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TT200 final exams @ Sangha

TT200 final exams @ Sangha

Saturday, October 17, 2015 – Sunday, October 18, 2015
9:30am 09:30

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Final exams / Karma yoga weekend @ Sangha

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This is my little meditation corner. On the sofa, underneath my altar, in my special, quiet place. When I travel, this corner is what I miss the most. And my home cooked food.
Meditation can literally reshape our brain; something yogis knew for hundreds or even thousands of years science proves today.
For some time now I have been reading and researching neuroplasticity and how our habits, good or bad, can reshape our brain and, therefore, our life. Meditation is certainly one of those good habits which can reshape our present and our future. On the upcoming retreats like the one coming up in Croatia this June, apart from our daily meditation sessions, I will be adding a lecture on the neuroscience behind meditation, which meditation to choose and how to continue the practice at home as well as adding this lecture to my TTC courses. Exciting stuff!;)
#meditation #meditationretreat #yoga #yogaretreat #neuroplasticity

The last foundation Integral Vinyasa is laid upon is - Prana, or Prana Vayus, the qualities of vital energy within and without. Understanding of how the energy moves in the body when we do asana and connecting vinyasa is not just a powerful tool, but essential for yoga teacher of any lineage. This not only helps us guide the practice with breath, but give our students better instructions, address the root and not only the symptom. When you know how the energy flows and you catch that current, you flow with ease and grace even through the most challenging asanas and transitions. Perhaps even levitate one day;).
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Vinyasa yoga or Vinyasa flow yoga is not a system, it’s just a name describing a style rather of more fluid practice with linked asanas rather than a method. A method is an organised, systematic set of guidelines and rules, not as exploratory and creative, rather structured. So, if you are interested to learn how to teach Vinyasa, make sure you find a school which offers a method which will give you solid foundation out of which you can later on explore and create. ******
Have a lovely, sunny Spring day🌸

#prana #pranavayus #vinyasa #integralvinyasayoga #yogateachertraining #yoga #levitating

Continued on my Friday and Saturday post about the foundations and five principles of Integral Vinyasa method - the third one is asana, or rather the understanding of every asana function.
In order to create a meaningful practice, inspired by an intention (Sankalpa) and rooted in the understanding of the individual, group or the natural cycle (Prakriti), we use different yogic tools and techniques, and asana is one of those tools we use. Understanding how to use this tool is essential; just as a hammer can be used to build and create as well as to brake something, asana is a tool we, as teachers, need to understand how, why and when to use in order to build and not break. To preserve or restore health and balance, and not cause injury or imbalance. Understanding anatomy and biomechanics is of course essential, but understanding the subtle body and how each asana affects it, is equally important.
So, this is another principle I pay a lot of attention to in my teacher training courses in order to train teachers who will teach with a deeper understanding of why and how they sequence asanas rather than either repeating learned set sequences or, the other extreme, sequence out of ‘fun’ or ‘creativity’. Picasso once said “Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.” It takes a lot of knowledge to be an artist and create something meaningful.
#asana #asanafunction #anatomy #biomechanics #movement #teachertraining #vinyasa #integralvinyasayoga #yoga

Blessed New Moon to all of you star gazers out there. Mercury is (finally) going out of retrograde and, together with this New Moon, marks a perfect time for new beginnings; on personal level as well as global. It’s pass time to evolve from our small minded ways of thinking involving only our own lives and those close to us, and expand our consciousness further thinking about the future on a larger level. The change is happening, the only question is - are you a part of the problem or a part of the solution? Are you ready to wake up or will you continue to sleep walk through life guided by conformity and consumerism? In Cathy Pagano’s beautiful words: “This is the time to plant the seeds of rebirth and renewal for this coming year, seeds that will take you into your future.
A a new mind-set, a new perspective is waiting to be born within us, and hopefully within our society. As you look at the news, for every attempt to turn the clock back on freedom, equality and environmental protections, you can see people rising up everywhere to stand against the regressive pull of old patriarchal thinking. We are on the ‘hero’s journey’ where we have to overcome obstacles to make sure the new seeds of revolution and evolution planted get stronger and spread their roots deeper in our collective consciousness. More people are waking up to the fact that we have to be citizens rather than consumers, that we have to be stewards of the Earth rather than users, and that democracy demands an awakened citizenry.” #newmoon #newbeginnings #revolution #evolution #awareness #awakening #consciousness #yoga

Second important foundation Integral Vinyasa yoga is laid upon is Prakriti - an important concept in Ayurveda, ancient science this method is very much rooted in.

Prakriti is a natural state of everything; nature as macrocosm as well as our body/mind, or the microcosm. This natural state is a constant state to an extent, it also changes depends on a cycle it’s in and external circumstance - everything in nature is intertwined and mutually dependent. A tree will always be a tree, but it will undergo changes from a seed to a full grown tree, as well as it will change depending on seasons - bloom in spring and shed leaves in the fall. We are no different, you will always be you, but your body (physical as well as subtle) will undergo changes depending on many things. Some of these changes area natural unfolding, and some are unbalances our yoga practice can be created to address.
This understanding helps us accept the natural state of things and cycles we go through as well as observe what is our natural or balanced state in a given moment and how we can create the state of equilibrium.
Prakriti is about finding our own, personal practice which will help us balance our physical and subtle existence depending on our Prakriti, not somebody else’s. An asana beneficial for me might be harmful to you disrupting your balanced state. Alignment in asana which is good for your friend (especially of a different sex) might not be good for you. Pranayama you will use in the winter might not be good for you in the summer etc.
How do we apply this understanding in Vinyasa practice? This is a something we focus on during the teacher training course. If you’re intrigued and interested to know more, you can join me this year in three different countries;). Info on my website - link in bio.
#prakriti #integralvinyasayoga #vinyasayoga #vinyasa #yogateachertraining #nature #naturalstate #yoga #ayurveda

Integral Vinyasa yoga, the method I teach and train new teachers in, is laid upon five foundations. First one, and the most important one is - Sankalpa, or the right intention.
In a broader sense, the intention behind yoga practice is to attain liberation from fear and attachment so we can be free and dwell in the higher self. So we can be jivanmuktas - living liberated.
On the path to that goal we use yogic tools like asana, pranayama, mudra, mantra etc. to create a mindful, healing practice which will balance any momentary unbalances and serve towards moving, breathing and being (living) with more consciousness. As yogis, everything we do on the mat and off the mat, should serve that higher purpose.
As yoga teachers, when we create a sequence, it should be out of Sankalpa to create a healing practice, which will support balance and serve mindfulness.
Last few weeks were very intensive with travel and work, and I felt tired a lot. Coupled with tiredness which comes at the beginning of Spring, I wasn’t my usual self. So I kept my practice gentle, grounded and slow to help me recreate balance. This morning was a first after a few weeks when I felt I can fly on my mat and so I did, serving the intention of my body to move any stuck energy.
In the next days I will go over all of the foundations so if you’re interested, stay tuned. And, if you’re interested to learn how to teach with those foundations in your mind and heart, join me on one of the teacher training courses starting this fall (Zagreb & Milano) or for an intensive in Portugal in October or Sri Lanka in January.
#integralvinyasayoga #vinyasayoga #sankalpa #mindfulness #liberation #consciousness #yogateachertraining #vinyasa #yoga #yogateacher

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