Deepen Your Yoga at Imagine

Do you love yoga? Or maybe you want to love yoga, but your not sure what it's all about? Or maybe you'd like to be a teacher someday, and would like to start delving a bit deeper into your practice?

Then welcome to Yoga Immersion!

We have a different philosophy on teaching yoga at Imagine. We believe that yoga is not about us, or our titles, or our certificates, or anything other than our students. We love yoga. When you love something, you want to share it. This was how yoga originally was intended to spread. An ancient meditator had trouble sitting still. He thought some movement may help. Yoga was born.

Yoga means Union. Union between mind, body and spirit. Union between souls. The Light in you, is the same as the Light in me. When we recognize that, we unite. This is the meaning of Namaste'. This is the meaning of yoga.

Join us for 5 Master Classes designed to deepen your practice and explore the yogic lifestyle. Each class stands on it's own, and you do not have to complete each one in order.

The books that are listed for advanced reading are wonderful, enlightening, but do not have to be read before the workshop to get the full benefit of the workshop.

Yoga Master Classes

Alignment/Anatomy

Learn how the basic alignment of yoga poses are designed to help students position their bodies in a way that helps them get the full benefits of their poses. Learn how to use the basics of anatomy to assist understanding of the poses. This class will include practice in a chair, on the wall and laying on the floor to help the body make a memory of what posture is supposed to feel like. We will review the principles of balance, standing poses and forward bends to ensure the safety necessary to get the full enjoyment in your classes.

(Advanced Optional Reading: Yoga Anatomy by Kaminoff)

Props Props are really fun, really easy ways to help students love yoga. Originally developed by famed yoga teacher BKS Iyengar, props allow students to go deeper in their poses early on, and more importantly, allow students to feel successful when they get frustrated with the normal limitations of the beginner. This class will explore the use of blocks, straps, sandbags, bolsters, chairs, walls and the help of other students. We will go deeply into restorative yoga poses, as well as begin to sequence with partners. You will never look at your couch in the same way, once you learn what a great yoga prop it can be!

Meditation Many would say that meditation is the purest form of yoga, indeed, it was why the physical poses were created. Its much easier to relax and simply be if the body isnt restless. However, yoga is not separate from meditation, any more than life is separate. Meditation is one of the hardest concepts for students to grasp, and absolutely the most important. Learn to create a life that is meditative, learn the myriad ways to meditate and learn what meditation really is. We will study mudras and mantras. This class will include deep immersion into guided, active and silent meditation. Breathwork is an important element of meditation and we will explore different techniques here.(Optional Advance Reading: The Yoga Sutras of Patanjaliâ Chip Hartranft translation)

Structure, Flow, Chakras- Learn how to sequence a practice for ultimate benefit for body, mind and spirit. Learn how to counter stretches and why they are are so important. Learn simple tips to remember left/right in sun salutations, standing poses, balances and kundalini kriyas. Learn the basics of breathing techniques and how to incorporate them into a flow. Learn warming up and cooling down techniques, when to take a pose deeper, and when and how to create a flow. This class will enable you to create a home practice, as well as learning to teach through doing. This class also discusses the importance of chakras in a yoga class. (Advance Reading: New Chakra Healing by Cyndi Dale)

Yoga Philosophy, Styles, Language Using the sacred texts of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and the Bhagavad Gita, we will come to a deep understand of what yoga really is all about. Exploring the history of yoga and the many styles under the umbrella of Kundalini will help you see beyond asana, and into heart. This class requires advanced reading of the above books and will contain plenty of discussion. We take the yoga off the mat here and explore the basics of Hinduism, Buddhism and how all faiths line up with the philosophy of yoga. May include field trip to local sites. (Reading: Bhagavad Gita -Stephen Mitchell translation)