Yoga Workshop

              I was thinking that I’m good at yoga. I have been from beginning to end phases of various yoga practices, and then I revive that I am yogi no more. This has been happened over the last few months with the yoga periods getting shorter. So when I saw the workshop advertised at one place ‘Back to Basics Yoga’ I thought it might be a bend in the park.
             We start inhalation and stretching, stretching and breathing and I am suddenly aware of a sweat that has formed below my nose. I continue, downward dog, chatturanga. Since I do have practice with Yoga I fully consider that I may be so exceptional and expert that my trainer may call me out and ask me to guide the class. I have been practicing deep breathing exercises for the last 10 minutes. This would not be a difficulty if we were all breathing actual, oxygen. It’s like my mind finally submits and stops shouting at my body, and I get out of my own way a little. And its heaven! Life as me without me would be great; my body actually relaxes into poses that are relaxing.
             A nicely paced yoga practice, designed to discharge tight restricted areas in the body after the colder darker winter months. We will use the practice to strengthen mind & body, creating space and honesty to move frontward this season feeling ashore & lighter.
            What should you bring to Yoga Workshop? The basics: a yoga mat, water bottle, towel, and your focus. Any yoga teacher will recommend you that you buy good quality mat. You will notice a difference in the grip.
            People at yoga workshop will start with movement to stretch and temperate the body, and use breathing techniques for added advantage, and end with a soft & kind invigorating practice to further allow the body to open and effectively release worry. Suitable for beginners and all are welcome.

FeatheredPipe Yoga Workshops

Making that investment to go on retreat could be a daunting and intimidating prospect for someone new to yoga. But actually it’s the ideal way to start yoga. Being immersed in the yogic lifestyle with a chance to learn techniques and about the philosophy is a great introduction and an ideal way to establish a yoga practice. Yoga Retreats allow a beginner sufficient time to tune into their body and their personal needs. It would make for an unusual and exciting holiday with a chance to try something totally new. A retreat can provide a fun personal challenge and learning experience, where you can gain new perspectives, meet new people that come from all walks of life, who come together in a shared interest.

For those people that are all too familiar to upward and downward facing dog, yoga workshop offers the chance to go deeper into their yoga practice, Intermediate, learn more about the principles and techniques of yoga to initiate or deepen their yoga practice.

For the adept yogi, a retreat is an annual pilgrimage, a necessity to re-sharpen their focus on cultivating inner stillness, strength and balance.

Ultimately, ideal yoga retreats are totally based on personal preference and often you can wind up making a choice based on a ‘gut feeling’. Whichever option you choose, a yoga retreat can really allow you to develop a new sense of yourself and create space for perspective so you can assess what’s important in your life. Peace, strength, serenity, renewed lust for life and better health are just some of the souvenirs that you’ll bring home.

FeatheredPipe Yoga Therapy

                      At FeatheredPipe we are committed to deepening our understanding of yoga. The FeatheredPipe workshops and special events are led by international, national and acclaimed local teachers with a passion for sharing their practice, whether its asana, ways of caring for our bodies, how to breathe or the philosophy and history of yoga. Please join us in celebrating the infinite variety of yoga in these informative and often transformative workshops. 

                    This workshop is an exploration into the forms of attachment and grasping, obsession and addiction as they may present themselves in our lives.  We will use some investigative tools to discover how these attributes manifest themselves.  Self awareness is a vital key to addressing the negative impacts.  We will do some exercises that will enlighten us.   Using the wisdom of Yoga Therapy we will find ways to lessen the grasp of troublesome negative behavior.  We will find balance between doing the footwork and letting go, between effort and ease.  Gaining tools in this workshop you will be better able to identify and address situations that are born of obsession, attachment, grasping or addiction and follow a path to proper self knowledge and personal growth.  

                    Strong and flexible arms, shoulders, and legs create the foundation for safe, joyful, and open backbends. In this Yoga Workshop, we will awaken and integrate our roots in order to safely free the spine and open up in our backbends. We will look at healthy shoulder and pelvic alignment to help us open the front body more easily and spaciously, while maintaining length in the back body to protect our lower back and the entire spine. Expect a rigorous, invigorating exploration of the various elements that come together in creating the deepest, safest, most sustainable backbends.

Yoga Travel Bag

"Yoga's a wonderful exercise that doesn't require any special equipment yet helps with strength and flexibility,” Now, more than ever, yoga enthusiasts have plenty of options for maintaining their routines on the road, yoga instructors and hospitality industry experts say. A number of hotels offer classes or in-room equipment. And if they don't, yoga instructors say, there are many ways to practice the craft even on a plane, in a hotel room or outdoors at a park or beach. Many travel mats are now lighter than the ones you typically get at a studio. Yoga Travel can be fun.

Yoga Therapy

YOGA THERAPY is suitable for everybody regardless of age, fitness, state of health or belief system. In yoga therapy a personal practice is prescribed according to the physical, emotional and physiological needs as well as the circumstances of the individual. For example, a practice may be designed simply to maintain health and fitness, or to help remedy asthma, a back or knee problem, an hormonal issue, an emotional disorder, a chronic physical or psychological condition or disability, or to facilitate meditative practices.

The tradition of yoga encompasses a lot more than postures with physical health benefits. It offers a number of tools that can be employed towards the objective of total health and wellbeing, physical and mental. These include asana, postures for the body; pranayama, regulation of the breath to balance the physiology; dharana and dhyanam, meditative practices for psychological and emotional wellbeing; yama and niyama, guidance for a healthy and harmonious life; and many other subtle concepts to reflect the inner self.

The art of Yoga therapy is to combine a selection of the available tools in accordance with the needs of the individual. Each personal practice must be logically planned and prescribed in accordance with the needs of the individual, their attributes and where they are at the time they commence. Yoga Therapy is about removing obstacles.

What sets yoga therapy apart from almost all other health modalities is that it operates on all levels, influencing all aspects of the individual, and enhancing the ability to cope with the stresses of life. Further, yoga therapy recognizes that everyone is different and that no single approach or practice will be appropriate for all.

It is a common misconception that yoga is only for the fit and able. The reality is that almost the whole spectrums of human conditions are able to be accommodated by an appropriate and intelligent practice. Even a person with severe physical restrictions can do, and will benefit from yoga, physically, physiologically, and emotionally.

YOGA THERAPY is now an accepted health modality in Australia, offering people experiencing a wide range of ailments or disabilities guidance and personal tools that they can use to enhance their life.

Half-Wheel Pose (Ardha Chakrasana)

Half-Wheel Pose (Ardha Chakrasana)
This posture is extremely helpful in completely stretching the abdominal and spinal muscles and can be performed as the great precursor to the Hand-to-Foot Pose.
Step One
Stand straight on the mat, with your arms extended above your head.
Step Two
While inhaling deeply, gradually bend backwards with your arms still outstretched and you fingers interlocked.
Step Three
As you feel the tension in your ribs, bend as far backwards as possible forming an arch with your spine.
Step Four
Hold this position for 5 counts and return to your starting position.
Step Five
Once you are back to your starting position, lower your arms and let your body relax.
Rest for 10 counts and repeat.

The Eight Limbs Of Yoga

The Eight Limbs are:

1.     Yama (The five "abstentions"): Ahimsa (non-violence), Satya (Truth, non-lying), Asteya (non-covetousness), Brahmacharya (non-sensuality, celibacy), and Aparigraha (non-possessiveness).

2.     Niyama (The five "observances"): Shaucha(purity), Santosha(contentment), Tapas (austerity), Svadhyaya (study of the Vedic scriptures to know about God and the soul), and Ishvara-Pranidhana (surrender to God).

3.     Asana: Literally means "seat", and in Patanjali's Sutras refers to the seated position used for meditation.

4.     Pranayama ("Suspending Breath"): Prana, breath, "ayama", to restrain or stop. Also interpreted as control of the life force.

5.     Pratyahara ("Abstraction"): Withdrawal of the sense organs from external objects.

6.     Dharana ("Concentration"): Fixing the attention on a single object.

7.     Dhyana ("Meditation"): Intense contemplation of the nature of the object of meditation.

8.     Samadhi ("Liberation"): merging consciousness with the object of meditation.

These 8 Limbs are a must for every Yoga Workshop. 

Seva through Yoga

Join Yoga once in your lifetime to explore the rich culture and beauty of retreats, and volunteer on meaningful and sustainable projects with the local people. Together students explore the natural wonders a time for you to unwind, relax, and rejuvenate.  Your session should include two daily yoga classes, delicious gourmet meals, sunset cocktails, and the opportunity to give back and support local children and their families with a special Seva service. A significant part of session is to be your individual fulfillment, as well as mutually enriching experiences for you and the locals.Daily yoga classes, delicious food and great company in the evenings will leave you feeling recharged and profoundly rejuvenated. Being a yogi means taking care of your body and soul–but it also involves creating and sharing positive energy. Just as we roll out our mat every day, we can practice selfless service on a regular basis. Join existing movements or create your own. Think about your passion, recognize and feel the pain of others, and find an outlet to bring your compassion into action.

Are You Ready To Retreat??

               For students, retreats are an opportunity to develop or deepen their devotion, revive their practice, or get a rich introduction to yoga. For yoga teachers, they're an opportunity to reach students without feeling that you have only an hour to achieve balance and bliss. A retreat is also the perfect chance to combine yoga with other interests. For international locations, pick a place you know well, since students consider their teacher their local compass. Give students all the information you can to make the trip go as smoothly as possible.

             Some of the basic things to keep in mind while getting ready for retreat:

How much will it cost??

          Is it enough for you that the money you make teaching covers the cost of the trip? Or do you prefer to get paid to teach, over and above covering your travel costs?

Will you need any help??

          Do you prefer to work single handedly or feel the need to hire an assistant? Or you could consider offering a willing assistant a free retreat.

        

How long will it last??

          For the novice, keeping retreats short at first makes it easier. There are unexpected tasks and needs that you didn't prepare for but will be able to prepare for better the next time.

How will you promote the event??

         Word of mouth is great at first, but it can limit the number of people you'll entice once you want to expand. To promote your retreat even further you can use fliers, social media like Twitter, Facebook, etc.

          Remember the best way to get ready to retreat is to experience a few yourself and take down notes. Make sure that you attend a few Yoga Retreats to learn and plan the flow.

Tips For A Good Yoga Retreat

                     Most people take a vacation to get away from all the daily routines to stay a peaceful for some time. They normally search out for a serene place. Attending a yoga retreat is one of the best options to do the same. People are increasingly using their hard-earned holidays to deepen their yoga practices by combining travel to exotic places with intensive yoga programs. If you are considering going on a yoga retreat, these tips will help you know what to expect and ensure that you will have a great, relaxing trip.

>>One of the best ways to pick a yoga retreat is to sign on for one led by your local studio or regular teacher. Running these retreats, often to tropical locales, has become big business for studios and independent teachers, so they will go out of their way to make sure that everything goes smoothly and you get good yoga instruction.

>>If you can afford a fancy yoga retreat, many luxury spas have yoga on the menu. This is a great way to relax, be pampered, and do some yoga on the side. Going this route may result in a sacrifice in the quality of yoga instruction, so this option is for those who just want a little yoga with their mud baths, seaweed wraps, and hot stone massages.

>>If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. So, if you go the bargain basement route, expect rustic accommodations. If you are OK with living conditions that are closer to camping facilities than a hotel, this can be a good way to save some money. Some retreats will offer shared or dormitory-style rooms at a discount. Food is almost always included in the price of the retreat, and usually features healthy, fresh, local cuisine. Airfare is almost always NOT included, so make sure to consider this when planning your budget.

Yoga Retreats are one of the best ways to leave all your stressful life and start afresh.

Yoga Therapy

                   Yoga Therapy is an important aspect of Yoga. Yoga therapy is typically conducted one-on-one or in small groups. Often, a session more closely resembles an appointment with a physical therapist or rehabilitation specialist than it does a typical yoga class. What sets this healing technique apart from others is the focus on linking movement to deep, rhythmic breathing.

                  Yoga therapy is difficult to define, in part because of the breadth and depth of the tradition itself, and because, like Yoga, the discipline can be approached in so many different ways. Nonetheless, for Yoga therapy to be better understood and accepted, it is necessary to have a reasonable and pragmatic definition understandable to those without experience with Yoga, yet still acceptable to those steeped in the practice and philosophy.

                   Yoga therapy is the process of empowering individuals to progress toward improved health and well-being through the application of the philosophy and practice of Yoga.

It consists of the application of yogic principles, methods, and techniques to specific human ailments. In its ideal application, Yoga therapy is preventive in nature, as is Yoga itself, but it is also restorative in many instances, palliative in others, and curative in many others.

 The first stage of healing involves the movement of vital forces in the system.  Practitioners of many Eastern forms of medicine believe that every illness involves a certain level of energy blockage.  By promoting the flow of prana, or vital force, yoga combats those blockages, restoring the basic condition for health.  Common applications for Yoga Therapy also serve structural problems such as spine misalignments or joint function.  Deeper applications may even aid more intractable problems such as AIDS and cancer

                 Yoga therapy is the application of Yoga to individuals to empower them to progress toward greater health and freedom from disease.The applications of Yoga Therapy range anywhere from maintaining health, to recovering from illness - in some cases, even those considered incurable.