This module will explore how Yoga techniques including asana, pranamaya, meditation and the self massage techniques of myofascial release can be sequenced in ways to reduce stress, improve posture, and balance the ups and downs of the nervous system.

November 5-6
Saturday 8:00-4 pm

• 2 hours of homework to present on Sunday

Sunday 8:00am -2:00 pm

Facilitator: Tina Tazian

Investment: $365 [included in full 300-hr teacher training program]

Would you like to know why the warrior poses are named after a “very bad dude” named Vīrabhadra? Or what the purpose of life is, according to Patañjali?  Or who is the ONLY female character to have a yoga pose named after her?

Jñānam means “knowledge” and this workshop will be a survey of the many types of “knowledge” in yoga!  Subjects will range widely and touch on Sanskrit language, ancient and contemporary yoga history and  philosophy, as well as the richness of the storytelling tradition and the importance of storytelling in teaching yoga.  

Curriculum:
108 Essential Sanskrit Terms for Yogis
Survey of ancient yoga history
Discussion of modern yoga history with emphasis on the Krishnamacarya (vinyasa) tradition
Survey of yoga philosophy, including vedic themes, the Bhagavad Gita & the Yoga Sutras
Stories!  The stories behind the poses, the heroes of Rāmāyaṇa,  and stories of yogic deities which ultimately help us understand ourselves and each other

* This module is eligible for Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Credits (for Registered Teachers who are not taking the complete 300 Hour program.)

Facilitated by: Cheryl Oliver

Dates & TImes
February 24 - 27
Thursday 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Friday 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Saturday 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Sunday 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Cost: $365 / included if registered in 300-hr teacher training

Ashtanga is a traditional practice, and is the historical basis of all classes we call "power" or "flow" or "vinyasa." But one big difference is that traditionally, the Ashtanga practice is not taught in group classes led by a teacher! Instead, the practice is shared person-to-person - "Mysore-style."

What is Mysore?
The very best (& most fun) way to learn Ashtanga is within a Mysore setting. The first thing you’ll notice in a Mysore room is that everyone is working differently in the room, because the practice is introduced systematically and individually, student by student. No one is given more than they can handle, so it is appropriate for ANYONE, regardless of previous yoga experience.

All students new to Mysore practice — from those who have never taken a yoga class to those with experience in other yoga styles — begin the same way. Each student works one-on-one with the teacher to learn small portions of the practice, according to your needs and abilities. You are not expected to know the Ashtanga sequence. In a Mysore room, you can expect to receive hands-on adjustments from the teacher. You will be encouraged to repeat the postures in order to memorize them, but if you forget, you can feel free to ask. In this way, a practitioner works within their ability and becomes steady and stable in the practice.

The Ashtanga Experience is an opportunity to have a true experience of this practice, combining traditional "Mysore-style" practice in the morning, followed by pose clinics, pranayama, history, philosophy, and language study each day. If you are "ashtanga-curious," this program will answer your questions and provide a strong foundation for you to continue with Ashtanga in a knowledgeable, confident and respectful manner.

For each movement in the Ashtanga practice, there is one breath. At the heart of the practice are three elements: breathing, poses, and gazing points. Long, even breathing calms the nervous system and focuses the mind. Poses strengthen and increase the flexibility of the body. Gazing points are where you look while in each pose; they relax and stabilize the mind. These elements of practice – breathing, poses, and gazing points — anchor practitioners in the present moment. We practice being strong, flexible, diligent, patient, calm, focused, relaxed, and stable because we understand that the cultivation of these qualities will serve us in class, and, more importantly, when we are outside of class.

Dates & Times:
Thursday, February 24 - Sunday, February 27
6:00 am - 10:00 am

Investment
$365 / included if registered in 300-hr teacher training

The core is more than our physical center or the muscles that comprise the abdomen. It is the home of our somatic intelligence and our innate understanding of and connection to everything. Ideally, our core is soft and receptive, our spine free of rigidity or tension. Our spine formed around our organs and holds the deep primordial language of health and wisdom. During this module you will be asked what resides in your core. We will discover and practice supple spine movements fluidity, and continuity of movement. We will release contraction in the core and spine. This module looks deeper into the psoas, pelvic floor, and supportive muscles of the core as well as the inner core lines of energy and vitality (did you know the core actually begins in your feet?). As we begin to move as one, whole and connected primordial being we begin to understand the practical role of each chakra in our expression. This module will introduce healing sound, continuum methods, buoyancy, fluidity, and suppleness of spine. We will break down many postures using our new core awareness, explore primal movements and sounds, build heat, and fully soften into our infinite intelligence.

Facilitated by: Gretchen Fruchey

Dates & Times
February 11 - 13
Fri 2pm - 6:30pm
Sat 8am - 4pm
Sun 8am - 2pm

Cost: $365 / included in 300-hr teacher training

In depth look at the core, spine, shoulders, and upper back and how functional movement and asana play a role in create strength to stabilize on and off the mat. Intelligent sequencing designed to build strength without limiting mobility.

* This module is eligible for Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Credits (for Registered Teachers who are not taking the complete 300 Hour program.)

Curriculum:
Introduction to the Franklin Method
Understand the muscles and bones that impact movement through upper body
Intelligently sequence to build strength or heal
Spine anatomy for dealing with injuries (including fusions, slipped discs, etc)

Facilitated by: Lindsey Maksim

Dates & Times
January 29 - 30
Saturday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Sunday 8:00 am - 2:00 pm

Cost: $365 / included if registered in 300-hr teacher training

We are beings of energy, responding to every input in our experience as humans. Emotion and thought have their own energetic component and impact us on an energetic level, often becoming trapped. Trapped emotion, as stagnant vibrating energy, remains with us and often causes misunderstood issues, ailments, diseases, and moods. It is our responsibility to look within and discover, understand, and release this trapped energy as well as how we have structured our physical being around it. Over the course of two weekend modules, Unraveling the Emotional Body will teach many methods, tools, and practices to wholly acknowledge what we have been avoiding as well as the path to liberating ourselves and our students from suffering. This module introduces therapeutic and somatic methods of unwinding contraction in the body; reposturing and releases; Tantra and energetics; balancing the elements in the body; self-care practices; mantra and chanting; bandhas and pranayama; meditation and more.

Unraveling the Emotional Body Part Two will build on the methods and practices introduced in part one of this module. As we examine our own and our students’ patterns of holding emotion, we become more adept at Vairagya, the yogic practice of letting go. Diving even deeper into the subtle layers and the elements of wind and space, we will continue to unwind, understand, and release what is causing physical and psycho-spiritual discomfort and imbalance. Using somatic and therapeutic techniques, we will open the heart, neck, arms, and shoulders. Subtle breath practices, meditation, and mantra will be reinvigorated. Each trainee will leave with their own prescriptive home practice and a new level of compassion for Self and others.

Facilitated by: Gretchen Fruchey

Dates & Times:
February 11 - 13
Fri 2pm - 6:30 pm
Sat 8am - 4pm
Sun 8a - 2pm

Cost: $365 / included if registered in 300-hr teacher training

We are beings of energy, responding to every input in our experience as humans. Emotion and thought have their own energetic component and impact us on an energetic level, often becoming trapped. Trapped emotion, as stagnant vibrating energy, remains with us and often causes misunderstood issues, ailments, diseases, and moods. It is our responsibility to look within and discover, understand, and release this trapped energy as well as how we have structured our physical being around it. Over the course of two weekend modules, Unraveling the Emotional Body will teach many methods, tools, and practices to wholly acknowledge what we have been avoiding as well as the path to liberating ourselves and our students from suffering. This module introduces therapeutic and somatic methods of unwinding contraction in the body; reposturing and releases; Tantra and energetics; balancing the elements in the body; self-care practices; mantra and chanting; bandhas and pranayama; meditation and more.

Unraveling the Emotional Body Part One will introduce methods of embodiment and sensation to begin the journey in as we address attachment. Increasing sensitivity and awareness of this layer of ourselves requires patience, time, and self- care. We will examine many of the common structures and ailments of trapped emotions, how to perform therapeutic body assessments, as well as prescriptive releases. Transformation and balancing of the elements is key to this healing process—you will tap into the earth, water, and fire elements and learn methods to balance them energetically. Come with an open heart, ready to become vulnerable to the messages, memories, and calling of all the Emotional Body has to teach you.

Facilitated by: Gretchen Fruchey

Dates & Times:
January 22 - 23
Sat 8am - 6pm
Sun 8am - 4:30pm

Cost: $365 / included if registered in 300-hr teacher training

The Prana Vayus are the animating winds of prana, life-force energy. These energy currents are responsible for physiological movement and function, as well as energetic and psycho-spiritual elements of our practice and being. While we can feel them viscerally, their movement can be subtle and difficult to understand, discern, and utilize for students and teachers. But, they are essential for our growth as yogis—they are linked to our chakras and the five elements, and when all five vayus are functioning harmoniously, we optimize the health of the body and heart-mind.

The two-day Vayus module provides an in-depth experience of these five winds: Prana, Apana, Samana, Udana, and Vyana. Using pranayama, meditation, asana, mantra, and lecture, students can explore the awakening and sensations of these winds and all they govern. As well, we will examine our bodies and beings for imbalances or stagnancies, learn how to clear blockages and find more harmony and healing. Yoga experience is required, but this module is appropriate students as well as those seeking certification.

Facilitated by: Gretchen Fruchey

Dates & Times
December 4-5
Sat 8am - 6pm
Sun 8am - 4:30pm

Cost: $365 / included in 300-hr teacher training

Yoga and Hinduism are not the same, yet there is crossover between yogic deities and many Hindu deities. The Oxford Companion to World Mythology reminds us that, "Religious stories are “holy scripture” to believers—narratives used to support, explain, or justify a particular system’s rituals, theology, and ethics—and are myths to people of other cultures or belief systems." As American yoga practitioners, most of us are not followers of Hinduism, so how do we understand, respect and appreciate the myths of the yogic deities in a real & authentic way, without engaging in cultural appropriation?

Would you like to know why the warrior poses are named after a “very bad dude” named Vīrabhadra?  Or who the ONLY female character is to have a yoga pose named after her? Or why the "splits" is named after a monkey?  Learning the stories behind the poses brings a new dimension our practice. In this session, we will explore the rich mythological and storytelling tradition behind your favorite yoga poses.  Class will include lecture, discussion and asana practice every day.  

In this course:

• We will explore the deity's connection to yoga, such as why the practice of yoga falls under the auspices of Śiva - "the destroyer," and the connection between Vāmana, one of the avatars of Viṣṇu, to a variation of utthita hasta pādāṅguṣṭhāsana (extended hand-to-big toe pose) called trivikramāsana (three step pose.)

• We will enjoy some beautiful stories and fables about the deity, such as why Gaṇeśa has the head of an elephant, and learn why short-term memory loss was a blessing to Hanumān.

• We will consider the qualities embodied and symbolized by the deity we may wish to incorporate in our own lives, via yogic practices including āsana, prāṇāyāma, mantra, yantra, and meditation.

Facilitated by: Cheryl Oliver

Dates & Times
October 2- 3
Saturday 8am - 6pm
Sunday 8am - 4pm

Cost: $365 / included in 300-hr teacher training

* This module is eligible for Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Credits (for Registered Teachers who are not taking the complete 300 Hour program.)

This workshop is an exploration of yogic healing practices applicable for a general adult population. We will examine a variety of yogic practices, including: asana (poses), the use of props in asana, pranayama (breathing techniques), simple meditation techniques and more, that can be safely and effectively applied to help relieve back pain, shoulder pain, neck pain, and insomnia, as well as aid in stress reduction and injury prevention.  

Curriculum:
How to develop group classes focused on specific physical issues
How to assess individuals through listening, questioning, observing, and appropriate touch
Establishing appropriate goals
Identifying methods to reduce or manage symptoms and improve function
Developing a practice intervention
Teaching how to practice that intervention

* This module is eligible for Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Credits (for Registered Teachers who are not taking the complete 300 Hour program.)

Facilitated by: Cheryl Oliver

Dates & Times
September 27 - 30
5:00 pm - 9:30 pm each day

Cost: $365 / included if registered in 300-hr teacher training

“Mastery of yoga is really measured by how it influences our day-to-day living, how it enhances our relationships, and how it promotes clarity and peace of mind.“ TKV Desikachar

This course picks up where Yoga Sutra-s 101 ends, and delves into life mastery questions and ideas, such as: why do we suffer and what can we do about it?  Is change possible?  Why am I so busy, yet feel like I'm not accomplishing anything? How does one meditate? And even, what is the purpose of my life?   Class will be mainly lecture and discussion, supported by other yogic practices including asana, pranayama, meditation and sound. 

Curriculum:
-How to Meditate: Patañjali’s Instructions for Meditation. Everyone can benefit from meditation, but in 21st century America there is a lot of confusion and complication around this simple practice. Patañjali offers us very clear, practical (and customizable!)  instructions on how to meditate in an approach that is both relaxed and effective.
-The Kleśa-s:  To Become Happy,  Understand What Makes Us Unhappy. Both the ancient yogis & the Buddhists point to the kleśa-s, the "afflictions" as the causes of our suffering.  These afflictions distort our mind and our perceptions affecting how we think, how we feel & how we behave. Understanding how these thought patterns afflict us, so that we can change them, is a significant step to realizing true happiness.
-Cultivating the Opposite:  A Practical Technique to Feel Better Now.  Our thoughts are the root of our feelings and behaviors, not externalities such as other people, situations, and events.  This means that if we can train ourselves to think differently, we can feel better, happier and more positive, act more wisely even if the situation does not change.  “Cultivating the opposite” is not only a philosophical idea, it is also a powerful and practical skill that can be taught and learned.

Facilitated by: Cheryl Oliver

Dates & Times
September 25 - 26
Saturday 7am - 4pm
Sunday 8am - 6pm

Cost: $365 / included in 300-hr teacher training

* This module is eligible for Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Credits (for Registered Teachers who are not taking the complete 300 Hour program.)

The hips often hold the score -- learn in depth hip and pelvis anatomy and biomechanics to help students reach their fullest potential in asana.

Curriculum:
Structure of the pelvis & hip
Muscle Anatomy
Joint Movements of the hip
Hip alignemtn in asana
Common anatomical misalignment

Facilitated by: Celeste Sexton

Dates & Times:
Friday, November 5 - Sunday, November 7
Friday: 2:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Saturday 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Sunday 8:00 am - 2:00 pm

Cost: $365 / included if registered in 300-hr teacher training

This course studies the perfect child as being complete, whole, and fully developed. Focusing particularly on the cognitive, spiritual, and social emotional development of children and the ways in which yoga can support each. We will introduce the model of Ayureveda doshas to meet the innate nature of children as they are perfectly. We use mythologies to connect yoga poses, meditation, and mudras thematically for a more comprehensive kids yoga practice.

Overview of Outcomes:
- Learn Mythologies associated with yoga asanas/poses
- Apply Columbia University Research on Spiritual Developmental Stages and Strategies to teaching kids yoga
- Combine the guideposts of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) with kids yoga
- Introduce Ayurveda principles as it applies to kids yoga
- More extensive use of Partner Poses and games for building Social Emotional skills in age appropriate classes
- Understand how to design kids yoga class through stories or themes
- Includes 6 classes kids yoga series based in epic Ramayana adaptable for all ages

Dates and Times:
April 24th - 25th
Saturday 8am - 6pm
Sunday 8am - 2pm

Cost: $465 / included if registered in Kid’s Yoga Teacher Training

Would you like to know why the warrior poses are named after a “very bad dude” named Vīrabhadra?  Or who the ONLY female character is to have a yoga pose named after her? Or why the "splits" is named after a monkey?  Learning the stories behind the poses brings a new dimension our practice. In this session, we will explore the rich mythological and storytelling tradition behind your favorite yoga poses.  Class will include lecture, discussion and asana practice every day.  

Facilitated by: Cheryl Oliver

Dates & Times
September 26th - 27th
Sat 8am - 5:30pm
Sun 8am - 4pm

Cost: $465 / included in 300-hr teacher training

* This module is eligible for Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Credits (for Registered Teachers who are not taking the complete 300 Hour program.)