DG5: Strength of an Elephant
May 16-18 2014
Suzanne’s teacher David Garrigues joins Ashtanga Yoga Club Durham for the fifth time.
Full Schedule:
Friday, May 16: 6-8pm – Ashtanga Foundations I : The Five Allies
In this class we’ll look at the 5 root techniques that form the internal practice of Ashtanga Yoga by carefully studying their application to the nine positions of Surya Namaskara. The root techniques, or allies include pranayama (conscious breathing), vinyasa (positioning), bandha’s (locks), dristi (gazing), and dhyana (meditation).
The positions of Surya Namaskara provide the perfect foundational basis for exploring the important role that each of the allies plays in creating a mature, sustainable yoga practice. We’ll also explore how to internally connect the allies, and see how the creative interaction between them can help you to awaken the entire inner ‘field’ (ksetra) of consciousness. Awakening the inner field gives you a special kind of intuitive intelligence that pervades the body and helps you better use limbs 3 and 4 to move towards mastery of all eight limbs in the system.
Saturday, May 17: 9am-1pm – Ashtanga Foundations II& III
Ashtanga Foundations II: Standing sequence
In this class we’ll explore how the cultivating a combination of dynamsim and stability in the standing postures provides you a perfect means of entrance into the internal practice of Ashtanga Yoga. We’ll explore the importance of using the feet, legs, and hips to create strength, stamina and concentration. Better understand how the standing postures are an essential key to building a strong asana foundation. Learn to better access to mula and uddhyana bandha’s (locks), see how the grounded support of the lower body can awaken the breath and the spine and lead the way to steady gazing (dristi) and to dynamic meditation (dhyana).
Ashtanga Foundations III: Seated Postures and Dynamic Transitions of the Primary Series
We will also explore the core asana’s of primary series, learning how to better utilize the 5 allies to help you strategize your efforts. Structuring each seated asana in the primary around understanding the allies (vinyasa, breathing, bandha’s etc) will help you better extract the strengthening, restorative, and healing benefits of this important series. We’ll also study the dynamic transitions between the asana’s, carefully looking at how to create a better a jump back and jump through. Developing these transitions breaks up the monotony of the repetition by giving you a thrill with each dynamic jump. And emphasizing the transitions also teaches you to cultivate rhythm, breath, dynamism and vitality within the stillness of each asana.
2-4:30pm: Saturday afternoon special session “bonus pranayama” – not included in workshop. See below for details
Sunday, May 18: 9-11am – Sip the Nectar: Back Bends
This class will help you better understand how make progress in all back bends through a study of the foundational back bends of second series. We’ll look into how to create a sound, well grounded foundation in each asana. Focusing on setting a foundation leads you to find an aligned, nectar yielding spinal position. We will also look at strategies for creating smooth transitions into and out of the asana’s, and how to effectively and economically combine repetition, rhythm, breathing, and in order to learn how to stay longer and with more ease in the asana’s. Lastly we’ll look into how to devise strategies for how to either increase or decrease the challenge of the positions depending on how you choose to approach your work.
short break
11:30am-1:30pm – Strength of an Elephant: 2nd Series Arm Balances and Inversions
2nd series offers many excellent opportunities for building strength in new and different ways, offering an excellent compliment to the primary. We’ll study new and unique ways to develop strength through cultivating intelligence and discipline in the transitions between asana’s. We also study the strength building possibilities in such individual foundational postures as Bakasana, Pincha Mayurasana, Karandavasana, Mayurasana, Nekrasana, and the 7 Sirsasana positions that complete the series. We’ll also take a careful look at how the inversions in 2nd and in the finishing sequence can play an important role in strength building.
—-Special Session: Bonus Pranayama – additional tuition applies—-
Saturday, May 17: 2-4:30pm – Precision, Purification, and Pranayama
This 2.5 hour class is devoted to pranayama, chanting, and discussion of the central role breathing plays in attaining success in practice. This special class will utilize breathing exercises, retention, chanting and discussion to help you better centralize your awareness on breath during practice. We’ll study how to use breathing to build powerful strength in your asana’s and to effect nadi shodana, purification of the pranic channels. Prana Vidya, knowledge of prana, helps you to progress towards subtlety as you concentrate your mind and better direct the power of the internalized prana. We’ll discuss how cleansing is not limited to the tapas that you create during practice, but rather how purification is a central theme that encompasses all aspects of your life. We’ll explore how to access awareness of your more subtle energy channels through breathing and how to better direct this energy both on and off the mat.
tuition:
full weekend – $200
full weekend plus bonus pranyamana – $250
ala carte:
friday evening – $50
saturday morning – $75
sunday morning – $50
sunday noon – $50
bonus pranyama saturday afternoon – $75
Email Suzanne directly to reserve your space at suzyruth2@yahoo.com
Ashtanga Yoga Club Durham 