Teacher's Corner

The benefits of Yoga are well appreciated in modern times. If we were to ask someone what Yoga is, we each would have an answer that is unique and equally true. In the first 3 Yoga Sutra, Patanjali provides the scientific definition of Yoga elucidating the why, what and wherefore of its necessity. Comprehension of the full science and art of Yoga deepens it benefits, empowering the practitioner to proceed with confidence and confidence.

In order to develop an objective perspective of our subjective experience, the five types of thought processes are described. With a sharp and clear understanding of what spins in our minds, we can get off the roller coaster of the "monkey mind", and begin to unravel ourselves from unconscious conditioning.

Of the 196 Yoga Sutras, only 3 address yogic posture. According to the dictionary, posture is an attitude. In this Yoga Sutra talk and FREE class Patanjali elucidates the technology of conscious practice and how to develop skill in developing inner strength and tranquility.

The Patanjali Yoga Sutra: The 5 Klesha, or Self-defeating Attitudes

According to Sage Patanjali, our greatest challenge is our addiction to problems and that we constantly miss the point. Once we understand the nature of the five root afflictions we can learn to appreciate them as opportunities for growth.

Classically, the Yoga practitioner in the East is well equipped with the definitive guide to the Yogic process, the Yoga Sutra. In the West, Yoga is most often approached as a recreation, and we are left to negotiate and navigate our way with little or no advice. The Yoga Sutra are considered to be the definitive text for Yoga and a map of the Yogic experience. Revealing the deeper underlying nature of our being, the indescribable is well described, and indispensable in helping us to proceed with confidence, clarity, and efficacy.

Save yourself so much unnecessary grief and learn how to keep your wrists safe in yoga, as well as in any practice and exercise that requires bearing weight on the hands.

Learn how to assess your current balances and imbalances according to the Ayurvedic dosha system, in order to better customize your lifestyle, as well as yoga and other practices, to your health and wellness needs.

This FREE Alignment Guru class breaks down the Chaturanga Vinyasa into Upward Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana) in a way that is both accessible for beginners and enlightening for experienced yogis. Apply these tips in all class levels and styles.

This FREE Alignment Guru class breaks down Forward Fold (Uttanasana) and Half Life (Ardha Uttanasana) in a way that is both accessible for beginners and enlightening for experienced yogis. Apply these tips in all class levels and styles.

Train towards stable and consistent mastery of the king of asanas with this smart program designed to prepare you safely and powerfully for the head stand.

This FREE Alignment Guru class breaks down Down Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) in a way that is both accessible for beginners and enlightening for experienced yogis. Apply these tips in all class levels and styles.

Ever wonder what happens to your brain in yoga? Want to learn how to use neurological principles and reflexes to your advantage in your asana practice? Join Yoga Therapist Shy Sayar for this fascinating study in the neurology of yoga and watch your practice blossom wide open!

This is a no nonsense, "let's get to it" backbend technique workshop that assumes you already have a strong practice and want to get down to it in an hour. We go straight at the backbends with a strong warm up, good flow and then a pause as we take time to open the shoulders at the wall in handstands and Pinchya Myurasana ( forearm balance) We work our quads open and then into a deep twist before diving into Ustrasana (Camel Pose) to full bow pose (Urdhva Dhanurasana), and then learning to come up and drop back at the wall. A strong, focused class which will stimulate the nervous system and bring more joy and freedom to your hip flexors, and a nice cool down and Savasana to leave you calm and peaceful. Enjoy!

Have you ever been bewildered in yoga class when the poses are called in Sanskrit? Have you wondered about the deeper meaning of these names? Why are they used instead of or in addition to English? How can you benefit from knowing them?

For passionate and curious yoga students, Appreciation without Apprehension: A Guide to Asana Pronunciation, provides an opportunity to hear and learn the English and Sanskrit pronunciation of the more popular pose names. An indispensable reference for any serious student or teacher of yoga.

This class works the alignment and actions of Trikonasana (Triangle), Virabadrasana 2 (Warrior 2), and Parsvakonasana (side flank). All of Kevin's "Fundamentals of..." classes are safe for beginners and therapy students, and they provide excellent information for continuing students and teachers alike.

This class teaches the bio-mechanical actions of hip and sacro-iliac function in several classic asanas, baddha Konasana (bound angle), vriksasana (tree), upavistha konasana (straddle sit). All of Kevin's "Fundamentals of..." classes are safe for beginners, therapy students and give excellent information to continuing students and teachers.

Wondering how to take your sequencing up a notch...safely? Need a refresher on the subtle body? Interested in learning more yoga mythology to inspire you and your students? Look no further. This webinar series features some of the best workshops that Alanna teaches around the globe in an accessible, clear format. Inspire your yoga teaching and earn continuing education credits with Yoga Alliance, all from the comfort of your couch.

This third set of webinars from Alanna are perfect for yoga practitioners and teachers alike. These in-depth classes will take your yoga IQ to the next level and beyond!

Bhagavad Gita - 2 hours
The Bhagavad Gita is one of the most celebrated texts of the yoga tradition. Learn the story and it's wisdom through this interactive webinar. We will cover the main characters, set the scene for the great war of our heart and learn what Krishna had to say to Arjuna to inspire him to fight the greatest battle and rein victorious!

History of Yoga - 1 hour 30 min
Learn the history of yoga starting from the Vedas 5,000 years ago all the way up to the modern day expression of yoga in the west!

Mantras - 1 hour 30 min
"Mantra," in Sanskrit, means "mind tool." These tools facilitate the yoga practice in our day-to-day existence, allowing us to chant and invoke that which will allow us to be our highest selves. For teachers and students alike, this webinar will show you how to still the mind using these tools.

Wondering how to take your sequencing up a notch...safely? Need a refresher on the subtle body? Interested in learning more yoga mythology to inspire you and your students? Look no further. This webinar series features some of the best workshops that Alanna teaches around the globe in an accessible, clear format. Inspire your yoga teaching and earn continuing education credits with Yoga Alliance, all from the comfort of your couch.

This second set of webinars from Alanna are perfect for yoga practitioners and teachers alike. These in-depth classes will take your yoga IQ to the next level and beyond!

Yoga Sutra Crash Course Chapter 1 - 1 hour 50 min
We'll go through the first chapter and highlight the sutras that illuminate our yoga practice from a traditional-yet-modern-day perspective.

Yoga Sutra Crash Course Chapter 2 - 2 hours
This is a great opportunity to brush up on your Patanjali and find out how the sutras enliven our daily lives.

Maya and the Koshas - 1 hour 50 min
Our body contains many layers. Learn how to move beyond the physical and use your yoga practice to align your energetic and subtle body through the wisdom of the koshas.

Wondering how to take your sequencing up a notch...safely? Need a refresher on the subtle body? Interested in learning more yoga mythology to inspire you and your students? Look no further. This webinar series features some of the best workshops that Alanna teaches around the globe in an accessible, clear format. Inspire your yoga teaching and earn continuing education credits with Yoga Alliance, all from the comfort of your couch.

The next best thing to going to a yoga university, these in-depth classes will take your yoga IQ to the next level and beyond! These classes are perfect for yoga practitioners and teachers alike.

The Art of Sequencing - 2 hours
With the information in this webinar, you will learn:

- Creative ways to sequence
- How to plan for peak poses within a class
- What pitfalls of sequencing to avoid
- How to safely sequence a class for all levels of practitioners
- Ways to teach your students even the most challenging poses
- Clever techniques to keep your classes fresh and fun!

Essence of the Chakras - 1 hour 35 min
The chakra system is one of the best ways to approach our body, mind and spirit to understand where we are holding onto patterns and how we can release these blockages. Learn how to balance, understand and heal the chakras through this course!

The Mythology of Yoga: Our Lives Through the Stories of the Hindu Trinity - 1 hour 30 min
Learn about Brahma, Vishnu & Shiva and the great cosmic cycle of OM. Hear the stories behind child's pose, cow face pose and dancer's pose. Deepen your understanding of yogic mythology and make your practice more powerful through it's lessons!

These Yoga Teaching Inspirations are audio lectures on how to build your class around pertinent themes and philosophy in yoga.

Ganesh
Ganesh is often thought of as the remover of obstacles, but I prefer to think of him as the revealer of possibilities.

Hanuman!
Hanuman is a monkey deity and has a great story to illustrate certain things that, as yogis, we can learn, achieve, and use to go inside to find out what’s going on in heart and mind.

Krishna
Krishna is featured in one of the primary yogic texts, the Bhagavad Gita, and his image is super relevant to yoga and lends us stories that enable us to practice.

The Power of Om
Because Om has all meaning as well as no meaning, it is a great way to bring spirituality into your class through chanting it and balancing the energy in the room.

Peaceful Warrior
Learn how to teach, through the influence of the Bhagavad Gita, what it means to be a peaceful warrior through specific asana and ways to integrate the dharma talk into the class.

Discovering the best of who we are!

The love of life is not a function of the strength of the heart muscle, but depends on our willingness to reside in pure atman, invite deep intelligence and live in authentic expression. This backbend class challenges us to push the edges or our perceived limitations, and in so doing, short-curcuit our habitual ways of being. To open the locked door of our backbends, to open the locked door of our heart ~ ~ all it takes is the proper key. Then life becomes artistry.

This is a workshop-style class. Run time is 2:15:00

These Yoga Teaching Inspirations are audio lectures on how to build your class around pertinent themes and philosophy in yoga.

Yoga Sutra 1.1 - Atha Yoga Nushasanam
This very first yoga sutra discusses Patanjali’s ever-present act of now, which enables us to define yoga as practice for something greater than us.

Yoga Sutra 2.1
tapah svadhyaya

Asteya (Non-stealing)
Asteya, which means non-stealing, is one of the five yamas, the first step in the eight-limbed yoga path.

Gunas
The three gunas, or worldly qualities, are rajas, tamas, and sattva, which make up the material world. Explore what these gunas entail and where they manifest in our lives in this Yoga Inspiration.

Satya (Truth)
Satya is the principle of truthfulness and is part of the Yoga Sutras. Learn about its history, relation to broader yoga philosophy, and how to incorporate this principle into your classes.

Nadis
In this prelude to the chakras, we look at the nadis, the subtle energy channels that form chakras throughout the body.

Viveka (Discernment)
What we’re talking about here is being able to see that which is real and not real. In this Yoga Inspiration, we discuss what is real and what is not real.

These Yoga Teaching Inspirations are audio lectures on how to build your class around pertinent themes and philosophy in yoga.

Chakras (Energy Centers)
The chakras are subtle energy centers throughout the body that reflect emotional feeling in physical manifestations. We move through and have the opportunity to balance them when we do asana.

Crown Chakra
The seventh and final chakra represents the goal of the journey as we move through the different levels of consciousness.

Third Eye Chakra
The Third Eye chakra represents wisdom and how we can draw upon it as teachers.

Throat Chakra (Communication Center)
The throat chakra holds our ability to communicate clearly and honestly with our students and allows our students to communicate honestly with themselves.

Heart Chakra
The heart chakra is all about our ability to express ourselves in the truest, deepest, most love-filled way possible. Channeling this chakra in our classes allows our students to feel openness and expansiveness in their bodies and in their heart's centers, their true norths.

Third Chakra
This third chakra is the seat of the ego. How do we use ego when we teach? How can we separate it from our yoga practice?

Second Chakra
In this energy center lies your ability to create anything in the world. It is both the center for creativity and procreativity, meaning it balances our sexual and creative energies.

Root Chakra
The root chakra is where we find our sense of being grounded. When it is imbalanced – when we are away from home literally or metaphorically – we need to find practices that bring it back into balance.