The Breath Connection:
Connecting the Power of the Breath to the Power of Asana
with Doug Keller
March 29-31, 2018
Doug Keller has been teaching workshops and trainings in the therapeutic applications of yoga for more than 16 years, and is known not only for his effectiveness in communicating this ever-evolving approach in these trainings, but also for his extensive writing on the topic in magazines, journals and his two-volume work on ‘Yoga As Therapy.’ He has also served, in addition to his traveling and teaching, as a Distinguished Professor at the Maryland University of Integrative Health in their Master’s Degree program in Yoga Therapy. This program is state-approved and accredited for granting a Master’s degree in this field, and is fully accredited by the International Association of Yoga Therapists.
Registration for Both Teacher Training and Weekend workshop. $230
Registration for the full package is full;
- Teacher Training/Weekend Workshop Waitlist Only
Two-Day Training — A training-intensive for yoga teachers and inquiring students
Sacral Stability, the Core and the Breath
Thursday Afternoon Teacher Training: March 29 | 1:00-5:00pm | $80
Friday Afternoon Teacher Training: March 30 | 1:00-5:00pm | $80
Sacral stability is part of a broader topic of pelvic and low back pain, which is more intimately related to issues of the breath than we might realize.
This two day training will focus first on underderstanding the sacrum and sacroiliac joint - it's proper movement and the source of pain in the ligaments. This will include covering beneficial actions -- both remedial exercises and applications in asana -- that go beyond most traditional instructions given in yoga class, but which are at the same time simple, accessible and whose effects can immediately be felt
This naturally expands into consideration of the 'Core' and the bandhas - and how they are to be understood and applied in movement and asana. And this will be put in the context of the breath and breath patterns, with the understanding that many pain patterns in the pelvis and low back are related to disordered breathing patterns. In establishing better breathing patterns - with deep consideration of 'Ujjayi' breathing - we'll reestablish the connection between breath and bandha.
We'll devote plenty of time to applications in asana, with time for practice and for putting the knowledge to use!
Weekend Workshop
The Breath Connection: Connecting the Power of the Breath to the Power of Asana
Yoga has to be relevant to our contemporary lives and the challenges we face; and in truth, this is how yoga has evolved and developed throughout its history — and in a direction away from ascetic renunciation and toward embodied spirituality and healthy living.
In this training we will address fundamental, need-to-know (and eye-opening) aspects of our physical practice in a way that is immediately useful to teachers as well as extraordinarily helpful for interested or advancing students; and we will tie this to the evolving spiritual philosophy of yoga, starting especially from the hatha yoga and tantric traditions from which contemporary yoga has sprung in its practical aspects.
This concerns primarily the conception of the ‘yoga body:’ how the yogis came to conceive of the body on all of its levels of experience, and how this relates to our maintenance of our physical as well as spiritual health. These ideas will be placed in relationship to our contemporary understanding of the body and mind, particularly on a fascial level, and the relationship of our healthy functioning to our patterns of movement, breath and even sleep (in relation to the vital role of yoga nidra).
March 30, Friday Evening Asana Practice | 6:30-8:30pm | $35
Breath and the Sacrum in Asana: Keys to Practice
This asana practice will include simple introduction to the natural and healthy movement of the sacrum in asana, in terms that go beyond traditional instructions — but make the actions simpler and more accessible. This will be tied to the breath and core actions that support the health of the low back and SI joints, especially in twisting actions (with the understanding that a significant proportion of yoga poses involve an element of twisting!) Emphasis is on promoting a balance of sacral mobility and stability, countering the typical causes of low back and sacral pinching or pain in asana.
This will be put into practice in a well-rounded all-levels asana session appropriate to a Friday evening — including some vinyasa, standing poses, twists, forward bends and very light backbending — with a deep relaxation included at the end of the session.
March 31, Saturday Morning Asana Practice | 9-11:30am | $40
The Upper Body: Neck, Shoulders and the Breath in Asana
Neck and shoulder health are intimately tied to our breathing patterns — and often we use the neck and shoulders to facilitate the breath in ways that cause tension and limitation.
Asana practice is an opportunity to use the arm and neck actions in the poses to deepen our experience of the breath while bringing greater ease to breathing. The ‘Ujjayi’ breath is at the center of healthy diaphragmatic breathing in the poses, but the actions of the neck and shoulders are crucial to doing it well.
This theme will be linked to the ideas from the Friday night session, and put into practice with asanas with special attention and focus given to the neck and shoulders — geared especially to ‘openings’ for pranayama, leading into the afternoon session. The asana will be a bit more wide-ranging and energetic, in keeping with a morning practice — with some deeper, but still manageable, backbending!
March 31, Saturday Afternoon 1-3:30pm | $40
Better Breathing in Asana, Pranayama and Relaxation
The two most fundamental patterns in our lives for maintaining our health are our breathing patterns and our sleep patterns. And these are the two patterns that are the most disordered and dysfunctional in our lives, and with enormous impact on our health.
This session will explore ‘openers’ for cultivating space for the breath, as well as toning exercises related to the bandhas for sustaining better breathing patterns. This will include awareness of patterns and tendencies that work against the natural cycle of the breath, such as habits of being ‘stuck’ on the inbreath, or ‘stuck’ on the out breath — and the consequences of these patterns.
Some fundamental pranayamas will be practiced with this awareness of cultivating the space for receiving the breath, and comfort with ‘letting go’ of the outbreath.
Registration for Teacher Workshops are FULL;The practice will be carried further into yoga nidra, with some discussion of the significance of the practice of yoga nidra in relationship to our sleep patterns. Starting from an exploration of the benefits and function of sleep and the relationship of healthy breathing patterns to sleep, we will explore the approach to yoga nidra as essential to the deeper aspects of yoga practice, including meditation. Our approach will link the processes associated with Kundalini and the essential processes that take place in deep relaxation, especially when facilitated by focused practice.
Registration for Teacher Workshops are FULL;
If you'd like to be added to the waitlist, please use links under each option
Teacher Training Package (3/29 | 1-5pm and 3/30 | 1-5pm) | $130
Teacher Training Pkg Waitlist Only
Individual Teacher Training Sessions:
Thursday Teacher Training, March 29 | 1-5pm | $80
Teacher Training-Thurs, 3/29 Waitlist Only
Friday Teacher Training, March 30 | 1-5pm | $80
Teacher Training-Fri, 3/30 Waitlist Only
Registrations for Weekend Workshops are FULL
Hatha Yoga Workshops Package (3/30 | 6:30-8:30pm, 3/31 | 9-11:30am and 3/31 | 1-3:30pm), $90
Weekend Workshop package Waitlist Only
Individual Sessions:
Friday Evening Practice, March 30 | 6:30-8:30pm | $35
Hatha workshop-Fri, 3/30 Waitlist Only
Saturday Morning Practice, March 31 | 9-11:30am | $40
Hatha workshop-Sat am, 3/31 Waitlist Only
Saturday Afternoon Practice, March 31 | 1-3:30pm | $40
Hatha workshop-Sat pm, 3/31 Waitlist Only
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