Meditating Upside Down

Inversions are some of the most valuable, satisfying, and yet little understood or utilized postures in the ashtanga sequences. Commonly there is unnecessary fear when performing these foundational asanas. You can overcome fears and enjoy the benefits of inversions when you expand your thinking about what they are and how to do them. We'll study inversions like Downdog, Pincha Mayurasana, Shoulderstand, and Headstand. You'll be able to apply the teachings from this class and be able to work longer with more focus and clarity in your inversions.

Mysore

Mysore class provides the student with a concentrated and heightened learning experience that will help he/she develop practical and technical yoga skills and be immersed in the inspirational magic and poetic soul of the practice. Each student will receive valuable one to one guidance from David on developing his/her personal practice. The student will develop skill in applying the practice techniques in ways that are logical, challenging, intelligent and fun. David focuses on learning how to follow the Ashtanga system and at the same time creating a practice that honors individuality, versatility and creativity.

Pranayama

The pranayama classes will include the basic elements for establishing a more breath centered practice. You will learn how to refine ujjayi (victorious breath), and practice such techniques as viloma (interrupting the breath) and khumbhaka (retaining the breath). You will also be introduced to the Ashtanga yoga pranayama sequence.

Learning Hip Intelligence Through Seated Postures

In this class David will teach skillful ways to open up your hips safely in the seated postures of Primary Series. There is an integrated thinking process about the action in the hip joint and the transfer of energy through the leg from the hip to the foot that you want to draw from in your approach to opening your hips. You learn to call on the circular action of external rotation, to explore animal like movements that show you the playful and practical possibilities of what your hips can do, and thus you begin to safely reclaim and to discover the natural range of motion of your hip joints without straining your knee or ankle joints.

Working With Yoga Sutra 1:17 In Your Practice

Yoga Sutra 1:17 formally introduces you to the subject of the 8 th limb, Samadhi, by teaching you how to connect with 4 main objects of meditation:

1) Vitarka (Gross)
2) Vicara (Subtle)
3) Ananda (Feelings of bliss)
4) Asmita (Individual sense of ‘I AM’).

This class will include chanting and a discussion of how to use these four forms to develop your skill in hatha yoga techniques and gain knowledge of where you and your practice are situated within the greater context of yoga.