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Transforming Fear to Joy

Workshops

Not everyone can do yoga poses, but everyone can do yoga actions. 

Our Creating Space:  Yoga Actions books are the foundation of both our 200-hour Teacher Training and 300-hour Advanced Teacher Training programs.  We offer these training packages through yoga studios to individuals interested in deepening their own personal practice as well as their diagnostic and teaching skills.  For us, yoga has been our primary vehicle for navigating the current stresses and demands during these times of radical transformation.  Because most life challenges faced in today’s complex world are unsolvable alone, radical transformation is a co-creative journey—whether your tools are yoga, meditation, painting, writing, gardening, etc. More and more, humanity must come together in collaboration in order to contribute in meaningful ways.

A creative collaboration between two friends and yoginis.

Fortunately, as humans, we have wise reserves to draw upon, both within and around us, for our times of need.  YOGA ACTIONS began as a creative collaboration between two friends and yoginis, Candace Propp and myself, Helen Maupin.  Our original intent was to write one book in an attempt to capture even a small portion of the knowledge and wisdom we gained from practising yoga.  That modest intention mushroomed into —

  • six yoga actions books focusing on specific areas of the body,
  • two teacher training programs (200- and 500-hour) complete with facilitator manuals and student handbooks,
  • a bi-monthly yoga column in the Winnipeg Free Press, and most importantly,
  • a deeply-rewarding sisterhood filled with peace, love and joy.

As always, journeys of creation and discovery, whether on or off the yoga mat, take us beyond the scope of our imagination into the Universe’s intentions and gifts.  As plant and stone archetypes, Candace and I opened up whole new worlds of learning and possibility; more than we could imagine or accomplish alone.

Our bodies always tell us the truth about what we are experiencing.

Yoga postures emerged in response to an understanding that tension, tightness and painful suffering can be alleviated and eliminated by tapping into the body’s cellular healing capacity.  Our bodies always tell us the truth about what we are experiencing.  Unfortunately, we are often too busy or too blind to pay attention.  To better utilize our body’s innate ability to heal, we must awaken to how it speaks to us.  Yoga poses (asanas) help us to discover where our pain and tension lie.  Yoga Actions, such as release the thigh bone back and the shin bone forward, take us deeper into our inner experience thereby bringing us ever closer to the source of our suffering.  Yoga actions also help us to concentrate our awareness in the present moment.  Through this intimate mindfulness of our direct experience, we learn what truth is.

The body must tell one what to do, not the brain.    BKS Iyengar

Bless you, for joining us on our co-creative journey into the joy of yoga.  Whether in your home, office or wherever you and your computer travel, may our yoga action practices seed collaboration and co-creation in your beautiful life. And, may this connection between us seed even greater compassion and spread peace, love and joy around the world.

Namaste

2022/23 Yoga Actions 300-hr. Advanced Teacher Training Curriculum

(60 Hours):  Yr. 6

Location:  Serene Yoga Studio, a registered Canadian Yoga Alliance CYA-RYS Gold Yoga School. All Teacher Training & professional development programs are eligible for Canadian Yoga Alliance accreditation/credits.

Helen Maupin (CYA RYT500)

Eight 4-hour workshops:  Saturdays (1 to 5 pm)
Two Retreats/Intensives:  8-hr Winter – Saturday & Sunday (1 to 5 pm)
20-hr Summer – Monday to Friday (9 to 1 pm)

4-hr Workshop Design:
Hour 1 — Philosophical teaching appropriate to class content
Hours 2 & 3 — Asana & Pratyahara exploration
Hour 4 — Pranayama, Dharana & Meditation

September 24:  INVERSIONS — Shouldering Our Weight

NOTE – This workshop is in-studio. Please contact Serene Yoga at 204-504-YOGA, by email for more information or register online. September 24, 2022  1 pm – 5 pm  $80 + GST

POSTURE PROBLEMS previously corrected in yoga can resurface when students begin work on inversions. It’s as though we revert to old patterns and habits when we’re turned upside down, just as people often revert to old coping mechanisms when stress is high. Julie Gudmestad

Although inversions such as Sirsasana (Headstand), Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Handstand) and Pincha Mayurasana (Forearms Balance) can be energizing, the increase in energy is often not only the excitement of lifting off our feet but also doubt or fear as to whether we can ‘shoulder our weight’ on our head or our hands. During inversions if we cannot hold our body weight off of our spine, the sensational warning is pressure in the skull. This workshop focuses on bringing awareness to any such rising pressure and taking corrective action to relieve it. In addition, head alignment actions using the hyoid bone will be practised so old postural problems are not inhibiting or compressing the spine.

You will utilize yoga actions, asana, pratyahara, pranayama and meditation to purify your body, breath and mind while liberating your true spiritual nature.  

This workshop is also part of Serene Yoga Studio’s Advanced Teacher Training program, where 200 RYTs can accrue these hours towards the 500-hour certification. Serene Yoga Studio is a Canadian Yoga Alliance CYA-RYS Gold Yoga School. All Serene Yoga Action Workshops are eligible for accreditation and credits with Canadian Yoga Alliance.

Open to all levels of practice.
Sign up online under Workshops

Serene Yoga Studio 
891 St. Mary’s Road 
Winnipeg, MB

October 15: A PARTNER PRACTICE for Aligning Your Spine

NOTE – This workshop is in-studio. Please contact Serene Yoga at 204-504-YOGA, by email for more information or register online. OCTOBER 15, 2022  1 pm – 5 pm  $80 + GST

The practice of yoga yokes or unites our mind, body and spirit.  When we participate in a partner practice that union within is also intended to occur between you and your partner.  In order to yoke ourselves to another human, the resulting increased intimacy requires trust and respectful physical contact.  Physical intimacy often challenges our conditioned patterns with regard to boundary setting. 

A partnered asana practice provides the opportunity to look at and listen to your conditioned boundary patterns. In addition, the use of yoga actions, along with pratyahara, pranayama and meditation techniques, will reveal conditioned patterns that have contributed to spinal misalignment.

This workshop is also part of Serene Yoga Studio’s Advanced Teacher Training program, where 200 RYTs can accrue these hours towards the 500-hour certification. Serene Yoga Studio is a Canadian Yoga Alliance CYA-RYS Gold Yoga School. All Serene Yoga Action Workshops are eligible for accreditation and credits with Canadian Yoga Alliance.

Open to all levels of practice.
Sign up online under “Workshops”

Serene Yoga Studio 
891 St. Mary’s Road 
Winnipeg, MB

November 12: Yoga Therapy for Knees


NOTE – This workshop is in-studio. Please contact Serene Yoga at 204-504-YOGA, by email for more information or register online. November 12, 2022  1 pm – 5 pm  $80 + GST

Knee and hip replacement surgeries are increasing exponentially.  These joint imbalances, from over- or under-use, suggest a need to understand better their source of dis-ease as well as the prevention.  In our yoga practice, we know that awareness is key.  Only with awareness can we then turn around or transform our experience from what is out of balance to what serves us better.  


In this workshop, yoga actions will be practiced that balance the inner and outer quadriceps’ work and enable the knee to track properly in its groove.  Strengthening the inner thigh muscle and opening the outer thigh muscle impact the knees’ ability to extend but not hyperextend.  Pratyahara, pranayama and meditation are also on the agenda.

This workshop is also part of Serene Yoga Studio’s Advanced Teacher Training program, where 200 RYTs can accrue these hours towards the 500-hour certification. Serene Yoga Studio is a Canadian Yoga Alliance CYA-RYS Gold Yoga School. All Serene Yoga Action Workshops are eligible for accreditation and credits with Canadian Yoga Alliance.

Open to all levels of practice.
Sign up online under “Workshops”

Serene Yoga Studio 
891 St. Mary’s Road 
Winnipeg, MB

December 10: MINDFUL MEDITATION — Awaken, Breathe, Create

Meditating, Writing & Moving with Present Moment Awareness

NOTE – This workshop is in-studio. Please contact Serene Yoga at 204-504-YOGA, by email for more information or register online.   1 pm – 5 pm  $80 + GST

Everything is indeed yoga. Being aware of and true to the many layers of being within allows us to integrate our physical cellular intelligence with our spiritual intuitive wisdom. When this magical alliance occurs, our mental-emotional body no longer feels the need to dominate and manipulate our
experiences. We come to know confidently what is true, and, as a result, we freely express the joyful creations arising from our collaborations with all of life. To live recognizing and honouring all our relations is the yoga of deep collaboration. 

In this workshop, you will use your awareness and deep-felt experience in collaboration with spirit to free and express your creative self. Restorative asana, pranayama and meditation are on the agenda.  Bring your mystery and your journal. 

The workshop is also part of Serene Yoga Studio’s Advanced Teacher Training program, where 200 RYTs can accrue these hours towards the 500-hour certification. Serene Yoga Studio is a Canadian Yoga Alliance CYA-RYS Gold Yoga School. All Serene Yoga Action Workshops are eligible for accreditation and
credits with the Canadian Yoga Alliance.

Sign up online under “Workshops”

Serene Yoga Studio 
891 St. Mary’s Road 
Winnipeg, MB

 

January 07, 2023:  ARMS & SHOULDERS–Yoga Actions for Individual Alignment

NOTE – This workshop is in-studio. Please contact Serene Yoga at 204-504-YOGA, by email for more information or register online.   1 pm – 5 pm  $80 + GST

An often-shared experience among beginner yoga practitioners is a lack of arm power in Adho Mukha Svanasana (Down Dog), Plank, Chaturanga Dandasana, and Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Up Dog).  Fortunately, many other yoga poses help to strengthen weak upper and/or lower arms.  Increasing our arm strength and shoulder flexibility enable a more fluid flow through the Sun Salutations’ sequences.  In addition, as yoga practitioners progress into the intermediate practice of inversions and backbends, stable elbows are necessary to bear and balance the body’s weight on the arms or hands.  

In this workshop, yoga actions will be practiced to open, balance and stabilize your shoulders and elbows.  Pratyahara, pranayama and meditation are also on the agenda.

The workshop is also part of Serene Yoga Studio’s Advanced Teacher Training program, where 200 RYTs can accrue these hours towards the 500-hour certification. Serene Yoga Studio is a Canadian Yoga Alliance CYA-RYS Gold Yoga School. All Serene Yoga Action Workshops are eligible for accreditation and credits with the Canadian Yoga Alliance.

Sign up online under “Workshops”

Serene Yoga Studio 
891 St. Mary’s Road 
Winnipeg, MB

 

February 18, 2023:  SHOULDER BLADES — Yoga Actions for Individual Alignment

NOTE – This workshop is in-studio. Please contact Serene Yoga at 204-504-YOGA, by email for more information or register online.   1 pm – 5 pm  $80 + GST

For most yogis, the upper back is one of the most challenging places to awaken in the body.  Bringing consciousness and movement to the numbness or tension in the upper thoracic spine and shoulder blades constitutes breaking through life-long, deeply held habits or defense mechanisms.  At one time in our lives,  these ways of reacting to life experiences served their purpose, but as with any overused habit, they eventually cause us pain and suffering.  

For the purpose of today’s workshop, you will practise three shoulder blade actions that concurrently stabilize, strengthen and open your upper thoracic cavity, shoulder joints and neck.  All of which positively impact both the heart and throat chakras.  Pratyahara, pranayama and meditation are part of this practice.  

The workshop is also part of Serene Yoga Studio’s Advanced Teacher Training program, where 200 RYTs can accrue these hours towards the 500-hour certification. Serene Yoga Studio is a Canadian Yoga Alliance CYA-RYS Gold Yoga School. All Serene Yoga Action Workshops are eligible for accreditation and credits with the Canadian Yoga Alliance.

 

March 11 & 12, 2023:  STERNAL BODY – 3 Parts of the Breast Bone

NOTE – This workshop is in-studio for two afternoons. Please contact Serene Yoga at 204-504-YOGA, by email for more information or register online.   1 pm – 5 pm  $200 + GST

“Drop the shoulders” and “lift the sternum” are two popular yoga actions taught at the beginner level.  Unfortunately, many beginners and even intermediate practitioners do not have the body awareness or capacity to do either of these broad-based actions.  Emotional holding is likely the culprit given the heart space is a major storehouse of repressed emotions.  

The sternum or breast bone is part of the front ribcage that shelters the heart from physical damage.  Thus, when we awaken and open the breast bone to allow for greater movement, we are also opening the heart space.  Greater openness in our heart aligns with greater overall health due to the release of unresolved emotions accumulated from our past experiences.    

In this workshop, yoga actions are practised that directly impact both openness and movement of the sternum’s three bones – manubrium, sternal body and xiphoid process.  Both the heart and throat chakras are stimulated.  Pratyahara, pranayama and meditation are also part of this practice.  

The workshop is also part of Serene Yoga Studio’s Advanced Teacher Training program, where 200 RYTs can accrue these hours towards the 500-hour certification. Serene Yoga Studio is a Canadian Yoga Alliance CYA-RYS Gold Yoga School. All Serene Yoga Action Workshops are eligible for accreditation and credits with the Canadian Yoga Alliance.

 

2021/22 Yoga Actions 300-Hr. Advanced Teacher Training Curriculum

(60 Hours):  Yr. 5

Location:  Serene Yoga Studio, a registered Canadian Yoga Alliance CYA-RYS Gold Yoga School. All Teacher Training & professional development programs are eligible for Canadian Yoga Alliance accreditation/credits.

Helen Maupin (CYA RYT500)

Eight 4-hour workshops:  Saturdays (1 to 5 pm)
Two Retreats/Intensives:  8-hr Winter – Saturday & Sunday (1 to 5 pm)
20-hr Summer – Monday to Friday (9 to 1 pm)

4-hr Workshop Design:
Hour 1 — Philosophical teaching appropriate to class content
Hours 2 & 3 — Asana & Pratyahara exploration
Hour 4 — Pranayama, Dharana & Meditation

September 25:  YOGA ACTIONS FOR INDIVIDUAL ALIGNMENT — Shoulder Joints & Armpits


NOTE – This workshop is in-studio. Please contact Serene Yoga at 204-504-YOGA, by email for more information or register online. September 25, 2021  1 pm – 5 pm  $80 + GST

 

During our first 5 to 10 years of yoga practice, we are intent on understanding and developing our capacity through the five external limbs — yamas, niyamas, asana, pranayama and pratyahara. These five yoga practices enable us to discover and experience the difference between that which is matter and movement (prakriti) and that which is non-material, unchangeable and unmoveable (purusha).

Once our external capacity matures, our practice deepens to experience the last three limbs — Dharana (concentration or single-pointed focus), Dhyana (contemplation or meditation) and Samadhi (integration or self-realization). The simultaneous practice, thus coalescence, of these three subtle internal limbs is referred to as Samyama. This workshop incorporates subtle yoga actions to support aligning your shoulder joints and armpits while opening your body and mind to the natural experience of Samadhi. Pranayama and meditation are also part of the workshop.

This workshop is also part of Serene Yoga Studio’s Advanced Teacher Training program, where 200 RYTs can accrue these hours towards the 500-hour certification. Serene Yoga Studio is a Canadian Yoga Alliance CYA-RYS Gold Yoga School. All Serene Yoga Action Workshops are eligible for accreditation and credits with Canadian Yoga Alliance.

Open to all levels of practice.
Sign up online under “Personal Development“!

Serene Yoga Studio 
891 St. Mary’s Road 
Winnipeg, MB See map Click here to sign up for the workshop.

 

October 16:  THE KLESHAS — The 5 Causes of Suffering

NOTE – This workshop is in-studio. Please contact Serene Yoga at 204-504-YOGA, by email for more information or register online. October 16, 2021  1 pm – 5 pm  $80 + GST

Klesha, in Sanskrit, means poison of the mind.  The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali reference five kleshas (self-inflicted suffering), which inhibit our ability to experience the present moment as it is.  The good news is whenever we find ourselves suffering, we know we are operating from one or more of these poisons.  The five causes of suffering are — Avidya (spiritual ignorance), Asmita (egoism), Raga (attachment/attraction), Dvesha (aversion) and Abhinivesha (clinging to life/fear of death).  It has been said, that with true knowledge (vidya), all poisons can be avoided.  Vidya is the true spiritual knowledge that rises from within. 

Point of fact—the deltoid muscles of the shoulders are meant for movement not stability or strength.  Thus, overly muscular deltoids inhibit open and fluid movement in the shoulders, which in turn, restricts the rib cage’s ability to expand and twist.  Opening the shoulders by releasing the deltoids liberates both the lungs and heart, which eases respiration and circulation.

This workshop utilizes yoga actions, asana, pranayama and meditation to purify your body, breath and mind while liberating your true spiritual knowledge.  

This workshop is also part of Serene Yoga Studio’s Advanced Teacher Training program, where 200 RYTs can accrue these hours towards the 500-hour certification. Serene Yoga Studio is a Canadian Yoga Alliance CYA-RYS Gold Yoga School. All Serene Yoga Action Workshops are eligible for accreditation and credits with Canadian Yoga Alliance.

Open to all levels of practice.
Sign up online under “Personal Development“!

Serene Yoga Studio 
891 St. Mary’s Road 
Winnipeg, MB See map Click here to sign up for the workshop.

November 13:  YOGA ACTIONS FOR INDIVIDUAL ALIGNMENT — Sirsasana & Sarvangasana

NOTE – This workshop is in-studio. Please contact Serene Yoga at 204-504-YOGA, by email for more information or register online. November 13, 2021  1 pm – 5 pm  $80 + GST

When most of us turn our world upside down, we discover what accompanies such change is a new perspective.  This is the case in day-to-day life as well as in the yoga inversions of Sirsasana (Headstand) and Sarvangasana (Shoulderstand).  New perspectives bring new wisdom, which bolsters our self-awareness and our self-confidence.  The two poses are worthy inclusions in our yoga experience given their many other benefits, such as — increased blood flow and nutrients to the scalp, calmed rejuvenated brain, preventative for headaches and diabetes, improved focus and digestion, strengthened arms and shoulders, and removal of toxins from the body.

This workshop utilizes yoga actions, asanas, pranayama and meditation to deepen your practice of what is familiarly called the king and queen of yoga poses.  The workshop suits you if you are a beginner practitioner ready to take on more challenge or an intermediate to advanced practitioner wanting to refine your skills and knowledge.  

This workshop is also part of Serene Yoga Studio’s Advanced Teacher Training program, where 200 RYTs can accrue these hours towards the 500-hour certification. Serene Yoga Studio is a Canadian Yoga Alliance CYA-RYS Gold Yoga School. All Serene Yoga Action Workshops are eligible for accreditation and credits with the Canadian Yoga Alliance.

Sign up online under “Personal Development“!

Serene Yoga Studio 
891 St. Mary’s Road 
Winnipeg, MB See map Click here to sign up for the workshop.

December 11:  YOGA ACTIONS FOR INDIVIDUAL ALIGNMENT — Adho Mukha Vrksasana & Pincha Mayurasana

NOTE – This workshop is in-studio. Please contact Serene Yoga at 204-504-YOGA, by email for more information or register online. December 11, 2021  1 pm – 5 pm  $80 + GST

The complexity of Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Handstand) and Pincha Mayurasana (Forearm Balance) increases in large part due to the upside-down position, which disorients the brain.  As a result, mental focus along with physical strength, balance and flexibility are the building blocks for reaping the significant benefits of these inversions.  Interestingly, practising the kick-up in AMV and PM increases energy in the body flooding the brain and muscles with blood from an elevated heart rate.  However, these more intense inversions also have a calming effect on the nervous system.  All that fresh oxygen and blood in the brain triggers the parasympathetic nervous system to reduce its production of cortisol (the stress hormone), thus combatting depression and/or anxiety.

This workshop utilizes yoga actions, asanas, pranayama and meditation to deepen your practice of these energizing and calming poses.  The workshop suits you if you are a beginner practitioner ready to take on more challenge or an intermediate to advanced practitioner wanting to refine your skills and knowledge. 

The workshop is also part of Serene Yoga Studio’s Advanced Teacher Training program, where 200 RYTs can accrue these hours towards the 500-hour certification. Serene Yoga Studio is a Canadian Yoga Alliance CYA-RYS Gold Yoga School. All Serene Yoga Action Workshops are eligible for accreditation and credits with the Canadian Yoga Alliance.

Sign up online under “Personal Development“!

Serene Yoga Studio 
891 St. Mary’s Road 
Winnipeg, MB See map Click here to sign up for the workshop.

January 08:  BUILDING A YOGA CORE — Sensing Our Hip & Shoulder Joints

NOTE – This workshop is in-studio. Please contact Serene Yoga at 204-504-YOGA, by email for more information or register online. January 08, 2022  1 pm – 5 pm  $80 + GST

Our Proprioceptive System helps us to sense where we are in space … the sense that lets us perceive the location, movement, and action of parts of the body.  Sensations arise from electrical signals of sensory receptors in the muscle, skin, and joints.

For the most part, muscular sensations are the signals that attract our attention as we move through daily life.  They are obvious.  In yoga, we would say they are not subtle.  Moving into the body’s subtle sheath of electrical energy requires a deep awareness of the sensory receptors located within our joint cavities.  It is these receptors that notify us as to whether we are compressing or creating space inside our joints.  In this workshop, the focus is on learning to read these sensory receptors in the hip and shoulder joints in order to relieve compression and create space.  Asanas, pranayama, pratyahara, and the meditation of sound vibration are on the agenda.  

The workshop is also part of Serene Yoga Studio’s Advanced Teacher Training program, where 200 RYTs can accrue these hours towards the 500-hour certification. Serene Yoga Studio is a Canadian Yoga Alliance CYA-RYS Gold Yoga School. All Serene Yoga Action Workshops are eligible for accreditation and credits with the Canadian Yoga Alliance.

Sign up online under “Personal Development“!

Serene Yoga Studio 
891 St. Mary’s Road 
Winnipeg, MB See map Click here to sign up for the workshop.

February 19, 2022: MINDFUL MEDITATION — Meditating, Writing & Moving with Present Moment Awareness

NOTE – This workshop is in-studio. Please contact Serene Yoga at 204-504-YOGA, by email for more information or register online.   1 pm – 5 pm  $80 + GST

 

Everything is indeed yoga. Being aware of and true to the many layers of being within allows us to integrate our physical cellular intelligence with our spiritual intuitive wisdom. When this magical alliance occurs, our mental-emotional body no longer feels the need to dominate and manipulate our experiences. We come to know confidently what is true, and, as a result, we freely express the joyful creations arising from our collaborations with all of life. To live recognizing and honouring all our relations is the yoga of deep collaboration. 

In this workshop, you will use your awareness and deep-felt experience in collaboration with spirit to free and express your creative self.  Restorative asana, pranayama and meditation are on the agenda.  Bring your mystery and your journal. 

The workshop is also part of Serene Yoga Studio’s Advanced Teacher Training program, where 200 RYTs can accrue these hours towards the 500-hour certification. Serene Yoga Studio is a Canadian Yoga Alliance CYA-RYS Gold Yoga School. All Serene Yoga Action Workshops are eligible for accreditation and credits with the Canadian Yoga Alliance.

Sign up online under “Personal Development“!

Serene Yoga Studio 
891 St. Mary’s Road 
Winnipeg, MB See map Click here to sign up for the workshop.

March 12 & 13, 2022: Patanjali’s YOGA SUTRAS — An Introduction to  Book 1

NOTE – This 2-day workshop is in-studio & virtual. Please contact Serene Yoga at 204-504-YOGA, by email for more information or register online.   1 pm – 5 pm  $200 + GST

The Yoga Sutras are a practical textbook to guide your spiritual journey of remembering who you really are.  Roger Gabriel

Although pain is inevitable in every human life, yoga teaches us that suffering is optional.  Suffering exists due to our delusion of separation between our individual consciousness from Universal Consciousness.  Patanjali’s yoga sutras stand as practical guides to remembering that union. 

The Yoga Sutras were first written by Patanjali, an Indian man, who lived between the second and fourth centuries BC.  Because yoga began as an oral tradition, each sutra is a short phrase or thread meant to remind us (much like a cue card) of the greater body of knowledge attached to it.   

 In this workshop, classical and contemporary interpretations of the sutras will be discussed.  As time permits, asana and meditation will be practiced to facilitate understanding and integration.  

The workshop is also part of Serene Yoga Studio’s Advanced Teacher Training program, where 200 RYTs can accrue these hours towards the 500-hour certification. Serene Yoga Studio is a Canadian Yoga Alliance CYA-RYS Gold Yoga School. All Serene Yoga Action Workshops are eligible for accreditation and credits with the Canadian Yoga Alliance.

Sign up online under “Personal Development“!

Serene Yoga Studio 
891 St. Mary’s Road 
Winnipeg, MB See map Click here to sign up for the workshop.

April 16, 2022:  YOGA ACTIONS FOR INDIVIDUAL ALIGNMENT — Backbends

NOTE – This workshop is in-studio & virtual. Please contact Serene Yoga at 204-504-YOGA, by email for more information or register online.   1 pm – 5 pm  $80 + GST


Although many of us, during our early childhood, might remember easily pressing up into Urdhva Dhanurasana (Bridge Pose), it is very unlikely this is the case today.  I still recall teaching my first yoga class filled with tweens whose spines had significantly contracted.  In such a short time (one to two years at most), they had lost the capacity to bend over backward as well as forward.  One of the boys could not reach his hands beyond his knees.  As a yogi and a teacher, this experience served to remind me that when a dramatic contraction has occurred in the body, emotional trauma preceded it.  It is because of such trauma that beginner yoga students are not taught backbends.  In this workshop, you will learn the proper asana sequencing to warm, open and stretch the arms, shoulders, legs, hips and spine in preparation for backbends.  Pranayama and meditation are also on the agenda.

The workshop is also part of Serene Yoga Studio’s Advanced Teacher Training program, where 200 RYTs can accrue these hours towards the 500-hour certification. Serene Yoga Studio is a Canadian Yoga Alliance CYA-RYS Gold Yoga School. All Serene Yoga Action Workshops are eligible for accreditation and credits with the Canadian Yoga Alliance.

Sign up online under “Personal Development“!

Serene Yoga Studio 
891 St. Mary’s Road 
Winnipeg, MB See map Click here to sign up for the workshop.

May 14, 2022:  YOGA ACTIONS FOR INDIVIDUAL ALIGNMENT — Forward Folds

NOTE – This workshop is in-studio & virtual. Please contact Serene Yoga at 204-504-YOGA, by email for more information or register online.   1 pm – 5 pm  $80 + GST


Yoga is not a PE class. Yoga is an inquiry into the truth.  You’re teaching students how to start feeling free, spontaneous, and intuitive.   Erich Schiffman

Erich Schiffman speaks of yoga as both an inquiry into truth and a realization of freedom.  By truth, he means that which is free of ego.   The freedom he refers to is not only from the ego’s effortful striving and driving that is a habit for so many of us but also freedom from physical suffering.  This workshop incorporates a Schiffman technique for energetically accessing previously inaccessible aspects of our being.  Asana, pranayama, pratayahara and meditation are part of the agenda.

The workshop is also part of Serene Yoga Studio’s Advanced Teacher Training program, where 200 RYTs can accrue these hours towards the 500-hour certification. Serene Yoga Studio is a Canadian Yoga Alliance CYA-RYS Gold Yoga School. All Serene Yoga Action Workshops are eligible for accreditation and credits with the Canadian Yoga Alliance.

Sign up online under “Personal Development“!

Serene Yoga Studio 
891 St. Mary’s Road 
Winnipeg, MB See map Click here to sign up for the workshop.

August 15-19 (9am to 1pm):  DIAGNOSING BODIES — FOUNDATION ~ FLOW ~ FREEDOM

NOTE – This workshop is in-studio & virtual. Please contact Serene Yoga at 204-504-YOGA, by email for more information or register online.  

THIS WORKSHOP IS OPEN TO ALL LEVELS OF YOGA PRACTITIONERS

The intention of this annual five-day urban retreat is to strengthen our capacity physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.  Daily yoga practice such as this brings transformational awareness, healing and growth. 

Each year a different focus is explored across the five days. Past topics included: strengthening our foundation through subtle energy actions; moving from the four diaphragms; awakening the seven
chakras; revealing our deep-rooted patterns. This year, the focus is on the three crowns of the head — front, top and back. A great deal of stress and tension can be held in the brain and five senses of the face, all of which are impacted positively when we can relax and align the skull.

The Retreat’s five daily sessions flow from standing poses and twists into inversions, backbends, seated & forward folds. One of the days is dedicated to a silent practice, and each of the days includes asana, pranayama, pratyahara and meditation.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TODAY!

The workshop is also part of Serene Yoga Studio’s Advanced Teacher Training program, where 200 RYTs can accrue these hours towards the 500-hour certification. Serene Yoga Studio is a Canadian Yoga Alliance CYA-RYS Gold Yoga School. All Serene Yoga Action Workshops are eligible for accreditation and credits with the Canadian Yoga Alliance.

Sign up online under “Personal Development“!

Serene Yoga Studio 
891 St. Mary’s Road 
Winnipeg, MB See map Click here to sign up for the workshop.

2020/21 Yoga Actions 300-Hr. Advanced Teacher Training Curriculum

(60 Hours):  Yr. 4

Location:  Serene Yoga Studio, a registered Canadian Yoga Alliance CYA-RYS Gold Yoga School. All Teacher Training & professional development programs are eligible for Canadian Yoga Alliance accreditation/credits.

Helen Maupin (CYA RYT500)

Eight 4-hour workshops:  Saturdays (1 to 5 pm)
Two Retreats/Intensives:  8-hr Winter – Saturday & Sunday (1 to 5 pm)
20-hr Summer – Monday to Friday (9 to 1 pm)

4-hr Workshop Design:
Hour 1 — Philosophical teaching appropriate to class content
Hours 2 & 3 — Asana & Pratyahara exploration
Hour 4 — Pranayama, Dharana & Meditation

September 26:  YOGA ACTIONS FOR INDIVIDUAL ALIGNMENT — Standing Poses

Standing poses in asana are both strength building as well as flexibility enhancing.  In particular, they ground us to the earth thereby establishing a solid foundation from which to safely respond and move into life’s emerging experiences.  In other words, they enable us to “stand on our own two feet” no matter what life throws at us.  For those days when you need to centre and ground yourself, a standing pose practice is your best choice.  The accompanying sense of ease and comfort from such a practice increases with continued repetition and mastery. 

In this workshop, each participant is requested to bring 1 to 3 standing poses in which s/he is currently challenged and is seeking more refined instruction.  For all attending, an integrated standing pose practice as well as pranayama and meditation will be experienced.

October 17:  BALANCING THE GUNAS — Our Forces of Nature

The gunas represent the three forces (sattva, raja and tamas) that make up our fundamental human nature.  Getting to know these forces (contentment, agitation and lethargy, respectively) is key to understanding our mind, that is, our mental-emotional sheath–Manomaya kosha.  All three gunas exist within each of us, but life’s events and how we interpreted them may demonstrate our conditioned tendency or preference toward one guna over another.  Being mindful in one’s choice of response—contentment, agitation or lethargy—to each of life’s events is one definition of discernment.

In this workshop, each participant will practice a full asana sequence allowing them to witness what guna they actively express in each pose. There will be time allowed for assessing their responses as well as practising pranayama, pratyahara and meditation.

November 14: SPINAL HEALTH — Creating Strength & Space in the Cervical Vertebrae (Neck)

Considerable controversy plagues the health and fitness industries, including yoga, with regard to how much weight-bearing is appropriate for our cervical spine. Poses such as headstand (Sirsasana) and shoulder stand (Sarvangasana) are viewed either as strengthening and healing or injurious to the fragile vertebrae of the neck and the four joints of the shoulder girdle.

In this workshop, yogis will practise a sequence designed to both strengthen and create the space necessary for safely executing what are considered the King and Queen of all yoga poses. In addition, pranayama, pratyahara and meditation will be experienced by those attending.

December 12: TRANSFORMING THE SUBTLE BODY — Creating Space For Organic Healing

There are many practices or therapies dedicated to healing our physical body — the Annamaya kosha.  However, yoga is the only practice that specifically creates healing for the organs of the body.  In yoga, an organic practice moves away from the Annamaya kosha of bones and muscular tissue (the earth element) into the water and air elements.  The flow of circulation and breath through the lungs, heart, kidneys, liver, stomach and respiratory diaphragm is its fundamental focus.  Through enhancing the circulatory system, we directly feed energy into and heal the organic system.  

In this workshop, our focus is on creating “breathing” space in and around the organs in the torso and pelvis.  The activation and release of organic subtle energy requires longer holds and often more supports than we might use in other forms of practice.  Thus, transforming from the organic body invites more restorative poses.  Pranayama, Pratyahara and Meditation are also practised in the workshop timeframe.

January 09: ACTIVATING THE BANDHAS — Mula, Uddiyana & Jalandhara

 

 A more traditional approach to activating the three bandhas (energy locks) of the torso consists of intense muscular clenching, which moves us in the direction of more effort and more gripping rather than effortlessness.  However, with the support of specific yoga actions, we can gently strengthen our ability to free and move energy where it is required.  Creating the conditions for the Mula, Uddiyana and Jalandhara bandhas to perform effectively and involuntarily then becomes a natural occurrence of a regular yoga practice.  

In this workshop, yoga actions will be introduced to gently activate the three bandhas during asana.  Pratyahara, pranayama and meditation are also part of the program.

February 20: MINDFUL MEDITATION — Meditating, Writing & Moving with Present Moment Awareness

 

Everything is indeed yoga. Being aware of and true to the many layers of being within allows us to integrate our physical cellular intelligence with our spiritual intuitive wisdom. When this magical alliance occurs, our mental-emotional body no longer feels the need to dominate and manipulate our experiences. We come to know confidently what is true, and, as a result, we freely express the joyful creations arising from our collaborations with all of life. To live recognizing and honouring all our relations is the yoga of deep collaboration. 

In this workshop, you will use your awareness and deep-felt experience in collaboration with spirit to free and express your creative self.  Restorative asana, pranayama and meditation are on the agenda.  Bring your mystery and your journal. 

13 & 14 March: BALANCING THE BREAST BONE — Stability & Space


This two-afternoon workshop begins with awakening, stretching and lifting the breastbone.  Saturday afternoon’s focus is on directing vayu breath patterns in a restorative practice while we watch the awakening unfold within our sternum.  Sunday afternoon, you will explore how effective this breath opening has been in deepening your experience of backbends while balancing the three parts of your breastbone.  Pratyahara, Pranayama and Meditation also accompany the asana sequences.

17 April: YOGA ACTIONS for Twisting the Rib Cage

Because the rib cage serves multiple purposes, weight-bearing, organ-protection, deep-breathing, etc., it is vital to optimize its ability to move in all directions.  Maximum movement potential in the rib cage occurs as a result of the ability to twist and side-bend.  Among other things, your rib cage supports your shoulder girdle and head.  Thus, the more expansion you can create in the base of your throat (sternal notch), the more you are able to balance the weighty shoulders and head evenly and effortlessly on your rib cage.  Greater space anywhere means greater freedom of movement everywhere.  Pratyahara, Pranayama and Meditation are also part of the workshop agenda.

15 May: EFFORTLESS EFFORT — Tapping into the Kidneys


Balance (sattva) for yogis requires us to move from muscular-skeletal action (effort or rajas), into the effortless effort of depth practices.  In particular, subtle movement (tamas) at the organic level gently eases us into deeper-felt experiences of both the self and the divine.  In this organic practice, the focus is on gently moving the kidneys to facilitate effortless freedom in one’s overall movement in and experience of each pose.  Rigidity in the kidneys reduces both their fluidity and flexibility. Healthy kidneys allow us to maximize our energy potential with a minimum of effort (sattva).  Gentle twists and backbends stimulate effective kidney functioning.  Pranayama and Meditation are also part of the workshop agenda.

16 – 20 August Urban Retreat: DIAGNOSING BODIES — Healing Hardened Patterns

Life is paradoxical.  For each of us, considerable effort is required to first learn who we are and then to heal our often self-inflicted wounds.  Only then can we move into ease, effortlessness and enlightenment.  Understandably, no matter what lineage of yoga we choose to practice, it takes commitment to become effective at surviving and healing and then to shift into thriving.  

This week-long retreat’s intention is to strengthen our capacity not just physically but also mentally, emotionally and spiritually.  In order to thrive, we move beyond the level of our physical body into the subtleties of our thoughts, feelings and intuitions.   This next level of awareness and growth develops the resilience and trust in ourselves required to meet whatever life has in store for us.  Herein lies the paradox —in order for us to uncover our innate strength, we need to uncover our hardness in our attitudes, body armouring, numbness, and avoidance of emotion. Through returning to our foundation (feet, ankles and lower legs), but from a subtle body exploration, we align, balance and create with greater ease and effortlessness. Pratyahara, Pranayama and Meditation are also part of the workshop agenda.

2019/20 Yoga Actions 300-Hr. Advanced Teacher Training Curriculum

(60 Hours):  Yr. 3

Location:  Serene Yoga Studio, a registered Canadian Yoga Alliance CYA-RYS Gold Yoga School. All Teacher Training & professional development programs are eligible for Canadian Yoga Alliance accreditation/credits.


Helen Maupin (CYA RYT500)

Eight 4-hour workshops:  Saturdays (1 to 5 pm)
Two Intensives:  8-hr Winter – Saturday & Sunday (1 to 5 pm)
20-hr Summer – Monday to Friday (9 to 1 pm)

4-hr Workshop Design:
Hour 1 — Philosophical teaching appropriate to class content
Hours 2 & 3 — Pratyahara & Asana exploration
Hour 4 — Pranayama, Dharana & Meditation

September 21  SPINAL HEALTH

 Flexing, Extending & Rotating the Thoracic Spine 

 

 

 

Back pain affects over 80% of North Americans at some point in their lives.  Although lower back pain is often the issue, our technology-based careers and more sedentary lifestyles contribute to upper back rounding and stiffening.  Without backward mobility in the thoracic spine, the rib cage collapses restricting the respiratory diaphragm and lungs, which are our breathing workhorses.  Hampering our breath in any way reduces our ability to strengthen our nervous system and to manage our emotional experience.  In this workshop, you will practice yoga actions that support thoracic flexion, extension and rotation, including lateral flexion and extension.  These preventative therapies guard against our more mobile cervical and lumbar spines from compensating and becoming overly mobile. 

October 26  BALANCING THE 5 PRANA VAYUS

 An Asana-breath Practice

Breathing sustains life.  Our inhaled and exhaled breaths directly connect us to the vast inner system of energy processing that mobilizes our entire array of human functions—absorption, circulation, temperature, digestion and elimination. 

Yogis refer to these vital functions that serve our whole being as vayus (lifeforce winds).  These five divisions of pranic energy are housed within the chakra system.  Thus, an imbalance in a vayu disturbs the chakra associated with it.  In this workshop, you will experience each of the vayus—Apana, Samana, Prana, Udana and Vyana—through a deliberate asana-breath sequence, including pranayama and meditation.

November 30   HIP THERAPY — Stabilizing & Opening

The yoga sutra “sthira sukham asanam” teaches that asana is intended to balance stability (tone, strength, steadiness, grounding, sthira) with ease of movement (flexibility, comfort, peace, sukha).  Emphasizing strength over flexibility or flexibility over strength results in weakness. This amounts to compression or too little space in the overly strong, inflexible body and collapse or too much space in the flexible, loose-jointed body.  Both states contribute to the medical statistic where 70% of adults can anticipate a hip replacement in their lifetime. 

In this workshop, you will initially experience muscular-skeletal yoga actions (earth element) for balancing hip stability and openness.  Then, to experience the difference between doing and being, you will shift to working with subtle actions (air and water elements) that simultaneously work on the symptoms and the source of the issues in our tissues. 

December 14   OPENING YOUR THROAT, HEART & POWER CHAKRAS

The collar bones are only one element of the complex structure we refer to as the shoulder girdle, which also comprises the shoulder blades, five joints, five muscles and the sternal notch.  However, when we affect one aspect of this complex structure, we affect all aspects. By isolating and focusing on the collar bones, we still involve the entire shoulder girdle and expose where our instability and/or rigidity exist.

 In this workshop, you will initially practice muscular-skeletal collar bone actions to explore your capacity—strength and openness.  Then, you will deepen your experience and capacity with subtle body actions. These more subtle yoga actions activate the necessary movement and space within the shoulder girdle generally and the collar bones specifically to balance sthira (stability, effort) and sukha (flexibility, ease). 

January 18   SAMSKARAS — 9 PREDICTABLE OBSTACLES to Overcome with Yoga

In Yogic, Buddhist and Taoist terms, the “wheel of life” or the cycle of birth and death is an ongoing and evolving experience.  In these ancient belief systems, humans are vulnerable to repeating the birth-death cycle over and over again, unless we refine our awareness.  What causes our vulnerability or suffering is the latent impressions and imprints (samskaras) we absorb through our human birth and growth process.  Once we become aware of the life patterns holding us in this repetitive cycle, we can break free from what no longer serves us by altering our intentions and actions. 

Thus, samskara is the life cycle or energy (both positive and negative intentions and actions) that keeps us in human form.  Enlightenment, on the other hand, is the evolutionary process of using our intentions and actions to elevate our consciousness and, thereby, free ourselves from suffering and delusion.  The “bad” news is, these samskaras (conditioning and delusions) are always present and cannot be completely destroyed. The “good” news is, there are nine delusions or obstacles, they are predictable and they can be transcended. 

In the January and February workshops, you will use your asana, pranayama and meditation practices to become aware of how each samskara is present in your life, and how you can break free from its associated suffering. For more on samskaras.


February 29 
 ANXIETY & DEPRESSION—Opportunities for Cultivating Emotional Balance

Both anxiety and depression disguise and yet lead us to the deeper meaning we seek in our lives.  Awakening to our physical holding patterns, which we default to under distress, has the added benefit of revealing our emotional patterns.  These default samskaras are deeply rooted in our unconscious and very difficult to see or feel. However, their symptoms — anxiety, depression, trembling or instability in the body, and irregularity in the breath — are consciously visible.  By releasing these symptoms through restorative asana, we peel back, layer-by-layer, our holding patterns until we come face-to-face with our source issue.  

This workshop’s focus sets the stage for transforming your emotional patterns via the deep relaxation of restorative yoga, regulated breathing and present moment awareness.  Come and learn about your emotional type. The workshop’s practices are designed to balance anxiety (calm body and mind) as well as lift depression (energize body and mind).  For more on samskaras.

March 14-15   THE ANATOMY OF VINYASA — Exploring Vinyasa with Sequencing from an Anatomical Perspective

Vinyasa yoga is an active, flowing form of yoga, synchronizing breath and movement. The active linking of postures through dynamic movement married with breath, is like dancing with the energy of the universe. This style allows for a lot of variety. At times a class may be fast or slow, alignment-oriented or exploratory in nature. Its strength is in its diversity.

The focus of this workshop will be exploring vinyasa flow while threading in instructions from the anatomical layer, the gross body (skin, muscles, bone). Anatomical instructions serve to deepen our understanding of primary action and alignment. At the same time, focused attention on detailed instruction acts as a concentration tool leading to a meditative state of mind.

April 25    MINDFUL MEDITATION — Meditating, Writing & Moving with Present Moment Awareness

Everything is indeed yoga. Being aware of and true to the many layers of being within allows us to integrate our physical cellular intelligence with our spiritual intuitive wisdom. When this magical alliance occurs, our mental-emotional body no longer feels the need to dominate and manipulate our experiences. We come to know confidently what is true, and, as a result, we freely express the joyful creations arising from our collaborations with all of life. To live recognizing and honouring all our relations is the yoga of deep collaboration. 

In this workshop, you will use your awareness and deep-felt experience in collaboration with spirit to free and express your creative self.  Restorative asana, pranayama and meditation are on the agenda.  Bring your mystery and your journal. This is a virtual workshop.

May 23    BUILDING A YOGA CORE — Engaging the Subtle Body

In yoga, we refer to the subtle body as the Manomaya and Vijnanamaya sheaths or layers of our being.  Interestingly, the closer our practice comes to targeting our core and engaging our subtle body, the less muscular effort required to achieve a state of equilibrium and effortlessness.  Thus, the yoga actions, asanas, pranayama and meditation practiced in this workshop are intended to set the conditions for the natural or effortless engagement of the Mula, Uddiyana and Jalandhara Bandhas.  Each bandha’s effortless activation often releases not just one but several holding patterns.  This release allows us to become more familiar with the hidden source of our patterns as well as our potential for new growth.
Until further notice, this workshop will be offered virtually.

August 17 – 21   DIAGNOSING BODIES — Moving from the 4 Diaphragms

In the early years of our yoga practice, we focus on grounding and aligning our bones as well as expanding and lengthening our musculature and tissues. In this way, we increase our capacity to effortlessly flow energy in the form of food, oxygen, blood, life force, etc. through the various systems in our body. When we bring breath, awareness and movement into each successive layer of our being, eventually we come face-to-face with our “inner space”. Using the body’s four diaphragms—pelvic, respiratory, thoracic and brain—this workshop will explore the element of space. With asana, pranayama and meditation, you will become familiar and comfortable with your inner space, which then allows you to be comfortable in any external space. This ripple effect outward is how we influence, indeed change, our outer world.

2018/19 Yoga Actions 300-Hr. Advanced Teacher Training Curriculum 

(60 Hours):  Yr. 2

Location:  Serene Yoga Studio, a registered Canadian Yoga Alliance CYA-RYS Gold Yoga School. All Teacher Training & professional development programs are eligible for Canadian Yoga Alliance accreditation/credits.

Helen Maupin (CYA RYT500)

Eight 4-hour workshops:  Saturdays (1 to 5 pm)
Two Intensives:  8-hr Winter – Saturday & Sunday (1 to 5 pm)
20-hr Summer – Monday to Friday (9 to 1 pm)
Annual International: 15-hr Retreat – Tuesday to Sunday (9 to 11:30 am OR 9 to 10 am & 5 to 6 pm)

4-hr Workshop Design:
Hour 1 — Philosophical teaching appropriate to class content
Hours 2 & 3 — Pratyahara & Asana exploration
Hour 4 — Pranayama & Meditation

 

September 22    A STILLNESS PRACTICE — From Yoga Nidrasana (Open Hips) to Yoga Nidra (Open Heart)     (Saturday 1 to 5 pm)

In this workshop, you will open your hips, hamstrings and heart in preparation for the deep forward bend of Yoga Nidrasana and the deep relaxation of Yoga Nidra.  Both Yoga Nidrasana and Yoga Nidra draw our attention inward stimulating pratyahara, which is the deep peaceful relaxation that emerges when we withdraw our senses from the outer world.  

[During Pratyahara,] we learn to surf between the states of wakefulness and sleep, where our body finds its natural state of equilibrium (homeostasis) – the breath balances and becomes quiet, unconscious and conscious aspects of the mind reveal themselves, and we fall into an innate state of deep, blissful awareness.  James Reaves

October 13    OPENING ENERGY CHANNELS — Feet, Leg & Arm Loops  (Saturday 1 to 5 pm)

In Asana practice, we begin by opening and strengthening the outer, gross body — skin, muscle and bones.  Once greater capacity is achieved, we move deeper into the energetic body — organs and nadis (energy channels).  In this workshop, you will get in touch with and access various energy channels in the body, which will enable you to address deeper, concretized habits.  By concentrating our focus on moving energy rather than fascia, muscle or bone, we can open hardened physical habits where even the breath has not succeeded.

November 10    KAIUT YOGA — Detoxing Our Major Joints   (Saturday 1 to 5 pm)

As a Chiropractor, Francisco Kaiut blended chiropractic medicine, Tibetan Buddhism, Yoga and cranial sacral therapy into what he calls “Yoga for Everybody.”  He was shot in the left hip as a child and spent many years in constant pain. His search for relief for both himself and his patients led him to create the Kaiut lineage of yoga.  Kaiut Yoga emphasizes long holds where pressure is applied at a variety of angles in order to work deep into the joints. Kaiut postures light up and reprogram the central nervous system, stimulate circulation and, with time and patience, increase mobility while reducing pain.  One of Kaiut’s students described the practice as “Anatomical Diplomacy.”  This workshop includes two Kaiut sequences, discussions and observations.

December 15    EXPLORING THE FLEXIBLE BODY — Building Towards Stability   (Saturday 1 to 5 pm)

When students are asked why they do yoga, many say, “to be more flexible”.  They talk of tight hips, strong quads, and stiff shoulders. For them, flexibility is their needed component for balanced health.  However, yoga also attracts people who are already flexible and some who are too flexible or hypermobile. What they need from their yoga practice is often quite different than other bodies.  In this workshop, we will address the following questions:

  • How can we as practitioners:

– know where we are on the sturdy to hypermobile scale?
– know what our body needs and interpret the yoga actions to meet those needs?

  • How can we as teachers:

– identify our flexible and hypermobile students?
– design sequences to meet the needs of the flexible body as well as the sturdy body?

January 19    BALANCING THE SHOULDER BLADES — Stability & Movement   (Saturday 1 to 5 pm)

Yoga teaches presence, that is, awareness.  In the early years of our yoga practice, we are only superficially aware of imbalances and stressors in our body.  Nonetheless, any imbalance in the body reflects an imbalance in the mind and breath. By bringing awareness to where these imbalances exist, the yoga practitioner begins a journey of using sensation as a guide to deeper intimacy (awareness) and recovery (integration).

Yogis begin by grounding their legs and pelvis so they can stand with balance and move with freedom.  With this capacity, the journey moves up the spine into the heart space and shoulder girdle. This workshop focuses on bringing awareness, stability and movement into the shoulder blades.  A variety of heart-opening poses, pranayama, dharana and dhyana (meditation) will be part of the learning experience.

February 02    THE DOSHAS — A Practice for Your Ayurvedic Body Type:  Vata, Pitta, Kapha    (Saturday 1 to 5 pm)

Because our emotional, mental and physical health issues are rooted in our body, it is vital to understand our predominant body type (dosha).  With this knowledge, we can better choose those movements/asanas, foods and experiences most suited to our health. With such knowledge, we feed our unique energetic constitution.  We are energy beings, and our Ayurvedic Dosha significantly influences how we interact with life.

In this workshop, you will discover your prominent dosha type(s) and practice a sequence specifically designed to balance it.

March 16 & 17    YIN TEACHER TRAINING — Exploring Various Approaches   
(8-hr Saturday & Sunday Workshop)

Yin yoga is a slow, meditative yoga practice with postures held for periods of time ranging from one to five minutes or more. Holding poses applies moderate stress to the connective tissues of the body with the aim of increasing circulation in the joints as well as improving flexibility. More importantly, Yin yoga creates the conditions necessary to engage with our deeper awareness and inner silence and brings to light the interconnection of body, mind and spirit.

In the Yin Teacher Training workshop, you will learn:

– the many benefits of Yin
– the many poses and methods of sequencing
– the concept of working back of “your edge”
– the difference between pain and sensation; tension and compression
– when to prop and when not to

You will be guided through a variety of practices, group discussions and creative sequencing exercises by Candace Propp.

April 27    MINDFUL MEDITATION II — Meditating, Moving & Writing with Present Moment Awareness    (Saturday 1 to 5 pm)

Everything is indeed yoga. Being aware of and true to the many layers of being within allows us to integrate our physical cellular intelligence with our spiritual intuitive wisdom. When this magical alliance occurs, our mental-emotional body no longer feels the need to dominate and manipulate our experiences. We come to know confidently what is true, and, as a result, we freely express the joyful creations arising from our collaborations with all of life. To live recognizing and honouring all our relations is the yoga of deep collaboration. 

In this workshop, you will use your awareness and deep-felt experience in collaboration with spirit to free and express your creative self.  Bring your mystery and your journal.

May 25    SPINAL HEALTH II — Lumbar Length & Strength    (Saturday 1 to 5 pm)

Many yoga practitioners use the asanas to stretch muscles and increase flexibility.  In time, this emphasis on stretching can overextend and misshape our musculature, which creates even more imbalance.  Instead, the asanas aremeant to reveal where our muscles and bones are out of balance. Then, we can learn to anchor and stabilize or create length and ease where our body indicates the need.

This balancing act takes weight off the spine, which liberates and returns it to its natural curves. This workshop focuses on activating the lattisimus dorsi to stabilize the sacrum and lumbar spine while broadening and lengthening the thoracic.

August 19 to 23    DIAGNOSING BODIES — Seeing the Action
(20-hr Monday to Friday intensive: 9 am to 1 pm)

  

During asana practice, when we focus awareness and intention on each of the seven spinal chakras, we feel and see their unique impacts on our body and being.  As receivers of life-force energy, each chakra centre or wheel transforms ‘prana’ into the vibrational frequencies needed to nurture and sustain our lower layers of being (our physical body –Annamaya kosha, our energy body–Pranamaya kosha, and our mental-emotional body–Manomaya kosha).  By activating and then expanding the capacity of each chakra, we access the dormant pool of energy lying at the base of our spine. Raising our