This immersion will cover many techniques and tools that can be implemented to create yoga sequencing magic for asana practice. Students will learn about guidelines from certain lineages of yoga (e.g., Power, Ashtanga, Yin, etc.), as well as how to explore creative techniques and approaches to cultivate a unique style of class and sequence.

During this weekend, students will be provided with guidance and prompts to discover their unique and authentic yoga sequencing style, as well as direction on self-confidence support to develop creative teaching skills.

Students will discover what sets them apart and how to infuse sequences and design them in a way that feels fresh and exhilarating and embraces their own sense of style. The content of this workshop will be comprised of lecture/discussion/guided practice/peer teaching.

This workshop will be taught by Leigh-Ann Renz. To learn more about her, click here.

SCHEDULE

Fridays 6 – 9 PM Saturdays 9 AM – 6 PM (with a one hour lunch break) Sundays: 9 AM – 1 PM

In this immersive workshop, we will discuss how our bodies age and specifically how yoga for aging gracefully can improve and preserve our strength, mobility & flexibility as we age. This support keeps us staying as active and productive as possible in our later years.

Aging usually brings many changes and alterations in our lives and yoga can help ease these transitions softening our resistance to these changes in circumstances. Attendees will learn how to adapt and modify class designs and outlines in addition to learning how to specifically utilize props and modifications for comfort and stability.

As instructors, there are so many ways we can assist our senior population in our yoga classes, so they feel safe, supported, and comfortable enough to move their bodies and practice yoga at any age.

This immersive workshop will be taught by Jay MacDonald. To learn more about them, click here.  This will also be available to attend virtually. Details at registration. 

SCHEDULE

Fridays 6 – 9 PM Saturdays 9 AM – 6 PM (with a one hour lunch break) Sundays: 9 AM – 1 PM

There is a sacred trust between yoga students and teachers that should be preserved and protected, especially regarding confidential information. This immersive workshop will review in depth proper ethical boundaries in yoga, the scope of practice for yoga instructors, and why it is so important to respect those boundaries for both students and teachers.

We will discuss a variety of situations and scenarios that may arise in yoga classes and how best to handle those situations while staying in the ethical boundaries designed to protect the safety and sanctity of the relationship between teacher and student.

We will go over specific techniques for teachers to handle emotional releases and outbursts in a classroom setting, in addition to a variety of probable and possible scenarios that may test boundaries and limitations of individual yoga instructors. Acknowledging our own limitations as yoga students and teachers can help us better serve our yoga students and their needs in a safe and supportive environment.

This workshop will be taught by Jay MacDonald. To learn more about her, click here.

SCHEDULE

Fridays 6 – 9 PM Saturdays 9 AM – 6 PM (with a one hour lunch break) Sundays: 9 AM – 1 PM

COMING SOON IN 2023: Meditation Immersion

Join us for a deep dive into Meditation! We will explore different styles and methods of meditation to discover and fine tune your own personal style while learning to help your students find their own personal style.

This powerful weekend will present the historical, philosophical, and fundamental components of meditation. Several concentration and meditation techniques will be reviewed and practiced during this immersion.

Students will learn the significance of a meditation practice as well as how to guide meditation and centering practices for class instruction. The content of this workshop will be comprised of lecture/discussion/guided practice/peer teaching.

Attendees will learn:
// several different types of meditation as well as their related theories, ways to practice, and associated tools and techniques of those meditation practices

// guided meditation, progressive relaxation, moving meditation, mindfulness practice, and energy-focused contemplation

// the topic of the science of meditation, including details on its physical, mental, and emotional benefits

// a range of meditation philosophies, including traditional schools of thought as well as modern considerations surrounding meditation and mindfulness practices

// techniques and tools to guide a meditative practice to a group of students, and provide insight into the different props, modifications, and variations that can be utilized during a meditation practice

// how to guide students into specific asanas that are beneficial for a meditation practice as well as which props are useful, options to modify, and different variations on this theme

// ways to incorporate meditation into a yoga class, how to format a meditation class or session, tools and techniques to use when teaching to different groups or special populations

// how to teach breathwork techniques, chanting, and the use of crystals during a class

// the impact that meditation practices have on the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems

// the ethics of the yoga instructor when offering guided meditation or mindfulness practices as a part of a class

This weekend workshop will be taught by Lynda Saffell. Learn more about her here.

SCHEDULE

Fridays 6 – 9 PM Saturdays 9 AM – 6 PM (with a one hour lunch break) Sundays: 9 AM – 1 PM

COMING SOON IN 2023: Pranayama, Mudras, and Bandhas

In this immersive workshop, we will explore pranayama, mudras, and bandhas – and how they are integral to the study & practice of Yoga.

Learn how the different pranayama practices learning how to refine the practice and teaching of them, how to weave them seamlessly into a yoga class, and when is the best time to practice them in terms of the time of day, time of year, and why this is important.

Participants will also learn a variety of mudras and how to know best when to add them into yoga classes and what each mudra is designed to do in the body. Mudras, in conjunction with breathwork, are often used as a tool to redirect and channel energy in the body in the practice of yoga.

In fact, mudras, pranayama, and asana can be used together to expand mindfulness, awareness and consciousness. Using hand gestures in prayer and devotion is common practice across many spiritual disciplines and religions.

Bandhas are energetic locks in the body designed to control and release the flow of energy and breath in certain directions. These seals are powerful tools and should be used carefully and respected as such when teaching and or practicing them in a yoga class. We will discuss and practice the three main bandhas with an emphasis on how to properly instruct how to engage, then release each one.

This workshop will be taught by Candra Smith. To learn more about her, click here.  There is also an option to attend this virtually. Please note upon registration. 

READING

• Asana, Pranayama, Mudra, Bandha by Swami Satyananda Saraswati (required)
• The science of Pranayama – recommended
• Mudras – The Sacred Secret – recommended

Fridays 6 – 9 PM Saturdays 9 AM – 6 PM (with a one hour lunch break) Sundays: 9 AM – 1 PM

Stay Tuned for Scheduling of this immersion workshop in 2023…

We will explore the principles of alignment, adjustments and assists with a modern and sensitive approach to each one. The overall philosophy of which will emphasize the importance of how a pose feels being of primary importance over how a pose looks or should look being of lesser importance.

We will also explore the importance of knowing the “why” of these principles and not just repeating “rote cues” that are outdated and not always helpful to the individual. The days of forceful adjustments and rigid alignment ideals are and should be a relic of the past as we now know that all bodies do not look the same or feel the same in any pose nor should they.

It is not our job to force or push a yogi deeper into a pose so they look a certain way because that decision should be more of an internal assessment rather than an external one as only they know if they are mentally, physically and emotionally ready for that deep dive.

Learn how to collaborate and invite in that internal compass and guide from your students so that you can infuse these principles with a philosophy of partnership and collaboration over an “I know best and what this pose should look like” attitude and belief.

Trainees will learn:

• the different kinds of alignment, adjustments, and assists that can be incorporated into a yoga class
• how the alignment, adjustments, and assists can be incorporated in a way that is sensitive to students of all backgrounds and experience levels
• about the variety of different anatomical structures and physiology of students and how these can be observed in students’ alignment during a yoga class
• how anatomy and physiology play roles in the proper adjustments and assists for a range of students
• the historical and/or traditional yogic philosophy, yoga lifestyles, and ethics for yoga teachers as it relates to Alignment, Adjustments, and Assists. This workshop will be presented with the framework of the principle of Ahimsa – to do no harm.
• about appropriate and acceptable teacher-student relationships as it relates to physical touch, language, and cueing under the framework of alignment, adjustments, and assists

This workshop will be taught by Jay MacDonald. Learn more about her here.

SCHEDULE

Fridays 6 – 9 PM Saturdays 9 AM – 6 PM (with a one hour lunch break) Sundays: 9 AM – 1 PM

Learn how to protect your joints from pain and inflammation caused by overuse and repetitive movements. We will explore how to engage the correct muscle groups and stack the joints in a way that prevents strain and discomfort in certain poses and activities.

Each joint has a specific range of motion and that can be very different from person to person. We will discuss how to tell the difference between compression and tension so that you can safely explore your joints mobility, flexibility and adaptability.

You will also learn how to support your joints by using props and/or muscular engagement for comfort and ease in a variety of yoga poses and movements. We will assimilate this knowledge into cueing your students to keep their joints healthy and happy in any yoga class.

You only get one body so you might as well treat it well and use yoga for joint health to take good care of it!

Trainees will learn:

• techniques for working with the anatomy and physiology of the joints as it relates to a yoga class
• what specific asanas are useful to incorporate into a yoga class as well as helpful props, modifications, and cues to utilize when teaching a yoga class that supports joint health
• helpful assists/adjustments that best facilitate supportive alignment in yoga postures as it relates to joint health, mobility, flexibility, and “stacking”
• how to look for common misalignments in students in terms of joint stacking
• how to to incorporate into a class that supports joint health as well as ways to modify these asanas and/or use props in seamless ways
• how to write and guide a yoga asana sequence focused on the anatomy and physiology of joint health, in particular the ankles, knees, hips, writes, and shoulders
• the anatomy of the ankles, knees, hips, wrists, and shoulders and how each of these joint families are designed to move and function
• how to address alignment and structure in certain postures during a yoga class in order to best support a yoga student’s comfort and safety during a class, as it relates to joint function and mobility
• the concepts of Ahimsa (non-harming) and Satya(truthfulness) as it relates to teaching a yoga class that is focused on joint health

This workshop will be taught by Jay MacDonald, Leigh-Ann Renz, and Rebecca Mashburn. To learn more about them, click here.

SCHEDULE

Fridays 6 – 9 PM Saturdays 9 AM – 6 PM (with a one hour lunch break) Sundays: 9 AM – 1 PM

• the importance of the spine and its alignment as it relates to yoga
• different postures that support proper alignment of the spine as well as helpful cues to utilize during a yoga class
• when and how to use props and/or modifications to facilitate joint stacking
• common contraindicators that may be present for yoga students as well as how they may show up physically during a practice
• to write and teach yoga sequences and yoga asanas in a way that best supports the posture of the back and joint stacking
• how and when to incorporate props and/or modifications during a yoga class to support any contraindicators related to the back as well as mitigate discomfort during the class and how to cue in such a way that supports the natural curvature of the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar parts of the spine
• the structure of the spine and how the natural curves support its proper function and movement and how different yoga postures can help keep the spine aligned and stable
• the skeletal structure of the spine and body with focus common misalignments and how they can cause stress and how that affects bones themselves

This workshop will be taught by Jay MacDonald and Leigh-Ann Renz. To learn more about them, click here.

SCHEDULE

Fridays 6 – 9 PM Saturdays 9 AM – 6 PM (with a one hour lunch break) Sundays: 9 AM – 1 PM

The Yoga Sutras are one of the fundamental schools of philosophy that influence the Yoga tradition and practice. This immersion will review the Yoga Sutras, or threads, that guide yogic practice and teaching. Students will learn how to apply this ancient school of thought to modern yoga practices and classes and how to incorporate the philosophy of Yoga into the classes they teach.

This immersion will be taught by Candra Smith. Learn more about her here.

Attendees will learn:
// Ashtanga and the 8 limbs of yoga, including each of the limbs’ various techniques
//techniques and practices associated with kriya yoga

// the methods of how to teach Ashtanga and Kriya Yoga (asana, pranayama, and concentration practices) to students
// how to incorporate the themes of the yamas and niyamas into class
// how to provide cues that facilitate sensory withdrawal, concentration, meditation, and – ultimately – unity/oneness

• The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by Sri Swami Satchidananda (required)
• The Science of Self Realization by Roy Eugene Davis (recommended Chap 1-4)
• A Guide to Kriya Yoga Practice by Roy Eugene Davis (recommended)

Stay Tuned for the Scheduling of this immersion workshop in 2023…

Despite the historic gender equality of Tantra, traditional yoga has been largely based upon – and steeped in –the cultural framework of its birthtime and place. This history brought a legacy of inequity and power imbalance in the realms of gender, caste, and genetics (including race and dis/ability) as Yoga was brought to the US.

This immersion explores this history of Yoga; how the #MeToo and other modern movements have impacted the US Yoga scene; and how Yoga is evolving from this foundation. Students will be offered both the historical information and context, as well as practical tools to be a part of Yoga’s growth in inclusivity & equity.

Trainees will learn:
// why and how to promote inclusivity in the yoga classroom

// the concept of allyship and how this is demonstrated in the role of the yoga teacher – specifically covered will be the topics of what it means to be an ally and different types of allies, and in particular, how that relates to teaching yoga

// how to teach Yoga in a way that honors inclusivity and diversity and honor diversity in race and backgrounds of students

// what tools can be used to create an inclusive classroom though personal teaching methodology: creating community, how to embody resilience and wellbeing, how to incorporate Dharma talks, class theming, appropriate language, and techniques that enable instructors to teach to all bodies

// how to teach to different sizes, ability levels, etc. as it relates to inclusivity and diversity in the yoga classroom, and how use of props, modifications, and variations that support an asana practice that is inclusive to all varying anatomical structures

This workshop will be taught by Renee Alpert and Leigh-Ann Renz. Learn more about Renee here and Leigh-Ann here.

SCHEDULE

Fridays 6 – 9 PM Saturdays 9 AM – 6 PM (with a one hour lunch break) Sundays: 9 AM – 1 PM