Meditation Intensive Module, with Aaron Dias, Feb. 8-10

Meditation: Traversing the Inner World

February 8-10, 2019

Teacher: Aaron Dias

YTT 200 hour, yoga teacher training, hudson valley, kingston, ny, modulesMeditation is the most fundamental spiritual practice of all because it develops our most valuable asset of all–our awareness. Sharing just a few simple tools and insights, Aaron teaches you how to overcome common obstacles and develop a practice that is steady, satisfying, authentic to your own path and wildly effective in helping you reach your goals. We will devote the rest of the weekend to the study of the energy body–which effects everything about your lived experience on the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual levels. Though you may not be able to see the subtle body (yet!) everyone can learn how to detect it and learn what it needs. By the end of the weekend you will feel much more confident about who you are, what you need and how to make it all fall into balance.

Learn:

  • the tools you need to establish a committed self-meditation practice.
  • how to translate the information that your own energy body is trying to share.
  • to become the authority on your own spiritual development.
Aaron Dias
Aaron is a facilitator of spiritual evolution who, through one-on-one coaching as well as group experiences, has helped hundreds of individuals discover their own innate capacity for healing, insight and positive transformation. She is initiated in the Q’ero lineage of the High Andes and has extensive training in various other enlightenment traditions and energy systems, most notably Mahayana Buddhism, Tantric Yoga and Taoism. She combines this knowledge with a lifetime as a wordsmith, philosopher, theater-maker and nature-enthusiast to model her highest values–authenticity, courage, integrity, wisdom and, most of all love–and to mirror back to you your own best self.

 


Meditation



Mysore Ashtanga Foundations Course – Next session: January 14, 16, 18

Mysore Foundations Course

MWF 7:00-8:00am

Offered Second Full Week of every month (see exact dates below)
Instructor: Jessica Spivey

$30 for the 3-session course.

Learn the foundations of the Ashtanga yoga practice alongside those in the regular Mysore class on Monday/Wednesday/Friday. This 3-session course is for both the beginning yoga student and the student proficient in yoga who has not practiced Mysore style before. Practitioners will start with the basics, including:

Breath – Ujjayi breathing, or also called ‘Breathing with sound’ or ‘Free Breathing’
Bandha – Internal locks
Drishti – Gazing points
Vinyasa – Movement breath system

Within this course, students will start by learning Surya Namaskar A and B and progress in the Ashtanga yoga standing sequence learning one posture at a time before learning the next one. Students will learn the sequence with the guidance of the teacher, so though it is a ‘class’ it is more like receiving 1:1 instruction in a group environment.

Completion of this course will give students the confidence and awareness required to attend the Morning Mysore Program regularly.

To get a sense of the entire practice, it is also a good idea to attend one of our Led Ashtanga classes on Thursday evening (5:45pm) or Sunday morning (8:00am), if you choose.

Some things to remember before you begin:

  • Be sure to come five to ten minutes early prepared to practice.
  • It’s best to practice on an empty stomach, so we suggest eating breakfast after your practice.
  • Please refrain from wearing scented perfumes or cologne.
  • Notify the teacher if you have any injuries or if you are pregnant.
  • Wear comfortable, loose clothing and bring a yoga mat if you have one or use one of the studios complimentary mats.

You will be practicing in the studio with those in the regular Mysore class and you are welcome to come early and watch students practice. By attending a Beginner’s Course yoga students will understand more about self practice and how to establish a regular Ashtanga yoga practice within the group Mysore class environment.


3-Session Course



2018-2019 Course Dates:

Sept 10, 12, 14
Oct 15, 17, 19
Nov 12, 14, 16
Dec 10, 12, 14
Jan 14, 16, 18
Feb. 11, 13, 15
Mar. 11, 13, 15
Apr. 8, 10, 12
Mat 13, 15, 17

November Focus: Satya, Truthfulness

November Focus

Satya: Truthfulness

Image result for truthfulness

 

What an interesting world we’re living in right now, where truthfulness, accountability, and right action are commonly questioned and looked at with a discerning eye. Luckily, we aspiring yogis who f
ollow the path of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are required to always be truthful through one of the social disciplines, or yamas. That social discipline is that of satya, which literally means “to speak the truth,” and while in theory it seems easy enough, there are many levels of the truthfulness that could create obstacles when working toward on honest existence. Below are some things to consider about our daily lives and following the discipline of truthfulness as we journey on our yogic path.

 

When one thinks of speaking the truth, we naturally associate that with our communication with others. In a paper published in 2010 in Human Communication Research, psychologist found that the average number of lies people tell per day is 1.65 lies. Doing pretty good, people! We might think that it would be higher considering that in our present society, the modes of communication seem endless. We have face to face, phone, snail mail (what’s that?), email, text, social media, and we’d think that each allow for a little more bending of the truth than the next. However, according to research done at Cornell University, the use of technology keeps us more honest, realizing that there’s a “digital trail” (formerly known as a paper trail, remember that?). We actually end up lying more face to face or over the phone because there is no record of what was said. Hmmm, sounds like we might need to work on the correlation between our audial communication and our “little white lies.”

 

Next, in regards to satya, how honest are we with ourselves? This is a different level of honesty where there is only personal accountability. Another way of thinking about lying to ourselves is the big ‘D’ word: Denial. You may have heard this acronym before, “Don’t Even Notice I Am Lying.” According to an article in Psychology Today there are 8 most common lies we tell ourselves, which include ignorance is bliss, how we like to be seen, and cherry picking data. (If you want to read the full article, click here.) While denial and self-deception may be an evolutionary survival skill, having awareness of our common self-lies might be a good method for us to stop and reflect on some of your own motivations and what you consider to be your “personal truths.”

 

The last aspect of truthfulness that we’ll mention is that of the honesty behind our actions. In yoga philosophy, we are asked over and over again to look at the intention behind the deeds that we do. The Buddha delineates the distinction between right and wrong intention. Right intention includes the intention of renunciation, the intention of good will, and the intention of harmlessness. The opposite intentions include the intention governed by desire, the intention governed by ill will, and the intention governed by harmfulness. Right intention is the basis for right thinking and truthful and non-deceitful actions.

 

This post is only to offer some moments of self-reflection and self-study, which is naturally part of our ongoing yoga practice. We’ll finish with the words from Swami Satchidananda about satya, “With establishment in honesty, the state of fearlessness comes. One need not be afraid of anybody and can always lead an open life. When there are no lies, the entire life becomes an open book. But this comes only with an absolutely honest mind. When the mind becomes clear and serene, the true Self reflects without disfigurement, and we realize the Truth in its own original nature.” Sounds to us like to bliss and real freedom.

 

In gratitude & service,

Jacquelyn & Leigha

Qi Gong at a new time! Mondays 12:00-1:00pm-Begins 7/29

New Class

QiGong

with Corinne Wolcott

qigong, meditation, qi, energy, moving energyQiGong is the cultivation (gong) of the vital, universal force within and around us (qi.)  QiGong often involves making slow movements, being still, stimulating and stretching parts of yourself- all with relaxed attention. Standing, sitting, or laying down, in this class we will learn from the Ling Gui International Healing QiGong School and Turtle Longevity QiGong. For thousands of years we have used QiGong to improve circulation, increase self-awareness, and cultivate self-acceptance.
Corinne Wolcott, MSOM, LAc, Certified QiGong Instructor, shares many possible practices for health, all rooted in self-awareness and self-acceptance. Drawing upon her training as a Chinese Medicine Practitioner and twelve years of QiGong practice, Corinne emphasizes curiosity and trust in her classes. She loves her work as a healthcare provider of acupuncture, shiatsu massage, QiGong, and nutrition. Her work and wonderings can be found online at www.tuihealthcare.com.