddie has published several books on Pattabhi Jois and Astanga Yoga, including a translation of Pattabhi Jois’s 1960 treatise, Yoga Mala. His next book on Yoga philosophy and practice (The Little Beginner’s Book on Yoga) is due out in 2018. He continues to study with Pattabhi Jois’s grandson and successor, R. Sharath Jois.

the shala book club

the shala book club is back in literary action with two selections from norwegian authors karl ove knausgaard and jon fosse. pick up and read autumn by karl ove and trilogy by fosse, and join us in fort greene on november 18, 6:15-7:15pm, for a rousing discussion. bring a favorite snack and/or beverage if you fancy.

Grounding Into Autumn An Asana + Ayurveda Workshop with Carla Waldron

As we transition from warmer summer temperatures to cooler temperatures of fall, we can help the mind and body by aligning to nature’s rhythms. Slowing down, establishing consistent daily routines, and discovering our internal landscape helps bring more stillness and balance into our lives as we prepare for shorter days, and in a few months time, winter. In Ayurveda, vata is the dominant dosha in fall. The least stable of the three doshas, vata is energy and movement.

In this class, we’ll move with purpose and awareness, practice mindfulness breathing, and discuss daily routines that help us live in balance and harmony with fall.

Carla Waldron is an authorized Level II Ashtanga Yoga teacher. She teaches yoga and mindfulness to adults and children and is also an Ayurvedic Yoga Consultant.

Winter Radical Radiance workshop with Maria Margolies

Looking for a refreshing change to your beauty routine? In this series of seasonal workshops, we will learn about healing herbs and their medicinal powers, plant alchemy, and foods that nourish from the inside out. We will honor the coming season and gain practical tools for how to transition and adapt our rituals to the changing environment, and to create inner and outer balance and glow.

maria margolies

an experienced yoga teacher and holistic health coach. maria has studied ashtanga yoga for 16 years under the guidance of sri. pattabhi jois , sharath jois and eddie stern. se has also studied meditation, pranayama and many nutrition theories at the sivananda school in india, trinity laban conservatoire of music and dance, and the institute of integrative nutrition.

in 2015, maria launched holixtic, a wellness, lifestyle and fitness platform where she guides her clients to an elevated and more balanced life. holding retreats and workshops across the globe, combining her approach to wellness by nourishing the inner and outer realms through yoga, ritual, energy foods, breathwork and meditation. partners have included free people, topping rose hotel, and montauk beach house.

Ayurveda and yoga workshops with lisa schrempp (new dates!)

Sister Wisdom (History of Ayurveda and Yoga)

Uniting purification and balance as one practice for daily transformative Sadhana.

Friday, April 27

6:30 to 8:30 (lecture)

Ayurveda and Yoga have been given to us to balance our lives, enrich ourselves and through detoxifying impurities deliver us into the meaning of life. Opening the weekend with short Sanskrit verses from Ayurveda and Yoga texts we will use sound to initiate our learning. Rita ( law-rhythm) and Yajna (offering, joyous sacrifice) will be our tools to go deeper into the meaning of practice.

 

Daily Routines as healing method

Saturday, April 28

12:15 to 2:15 (lecture)

Daily routines enhance well being when they are balanced with Mother Nature. A strong regular repeated pattern of movement, sound, food, digestion and sleep provide the platform for balance between the micro and macro cosmos. This interfacing between the individual and the community surrounding her creates a flow of intelligence, artistry and joy. In this workshop listening and encouragement to follow the inner truths of rhythm through a basic examination of the practice of Ayurveda will be introduced. Learning the basics of the holistic science of Ayurveda offers the information to heal oneself with nature as one’s guide and friend.

 

Quelling Inflammation with Self-care.

The din of chronic inflammation as the underbelly of disorder in body, mind and relationship.

Sunday, April 29

12:30 to 2:30 (lecture)

Many diseases today whether they be personal, social and or universal levels may have been started from something good that went wild. Inflammation in our bodies, minds, bank accounts, country and spiritual practice can be the source of good gone bad. What are the steps to move out of an inflamed place toward the response of calm and kind attention? This workshop will focus on practices from Ayurveda and Yoga to reduce inflammation and settle down into SELF care.

Lisa began her studies of yoga in 1985 with David Life and Sharon Gannon of Jivamukti Yoga and has been practicing Ashtanga Yoga since 1992. She made her first trip to Mysore, India to study with Sri. K Pattabhi Jois and Sharath Jois in 1993. After several trips to Mysore, Lisa received Sri K Pattabhi Jois’s blessing to teach in 1997, and received Level 2 Authorization from Sharath Jois in 2009. With over 18 years of experience in Ayurveda, Lisa is a seasoned practitioner and has studied extensively with Dr. Vasant Lad, Dr. Sunil Joshi, Dr Anil Kumar and Dr. Robert Svaboda. In addition, she holds a Yoga Therapy Certificate from B.K.S. Iyengar which was granted in 1996. Lisa is extremely grateful to her teachers and their teachers for passing on the sciences of Yoga and Ayurveda.

jamaica yoga retreat with Barbara & Kristin

Take your practice on vacation! A 3.5 hour plane ride but a world away, Jamaica offers a beautiful location for relaxation and contemplation.

 

Ashtanga and vinyasa Yoga, pranayama, meditation, chanting, and philosophy (no prior experience with Ashtanga required)

Optional activities include swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, cooking classes, community work, adventures, reading, and more!

Accommodations, delicious home-cooked food, yoga classes, and a group excursion included in cost (ranging from $1825 to $2635)
Airfare not included

Email info@theshala.com to learn more or call 212.979.9988

 

Quilts for Kids Nepal! An evening of inspiration and generosity!

$10 suggested donation for the full event, but people can opt to come to only the meditation and/or quilt reception for free.

The cost of each quilt is $190 which is the cost to send one child to school for the year including clothes, food, and books.

Bios:

frank mauro has been teaching yoga since 1996. he was on the teacher training staff at om yoga center from 2004 until it’s closing in 2012. while on the tt staff he specialized in teaching basics and was in charge of the “how to teach basics” portion of the trainings. frank’s sense of humor, ability to simplify complicated concepts and and attention to clarity have have been a staple in his beginner classes since 2001. he currently co-directs now yoga at the shala.

James C. Hopkins was born in Washington, DC and grew up in Virginia. He earned his college degree in French Language & Literature from Duke University but went on to work for more than 20 years as an investment broker in NYC and in Washington DC. In 2004 he retired as Vice President of Investments at UBS Financial Services and moved to Nepal to study Buddhist philosophy & Tibetan language in a monastery in Kathmandu. For the last 10 years, James served as the Director of Development for Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling monastery.

James C. Hopkins is also the director of Quilts for Kids Nepal, a microfinance project that operates in a community of street beggars, snake-charmers and shoeshine experts near his house in Kathmandu. The mission of Q4K is to provide work for economically-challenged women and to finance education for underprivileged children. Currently the project provides work for about 25 quilt-making women, and sponsors education for more than 50 children, mostly at girls, who are at risk for a life of begging on the streets of Kathmandu.

Matteo Pistono is a writer and meditation teacher, and author of Meditation: Coming To Know Your Mind, Fearless in and In The Shadow of the Buddha. Matteo began studying Buddhism and yoga in Nepal in the early 1990s, and later lived and worked in Tibet for a decade, which he has written about in several books. Matteo earned a Masters in Indian Philosophy from the University of London. He has engaged regularly in extensive meditation retreats over the last twenty years, and he maintains a daily yoga asana and pranayama practice.

bhakti yoga workshop with edwin bryant

Friday, October 20, 4-8pm

Edwin Bryant’s new book, Bhakti Yoga: Tales and Teachings from the Bhagavata Purana, offers a masterful translation of and commentary on one of the most important texts in yoga philosophy. The Shala is glad to welcome back Edwin Bryant for storytelling and discussion.

iyengar yoga classes with kevin gardiner

Tuesday, September 19th, 2-4pm: Inversions: Arm Work and Bird Poses

Tuesday, September 26th, 2-4pm: Twists: Standing, Seated & Supine

The Shala is delighted to welcome back Kevin Gardiner, one of the world’s foremost senior Iyengar teachers.

 

Kevin Gardiner, a native New Yorker, began studying yoga in 1970 and has been teaching Iyengar Yoga since 1982. He was a co-founder of the Iyengar Institute of Greater New York serving on it’s Executive Committee and in various leadership roles continuously since it’s inception. He now holds a Senior Intermediate I Teaching Certificate.
His teaching is highly detailed and textured, seamlessly incorporating many components of yoga philosophy and the sutras, while continuously challenging students to gain greater sensitivity and awareness in each asana. He has a tremendous practical understanding of the living anatomy of the human body, and a lighthearted and off-beat sense of humor.

community night to benefit the trini foundation

Bibi Lorenzetti hosts a community night to benefit the Trini Foundation, an organization committed to supporting recovery from substance abuse and addiction through Ashtanga yoga methodology.