4-7 May 2017

This four-day Yoga Intensive with Mark Stephens at Satya Loka offers in-depth workshops for teachers and serious students, plus Master Classes open to beginning to seriously advanced students and teachers. The in-depth workshops cover topics from Mark’s second and third books: Yoga Adjustments: Philosophy, Principles, and Techniques, and Yoga Sequencing: Designing Transformative Yoga Classes. Each class and workshop draws from ancient-to-contemporary yoga philosophies, a variety of yoga styles and techniques, and offers a practical application of functional anatomy, biomechanics, and kinesiology.

Please click here for details & registration on the Satya-Loka Yoga website.

Thursday, 4 May

o   Morning (9:00–12:00)

§  Topic: The Art & Science of Guiding Yoga Practices – Part I: Philosophy, Principles, Techniques – Applied to Standing Asanas

·      Description: This Yoga Teacher Intensive focuses on how to best give refined guidance, with a primary focus on giving effective hands-on adjustments that accompanied by related verbal cues and demonstrations. This first session starts with theory and principles and then applies these insights to Standing Asanas. We will explore a wide range of externally- and internally-rotated hip standing asanas, including modifications, variations, and uses of props for each asana.

o   Afternoon (14:00–18:00)

§  Topic: The Art & Science of Guiding Yoga Practices – Part II: Deeper Exploration of Standing Asanas

·      Description: In Part II of the Yoga Teacher Intensive, we continue with the practical applications we started in Part I, focusing on the refined teaching of a wide variety of Standing Asanas and how best to guide them in flow-style and individualized classes that help integrate and balance energy on the path to Savasana.

o   Evening (19:30–21:00)

§  Topic: Master Class: Balanced Pranayama & Heart Opening Backbends

·      Description: This Master Class begins with exploration of the breath, introducing natural breathing, ujjayi, viloma, sama/visama vrtti, kumbhaka, and kapalabhati pranayama techniques. We then move into a balanced Vinyasa Flow asana practice designed to guide students deeply into a series of heart-opening backbends, followed by asanas to help integrate and balance energy on the path to Savasana.

Friday, 5 May

o   Morning (9:00–12:00)

§  Topic: The Art & Science of Guiding Yoga Practices – Part III: Backbends & Seated Twists

·      Description: In Part III, first we explore guiding students in each type of Backbending Asana – Contraction, Traction, and Leveraged– including Salabhasana ABC, Bhujanghansana, Urdhva Mukha Svanasana, Dhanurasana, Unstrasana, Kapotasana, Setu Bandha Sarvanghasana, Urdhva Dhanurasana and Eka Pada Raj Kapotasana. We will focus on hands-on guidance and adjustments, use of props, and modifications that make the asanas more safe, accessible, and deeper.

o   Afternoon (14:00–18:00)

§  Topic: The Art & Science of Guiding Yoga Practices – Part IV: Backbends & Seated Twists

·      Description: In Part IV, we explore Seated and Supine Forward Bends and Hips Openers, plus Inversions.

o   Evening (19:30–21:00)

§  Topic: Master Class: Arm Balances in Vinyasa Flow

·      Description: This master class begins with warming Surya Namaskaras and Dancing Warriors designed to open and stabilize the hips and shoulders in preparation for a series of beginning-to-advanced level arm balances (including Bakasana, Parsva Bakasana, Bhujapidasana, Tittibhasana, Astavakrasana, Eka Pada Koundinyasana, Galavasana, Urdhva Kukkutasana and Uttana Prasithasana). This complete practice also includes wrist and shoulder therapy practices to ensure the full integration of the practice.

Saturday, 6 May

o   Morning (9:00–12:00)

§  Topic: Yoga Sequencing – Part I: Philosophy & Principles – Application to Designing Beginning Classes

·      Description: This Yoga Teacher Intensive beginning with a lecture on the philosophy and principles of Yoga sequencing. We will then work collaborative to design a variety of Beginning Yoga classes with different Peak Asanas, emphasizing how to make the asanas more accessible, sustainable, and deeply transformational.

o   Afternoon (14:00–18:00)

§  Topic: Yoga Sequencing – Part II: Designing Intermediate Classes

·      Description: This session continues the Yoga Teacher Intensive on Sequencing with the practical applications we started in Part I, focusing on designing integrated classes for more experienced students.

o   Evening (19:30–21:00)

§  Topic: Master Class: Open Hips and Deeper Forward Bends for All Students and Teachers

·      Description: This Master Class starts with the reality that most human beings have tight hips and difficulties in the low back. Here we will explore a gradual release of deeply held tension that restricts safe and comfortable ranges of motion in the legs, hips, pelvic girdle and spine, offering students with a variety of conditions and intentions set of pathways to healthier and more balanced movement in yoga and life.

Sunday, 7 May

o   Morning (9:00–12:00)

§  Topic: Yoga Sequencing – Part III: Designing Advanced Classes

·      Description: This session continues the Yoga Teacher Intensive on Sequencing with the practical applications we started in Part I, focusing on designing classes for students interested in more advanced asana forms and deeper integration of asana and pranayama practices.

o   Afternoon (14:00–18:00)

§  Topic: Making Yoga More Meaningful

·      Description: The heart of this workshop is about becoming more self-aware, self-accepting, and self-actualized, on the mat, off mat, in practicing and in teaching. It's about becoming clearer about one's life path, what the yogis and spiritual philosophers call dharma. We go deeply into self-exploration to discover our deepest longings and inhibitions, fears and joys, obstacles and possibilities. We use breath work, guided meditations, visualization practices, reflective writing, one-on-one sharing and other tools rooted in ancient to modern yoga and other self-transformation traditions to reveal our hidden truths, passions, and potential for living the most extraordinary lives in the here and now. Rather than suggesting that everyone should take a particular path or adopt a given philosophy of life and action in the world, here we allow these insights to emerge from the inner reality of each and every unique being. 

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May 4-7, 2017
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