The Therapeutic Wisdom of Yoga:
Rewriting the Story of Our Health and Growth
with Doug Keller
March 23-25, 2017

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

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Two-Day Training — Thursday and Friday:
A training-intensive for yoga teachers and inquiring students

We’ll focus on the neck and shoulders, focusing on upper body and spinal health, with an additional focus on working with scoliosis. 

The principles we will cover for working with asymmetries in the body will be helpful to all, since asymmetries that lead to muscular and joint problems are nearly always present, whether one has a scoliosis or not. This will be an insightful look that will add new dimensions to practice, including the pairing of intentional breathing to realignment actions in asana.

This approach to pain problems is especially suited to yoga, and will provide teachers and practitioners with a vital toolbox for recognizing and assessing these patterns, and designing an approach through specifically targeted asana practice and remedial exercises aimed at changing them for the better.

Thursday Afternoon Teacher Training: The Myofascial Sutras of the Arms: Foundations for Movement in Asana
March 23, 1:00-5:00 pm, $80

Part 1:

‘The Head is A Foundation’

Traditionally we think of the foundation of the body — in yoga and in our posture in life — in terms of the foundation set by the feet (and how the bones are ‘stacked’ above it). But we can also look at freedom and spaciousness in posture and movement in terms of the placement and movement of the head upon the spine, with the maxim, “As above, so below.” The guiding principle will be the yogic insights behind the ‘bandhas’ — Jalandhara bandha in particular.

This session will focus on alignment and actions of the head and neck, combined with stabilization of the ‘Core,’ with special emphasis on stabilization in twists and head rotation — and how this attention to strengthening and the release of tension can bring greater freedom and better alignment in the rest of the body, particularly in the low back, sacrum and hips.

This will lead us quickly and directly into working with imbalances in the upper body:

Part 2:

Working with our Upper Body: Insights into — and to be learned from — Scoliosis

The latter half of the afternoon will introduce an understanding of the asymmetries — side-bends and rotations of the spine that affect the rib cage, neck and shoulders — that are typical of scoliosis and which are also present to a much lesser degree in many of us who do not have scoliosis, but experience pain and difficulties from more subtle versions of these asymmetries. 

This will include practical tools for making assessments, along with tools of practice that can be taught to students so that they can learn to be self-correcting, throughout the day as well as in their asana and breath practice.

This topic will lead us into basic principles of shoulder alignment combined with the breath and actions for the neck.

Friday Afternoon Teacher Training: The Myofascial ‘Sutras’ of the Arms
March 24, 1:00-5:00 pm, $80

The work with the upper body from the first day will be carried over into the practice and into a deeper exploration of the myofascial lines or ‘sutras’ that govern the actions of the arms — the lines of larger muscles that govern the movement of the shoulder blades and give the arms their power, as well as the deeper lines of muscles that govern rotations and are crucial for the health of the rotator cuffs, elbows and wrists. We will cover all of the planes of movement for the shoulders in asana practice.

We will cover actions, ‘openings’ and stretches in non-weightbearing poses, as well as the challenges — and benefits — of poses in which the arms bear weight. Additional connections to scoliosis and asymmetries in the shoulders will be made, with suggestions for practice.


Weekend Workshop


March 24, Friday Evening Asana Practice
6:30-8:30 pm, $35

This asana session will introduce ideas for working with problems in your neck — and related problems in your shoulders — in your practice as well as in your daily life.

Traditionally we think of the foundation of the body — in yoga and in our posture in life — in terms of the foundation set by the feet (and how the bones are ‘stacked’ above it). But we can also look at freedom and spaciousness in posture and movement in terms of the placement and movement of the head upon the spine, with the maxim, “As above, so below.”

This asana session will focus on alignment and actions of the head and neck — and with them, of the shoulders — and how attention to strengthening and the release of tension can bring greater freedom and better alignment in the rest of the body, particularly in the low back, sacrum and hips.

Saturday Morning Asana Practice 9-11:30, $40
Freedom and Stability — Dealing with Both Stiffness and Hypermobility in Yoga

One of the paradoxes of modern yoga is that it is associated with flexibility as a goal, when yoga has always been about stability — in every sense of the word. This asana session will certainly help us deal with issues of ‘stiffness’ and overcoming the kinds of movement patterns in life and in yoga that perpetuate our stiffness. But it will also look to promoting stability as we achieve greater freedom in our practice — and this lesson is important to those who are already quite flexible as well!

We will focus on the actions and groups of muscles that need to be cultivated in our practice, while at the same time working with strategies for movement that overcome tightness as well as instability. the goal will be healthy, integrated movement, and we will cover a variety of poses, including some challenging ones, as the path on this journey.

Saturday Afternoon 1-3:30, $40
Practical Philosophy — the Vayus and Tools for Practice in Pranayama and Meditation — And the Challenges and Opportunities of Emotion

Early treatment of the ‘Prana’ in the Upanishads included reference to the ‘Vayus’ or energies of the breath/Prana that function in practical ways in maintaining the health of the body, as well as providing a gateway into deeper meditation through focus on the breath.

This will be combined with a focus on evolving ideas in the yoga tradition concerning emotion as ‘Rasa.’ The emphasis will be on understanding and working with emotion in practical ways in breath and meditation, as well as tools of awareness and practice for getting through the day in emotionally trying times.

We will find in this session how awareness of the ‘Vayus’ — applied in simple preparatory practices for energizing them in preparation for pranayama and meditation — can deepen our experience of these practices as intuitively natural and spontaneous.

The practices introduced will lead us into simple and foundational pranayamas, followed by a deep and satisfying session of Yoga Nidra, based on the principles of the earliest texts teaching Yoga Nidra, and meditation.

Registration

Teacher Training Package (3/23, 1-5 pm and 3/24, 1-5 pm), $130

To register fill in your email and phone number below, then click "register now".

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Individual Teacher Training Sessions:

Thursday, March 23, 1-5 pm: Teacher Training, $80

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Friday, March 24, 1-5 pm: Teacher Training, $80

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Hatha Yoga Workshops Package (3/24- 6:30-8:30 pm, 3/25- 9-11:30 am and 3/25- 1-3:30 pm), $90

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Individual Sessions:

Friday, March 24, 6:30-8:30: Friday Evening Practice, $35

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Saturday, March 25, 9-11:30 am: Morning Practice, $40

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Saturday, March 25, 1-3:30pm, $40

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