Texas Yoga is happy to have the following presenters offering
classes at the June 20-22, 2008 Texas Yoga Retreat.
Fred Alsup
Dallas, Texas
fred@alsup.com
Bio: Fred Alsup began studying and practicing hatha yoga and meditation
in 1973 and is a life long spiritual seeker. Fred is an initiate of Swami
Rama of the Himalayas (founder of the Himalayan Institute) and has studied
with Swami Rama, Pandit Rajmani Tigunait and Swami Veda Bharati among
others. A self-employed consultant since 1992, Fred transforms organizations
through executive coaching including coaching executives at Harvard’s
Achieving Excellence Program and management consulting. Fred has spoken
at conferences in U.S. and Europe, is a certified master practitioner
of neuro-linguistic programming and received a B.A. in Latin and a B.A.
in computer science from the University of Texas at Austin.
Saturday 9:30-10:30 am - Mantric Science of the Himalayan Masters
Patanjali, author of the Yogasutras, offers us a systematic process (Asana
Pranayama Pratyhara Dharana Dhyana) for meditation (Dhyana) that leads
to enlightenment (Samadhi). As a mental focus and practice he offers half
a dozen possibilities, the most helpful for our age being mantra japa.
Mantras for meditation are “seen” (the definition of being
a Rishi) by the masters while in union with pure consciousness (Samadhi)
– the goal and definition of classical yoga. In this session we
will learn/deepen knowledge about each step and about mantra and sit together
in a guided group meditation.
Saturday 2-4:15 pm - Yoga Sutras Made Easy
OK easier. Yogasutras’ study may be difficult when we don’t
know the historical context, the simple structure of the sutras and that
Patanjali assumes knowledge (implied in sutra 1.1). This includes knowledge
of Samkhya Philosophy – the philosophical basis of yoga, the Mandukya
Upanishad - explains the meaning and practice of OM. In this session we
will review the historical context, sutras structure and some critical
assumed knowledge including Vyasa's commentaries and gain accessibility
to this classic work.
Donna Belk
Austin, Texas
512-922-8043
dbelk@austin.rr.com
http://www.restorativeflow.com
Bio: Donna has studied and practiced yoga since 1975. Her teaching
is influenced by the Iyengar tradition (using precision in postures),
but Donna also emphasizes the importance of relaxation, and promotes the
idea of going no further in a posture than is comfortable. Many postures
are done in motion, in rhythm to the student's breathing. Donna strongly
believes that each student should go at their own pace and relax into
the postures. She teaches with humor, patience, and continuously encourages
students to appreciate themselves for what they can do and to honor their
limits. Her classes are appropriate for beginners and those who want a
contemplative practice.
Sunday 7-8:30 am - Qigong Practice
Qigong, often called Chinese Yoga, is a very nurturing, gentle and healing
form of movement. This form of qigong is called “soft” or
internal qigong as opposed to “hard” qigong which is more
like martial arts. A Qigong class combines easy, gentle visualization
and imagery for the mind, meditation or quiet time for the spirit, and
breathing practices for the body-mind-spirit connection.
Sunday 10:45-12:30 pm - Restorative Flow
Restorative Flow is a luxurious yoga practice with movements that are
slow, gentle, repetitive and rocking to create a class that is deeply
nourishing. It differs from "restorative poses" in that the
class is a gentle flow from one relaxing posture into the next. There
is no stopping to gather props, to situate yourself in a pose, or to have
the help of another person to position you in the pose. One pose flows
seamlessly into the next in a relaxing continuum.
Robert
Boustany
Houston, Texas
www.byoga.com
Bio: Robert Boustany is a physicist, who has been teaching yoga
for 38 years. He is known for a details understanding of the anatomy of
poses, and will often give energetic, and therapeutic reasons for alignments. Classes
are taught with lighthearted interludes between focused intense work.
His background is primarily Ashtanga, Iyengar, and Forrest Yoga.
Though he has studied extensively many esoteric forms of yoga, qigong
etc. His philosophic basis is Advaita Vedanta. He now travels extensively
in Europe and other beautiful areas, where he leads teacher trainings,
does lectures, and offers posture classes in Pralaya Yoga.
Saturday 10:45-12:30 am - Ultimate
Strength Externally & Internally - Part 1 Upper Body
True Strength and happiness come when trust and gratitude exceed expectations.
This class will take you through an exploration of arms shoulders upper
back and chest to show how to maximize strength by focus, alignment, intense
challenge suitable for you level, resulting in the freeing of emotions,
mental burdens and the breath. All levels will be challenged, and practical
information learned for any style or practice. Therapeutics will also
be covered in this development.
Sunday 10:45-12:30 am - Ultimate Strength
Externally & Internally - Part 2 Lower Body
True Strength and happiness come when trust and gratitude exceed expectations.
This class will explore hips, legs and lower back. Maximum strength is
a matter of focus, alignment, and attitude when challenged by postures,
mind and emotions. All levels will be challenged and pratical information
learned for any style or practice. Therapeutics will be covered in the
development.
Elizabeth Cafferky
Austin, Texas
www.elizabethcafferky.com
Bio: Elizabeth is an Anusara Inspired teacher who began practicing yoga
in 1995. She was originally introduced to ISHTA Yoga, the Integrated Science
of Hatha Tantra and Ayurveda which is a hatha style taught by Alan Finger
and derived from the Sanskrit word meaning personalized. This path lead
her to teacher training at Be Yoga/Yoga Works in New York in 1999, where
she received a 200 hour Yoga Alliance certification. Since then, her practice
and training has been enhanced through learning the Universal Principals
of Alignment and the tantric philosophy of opening to grace which are
the fundamentals of Anusara Yoga. She received a second 200 hour Yoga
Alliance certificate focusing on Anusara from Lois Nesbitt and has studied
closely with John Friend, the creator of Anusara. With over 600 hours
of training in Anusara, she is in the process of completing that certification
and has received 500 hour ERYT status from Yoga Alliance. Elizabeth is
also Pilates mat certified from the Kane School of Core Integration and
has studied Yoga Therapeutics and Kinetic Awareness, furthering her knowledge
of injury management and the healing aspects of yoga. She enjoys teaching
group classes and private clients to assist students in exploring their
own potential and reaching their own inner goodness.
Saturday 4:30-6 pm - Anusara Asasna Class
Experience the practice of Anusara Yoga in this all level class that will teach
the principles of this style of hatha yoga. Anusara is a heart-centered
practice that systematically applies alignment to your poses. It
is a great way to refine your practice, explore poses a little more deeply
and take yourself to a new level.
Sunday 7-8:30 am - Yoga Flow Asana Class
Experience an inspiring flow to start your day. This class will include sun
salutations and a few more challenging poses, while providing
you with the techniques on how to create strength and freedom in
your movements. Be ready to work and have fun.
Vrinda Devi
Bio: Vrinda came to the path of Bhakti yog in the 1970’s. She met
her guru in 1985 and since that time has been studying Vedic Sanatan Dharm.
Vrinda is senior Temple chanter in Barsana Dham and serves as a teacher
in the interfaith community, local schools, universities and civic organizations,
giving lectures on Hinduism and bhakti yog and leading chanting (satsang)
in and around Austin. She will be teaching basics of Sanskrit, teaching
in a simple way, the correct pronunciation of the yog postures and mudras
names and introduction to Bhakti yog.
Carie Garrett
College Station, TX
carie@cariegarrett.com
http://www.cariegarrett.com
Bio: Carie Garrett comes to yoga from a background of modern dance and 25 years of experience as a group exercise instructor. She has served as an ACE (American Council on Exercise) certified instructor as well as an ACE workshop presenter. Carie has been practicing and teaching yoga since 2000 and since 2001 she has been a student and apprentice of Los Angeles-based yoga master Erich Schiffmann. She studies with Erich extensively and has worked as his teaching assistant since 2002, assisting him at workshops, retreats, and teacher trainings throughout the country. Carie teaches classes in College Station, Texas.
Friday 8-10 pm - The Movement of Stillness
Description: Does stillness mean absence of movement? Does movement mean
absence of stillness? Often, we think that the state of stillness is only
accessible when we're not moving, when we're motionless. But stillness
is actually a state of mind, a state of centered peace, an experience
of being which flows out of a tension-free, conflict-free mind. You'll
find that it's impossible to be motionless when you become still and feel
the movement of Life moving through you. The movement will still you and
the stillness will move you. Class will include discussion and gentle
asana.
Saturday 7-8:30 am - Sunny Side Up!
Description: We yogis
are serious about our yoga. So serious that we often feel like we'll never
get it right, we'll never learn enough - at least not in this lifetime
or the next five. So wake up, grab your coffee, and head over to this
playful asana session designed to help you lighten up and stop hassling
yourself. Celebrate the joy, happiness, spontaneity, laughter and buoyancy
that comes from seriously diving into the experience of yoga: Conscious
Unity. Expect the unexpected, as well as a whole lot of fun!
Charles MacInerney
Expanding Paradigms
Austin, Texas
(512) 459-2267
charles@yogateacher.com
http://www.yogateacher.com
http://www.expandingparadigms.com
Bio: Charles is registered with the Yoga Alliance as an E-RYT-500
hr. He has practiced yoga for 36 years. In 1989 he founded Expanding Paradigms
through which he began teaching yoga full time, publishing a newsletter,
and presenting at Regional, National and International Conferences. In
addition to his regular public yoga classes, Charles has extensive experience
integrating yoga into hospitals, corporations, universities, and government
agencies. Charles is the founder of www.yogateacher.com and has written
articles for a variety of magazines including the Yoga Journal and contributed
to several books on Yoga. He offers workshops at yoga studios around the
country and since 1982 he has been leading retreats around the world.
He currently offers four Yoga & Writing retreats, and six Yoga and Meditation
retreats each year in Texas, Massachusetts, Mexico and Guatemala. Charles
is co-founder and instructor with the Living Yoga Teacher Training Program
and co-founder of the Texas Yoga Retreat.
Friday 4:30-6 pm - Opening Yoga Class
This class is for early arrivals who do not want to wait to get started.
This will be a moderate asana class, focusing on a well balanced workout
to warm us up for the weekend.
Saturday 7-8:30 am - Walking Meditation
Join us for an early morning walking meditation in the Buddhist tradition
of Thich Nhat Hanh. We will meet at the Main Mandal, by the fountains
on the far side of the Temple at 7 am for a short seated meditation. Following
a brief explanation of the guidelines of Buddhist Walking Meditation we
will practice walking meditation around the grounds of Barsana Dham, crossing
the creek, and ending up climbing the hill from where we have a panoramic
view of the Temple, grounds and surrounding hill country. In the event
of rain, we will meet downstairs in Jasmine Hall.
Saturday 9:30-10:30 am - Business of Yoga Q&A
Bring your business questions for an informal Q&A group discussion
and chance to network, share ideas and resources.
Saturday 4:30-6 pm - The Art of Pranayama
Learn and practice a variety of breathing exercises in this hands on workshop,
from the most basic to advanced. Although this workshop will be primarily
experiential, there will be an opportunity at the end for students to
ask questions about the practice of pranayama, and also about how to teach
pranayama safely to others.
Sunday 9:30-10:30 am - The Psychology of Mastering Balance
The two main reasons that you may feel like you have reached a plateau
in your mastery of balance is boredom and (more commonly) anxiety. Both
of these mental states inhibit learning. This workshop will show you how
to eliminate both boredom and anxiety from your practice and how to help
others do the same.
Although this workshop will include some asana practice in order to explore
the concepts of balance, it will be a very light workout. Our primary
focus will be on exploring balance from a mind/body perspective.
Ellen Smith
Austin, Texas
(512) 419-1339
www.sojournretreats.com
ebsmith@austin.rr.com
Bio: Ellen B. Smith, M.A., E-RYT. Ellen is an Intuitive Mentor, Performance Coach, and Certified Hatha yoga instructor. She has a passion for learning and teaching, and integrates information about yoga, qigong, health, disease intervention, nutrition, meditation, psychology, exercise physiology, and countless other topics into her sessions. She offers compassionate instruction with a touch of humor, honoring each student's path and abilities. Ellen has a Masters Degree in Spiritual Psychology, and has worked for decades as a teacher and mentor to people of all walks of life She is co-founder of Sojourn Retreats , offering transformational weekend workshops for women.
Saturday 2-4:15 pm - Yoga and Yoga Nidra
Come enjoy a balanced non-denominational, eclectic asana practice suitable
for all levels, followed by an hour of Yoga Nidra (“Psychic Sleep”),
a deeply relaxing and healing practice that feels like guided relaxation.
One session of Yoga Nidra is said to be equal to approximately three hours
of sleep in its ability to rejuvenate. Yoga Nidra practice allows your
deepest levels of creativity and healing energies to bubble up to the
surface. Past Yoga Nidra participants have said, “I felt a total
mind and body release. The words renewal and rebirth came to my mind.”
“The calm and peace that I experience after a practice is very uplifting
and is my new lifeboat in turbulent waters.” Be sure to bring extra
blankets, a thick pad (if you own one) and a pillow so you can relax comfortably
on your back for a full hour.
Gerry Starnes, M.Ed.
Austin, Texas
gerry@gerrystarnes.com
www.GerryStarnes.com
Bio: Gerry Starnes has been leading TranceDance since 2000. He is among the most experienced facilitators in the country. He has a background in individual and group counseling, and practices in the Austin area. In addition, Gerry offers workshops in Austin, Dallas, and other locations in Texas. Website: www.TranceDance-Austin.com
Saturday 7:30-10 pm - TranceDance Movement Meditation is a form of soul-stirring meditation, moving freely to the rhythm and music, and guided only by Spirit. Because everyone is wearing a bandanna or blindfold, dancers can go beyond self-judgment and concern about what others think. This allows them to to deeply within while simultaneously connecting with the body. This form of TranceDance was developed by Frank Natale, founder of the Natale Institute, and has been practiced for more than 30 years worldwide.