Title: An Embodied Practice: Finding Your Center All Day Long

With Judith Hanson Lasater, Ph.D., PT
And Mary Richards, MS, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500

For most of us, our yoga practice is a big part of our life. But how do we carry the fruits of our practice into daily living in the world?

 In this five-day live workshop, we will begin each day with a discussion based on the teachings of yoga philosophy. These teachings will then be woven into the rest of our day to help us deepen our focus, and thus deepen our practice itself.

 We will practice Active asana, Restorative yoga, pranayama, and meditation, using one of three specific focal points. These focal points are Awareness, Compassion, and Being, as they manifest through the body-mind, not only during our formal practice, but at other times in our life as well.

 This way of practicing will help us to bring our embodied focus into the world where we live and act with others, thus allowing us to live with more grace and presence as we do.

The engaging and insightful Mary Richards will be co- leading and teaching three evening programs to help us integrate the newest scientific discoveries which support and explain how our yoga practice supports our health.

Experiential Anatomy: Experiential Anatomy: discovering and learning anatomy by practicing asana.

This year my annual workshop at Mount Madonna Center will focus on Living Happily with Your Lower Back: asana and therapeutics for teachers and students.

In large part because of our modern lifestyles, the lower back – the sacroiliac and lumbar spine specifically -- can be a place of challenge and discomfort for many people.

In this workshop, we will focus on the anatomy, kinesiology (movement principles) and asana that can help us understand how to move healthily in our daily lives and how to practice and teach from knowledge. We will gain both an intellectual understanding of the structure of the lower back, as well as the embodied intuitive understanding that we can only gain on the mat.

Morning sessions will be about Active practice; afternoon sessions will be lecture and some Restorative practice, but all class time will be focused on the theme of the lower back.

Judith will teach during the day. Visual presentations will be made on the anatomy of the lower back on two evenings by yoga teachers Mary Richards and Carol Balfe. This will include explanations with stunning visual aids of some of the structure of the lower back, as well as lower back pathologies that we commonly see in yoga classes, like sacroiliac dysfunction and scoliosis.

This course is for you:

~If you have been shy about studying anatomy, this course is for you.

~If you have felt bored at the very thought of studying anatomy, this course is for you. 

~If you have felt excited about learning anatomy, but the only courses near you are just academic and lack a practical focus for yoga teachers, this course is for you. 

~If you have studied anatomy, and just want a refresher with a yoga emphasis, this course is for you.

We will gather at Mount Madonna Center, just outside of Watsonville, CA, in a beautiful setting based around spiritual practice. (nearest airport: San Jose International Airport, San Jose, CA; also San Francisco International Airport, 1.5 hours away by car from MMC).

We will practice in a large airy and beautiful room perfect for yoga and learning.

I have been teaching at MMC since the 1980’s, and love going back there again and again.

Come join us to learn and be part of our “anatomy community” for this five-day workshop. Let someone else cook; let someone else clean up.

Let yourself settle into a supportive retreat setting with a “sangha” of yoga teachers and serious students from many different parts of the country, and focus on learning more about the art of teaching and practicing this yoga we all love so much.

Required Text: YogaBody: Anatomy, Kinesiology and Asana, specifically Chapters 3, 6, 7, and 8. Please read these before the workshop begins.

Highly Recommended:  Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection

Schedule details:

• Sunday Registration begins 4 pm

• Sunday evening orientation/class 7 to 8: 15 pm

• Class: 10:15 am to 12:15 pm Monday - Thursday

• Class: 2 pm to 4:45 Monday-Thursday

• Class: Friday 10:15 - 12:15

To register for this workshop with Judith:

Send a check in the amount of $799 to:

Judith Hanson Lasater
156 Madrone Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94127

Register soon.

Make sure you use the link below to register for housing and meals with Mount Madonna Center. All participants MUST sign up separately with MMC.

This is a very special opportunity to for Restorative yoga immersion in the rocky mountains. Click here to read our retreat teaching outline.

This year my annual workshop at Mount Madonna Center will focus on our yoga practice, including Active poses in the first session of the day,  and Restorative poses in the afternoon session. 

But our special focus will be on pranayama, the practice that uses the breath as a vehicle to carry us “toward our center” in a subtle and powerful way.

Both our Active and Restorative poses will therefore be selected specifically to open us to our breathing. While it is not well-known, in traditional yoga training pranayama practice was much more important than asana practice. We will approach the topic first from breathing awareness techniques that are suitable for all levels of students, and then move into traditional pranayama practice. Classic yoga teachings state that pranayama is the gateway to meditation.

In addition to the classical techniques of practice, we will explore ourselves through discussion, short writing assignments, and the cultivation of an introspective attitude.

This intensive is for you if:

• You regularly practice pranayama.
• You do not presently practice pranayama regularly but really want to.
• You are curious about the effects of the regular practice of pranayama.
• You want to understand better the relationship of the effects of asana on pranayama practice.
   

"What I appreciated most about Judith's Pranayama Intensive was the thoughtful, progressive structure of the workshop. Each class segment was organized thematically around principles of practice and respiratory physiology, asana to prepare for Pranayama, and restoratives to integrate. My understanding of asana and pranayama sequencing grew by leaps and bounds. One of my favorite workshops!" - Mary E. Richards, M.S.

"Judith's Pranayama Intensive was a tremendous experience for me.  After years of studying pranayama from a distance its safe to say that I had my best experiences of this practice over this Intensive.  The practice felt organic, gentle and profound rather than technical.  The week left me with a deep sense of clarity and enthusiasm for the power of the practice of pranayama.  I now have a personal pranayama practice that I feel joyful about.  Judith's asana classes connected directly to the breath and left me with new and refreshing insights into this relationship.  I would recommend this workshop to anyone curious about pranayama and also the relationship of asana to the breath:  its a wonderful chance to explore, heal and learn.” - Andrea Peloso, Yoga Teacher and Teacher trainer

"Judith’s discussion and carefully sequenced preparatory asana enabled me to have much more profound experiences during pranayama.  I didn’t think an entire workshop of breathing would hold my attention.  But, Judith’s discussion and preparatory sequences not only changed my perspective on pranayama but enabled me to comfortably sustain longer and more profound meditations. I’ve practiced breath awareness for decades but the approaches I learned at Judith’s pranayama workshop refined and improved my breathing in daily life and my practice. Judith’s pranayama workshop was not dominated by formulas.  Instead, it was inwardly focused and her expert discussion and preparatory work, enabled me to connect with a profound origin of my breath and release subtle tension I had been holding between my exhales and inhales. The workshop would benefit both new and experienced practitioners." - Bernadette Unger, Teaching yoga since 2002

The suggestion is that you register early as this workshop is limited to 50 people and is expected to fill quickly.

TO REGISTER AND OBTAIN HOUSING FOR THIS RESIDENTIAL WORKSHOP YOU NEED TO DO TWO THINGS.

1. TO REGISTER FOR THE CLASSES, send a check for $799 dollars (in US Funds only) made out to:

Judith Hanson Lasater
156 Madrone Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94127

*BE SURE TO INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:

• Your full name
• Your mailing address
• Your email address
• Your phone number

Refunds: Please note that there will be NO REFUNDS for the workshop portion of this course after December 1, 2017, FOR ANY REASON.

This is about six weeks before the workshop, which is the minimum time needed for people on the Wait List to make plans to attend

Please respect this deadline.

2. REGISTER FOR HOUSING AND MEALS AT MOUNT MADONNA CENTER:

Here's the link to register for housing at the MMC.

We often focus on practicing our poses from the spine, arms and legs. But the ancient teachings of yoga also dealt with the opening and quieting of the organs of the body, like the heart, kidneys and liver that are found in the “kunda” or vessel holding these organs.  

During this workshop we will focus on specific poses that create a healthy balance for the organs in the chest and abdomen, as well as explore the theories of why they work. All types of poses will be studied, including backbends, inversions, forward bends and twists. 

We will also spend some time on specific therapeutic applications that will be immediately applicable to ourselves and to our students.  

This will essentially be a practice workshop. We will begin each day with a focus intention and then go directly to practicing Active poses. In the second session of the day, we will focus on a Quiet Practice – Restorative yoga, meditation and pranayama. Throughout the workshop we will return our awareness to stabilizing and balancing from the inside, as well as focusing on how to teach others to do so.

This 25-hour course is all about practical knowledge. We focus on learning what helps us practice with awareness and teach with confidence.

~Do you wonder how to deepen your yoga practice?

~Are you sometimes bored with the same old same old poses?

~Are you interested in connecting your yoga practice with the deeper streams of energy in your body?

~Do you like the idea of having a new tool to help your practice and your teaching be more enjoyable and something you look forward to?

Then this workshop is for you.

The suggestion is that you register early as this workshop is limited to 50 people and is expected to fill quickly.

TO REGISTER AND OBTAIN HOUSING FOR THIS RESIDENTIAL WORKSHOP YOU NEED TO DO TWO THINGS.

1. TO REGISTER FOR THE CLASSES, send a check for $799 dollars (in US Funds only) made out to:

Judith Hanson Lasater
156 Madrone Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94127

*BE SURE TO INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:

~your full name
~your mailing address
~your email address
~your phone number

2. TO REGISTER FOR HOUSING AND MEALS AT MOUNT MADONNA CENTER DURING THE WORKSHOP, CONTACT MMC DIRECTLY:

Mount Madonna Center
445 Summit Road
Watsonville, CA
(408) 864 4064
Email: programs@mountmadonna.org

3. SCHEDULE

Arrival and registration on February 26, 2017, Sunday, at 4 pm.

Class hours: Monday, February 27 - Friday, March 3:
10:15 - 12:15 and 2 to 4:45 pm every day.

Experiential Anatomy: The Most Fun Anatomy Course Ever
(for Yoga Teachers and Serious Students)

January 11 – 15, 2016
Mount Madonna Center, Watsonville, CA 

Experiential Anatomy for yoga teachers and serious students is unlike most anatomy classes.

We do not start with learning lists of anatomical facts; instead we start with what you already know: asana practice.

From asana, we extrapolate the anatomical and kinesiological priciples
that you have experienced in your body. We just give names to what you already have felt and “know in your bones”.

This 25-hour course is all about practical knowledge. We focus on learning what helps us practice with awareness and teach with confidence.

Many students have offered the feedback that this course was not only interesting and fun, but provided a firm basis for their teaching.

Is this course for me?

~If you have been shy about studying anatomy, this course is for you.

~If you have felt bored at the very thought of studying anatomy, this course is for you. 

~If you have felt excited about learning anatomy, but the only courses near you are just academic and lack a practical focus for yoga teachers, this course is for you. 

~If you have studied anatomy, and just want a refresher with a yoga emphasis, this course is for you.

Location

We will gather at Mount Madonna Center, just outside of Watsonville, CA, in a sylvan setting based around spiritual practice. (nearest airport: San Jose International Airport, San Jose, CA; also San Francisco International Airport, but the SF airport is 1.5 hours away by car from MMC).

We will practice in a large airy beautiful room for yoga and learning.

I have been teaching at MMC since the 1980’s, and love going back there.

Come join us to learn and be part of our “anatomy community” for this five day workshop. Let someone else cook; let someone else clean up.

Let yourself settle into a supportive retreat setting with yoga teachers from many different parts of the country, and focus on learning more about the art of teaching and practicing this yoga we all love so much.

Registration

Send a check or money order drawn on US funds in the amount of $799 dollars and make it out and mail to:

Judith Hanson Lasater
156 Madrone Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94127
judithyoga@mac.com

Additionally, please send with your check your email address so you will be able to receive updates about the workshops and a list of reading assignments to complete to prepare you for the course. If you have already signed up, please send your email address immediately to: JudithYoga@mac.com. Thank you.

Housing and Meals

Contact Mount Madonna Center directly http://www.mountmadonna.org/lasater2016/

Schedule

If you are sleeping on-site, arrival starts at 4 pm on Sunday, January 10, 2016.

Classes are Monday - Friday

After breakfast, there will be 5 hours of class time each day, beginning at 10 AM, then a break for lunch, an afternoon session followed by dinner each day.

Departure is either at 6:30 PM after dinner on Friday, or you can book a room for Friday night and then leave after brunch on Saturday.

Cancellation Policy

Cancellation for Experiential Anatomy before December 10th will be subject to a $100 administration fee. All cancellations made on or after December 10th are non-refundable and non-transferable (unless your spot can be filled from the waiting list for this workshop.) Exceptions to this policy cannot be made for any reason, including weather, illness, or personal emergencies.

We are honored that Judith Hanson Lasater returns to the Feathered Pipe Ranch for our 40th anniversary season after several years of absence. She taught at the very first workshop ever held at FPR in 1975 and “the Pipe” has become a touchstone for her, her family, her friends and her students. And rightfully so. We will limit this retreat to 38 people to ensure it remains intimate and, so, very relaxing and healing. Every level of student, from beginners to teachers, are warmly welcomed.

Our yoga practice is a way to learn “who we are” not just something we “do”. Practicing not only shapes our lives, it also informs our teaching on fundamental levels. Every day we will have two practice periods. In the morning we will set a practice intention based on Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. Then an active yoga practice will follow which will include, over the week, all the basic types of poses so our bodies are challenged with compassion and our minds are drawn inward by focus and curiosity as we enter the poses. In the afternoon we will focus on restorative yoga poses to deeply relax us from the stresses of modern life. Also included daily will be pranayama (breathing) and a meditation period.

The afternoons between lunch and afternoon class will be free for hiking, reading, napping, swimming in the lake, socializing, or just doing nothing. Judith strongly encourages the latter. Don’t bring work with you in any form. Our evenings together will include one Q&A about teaching and practicing which will be open to all, as well as a presentation by JoAnn Lyons, Judith’s long-time assistant on her work with students facing great challenges from disabilities. And of course it wouldn’t be Judith’s workshop without Friday night’s “Talent Show.” So do bring your instrument, poem to read, a joke to perform or dance to share. All acts thunderously applauded!

Click here to register.

Yoga is first and foremost a practice. In asana, we begin to learn about ourselves as we open, while the practice of pranayama calms the nervous system, reduces anxiety, and entices the mind into stillness. We will practice these somewhat more “active” arts of yoga like asana and pranayama, but we will also balance them with the “receptive” arts of restorative poses and meditation.

Few things revive and encourage us more than the state of deep rest provided by restorative practice. And few things are more supportive in our busy lives than sitting quietly a few minutes every day. In the supportive environment of Mount Madonna, take time to practice with awareness, to contemplate where you are and where you are going. Now is the time to deepen and open. Now is the time to live with an open heart.

There will be asana, pranayama, restorative poses and meditation every day, plus a short philosophical discussion to sharpen our learning. Judith looks forward to personal contact with you in this idyllic setting.

Please register here.