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Seasonal Yoga Courses @ The Yoga Place |
Because there is a parallel between what is happening inside you and what is happening
in Nature, simple things, like the seasons and their related weather conditions,
effect the way energy moves in your body and this effects how your body functions.
For example, if you suffer from lower back pain or a specific type of arthritis,
you will have experienced that your condition gets worse in cold windy conditions.
On the other hand, if you have a specific type of heart problem it will probably
feel better in the cold but worse when it gets hot. Cold causes energy to sink and
contract and heat causes it to rise and expand. The understanding of how energy works
is related back to the principals of the five elements which are the core constituents
of everything in creation - space, wind, fire, water and earth.
We apply these principals to seasonal yoga classes. The classes are designed so that
the asanas (physical movements), pranayamas (energy building and controlling exercises
via breathing techniques) and mantras (energy controlling exercises via sound vibrations)
harmonise the body with the specific energetics of the specific season by activating
or deactivating the appropriate elements.
In these classes we also discuss the impact of food on your body. From an Ayurvedic
and Yogic perspective, food creates the physical body (annamaya kosha). Each food
type grows in a specific season and is made up of its own unique combination of the
5 elements. In addition, cooking methods (raw, boiled, fried, steamed, casseroled,
microwaved) change the energetics of food. When you understand these simple facts
you can use food as medicine.
Recommended reading :
Course duration : 8 weeks
Classes for the late summer sequence course run for
one hour twice a week.
The classes are on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 6.00 - 7.15 am.
Next start date :Tuesday 23 Jan 2007
Cost : $200, deposit $50, balance payable at the first class
This course differs from the Foundation course in that it is open to experienced
students as well as beginners and the sequence that we will be learning has been
specifically designed for late summer mornings so that we work on improving the functions
in the body which are taxed more during this period.
According to oriental medicine, the dampness and heat of late summer causes energy
to stagnate in the body and this activates the functioning of various systems more
than usual - these functions relate to the spleen and stomach meridians. In oriental
medicine this phase in the seasonal cycle is related to EARTH.
Traditionally the Earth element is seen as the foundation and support for life. At
a fundamental level it is the ground we stand on. It provides the food you eat and
this food in turn creates your physical support structure - your bones, muscles and
flesh.
At a functional level, the Earth element relates to your capacity to nourish and support yourself. The succesful result of this is the sweet feeling of satisfaction. This process can be broken down into two phases. The Stomach phase is the process of knowing what you need to take in to satisfy your desire and the process of taking this into yourself. The Spleen phase creates your desire (hunger) and fulfills it by transforming what you have taken in via the stomach into something which satisfies that desire. Together these phases regulate the entire digestive system.
In oriental medical systems the digestive system is the key to health. Life is a
process of change, evolution and transformation. Likewise illness and death are related
to stagnation - a body which remains stuck in a state of illness will die.
Digestion is really about change, transformation and evolution. When you take something into yourself and digest it properly - be it food, emotion, idea or experience - you extract the essence from it. You change it into something that is meaningful, usefull and nourishing to yourself. If the spleen function is weak you will be unable to digest any experience properly and you will feel chronically disatisfied, undernourished and stuck (no hunger for life and feeling like you don't know what you are hungry for).
If the stomach function is working properly it will select the right food to satisfy your desire. If the food it selects is wrong for you it will have learned from the experience and will not repeat the error in the future. It will learn what works for you and and repeat this. Hence a strong stomach function is responsible for the establishment of usefull "routines and habits". Ayurveda strongly recommends routine for vata people and anyone who is suffering a vata disorder because of its grounding and stabilising effect. This is the positive side of the earth element.
If the stomach function is weak, first it will have difficulty knowing what to select to satisfy your desire. Then, in addition, it will not be able to learn from the experience. The end result is a constant repetition of choosing food (experiences, behavior etc.) that are unnourishing and maintain the staus quo. Another name for this is unsupportive behaviour is "bad habits". This state of being stuck in unproductive behaviour patterns and being unable to learn from them is a negative side of the earth element.
You will be working to strengthen the positive sides of the earth element - developing a hunger for life, strengthening your capacity to digest and absorb your experiences, increasing your sense of satisfaction, learning from your mistakes, establishing positive routines and habits and feeling more energetic.
The asanas selected in the sequence will strengthen these functions. We will also
be learning appropriate mantras and pranayamas.
Students will work variations of asanas and pranayamas according to their level.
To enroll,
or call 9555-7544 / 0417-655-601 and send your deposit ($50).
Summer Sequence
Course duration : 8 weeks
Classes for the summer sequence course run for one and a half hours twice a week.
The classes are on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 6.00 - 7.30 am.
Next start date : Monday 30th October 2000
Cost : $180, deposit $50, balance payable at the first class
This course differs from the Foundation course in that it is open to experienced
students as well as beginners and the sequence that we will be learning has been
specifically designed for summer mornings so that we work on improving the functions
in the body which are taxed more in summer time.
According to oriental medicine, the heat of summer causes energy to expand and rise
in the body and this activates the functioning of various systems more than usual
- these functions relate to the heart, small intestine, heart constrictor and triple
heater meridians. In oriental medicine this phase in the seasonal cycle is related
to FIRE.The asanas selected in the sequence will strengthen these functions. We will
also be learning appropriate mantras and pranayamas.
Students will work variations of asanas and pranayamas according to their level.
To enroll,
or call 9555-7544 / 0417-655-601 and send your deposit ($50).
Course duration : 8 weeks
Classes for the Spring sequence course run for one and a quarter hours twice
a
week.
The Asana classes are on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 6.00 - 7.15 am.
Next start date :Tuesday 12 September 2005
Cost : $200, a deposit $50 is required with balance of $150 payable at
the first class
This course differs from the Foundation course in that it is open to experienced
students as well as beginners. The sequence that we will be learning has been specifically
designed for Spring mornings so that we work on improving the functions in the body
which are taxed more in Spring time.
During Autumn, the cooler and dryer conditions caused energy in the body to contract
and descend. In Winter - the coldest time of the year - this process of contraction
is at its maximum and the life energy consolidates to its core essence. Spring is
the season when temparatures start to increase and energy rises and expands. It is
a time for new life, renewals and rebirth. In oriental medicine this phase in the
seasonal cycle is related to WOOD.
Spring time is also opportunity for you to renew yourself. Spring energy is infectious
- notice the spring in your step and the feeling of optimism and the desire to begin
new projects.
New projects however require time, space and energy, vision and direction. If you want to be able to move forwards and make changes you will have to remove those things in yourself and your life which are keeping you weighed down and stuck in the past. These include limiting ideas, emotions, negative relationships, bad food, unresolved situations and material possessions. In traditional societies this was achieved by various "spring cleaning activities". . These included cleaning out the garden, the fields, the house and last but not least the body.
According to Ayurvedic medicine the warmth of spring melts the solid snow of winter.
The melted snow turns to water and sludge consisting of earth and water flows away
leaving the earth clean.
The "snow" in your body is called Kapha or Ama (toxins from undigested
food). It is cold, heavy and sticky. The cold of winter allows it to remain in its
congealed sticky state. The spring heat melts it and this allows it to flow and discharge
itself from the body. This discharge often takes the form of a cold or hay fever
- both, which are accompanied by fluid discharges from the nose and eyes (Kapha and
ama discharges). According to Ayurvedic wisdom, spring colds and hay fever are more
often than not simply an expression of the body getting rid of toxic junk that built
up in autumn and winter. They are to be encouraged rather than repressed. Repression
simply keeps the toxins in the body and lays the way open for more serious diseases
as the toxins relocate into deeper tissues from which they are harder to remove.
You can emulate the heat of spring by adding heat to your body and minimising the
addition of cold.
We will be doing physical movements (asanas) that generates heat, including breathing
exercises such as bastrika, suryabhedana and kapalabhati pranayamas to assist this
process.
We will also be discussing practical ways for spring cleaning the rest of your
life. These include dietary changes and detoxes. You can follow this link to read more about
this.
Students will work variations of asanas and pranayamas according to their level.
Keener students may come to the classes earlier for chanting, pranayama and mantra
practice.
To enroll,
or call 9555-7544 / 0417-655-601 and send your deposit ($50).
Winter
Sequence
Course duration : 8 weeks
Classes for the Winter sequence course run for one and a half hours twice a week.
The Asana classes are on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 6.00 - 7.15
am.
Next start date : Tuesday 18 July 2006
Cost : $200, deposit $50, balance payable at the first class
This course differs from the Foundation course in that it is open to experienced
students as well as beginners. The sequence that we will be learning has been specifically
designed for Winter mornings so that we work on improving the functions in the body
which are taxed more in Winter.
During Autumn, the cooler and dryer conditions caused energy in the body to contract
and descend. In Winter which is the coldest time of the year this process of contraction
is at its maximum and the life energy consolidates to its core essence. In oriental
medicine this phase in the seasonal cycle is related to WATER which is the key element
which allows for life - when scientists look for signs of life on a new planet the
first thing they look for is water - no water = no life. Water is also the major
constituent in the body. When we start life about 80 percent of our weight is made
up of water. When we die this has declined to around 40 percent. It is quite clear
that the state of the water element in our bodies is vital to our life and health.
In addition to "allowing for life", water's other primary quality is in
its nature to flow and move forwards effortlessly.
In meridian medicine, the water element is related to the kidney and bladder meridians.
In Ayurveda it relates to vata dosha and "manas - the emotional mind".
Many of the symptoms of malfunction of these energy systems are related back to "allowing
for life" and "effortless movement" issues such as infertility, weak
ankles and lower back which make movement difficult, fear of taking action, weak
will power, insecurity, stress and poor memory . When these systems over function
they show up as tension in the spine, overworking, trying to hard to make things
happen (unable to flow with life), overuse of will power, and associated over stimulation
of the adrenal glands and the sympathetic nervous system. Many of us are literally
killing ourselves by overusing our kidney essence to provide energy by using stress
and fear to motivate ourselves to do things - do you use the concept of deadlines
to get work done ?? Do you need to use coffee and chocolate to do your work ?
Fear and stress and worry have their roots in imagination which is function of manas
- the emotional mind. Some fears and stress are reasonable and appropriate and drive
our adaptive capacity. Chronic fear, worry and stress however is debilitating and
is a major way we loose life force unneccesarily. Pratyahara, the fifth limb
of Astanga Yoga, is the practice of learning to control manas and our senses which
are controlled by manas. Pratyahara will be a primary focus of this sequence.
Vinyasa - which is the process of flowing effortlessly in and out of and between
asana will also be a focus in this sequence.
Students will work variations of asanas and pranayamas according to their level.
To enroll,
or call 9555-7544 / 0417-655-601 and send your deposit ($50).
Home
Autumn Sequence
Course duration : 8 weeks
Classes for the Autumn sequence course run for one and a half hours twice a week.
The Asana classes are on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 6.00 - 7.15 am.
Next start date : Tuesday 21 March 2006
Cost : $200, deposit $50, balance payable at the first class
This course differs from the Foundation course in that it is open to experienced
students as well as beginners and the sequence that we will be learning has been
specifically designed for Autumn mornings so that we work on improving the functions
in the body which are taxed more in Autumn.
According to oriental medicine, the cooler dry conditions of Autumn which follow
the damp heat of Late Summer cause energy to contract and descend in the body and
this activates the functioning of various systems more than usual - these functions
relate to the lung and large intestine meridians. In Ayurveda this is a time when
pitta and vata doshas are vitiated. From the perspective of both these medical models,
this is a season when your elimination systems are taxed and disease is likely unless
corrective action is taken. The asanas, pranayama and mantra selected in the sequence
will strengthen these functions and assist in preventing disease.
A primary component of this course will be aimed at developing pranayama which is
a breathing practice which expands (ayama) our life force energy (prana) and establishes
rhythm in your body. Exhalation is a contractive force which is based in the lower
abdomen and associated with the large intestine, the seat of vata dosha, and apana
vayu, the downward moving wind / prana. Inhalation is an expansive force related
to lung function and prana vayu, the inward moving wind / prana. Our capacity to
inhale fully depends on our capacity to exhale fully. Many health problems are associated
with breathing disorders - asthma, stress, some heart disease ....etc. Pranayama
is a tool that allows us to change these breathing disorders
Students will work variations of asanas and pranayamas according to their level.
To enroll,
or call 9555-7544 / 0417-655-601 and send your deposit ($50).
Home
Early Summer Sequence
Course duration : 6 weeks
Classes for the summer sequence course run for one hour and a quarter twice a
week.
The classes are on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 6.00 - 7.15 am.
Next start date : Tuesday 7 November 2006
Cost : $150, deposit $50, balance payable at the first class
This course differs from the Foundation course in that it is open to experienced
students as well as beginners and the sequence that we will be learning has been
specifically designed for summer mornings so that we work on improving the functions
in the body which are taxed more in summer time.
According to oriental medicine, the heat of summer causes energy to expand and rise
in the body and this activates the functioning of various systems more than usual
- these functions relate to the heart, small intestine, heart constrictor and triple
heater meridians. The asanas selected in the sequence will strengthen these functions.
We will also be learning appropriate mantras and pranayamas.
Students will work variations of asanas and pranayamas according to their level.
Keener students may come to the classes earlier for chanting, pranayama and mantra
practice.
To enroll,
or call 9555-7544 / 0417-655-601 and send your deposit ($50).
Home