You will be going through physical, mental, and emotional purification in this program through proper exercise (asanas), proper breathing (pranayamas), proper diet, proper relaxation (yoga Nidra), meditation, fasting, and observation of silence to delve deeper into oneself.
What is striking about this program is the continuation of community, people feel deeply connected when continuing on OR when joining. Students coming in from different training, other parts of the world or other walks of life find it easy and fun to quickly join in and be welcomed into this community.
The core of every good wellness program is behavior change. With the right education, skills, motivation, skills/tools, and social support, people change behaviors. Wellness programs are good at helping people adopt and maintain healthy behaviors. This is perhaps the biggest benefit of having a wellness program.
Healthy behaviors lead to lower health risks, and lower health risks lead to less chronic disease. With less chronic disease, one has fewer health care costs.
Anatomy and alignment
Explore the physical body as an integrated system. Learn the ways in which your muscles, joints, and connective tissue work together as a whole, creating a more holistic understanding of the body’s anatomy.
Foundations in breath for asana
Why do you breathe differently in yoga? How do different breath techniques affect the physical body? Learn how to shape the breath to deepen what different āsana (yoga postures) have to offer.
Sequencing principles of asana
- Learn how to link āsana together in a safe and effective manner
- Connect anatomy, breath, and sequencing to skillfully create and adopt practices that address specific needs for specific populations.
Sequencing principles for the subtle energy body
- Learn to shift your energetic state with tools and techniques that can energize, calm or balance
- Learn sequencing to prepare for foundations in prāṇyama (breath regulation) and meditation practices
Applications of yoga for the emotional body
- Apply the physical, mental, and energetic tools to sequence for body positivity, eating disorders, trauma-sensitive practices, and emotional states such as depression and anxiety
Development of advanced pranayama, bandhas, pratyahara, and meditation practices
- Delve in more detail into rich prāṇayama and meditation techniques, and explore how to integrate them into your classes and practice
Purification of the internal system through
- Jala Neti: nasal cleansing with saltwater
- Laghoo sankhaprakshalan: Entire colon cleansing
- Agnisar kriya-activating the digestive system
- Kapalbhati: purification and vitalization of the frontal lobes
- Trataka: Intense meditation
Sample daily schedule
Day 1
- 14:00 Pick up from Pokhara airport, bus station, or lakeside hotels
- 17:00 Evening hatha yoga session
- 19:00 Dinner
- 20:00 Chanting kirtans and mantras, meditation, and concentration practice
- 21:00 Retire
Days 2 to 7
- 06:00 Meditation: Varies from day to day between Japa meditation, Inner Sound, Antar Mouna, Mantra meditation, Breath meditation, and silent walk
- 07:00 Jala Neti followed by tea: Yogic nasal cleansing with a neti pot and grounding practices in the garden
- 07:30 Morning yoga with the group: Pranayama, Dynamic Hatha yoga, and static asanas
- 09:00 Yogic breakfast
- 12:00 Sound bath, Yoga Nidra, and yoga philosophy: Sound immersion with ancient singing bowls, bells, and Yoga Nidra
- 13:00 Yogic lunch
- 14:00 Leisure time: Time to rest and relax, read, explore the area, journal, meditate, self-practice, or nap
- 16:30 Herbal tea
- 17:00 Evening yoga: Dynamic Hatha yoga with deep relaxation
- 19:00 Yogic dinner
- 20:00 Mantra chanting and kirtans/rest
- 21:00 Retire
Day 8
- 06:00 Meditation and mantra yoga/morning sunrise meditation and silent walk
- 07:00 Shatkarmas (cleansing practices) and herbal tea
- 07:30 Hatha yoga practices
- 09:00 Breakfast
- 10:00 Free time
- 12:00 Sound bath and yoga philosophy: Sound immersion with ancient singing bowls, bells, and Yoga Nidra
- 13:00 Yogic lunch
- 14:00 Drop off at Pokhara Airport, bus station, or lakeside hotels
