Spring Newsletter
SPRING INTO KAPHA SEASON
Workshops
MICHAEL STONE ”The Deeper Dimensions of Yoga: A Weekend with Yoga Teacher & Buddhist Teacher Michael Stone”
Study. Practice. Action. Integrating Yoga Postures, Meditation, Pranayama and Philosophy Study.
Free Friday night public talk at The Yoga Space Studio.$200 for entire weekend. Or individually priced sessions.
Registration open now via paypal on our website, or at the studio.
Location: Norse Hall
111 N.E. 11th, Portland, OR 97232
11th & NE Couch
Nearest Hotel:
http://www.jupiterhotel.com/
In this workshop Michael will teach basics for beginners and creative new approaches for teachers and students alike. Yoga postures are the foundation for studying and working with the habits of body, mind and nervous system. Even though yoga postures are often separated from the practice of meditation, breathing, insight and ethics, these aspects of practice are all intertwined. We will look at the importance of integrating meditation practice, asana (posture) practice, therapeutics and study, based on Michael’s books: “The Inner Tradition of Yoga” (Shambhala Publications, 2008), “Yoga For A World Out of Balance” with a foreword by B.K.S. Iyengar (Shambhala Publications, 2009), and his new release “Freeing the Body, Freeing the Mind – Writings on the Connections Between Yoga and Buddhism” (Shambhala Publications, August 2010).
Friday, 9 March 2012* 7:30-8:30pm Public Talk by donation. Location: THE YOGA SPACE STUDIO
What does Yoga have to offer a world in crisis? In this talk Michael will weave together Yoga and Buddhist teachings that show us the way toward living more engaged lives. There is a pivotal role for Yoga and Buddhist practice in serving the economic and ecological crisis unfolding today.
Weekend workshop
Saturday and Sunday, March 10th & 11th, 2012Morning Sessions 8:30-11:30am ($70 each):
Slowing down the traditional sequences of Ashtanga Yoga, we will look deeply at the role of breathing and attentiveness in undoing habitual patterns in the body, mind and nervous system. The role of pranayama and bandhas in yoga posture will be explored in depth. Michael will explore different postures and sequencing each day.
Afternoon sessions 1-3:30pm ($50 each):
Dharma talk, yoga philosophy and meditation. We will learn the basics of sitting meditation. Following this we will look at some key teachings of the Buddha and how they apply in our own minds and heart and how we can extend the teachings into the spheres of relationship, community and ecology. Students and teachers of all levels are welcome. This workshop is beneficial for teachers interested in learning the depths of practice and how to bring those depths to life with students. Students should bring a meditation cushion & Yoga mat to class if they have one.
Recommended reading: Michael’s books! See above and available for purchase at The Yoga Space and local bookstores.
About Michael Stone, M.A.:
Michael is a yoga teacher and Buddhist teacher and a psychotherapist in private practice and teaches yoga (postures, meditation, psychology, therapeutics) in teacher training, conference, academic and monastic setting internationally. He is known for elegantly combining the various traditions of Krishnamacharya (Iyengar, Ashtanga, etc.) and has a unique capacity for bringing together a practice-oriented study of yoga with a strong background in academic scholarship. He has been a long-time student of Richard Freeman.
Michael is the Founder of Centre of Gravity, a urban community in Toronto integrating Buddhist practice, Yoga and social action. He is a voice for a new generation of young people integrating spiritual practice with environmental and social issues. His most recent book is “Awake in the World: Teachings from Yoga & Buddhism for Living an Engaged Life.” www.centreofgravity.org
For more information visit the Centre of Gravity website. www.centreofgravity.org
Participants:
Everybody can attend the lecture and or the weekend workshop, which may be of interest to anyone interested in or involved with the study of how the mind works, whether you are new to yoga, an experienced teacher, or a therapist with no prior yoga experience.
RICHARD FREEMAN
$270 Registration available on our website or at The Yoga Space Studio.
Location: Norse Hall111 NE 11th, Portland, OR 97232
(11th & Couch) Closest Hotel: http://www.jupiterhotel.com/
Friday night: 6:30-8:30pm Dharma talk & meditation practice. Norse Hall Oslo Lodge Room (upstairs).
Saturday & Sunday sessions Norse Hall Grand Ballroom.
Morning sessions: 9:30am-12:30pm
Afternoon sessions: 2:30-5:00pm
The Yoga Space is honored to be hosting Richard for his first workshop in Portland. Richard is one of the world’s leading teachers of Astanga Vinyasa yoga. He began the practice of yoga asana and meditation in 1968 and subsequently found an integrative vision in the teachings of the late Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. Richard’s teaching style is unique in that it continuously restructures and reframes the biomechanical and perceptual forms of the asanas and movements in the context of a profound understanding of yoga philosophy, all laden with humour and compassion. Richard spent nearly nine years in Asia studying various traditions which he incorporates into the Astanga yoga practice. His background includes studying Sufism in Iran, Zen and Vipassana Buddhist practice, Bhakti and traditional Hatha yoga in India. Starting in 1974 he also began an in-depth study of Iyengar yoga, which eventually led him to Astanga Vinyasa yoga. Richard is an avid student of both Western and Eastern philosophy, as well as Sanskrit. His ability to juxtapose various viewpoints, without losing the depth and integrity of each, has helped him develop a unique, metaphorical teaching style. Richard is the founder and former director of the Yoga Workshop in Boulder, Colorado, where he teaches all levels of classes, as well as teaching and training teachers worldwide. He has produced a number of practice DVDs as well as his ground breaking 6 CD set of yoga philosophy talks The Yoga Matrix. His book The Mirror of Yoga was published in 2010.
Workshop Details:
“The Radiant Ground : Awakening Subtle Alignment and Flow with Ashtanga Yoga”.
This weekend is a step by step exploration of the basic thread of form, breathing, and movement upon which the classical series of postures in the Ashtanga Vinyasa system is strung. We will explore effective and natural patterns of alignment that open core breathing Then the internal, meditative channels will be explored so that deep meditation becomes easy and natural. Using a rich context of philosophy and meditative insight, this class will allow participants to bring a new degree of freedom, technical skill and compassion to their every day practice. Students will learn small, subtle adjustments in form and attitude that can make problematic and difficult poses produce their fruits. Whether you are a beginner or an advanced practitioner of Ashtanga yoga, you’ll learn new ways to adapt to the present moment and make your practice graceful and free.
FRIDAY night 6:30-8:30pm: Philosophy talk, meditation, and book signing.
SATURDAY & SUNDAY (morning sessions 9:30-12:30pm): ”Postures on a Thread” Here we will explore details of the traditional series, finding power in the transitions and new alignment depth in old poses. We will bring the brilliant core of the central axis out through the forms of the postures, turning them into mudras of feeling and expression. Through the continuous joining and separating of masculine and feminine movements, the radiance of internally integrated yoga postures will be experienced. Fine detailed attention to subtle technique will prove to be the way of avoiding injury and integrating obstacles.
Saturday 2:30-5:00pm: Saturday PM “Making Back Bending and Finishing Poses Feel Right”. Small, subtle adjustments in form and attitude can make problematic and difficult poses produce their fruits. We will look a little deeper into Back Bends, Shoulders Stands, Headstands and their entourage of related poses. Common difficulties, injuries and misalignments will be examined and their solutions explored.
SUNDAY 2:30-5:00pm: “The Root of the Tree” How does the Mulabandha really work in relation to alignment, breath, thought and meditation? What is it? Is it a mudra that releases endless radiance? We will explore the subtleties of yoga practice to release the deeper threads of our feelings and thought processes into the present.
