Workshops

This is an all-levels workshop focused on the strengths and weaknesses of the male body. It's full of advice from someone who began his yoga journey as a less–than–flexible 23 year old. The workshop encourages forthright inquiries into the similarities and differences between male and female bodies, while affirming the universality of yoga practice. All yoga teachers are welcome to this workshop to further explore the unique concerns of their students.

"Yoga truly becomes your own when you rely on the strength of your love and dedication primarily, and not on the structure of a class." - Sarah Powers

Classes are great and books and DVD’s are helpful.  You'd love to complement this with a personal practice.  If you could use some useful advice on how to practice at home, this workshop is for you.  Yoga at home flourishes with thoughtful and smart sequencing.  “Sequence Creation and Developing a Home Practice” is for students interested in exploring a home practice but don’t know where to start.

Richard presents fresh ideas on building a practice around poses, intentions and abilities. He also addresses the main obstacles of a home practice and how to work with them.  Bring something to write with; we’ll be taking plenty of notes.  Discover inner guidance and make the practice yours.

Yin Yoga is revolutionary in its quiet stillness. As opposed to most styles of yoga, which deal with muscle flexibility and activity, a Yin style focuses on stimulating the “chi” in passive connective tissues, ligaments and cartilage.

A Yin yoga practice reverses the contractile effects of aging on the shoulders, spine and hips. Richard will present Yin Yoga theory as it relates to Yoga philosophy, meditation practice and your own anatomy. He will then guide you through a quiet Yin practice. The workshop will conclude with breathing practices to assist in harvesting your awareness.

This workshop can be taught as single session outlining a complete basic practice, or can be broken down into two workshops dealing with different fascial lines.  Richard teaches a yin workshop for the deep front line and a second one for the side bodies.  The synergy between the two makes for a very reflective and contemplative four hours.

Behind the practice lies the intention, and studying the Yoga Sutras is a wonderful way to put our yoga practices in context.

The Yoga Sutras were an oral tradition finally written down by Patañjali around 500 BCE. A grammarian and yogi, Patañjali took some big concepts regarding enlightenment and distilled them into a simple and elegant set of "sutras", or sentences. In this lecture, Richard will go through some basic Sanskrit theory and apply them to some key lists in the Sutras.  Patañjali’s framework is a great tool in discovering your layers of existence.

The Sutras catalog the causes of pleasure and pain, types of true and false knowledge, and obstacles on the path of enlightenment. With all of this to overcome, what is a yogi to do?  Patañjali has a coherent and useful plan.

This workshop is mostly lecture, but we will move through a few postures as a respite from sitting still and to demonstrate the intention of a few Sutras.

Straight From the Shoulder: Skillful means to build strength and stability in the shoulder girdle and arms.

This workshop explores ways to strengthen the upper body safely and develop a sense of security in the shoulders and arms. Part anatomy lesson, part practice, this workshop is a boon for yogis who have experienced rotator cuff or elbow injuries.

Richard reviews the muscular anatomy of the upper body. He then guides students through long holds and dynamic exercises. Using common poses, students gain insight into their shoulder and arm positions and develop strength. Students be able to bear some weight on their hands, and their wrists should be free of recent injury.

Yin Yoga is the art of insightful relaxation, personal acceptance and contemplative awareness. Those who have experienced it are rejuvenated and transformed. The practice consists of long relaxed holds with an emphasis on the connective tissue and joints of the hips, pelvis and lower spine. It allows students to focus deep within the body.

This specialized training examines:
-Yin Yoga philosophy
-anatomical considerations in pose selection
-prop and non-prop modifications
-the role of language to enhance the Yin experience
-Yin sequencing
-techniques on incorporating Yin into a general class

The training includes a manual for continued reference. Students will appreciate your addition of Yin Yoga to their practice, and this training will enhance your own Yoga sadhana.

Often, Yoga’s physical practice is marketed as “more, hotter, faster”, but more and more students are getting wise to this unattainable acceleration. Yin Yoga’s philosophy of stillness and independence counters this frenzied rush. Empower your students!