Tag Archive for: Denver

Workshop Presentation.9 A Sound Synopsis

Another change I would make would be to increase the volume of my own voice.  I found myself dipping into a low auditory range more than once and have gotten similar feedback from students in the past. Do you have any suggestions as to how to cultivate this skill?

On another auditory note: the music (as I discussed) had both its ups and downs. Overall, the music complemented what I was doing, however, at times it pushed the class in a direction that did not resonate with what I was trying to create. I gradually learned to work with this, though it meant hovering over the mp3 player at times and drawing my attention away from the class. Overall, I’d consider using it again, selectively.

Based on my own perception and the majority of the response I received, the workshop went exceptionally well. A real highlight for me was getting to know the students, a few of whom had attended my first presentation at the Canebrake. Inwardly, I was very satisfied and felt that my abilities as a teacher really expanded as a result of this experience. I look forward to offering it again and will have the opportunity to do so in Dallas this fall.  As they say at the Yoga Barn, “Namaste Ya’ll.”

/by

Donation Class Sat. May 15th

Dear Yoga Students,

This is Derik from Axis Yoga Trainings. I want to announce and invite you to our  ongoing, donation only, classes.  These classes are held once a month and are an ideal opportunity to deepen your practice and view yoga from a totally new perspective!

Each class will focus on a specific theme and is open to everyone.

Next Sat, May 15th will feature Meditation and Postures for the Spring Season.  Yoga practices can be constructed to suite any constitution, season or phase of life.  Come and experience a spring time session.  Derik will be teaching.

Saturday, May 15th 9:00-11:00am

Consulate Healing Center.

750 E. 9th Ave –Cross St. is 9th and Clarkson.
Convenient Capitol Hill Location.

Donation Only!
Look forward to seeing you there!

Peace,
Derik

/by

Music and Yoga I

One could easily make a case for or against the roll of music in yoga practice.  On the one hand music/sound has played an intimate roll in the history of yoga (particularly in the nada and bhakti yoga traditions).  On the other hand the power of sound can unduly influence the environment and mind of the practitioner, distracting one from the immediate perceivable reality.

Without going into too many details, I have been privy to both ends of the spectrum; having experienced the acute and transformational power of sound, largely from classically based Indian genres, to having my nadies and vritties accosted by the likes of Michael Jackson, Def Leopard, and Huey Lewis.  Rock On.

/by

Music and Yoga II

The challenge with music is that it is highly personal. What may be one woman’s bliss may be another man’s hell.  From a contemplative perspective, music distorts one’s ability to be present to the immediate sensations and movements of the breath and body –yoga asana as meditation.

I have a strong contemplative streak, and rarely teach or practice with music. When I do so, I choose ambient sounds that subtly inform the background.  I also play music because it forces me out of my box a bit and brings some color to the austere parts of my personality.

/by

Levels of Sound

Yoga and many other spiritual traditions have recognized the inborn power of sound in transforming consciousness. Nada Yoga, the yoga of sound, has developed a wide variety of techniques to expand consciousness through the medium of sound. Mantras, chanting and deep-listening help to create a ritualistic container to evoke the sacred.  According to Nada Yoga there are four essential layers to the evolutionary sound current:

Vaikhari:

 Gross audible sound.
Pashyanti: Subtle sound-current heard inside the mind body organism. Examples include audible hearing the nervous system, the sound of crickets, kettle drums, a waterfall and many other subtle sounds.

Madhyama:

 Sound as light.

Paranada:

 Beyond all sound.
/by

The Nature of Sound

In many traditions throughout the world, sound is considered one of the first evolute of creation.  In other words, certain vibrational frequencies precede and inform the manifest realm that most of us inhabit.  As such, sound holds the potential to influence our being on multiple layers.  Sound is unique to our sensory experience in that it is very tangible and readily experienced (through language, nature and song) and at the same time its form is invisible, bridging into unseen dimensions.

/by

The Yoga of the Breath

How long could you survive without eating?  What about drinking?  How long could you go without breathing?

Respiration is probably the most important source of nourishment we receive and one of the most under recognized or utilized. Is it possible that, by modifying our breathing pattern, we can dramatically increase or health in the same way that changing our diet or environment influences our state of well being?  The short answer, absolutely.

In no other form of activity is there a greater emphasis placed on the breath than in yoga.  Not only to the postures bring tone and flexibility to the body, but also increase the elasticity of the rib cage, remove congestion from the diaphragm and increase the supply of oxygenated blood to targeted regions of the body.

This increased circulation nourishes specific organ systems, depending on where the pressure in the pose is or is not being applied.  For example, in doing an inverted posture such as headstand, the brain is saturated with increased circulation and oxygen, thereby increasing mental alertness and clarity.  This same principle can be applies to all of the other postures, each with their distinct attributes and effects.

I once worked with Jenny, a lung cancer survivor, who, after four rounds of chemo-therapy, some deep soul searching and 3-4 yoga classes reported a measured increase her breathing capacity by 15-20%. What’s more, she discovered a means by which she could begin to reinhabit and trust her body again.

There are many, many yogic techniques that pattern the breath in specific ways that are conducive to increased vitality and equanimity. As a simple experiment I invite you to sit up strait, breath evenly through both nostrils and ever so slightly begin to extend the length of your exhalation, at a comfortable and sustainable rate.  Do this for a couple of minutes, release the breath from any modification and notice the effect.  Often the solutions to our problems are lying right beneath our nose, in this case, quite literally.

/by

Training Article -Donation

Some of the very first classes I took were offered on a donation basis, back in the early 90’s.  My teacher, Perry, conducted classes out of the Vet’s Hall.  There were no mats, we did the class on the carpet and needed to be out of there before 6:30, to make space for the ensuing twelve-step meeting.  He just put out a little basket, took a step back and let go.  Swaha!

Our Teacher training is modeled after the same idea though I haven’t completely let go as much as Perry did; there is a minimum level of contribution ($1,200).  I think this gives the students something to reference, ensures some level of commitment, is generous, encourages diversity and is sustainable.  Everybody wins.

I ask prospective students to reflect on the value they will receive, their means and their willingness to reciprocate when deciding what they are willing to contribute.  Most choose to give beyond the minimum amount and, we have had students for whom money was not a viable option.  Many of these students we accommodated in the form of trading for child care.  From a parenting perspective, having a yogi student watching the kids was an ideal arrangement.

Running a contribution-based training was something of a revelation and stemmed, in part, out of my study of classical yoga.  There is a long history of selfless service and charity in the yoga tradition and I wanted to align myself with those forces as much as possible.

I have been a student of yoga since 1991 and gradually the practice has shaped and influenced the character of my life –including my livelihood.  The donation based concept is a reflection of that evolution.  I feel blessed to practice yoga in this way.

/by

Training Article -Content

Practice and theory are equally important and ideally support one another because yoga is both the journey and the destination.  With that in mind we expose the students to different methods of practice including, pranayama, meditation, devotional and ritualistic practices, chanting, real life experiments, dietary changes, yantra painting and of course asana.

All of these techniques are taught in an approachable and integrated fashion, to reveal some fundamental themes found in yoga practice -in all of its forms of expression.    Nearly a dozen presenters play a part in the training, each with a specific emphasis.  I feel that this comprehensive approach is educationally rich, evocative and wholly unique.

Axis Yoga offers a 200hr teacher training program designed to support students in their personal enrichment and desire to teach.   We believe that personal practice and insight are the foundation for effective teaching and emphasize the importance of developing a home/personal practice.

/by

Training Article -Overview

The practice of yoga is ongoing and it has the potential to permeate every aspect of one’s life, both internal and external.  Yoga is a mind-set that can inform all of our relationships; to our peers, to our environment and to ones self.  It can infuse and inform each and every waking breath.

Inherent in this process is the expansion of awareness.  The practitioner moves from a more contracted sense of identity into a more universal understanding.  That process is called yoga, the union of individuality with universality.

Throughout the ages yogic masters have utilized different methods to explore the nature of this union.  They drew upon different philosophies, meditations, devotional practices, rituals and physical exercises to reveal that spiritual identity.

The training begins with an appreciation of this perspective and from there teaches students various methods of practice and realization.  I think this is one of the major distinguishing points of our training. The methods are there to support the greater process of discovery.  It is akin to putting the horse in front of the cart.

/by