The Essence of Sadhana
The Shala welcomes back Tim Miller

November 18-20
Union square
$25 for mysore
$50 single class
$220 for weekend

No refunds or exchanges. 

 

sign up at info@theshala.com

 

November 18,  friday morning mysore practice
7:30 am starting time – SOLD OUT
8:30 am starting time – SOLD OUT

Limited to 15 students in each hour time slot, $25

November 18,  friday night – SOLD OUT
6:30 to 8:30
“Taming the Mind—The Marriage of Philosophy and Methodology”

Pattabhi Jois often said, “Ashtanga Yoga is Patanjali Yoga.”  His teacher, T. Krishnamacharya, considered the Yoga Sutras to be the single most important yogic text, and the most instrumental in the development of his teaching methodology.  In this workshop we will explore Chapter One of the Yoga Sutras—Samadhi Pada—and explore the connection between the philosophy of Patanjali and the methodology of Ashtanga Yoga. (Light practice, suitable for anyone—2.5 hours)

November 19, saturday – SOLD OUT
10 to 12:30
“The Primary Series of Asanas—An Archetype of Sadhana” 

A brief synopsis of Sadhana Pada (Chapter Two of the Yoga Sutras) followed by Yoga Chikitsa (Primary Series).  The class will conclude with the Hanuman Chalisa—40 verses in praise of the embodiment of perfect Sadhana (Hanuman). (Strong practice—2.5 hours)

1:30 to 4:00
“Consulting the Jungle Physician”

Good teachers and practitioners recognize that the practice of yoga involves work on the physical, psychological, and spiritual levels of the human being.  Tim brings 35 years of practical experience as a yoga teacher, extensive study of anatomy, pranayama, yoga philosophy, Indian mythology, Jyotisha (Vedic astrology), mantra, and kirtan to better assist his students in their Sadhana.  This will be an open forum to ask yoga related questions. (No practice—2.5 hours)

November 20, sunday – SOLD OUT
12:00 to 2:30
“Nadi Shodana–Intro to the Intermediate Series of Asanas”         

An explanation of the purpose of the second series and its relationship to the Pranamaya Kosha (Energy Body), the Chakras, and the Kundalini Shakti, and an introduction to the second series of Ashtanga Yoga that includes an in depth preparation for some of the more challenging poses, like bhekasana, kapotasana, and eka pada sirsasana (strong practice—2.5 hours)

3 to 5:30
“Polishing the Mirror—Pranayama, Mantra and Kirtan”

An exploration of the practice of Pranayama and Mantra to quiet the mind and Kirtan to melt the resistance of the heart. (No asana—2.5 hours)

the shala is thrilled to have david swenson visit us again. David Swenson made his first trip to Mysore in 1977 and learned the Ashtanga system as taught by Sri. K. Pattabhi Jois.  David is recognized today as one of the world’s foremost practitioners and instructors of Ashtanga Yoga.  He is an amazing teacher, storyteller, and practitioner of Ashtanga Yoga.

WEDNESDAY TO FRIDAY, JUNE 8-10

MYSORE ASHTANGA, START AT 6:30, 7:15 OR 8:00 A.M. $25

PRANAYAMA AND DISCUSSION, 9:00 TO 11:00 A.M. $30

MYSORE + PRANAYAMA/DISCUSSION $50

The practice of yoga is commonly classified as the following of one of four paths –Ashtanga-yoga, Jnana Yoga, Karma-yoga and Bhakti-yoga. All four aim at realizing one’s divine essence. This talk will help clarify what separates these paths and what unites them, how it all relates to asana practice, as well as which elements of these paths are most practical for deepening one’s own yoga practice in today’s world.
Kaustubha Das has a special way of making the teachings and practices of yoga very approachable and relevant. He serves as Senior Educator & Creative Director of The Bhakti Center in Manhattan. Between the ages of 21 and 34 he lived as a Vaishnava monk, traveling and studying in ashrams in India and America. He teaches

bhakti-yoga philosophy and meditation, which he has practiced for over 30 years in the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition.

Kaustubha is not only incredibly literate in yoga teachings and practice, but he has imbibed them and lives them making his presentation both authoritative and heartfelt. – Raghunath Cappo

Part I : How You Hold Space:
An Overview of How Trauma and Anxiety Intersect
An Advanced Teacher Training

Saturday, May 28th and Sunday, May 29th
12pm-6pm
The Shala, Union Square
Cost: $250 for the weekend
Early Bird: $225 if signed up before May 1st

(Part I will be offered again in Fall 2016)

Whether they know it or not, many of your students are coming to your yoga classes in search of relief—from trauma, anxiety, a shitty week, or a broken heart. If you want to serve your students effectively, what skills do you need in order to teach in a way that creates a safe space for everyone?

+ Recognize how trauma is expressed—physically, behaviorally, and energetically
+ Understand your own relationship to trauma and anxiety

+ Learn protocols for a safe space

+ Sequence and apply asana and pranayama that are trauma sensitive

This is a weekend workshop for all yoga teachers who want to expand their awareness and strengthen their skill-set in a way that they can immediately apply to all of their teaching.  It is also a prerequisite for those who wish to go on to the more in-depth intensive for addressing trauma.
Part II : Trauma: How Yoga Heals

A Deeper Look at How the Body Holds Trauma and An Introduction to Work in Traumatized Communities

(Offered in Spring 2017)

SANSKRIT CHANTING
ALPHABET & INTRO TO GRAMMAR
with Jenny Meyer

The Shala Union Square
Saturdays: April 23, June 11, June 18
12:30 to 3:00pm
$25 per workshop, $65 for three workshops

Tune into your center by exploring the serene and joyful sounds of Sanskrit chanting.

Feel the meditative benefits as your brain activity patterns align through concentration on sound.

In these classes we will explore the basics of ‘sandhi’ (the euphonic combination of sounds). Maheshvara, a name for Shiva, means ‘Great Lord.’ But what’s the ‘e’ doing in between ‘maha’ and ‘ishvara’? Sanskrit vowels don’t like existing side by side so the ‘a’ and the ‘i’ have blended.

He Radhe! means O Radha! The name of the shakti of Krishna is altered because we use the ‘vocative case’ when calling out to her.

Selections from Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads, Hatha Yoga Pradipika, and Sanskrit drama will be enjoyed.

Jenny Meyer has studied Sanskrit and ashtanga yoga in Mysore, and at Columbia University in NYC. She is a regular guest at Ananda Ashram in Monroe, New York where she happily imbibes Sanskrit with Professor R.K.Sharma and with eminent scholar Bharati E. Balmes. Jenny is an adjunct professor at Long Island University. She practices yoga with Eddie and Jocelyn Stern in Brooklyn.

 

The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali is a foundational text on Yoga mind, and Yoga practices. This text has been especially important to the seminal Yoga master T. Krishnamacharya and his influential students B. K. S. Iyengar and Sri K.
Pattabhi Jois. Over my seventeen-year study with Pattabhi Jois he probably shared from this text more than any other, and often answered students’ questions in Sanskrit, quoting the Yoga Sutra, and then translating and further expounding. We will discover how this body of thought is applicable to our daily practice, as well as our teaching. In chanting the Yoga Sutras, we will experience an exhilaration and clarity that allow for an enhanced understanding of the Sutras.

I began my Yoga studies in 1982 and in 1993 I began my practice with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois in his groundbreaking classes in New York City. I traveled to Mysore, India a dozen times to study with him over a seventeen-year period. 15 years ago, he sent me off to learn Sanskrit chanting, and since that time I have also been a student of Dr. M.A. Jayashree. My main focus of study with Dr. Jayashree has been the
hanting and discussion of the Yoga Sutra. I produced two CDs for her, one a recitation of the Yoga Sutra, along with other Stotram and chants. The other, a call and response CD of the entire Yoga Sutra that exceeds five hours that she and I recorded over two long Bangalore weekends.

Today I teach workshops and trainings around the world, with a focus on the Yoga Sutra as well as Ashtanga Yoga. I host a popular podcast on the Yoga Sutra on SoundCloud. I create Yoga programming for Spinal Cord Injury and MS, and I share natural lifestyle and Yoga as a blogger on YouTube as Kiki Says.

I am happy to be returning to the Shala for this unique opportunity to share the entire Yoga Sutra.
www.kikiflynn.com

www.cdbaby.com/Artist/DrMAJayashree1

You’re a yoga teacher. You know your stuff, but when a pregnant woman shows up to your class, you say, “Umm, don’t do any twists or belly down poses and…uhh…modify as best as you can.”
In this workshop you will learn:

• Appropriate ways to language your class to accommodate pregnancy

• A clear understanding of 4 trimesters and how they differ.

• Anatomy logic of why a pregnant woman should avoid certain poses

• Confidence to support pregnant students through all trimester

• Experience giving adjustments

• Modification for poses to “avoid”

• Skillful ways to use props

• Knowledge of really comfortable poses for pregnant women

Summer Quashie is a E-RYT 500 and E-RPYT, Reiki Master and long time student of Tibetan Buddhism. She started Sacred Shape prenatal training in 2011, several years after the birth of her daughter, when expectations were high for her to “just squat and pop the baby”. She has been teaching yoga since 2002, co-created the Greenhouse Holistic YTT and Yoga Sukhavati YTT, taught at the NY Open Center, the Rubin Museum of Art, Lineage Project, has led countless retreats around the world. She currently lives in NJ, homeschools her daughter and offers extraordinary opportunities for others to connect with source. www.summerquashie.com

Jan 12 Adho mukha svanasana (Down dog)
Jan 19 Chaturanga dandasana
Jan 26 Virabhadrasana (Warrior) 1
Feb 9 Virabhadrasana (Warrior) 2
Feb 16 Padmasana (Lotus)
Mar 9 Ardha matsyendrasana (Seated spinal twist)
Mar 16 Urdhva dhanurasana (Wheel)
Mar 23 Sirsasana (Headstand)
Mar 30 Salamba sarvangasana (Shoulderstand)
Apr 6 Ujjayi pranayama (Victorious breath)

Offering restorative yoga to others is a profound gift of compassion and healing. The recipient experiences the rare and precious opportunity to “just be” in their bodies and minds, fully supported and relaxed, in the warm presence of a caring guide.

Restorative yoga is a deep and subtle practice of fully supported yoga postures that stimulate the parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous system. This active relaxation results in a physiological and psychological quieting, which soothes the negative effects of chronic stress, and returns one’s system to balance.

In this hands-on, experiential training, participants will learn the essential principles and practices of restorative yoga:

• Practice and receive constructive feedback on setting-up effective restorative poses, including twists, back bends, forward folds, inversions, and savasana variations

• Learn the key ingredients to creating a restorative environment for clients,

and how to sequence a restorative class or private session

• Understand the energetic qualities of the postures and how and when to use them to obtain desired therapeutic results

• Uncover greater centeredness, clarity, and expansiveness within yourself through direct somatic experience in the postures
throughout the workshop

• Skillfully incorporate breath work and meditation into your restorative teaching

• Learn appropriate adaptations and modifications for restorative practice for pregnancy, physical limitations, and other challenges including working with clients in a hospital or office setting
MARLIE MCGOVERN, E-RYT, RPYT, MA, teaches meditative and somatic practices from the contemplative traditions of Yoga and Buddhism, informed by contemporary insights from Western psychology.

With an educational background in cultural anthropology and psychology, Marlie explores how we experience ourselves and others in the world. She specializes in restorative yoga, a deep and nuanced practice of fully supported asana that stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system and facilitates exploration of the subtle limbs of yoga.

Marlie is the Administrative Director of the Nalanda Institute for Contemplative Science, Program Director for the Institute’s Yoga Psychology Training Program, and a graduate of the Institute’s Certificate Program in Contemplative Psychotherapy.