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Foundations of Yoga Workshop Details Foundations of Yoga Workshop Details Learning Objectives 1. Understand the meaning and application of the first four sutras as the foundation of a yoga practice 2. Be able to name and define the eight limbs of the integrated practice of yoga that addresses wellbeing in body, breath/emotion, mind, relationships, and communities. 3. Gain greater knowledge about layers of self (body, breath/emotion, mind, interpersonal wisdom, and union) – the koshas 4. Understand human nature in terms of perceiving and responding to the world as safe, dangerous, or threatening – the gunas 5. Gain greater knowledge about emotional bases (misunderstanding, attachment, aversion) of challenge and stress as well as their transformation toward health and wellbeing – the kleshas 6. Gain greater knowledge about mental fluctuations and habits that can interfere with wellbeing as well as strategies for their transformation and quieting – the vrittis Summary This 6-hour YogaX workshop focuses on yoga as a complex, multifaceted practice that fosters resilience and equanimity. Yoga integrates a variety of strategies that are grounded in ancient teachings, corroborated by modern neuroscience and psychology research. We discuss the varied foundations of an integrated yoga practice, moving beyond western conceptions of yoga as physical exercise. We outline the complex layers of self as identified in yoga wisdom, along with a deep understanding of how yogic practices affect body, emotion, mind, relationships, and spirit. We offer yoga tools as wide-ranging as mindful and ethical lifestyle choices, disciplined commitment, physical movement and form, breathing awareness and exercises, as well as moving inward in concentration and meditation. We demonstrate how these practices help us navigate the uncertainties of life with equanimity, mindfulness, presence, and radical acceptance. Participants learn the foundational aspects of yogic teachings that ground the physical practice into a multi-modal, holistic theory of understanding the mind and alleviating suffering. We integrate the teachings of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras with the koshas model as a way to understand the complexity of the human experience to learn how to self-regulate and find equanimity regardless of the circumstance. The workshop will include multiple physical posture practices, as well as, meditation and breathing exercises as a way to provide the participants with experiential learning opportunities to experience the depth of yogic teachings. As such, participants learn to understand yogic principles, skills, and applications related to the following of yoga psychology: • Physical asana practices that include both stimulating the nervous system (hatha), as well as, down-regulating, more meditative practices (restorative/yin) that demonstrate the brevity of a yoga asana practice • Didactics on the foundations of yoga through the first four sutras • Meditations providing participants with an opportunity to “experience” the koshas and fluctuations of mind • Discussion-based learning to utilize community into incorporating the yogic teachings into each participants’ unique experience. Key Concepts • Yoga teachings are guidance on how to alleviate physical, emotional and mental suffering. Yoga focuses on building awareness of multiple aspects of our experience to make informed decisions on how to interact with wisdom in our intra and interpersonal relationships. • Yoga is a self-journey, leading to each individual feeling empowered on their own path to integrate the teachings as they find their way to being able to self-regulate and act with kindness and compassion. • Overview of yogic philosophy tools, including mindfulness practices and ethical lifestyle choices. Workshop Agenda Time Topics 9a-9:45a • Introductions • Overview of course • Opening meditation on the Koshas, followed by a self-reflection 9:45a-10:45a • Yoga Sutras of Patanjali – brief overview with focus on Sutra 1 and 8 limbs • “Atha Yoga Anushasanam” 1.1 Now the teaching and practice of yoga begins • Values and lifestyle practices – ethical and purposeful living • Physical practices – form and movement that promote mindfulness of the body and sensations • Breathing practices – breathing that invites mindfulness, balance, and efficiency • Interior practices – drawing inward, concentration, meditation, and absorption 10:45a-11:30a • The layers of self – overview • Physical layer of self • Energetic/emotional layer of self • Mind layer of self • Wisdom/intuitive layer of self • Bliss layer of self 11:30a-12:15p • Yoga practice with focus on the koshas and mindfulness 12:15p-1:00p • Lunch break 1:00p-1:30p • Post-lunch relaxation practice (left side down with body scan) • Questions and answers about the morning 1:30p-3:00p • “Yogas chitta vritti nirodhah” 1.2 Yoga is the stilling of the fluctuations of mind; Yoga as a means of liberating yourself from the snares of conditioned and habitual tendencies • The physical layer – delving into the gunas • The emotional and energetic layers – delving into the kleshas • The mind layer – delving into the vrittis • “Tadas drasthu svarupe vasthanam” 1.3 Then the seer resides in their true nature/Self-realization • “Vritti Sarupyam Itaratra” Because at all other times we identify with our thought patterns that reinforce our habits/tendencies/behaviors that cause suffering • Introduction to samskaras, karma (action results), and practice of the 8 limbs 3:00p-4:00p • Closing practice • Debriefing the experience • Evaluations Bibliography Yoga Sutras Readings and Resources Hartranft, C. (2003). The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali: A new translation with commentary. Boston, MA: Shambala Classics. Yoga Sutras and Iyengar, B. K. S. (2002). Light on the yoga sutras. of Patanjali New York: Thorsen. Similar Excellent free online version: https://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras.htm Relevant Yoga Psychology Readings Adele, D. (2009). The yamas and niyamas: Exploring yoga’s ethical practice. Duluth, MN: On-Word Bound Books. Armstrong, G. (2017). Emptiness: A practical guide for meditators. Sumerville, MA: Wisdom. Feuerstein, G. (2013). The psychology of yoga: Integrating Eastern and Western approaches for understanding the mind. Boston, MA: Shambala. Iyengar, B. K. S. (2005). Light on life. New York, NY: Rodale. Iyengar, B.K.S. (2008). Light on pranayama. New York: Crossroads. Kabat-Zinn, J. (2005). Coming to our sense: Healing ourselves and the world through mindfulness. New York: Hyperion. Yoga Psychology Lee, J. (2016). True yoga. New Bury, MN: Lewellyn. Maki, B.. (2013). The yogi’s roadmap: The Patanjali yoga sutra as a journey to self-realization. Scotts Valley: CreateSpace Independent Publishing and Practices Platform. Morgan, B. (2016). The meditator’s dilemma. Boulder: Shambala. Rosen, R. (2002). The yoga of breath: A step-by-step guide to pranayama. Boston: Shambala. Stone, M. (2008). The inner tradition of yoga: A guide to yoga philosophy for the contemporary practitioner. Boston, Massachusetts: Shambhala Publications. White, G. (2007). Yoga beyond belief. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books. Wilber, K. (2016). Integral meditation: Mindfulness as a path to grow up, wake up, and show up in your life. Boston: Shambala. Related YogaX Team Member Publications Trauma-Informed Justice, L., & Brems, C. (in press). Bridging body and mind: Case series of a 10-week trauma-informed yoga protocol for veterans. International Journal Yoga of Yoga Therapy, 29. Justice, L., Brems, C., & Ehlers, K. (2018). Bridging body and mind: Considerations for trauma-informed yoga. International Journal of Yoga Therapy, 28, 39-50. Colgan, D., Wahbeh, H., Pleet, M., Besler, K., & Christopher, M. (2017). A qualitative study of mindfulness among veterans with PTSD: Practices differentially effect symptoms, aspects of well-being, and potential mechanisms of action. Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine. Wellness, Stress, Colgan, D., Christopher, M., Bowen, S., Brems, C., Hunsinger, M., Tucker, B, & Dapolonia, E. (in press). Mindfulness-based wellness and resilience Coping training among interdisciplinary primary care teams: A mixed-methods feasibility and acceptability trial. Primary Health Care Research & Development. Brems, C. (2015). A yoga stress reduction intervention for university faculty, staff, and graduate students. International Journal of Yoga Therapy, 25, 61- 77. Christopher, M., Rogers, B., Hunsinger, M., Colgan, D., Reiss, A. L., & Farwood, H. (2014). Distinguishing mindful process from outcome in the prediction of global health and perceived stress in a mindfulness-based stress reduction program. Mindfulness, 6(4), 693-699. Schroeder, D., Stephens, E., Colgan, D., Hunsinger, M., Rubin, D., & Christopher, M. (2016). A brief mindfulness-based intervention for primary care physicians: A pilot randomized controlled trial. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. Brems, C., Colgan, D., Freeman, H., Freitas, J., Justice, L., Shean, M., & Sulenes, K. (2016). Elements of yogic practice: Perceptions of students in healthcare programs. International Journal of Yoga, 9, 121-129. Brems, C., Justice, L., Sulenes, K., Girasa, L., Ray, J., Davis, M. Freitas, J., Shean, M., & Colgan, D. (2015). Improving access to yoga: Barriers and motivators for practice among health professions students. Advances in Mind-Body Medicine, 29, 6-13. Freeman, H., Brems, C., Michael, P., & Marsh, S. (in press). Empowering a community from the inside out: A program evaluation of a yoga teacher training program for adults in custody. International
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