In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali says that our asanas should be held with a balance of steadiness and ease, because only in that balance can the inner process of yoga unfold. He means not only the external posture of the body, but the internal posture of the mind, the posture by which we hold whatever experiences happen to arise. This posture must be grounded and receptive at the same time, so we can remain open but stable as old patterns of thought and feeling unwind.
In Ashtanga Vinyasa, we cultivate this posture by balancing the two opposing forces of the breath. These are called prana and apana, and they are said to underly the primitive movements upon which living organisms depend—opening and closing, swelling and contracting, forming and dissolving. By balancing these forces, we can find the internal posture of awareness that allows us to unravel from the tangles of our conditioned minds.
To find this balance is to connect yoga practice and philosophy in a visceral way, and that is what our intensive is all about. Together we explore the principles of postural alignment, and we learn to use these principles to cultivate the internal posture upon which the process of yoga depends. We learn to hold this posture gently as we move sweetly through the forms, feeling the continuity of our inner and outer realities, and steeping ourselves in the quiet exhilaration of coming undone.
There are two options for this intensive. You can take just the weekend, for a little taste, or you can embrace the whole offering, and join for one full week of intensive practice and study. There are no requirements of ability or proficiency and people with special circumstances of any kind are absolutely welcome to join.
Friday March 8th
6pm - 8pm Surya Namaskara
Saturday March 9th
7:00am 9:00am Mysore
9:00am - 10:00am Pranayama & Chanting
10:00 - 11:30 BREAK
11:30am - 1:30pm Secret Life of Standing Postures Workshop
1:30pm to 1:45pm BREAK
1:45pm - 3:30pm Mula Banda Workshop
Sunday March 10th
7:00am 9:00am Mysore
9:00am - 10:00am Pranayama & Chanting
10:00 - 11:30 BREAK
11:30am - 1:30pm Backbending Workshop
1:30pm to 1:45pm BREAK
1:45pm - 3:30pm Drinking the Poison Workshop
Monday March 11th & Tuesday March 12th
6:00am - 8:00am Mysore
8:00am - 9:00am Pranayama & Chanting
Investment:
Full workshop: 550 SGD
Saturday / Sunday 200$
Friday Workshop 90$
Monday / Tuesday (Mysore + Pranayama) 90$
WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS
SURYA NAMASKAR
The backbone of the Ashtanga system is Surya Namaskar, the Salutation to the Sun. The Sun is not only the celestial body that gives us warmth and daylight, but the solar center of the subtle body, where our vital forces converge. In Surya Namaskar, we are propitiating to these forces, inviting them to rise up through the central axis of the body, burning away our delusions and giving us insight. This session explores the mechanics of Surya Namaskar and introduces the basic movement vocabulary that we use throughout the workshop.
MYSORE
This is a Mysore style asana class. We practice together, mostly in silence, following the natural cadence of our own breath. This is not a guided class, so you must know your own sequencing to attend. Ashtanga Vinyasa will be the predominating style, but other Vinyasa-Krama styles are welcome. This is an opportunity for individual attention and support.
PRANAYAMA AND MEDITATION
Pranayama is the practice of giving space to the breath. When the movements of the breath merge together, they reveal a perfect continuity. They suspend the mind in the liminal space between creativity and emptiness. This session involves a guided practice of pranayama and somatic visualization to awaken the breath, and taste the sweetness that lies beneath.
THE SECRET LIFE OF STANDING POSTURES
Standing Postures have a secret life, a secret inwardness, a secret drama that is easy to miss. They can seem simple and accessible when we first learn them, but as we feel into them with closer attention, they start to reveal an unfathomable depth. Each standing posture is a unique stage for the dynamic interplay of prana and apana, and when we learn to direct those subtle forces into one another, using the structure of the postural form, their drama begins to unfold. In this session, we learn to balance prana and apana within the standing postures of the Ashtanga Vinyasa system.
MULA BANDHA
Some say that mula bandha is the toning of the pelvic floor. Others say that mula bandha is the experience of non-duality. What do these disparate things have in common? This workshop aims to clarify. Observing the subtle breath within our bodies, we discover a thread of sensation that reaches from the pelvic floor to the soft palate, a thread that connects us to the primitive source of our vitality. By awakening our appreciation for where that thread leads, we invite some of the finer experiences of yoga to arise. This session will involve some light and accessible asana practice, together with subtle body visualization.
BACKBENDING
The practice of backbending is about making ourselves vulnerable, and finding the internal support to handle that vulnerability with steadiness and grace. When we backbend with internal support, we create opportunities for deep psychical release. In this session, we learn to work intelligently with the breath, the psoas and the diaphragm, to create a long and supple spine that can reach gracefully into these difficult and exhilarating forms.
TASTING THE POISON
Yoga practice is said to be the antidote for hālāhala, the poison of the conditioned mind. When the practice starts to work, the poison comes to the surface, and darkens the waters of our experience. This can be troubling and pose serious obstacles to practice. In this talk, we reflect on the mythology of Siva, as the drinker of the poison. We discuss the process of meeting troubling experiences with compassion and turning the poison into insight.