Bonjour! I am very excited to announce  that I will be heading to the South of France, this summer, to complete a 500 hour Teacher Training course in Ashtanga Yoga. It  is with great humbleness and gratitude that I am able to travel and complete this advanced training under the guidance of such esteemed teachers.  Currently I have a 200-hour Teacher Training certification through Kripalu, which I received in 2007. I feel it is time to continue on and in a slightly different direction. Keep reading to find out more about where I will be staying and the details of my training!  It is my intention to blog a few times a week to keep you up-to-date on my readings, training, and thoughts as I prepare for the France trip.

WHEN:

August 23th – September 18th 2012  * All of my weekly classes will be covered by the teachers here, at Lotus Life.

WHERE:

LE MOULIN DE CHAVES, DORDOGNE, FRANCE 

Le Moulin de Chaves (The mill of Chaves) is located in the South West of France, in the beautiful region of Dordogne, in a former zen monastery. Our training takes advantage of this unique surrounding to bring you the perfect environment for balancing your mind and body. Le moulin de Chaves was built in the mid-19th century right on the banks of the wide Auvezere river, it is set in a beautiful and peaceful environment with bamboo groves, mature trees, and the sounds of birdsong and flowing water. A yoga yurt and a Japanese style wooden meditation hall are part of the property, making this location a wonderful place to reconnect with yourself and deepen your yoga practice.

The Moulin de Chaves is run by a French non-profit organization called ”Association moulin de Chaves”.
More information on their activities, philosophy, and work can be found on their web site.

I will be training under the Global Yoga Shala with teachers; Libby Cox Dembe (Yoga classes, philosophy, anatomy), Laurence Juthy (Yoga classes, nutrition) and Martin Aylward . 

Here is a brief description of my upcomming corse work off of the Global Yoga Shala website:

CURRICULUM 

• Practice
  Our foundational asana practice for this training is the Ashtanga method. Students learn the asanas of theAshtanga primary series,  the 70+ asana sequence,  sanskrit posture names, opening/closing chants, principles of Ujayi and synchronization of breath corresponding to each posture. In addition to Ashtanga, other main forms of Hatha, Yin, Gentle and Restorative Yoga are taught and practiced as complementary practices to Ashtanga.
  Download our Ashtanga yoga primary series practice sheet, a great tool for your practice.

• Classes
  Our theory training covers the main aspects of the Yoga Philosophy, History and Literature and emphasizes the importance of proper alignment, injury prevention, and anatomy. The Holistic health and healing system of as Ayurveda, and proper yogic nutrition principles are also incorporated as an important part of the program. Pranayama and several meditation techniques complete our comprehensive training curriculum. Martin Aylward joins us on this training and brings many years of experience and a unique perspective on meditation techniques.

Sample of the curriculum classes:

• Ashtanga primary series led and mysore style             
• Anatomy and Physiology
• Ethical guidelines for Yoga Teachers
• Philosophy of yoga, study of the Yoga Sutras
• History of Yoga
• Ayurveda overview
• Nutrition and Diet
• Yin yoga
• Yoga Nidra
• Pranayama
• Meditation
• Adjustment techniques
• Inversions
• Injury prevention
• Business of yoga

I am so excited to learn more and bring it all back to the sangha (spiritual community)!  Within my next posts you’ll be able to follow right along with me as I prepare for my training!  I hope you enjoy. Au revoir!

Meditation teaches us to be still a midst the current of life. Be still, watch, listen, taste, smell. Use all of the senses to experience what is actually happening all without the use of words.   Yoga teaches us a similar lesson; create action and purpose in the body while focusing the mind inward on the breath. In essence we want to be calm mentally while being active, physically.

Going back to what I mentioned earlier. The outside world creates this false sense of security, confidence and expectations. If we are not carefull we fall victim to this cycle of illusion winding up more unhappy than when we started. And when change does occur we feel helpless, almost like a victim. In a way the external/material world keeps us in our shell. It keeps us from breaking out and discovering our true selves.  Once we do the work and free ourselves from the shell, we have a different vantage point. We are no longer on the outside looking in; we are instead within, looking out.

Cracking your shell is equal to freedom. It is a paradox as well because as one breaks out, one is also stepping back in to wholesomeness to purity and ultimately into the true realized self (atman).  Like a chick hatching from its shell, don’t deny what is natural. We all have the ability to shine!

Om Shanti,

Kim

The thought of meditation to some, is enough to make one cringe. Sitting still in a pretzel-like posture while chanting OM is not exactly ones view of fun. While meditation does at times resemble the picture painted above, there’s more to it and its a lot easier than most people anticipate.

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Postures or asanas, were actually conceived from meditation. Yes, that’s right, meditation came first postures second. The ancient yogis, or rishis as they are referred to, would sit in a trance like state of focus for hours until their bodies began to “throw” themselves spontaneously into yogic postures. These yogic postures (asanas) were not the typical shapes that you would see in any popular yoga studio nowadays. These postures were different, unique and very powerful. They were performed out of high bursts of energy or prana. Most yoga practitioners today are taught the opposite, postures first meditation second. Why? Because it works better for the modern yogi who has difficulty calming the fluctuations of the mind.

Imagine a hard days work of multi-tasking, endless communicating and people-dealing, rushing through traffic only to find yourself a few minutes behind schedule for yoga class. You finally find a parking spot, run into the studio, check-in, find your spot and now the instructor asks you to be still. Sound familiar? Sitting still with so much energy is quite a task. It feels impossible on most days and you find yourself waiting impatiently for the instructor’s cue to stand up at the top of the mat. Any yet, there you sit…..dying to move.

I love to use the example of training a puppy to sit. The puppy never does what you ask it to the first, second or even tenth time. It’s only after consistent, compassionate training that the puppy finally “sits.” In order to get our minds to be obedient we need to “train” it the same way we would train a puppy.  The mind is also like a three year old. It kicks and screams when it doesn’t have its way. The best way to calm a screaming child (or mind) is to acknowledge it’s complaint with a compassionate tone. It immediately calms the child-mind down and allows us to focus on our task at hand.

Have this talk with yourself the next time your mind is disobedient.  ”I’m sitting now. I know you want to move but we will only be here a few minutes longer. This is good for me, I can handle this.”  And you might want to add in this valuable phrase, “Nothing is permanent.” When we remember that nothing lasts forever we suddenly shift from a very narrow, alarmed perspective to a more open-minded, relaxed view. Sitting still is not easy, but it is very beneficial for all systems of the physiological and psychological facilities of the body. The benefits of a consistent mediation practice include; a happy disposition, a calm and steady thought process (answers come), lower blood pressure, a slower rate of respiration which helps to assimilate O2 and CO2 throughout tissue, removes us from fight or flight to rest and digest or the parasympathetic nervous system, and much more.

Interested in learning more? Join us on the last Wednesday of every month for Meditation &Relaxation Class, 7:30-8:30 PM, donation based (pay what you can).  Beginning in June this workshop will switch the last Friday of every month.

Register online to reserve your spot. The next class meets this Wednesday (3/28/12)

Om Shanti,

Kim

Our next book club gathering will take place tomorrow evening on Wednesday, December 7th from 7:30-8:30 pm.  We will be discussing the book, The Journey Home written by Radhanath Swami. This is a free event and all are welcome. Complimentary tea and snacks available.

The next book we will be reading is titled: A Lamp in the Darkness: Illuminating the Path Through Difficult Times, by Jack Kornfiled.  A limited number of copies will be available at 10% off, in the book shop.

Could your physical and mental health be pre-destined by your Dosha, or bodily constitution or type?  Learn JUST WHO YOU ARE and what that means for your health and well being with Olivia Fried, Certified Ayurvedic Consultant.

LOTUS LIFE YOGA CENTER
4467 East Genesee St. Dewitt NY

MONDAY, OCTOBER 17th from 7:30 – 9PM

RSVP BY October 14th by calling 315.314.7915, or register through the website by clicking on the Events tab.

Fee = $15 for this Revealing Experience!!

No experience is necessary. Dress in comfortable clothing.

The next workshop will be on Wednesday, September 28th from 7:30-8:30 PM.

$8 a drop-in or Free if you have a monthly package.

Call 315.314.7915 with questions or to pre-register.