Developing your toga practice living centered, empowered, and free
This program is designed for students who are excited about Yoga and interested in how they can develop a practice suited to them. It not only includes classes to help you hone your strength, flexibility, alignment and coordinated breath, but also incorporates breath work and meditative sitting (which you will come to understand as the true sources of transformation and the deeper reason for stretching and building strength).
You will also explore the power of passive, restorative (basic Yin) techniques to open the joints and relax the nervous system. Finally, evening sessions will offer you a chance to learn about Ayurveda, chanting and the foundations of Yoga through engaging films. All of these techniques fall under the umbrella of Yogaa term defined as union, which is founded on a union or sense of integrity withina regular visit to the calm center of yourself and a gradual return to the heart of your life and actions.
Day 1-2
- Your first two days are designated for settling in and exploring Pescara/Abruzzo.
Day 3
- 06.00 Breath work / meditative sitting
- 08.00 Asana (physical practice), emphasis on foundation
- 10.00 Brunch
- 15.00 Restorative yoga session
- 19.00 Dinner
- 20.00 Movie : Yoga Unveiled
Day 4
- 06.00 Breath work / meditative sitting
- 08.00 Asana (physical practice), emphasis on breath linking
- 10.00 Brunch
- 15.00 Restorative yoga session
- 19.00 Dinner
- 20.00 Ayurveda intro
Day 5
- 06.00 Breath work / meditative sitting
- 08.00 Asana (physical practice), emphasis on forward bending
- 10.00 Brunch
- 15.00 Restorative yoga session
- 19.00 Dinner
- 20.00 Movie : Awake: The Life of Yogananda
Day 6
- 06.00 Breath work / meditative sitting
- 08.00 Asana (physical practice), emphasis on back bending
- 10.00 Brunch
- 15.00 Restorative yoga session
- 19.00 Dinner
- 20.00 Ayurveda of food and therapeutic approaches
Day 7
- 06.00 Breath work / meditative sitting
- 08.00 Asana (physical practice), emphasis on balance/inversions
- 10.00 Brunch
- 15.00 Restorative yoga session
- 19.00 Dinner
- 20.00 Satsang and choice of chanting, discussion of Gita or Yoga Sutras
Day 8
- Explore Pescara and Abruzzo or simply relax in the Villa(tours can be arranged to show you around and included in the price).
Day 9
09:00 Check out
Restorative yoga times can also be viewed as optional free time, although the techniques applied will be like a yin-style, passive experience that encourages the body to open and relax. We will listen to gentle music enjoy this time to relax and feel into the bodys opening.
Evening activities
Films chosen to give the participant a solid idea of the lineage of Yoga, its major figures and how it moved and was adapted westward.
Ayurveda lectures give the participant an idea of Yogas sister science a 4000 + year-old system that is highly effective yet still only vaguely understood in the West. The slides used during the Ayurveda lecture will be made available to students after the course on requestthey are open access on the Internet through slideshare.
Chanting / kirtan
Countless articles are coming out on the benefits of this practice. I will lead call and response to some very common chants and we will then listen to some Kirtan tracks and participate in them. The repetition of the Sanskrit words is healing for the mindmany participants report feeling freedom and relief and a sense of lightness after this practice.
Satsang
Defined as a spiritual discourse or sacred gathering. We will get together and reflect on what we have learned. Beginning with a few chants, I will start a discussion based on some basic prompt/questions. What have we learned? The premise for this discussion will be the shared heartwhen we come and sit together our hearts will be together in the room and the words spoken by all will be of shared experience. From this perspective, the participants will be encouraged to listen as if/because all that is shared is of potential benefit in terms of widening their own perspective of the experiences they have had and how they will take them into their daily lives after leaving.
Sacred text option
If people are keen on philosophy, the Bhagavad Gita (Stephen Mitchell translation most recommended) will be an option to read beforehand and discuss. A pivotal poem within the most venerated Indian text the Mahabarata, the Gita is an easy read and quite powerful/illuminating. Every time you run through it, you see something completely new. Its suggestive and poetic style is a worthwhile experience and discussions of it can only increase its benefits. The Yoga Sutras are profound concepts that enhance the practice of Yoga by suggesting in very precise ways one can approach life to achieve more advanced stages of freedom from its catches and stresses. Most of which originate in ones thinking and framing of informationthe activity of the mind.
