Ashtanga Vinyasa is a flowing sequence of coordinated movements of body and breath. As one’s practice deepens, the primacy of the breath work in this system begins to emerge. An advanced practitioner, floating with grace and ease through advanced and potentially strenuous asanas and vinyasas will often cite the breath as the key to his or her mastery of the practice. At this stage, the practice truly becomes a moving meditation, with breath and internal form as the main object of the meditation.

Yet, few practitioner are able to harness the potential of the breath in their practice. Even fewer practitioners develop a pranayama practice. This is partly due to a lack of opportunity for in depth instruction and practice. There are very few teachers who have the level of experience required to teach breathing and pranayama in an effective way.

This course is a unique opportunity to receive consistent instruction and guided practice in ujjayi and viloma breathing and Ashtanga pranayama over a period of 2 or 4 weeks. Participants will learn how to use the breath more effectively in their Ashtanga practice. The energetic pattern of bandha, which informs the movements of body and breath will become much clearer. By the end of the course, participants will also have a separate pranayama practice that they can take away and continue with on a long term basis.

Click here for an in-depth review of the course from a past participant

Next Session and course dates

TBA

Contact Iain at iaingrysak@gmail.com to register

Sessions

Morning Sessions

Sunday – Thursday  |  6 sessions per week

There will be six morning sessions per week consisting of traditional Mysore style practice on Sunday-Thursdays and a led primary series on Fridays.

Afternoon Sessions

Monday – Thursday  |  4 sessions per week

There will be 4 afternoon sessions per week on Monday-Thursdays. We will practice non strenuous exercises to help deepen our understanding of the energetic movement of bandha which informs the movements of the breath and the body from the inside. This will evolve into a structured pranayama practice over the duration of the course. The afternoon sessions are structured to complement the morning Mysore practice.

Afternoon session will also include time for discussion where we will look more deeply at the links between asana, pranayama, lifestyle, philosophy and the intentional state of self-observation to each moment of our daily life. In order to facilitate this inquiry, we will examine the traditional teachings of Patanjali, the Buddha and the modern Ashtanga Vinyasa system.

We will attempt to understand the core essence of these teachings, while removing the dross of authoritarian dogma and ideology which can distract practitioners from the essence. We’ll move towards practice becoming a continuous and contiguous process into the nature of ourselves and our relationship to the world. This is the full immersion that a long term practitioner gradually integrates with their entire life. Participants will be encouraged to submit questions or topics that they wish to delve into in these sessions.

Schedule details

Next Session:

Next course dates TBA
Daily morning Mysore style practice is required for the duration of the pranayama course.

Weekly schedule

Mysore style Ashtanga Practice

Sunday – Thursday
7:00 – 9:30 am – Mysore style practice
Friday
7 – 9 am – Led Primary Series:

Pranayama instruction and practice

Monday – Thursday
9:30 – 10:30 am

All Classes are held at The Seeds of Life Raw Food Cafe and Tonic Bar, Jalan Goutama, Ubud, Bali.

Who should join

This course is open to all levels of practitioner, including beginners.

Daily Mysore style Ashtanga practice for the duration of the course is required.

Please contact Iain with any questions

Accommodation and meals

Accommodation

This is a non-residential course. Participants are responsible for finding their own accommodation in Ubud. There are a variety of options to suit all budgets and styles.

Meals

Participants are responsible for their own meals. There are plenty of restaurants serving healthy food in Ubud. Participants who rent a house with kitchen facilities can also self cater with the abundant fresh and organic locally grown food. The Seeds of Life Raw Food Cafe and Tonic bar (the home of our yoga studio) has healthy and delicious raw food creations by world class raw food chefs Sayuri and Ben. The food served here is an ideal support for the intensive physical and mental process of the Full Immersion course.

Tuition

deposit is required with registration: rp 2 300 000 (USD 150)

4 weeks:

for the pranayama section: rp 6 100 000 (USD 400)

2 weeks:

for the pranayama section: rp 3 800 000 (USD 250)

4 weeks:

Morning Mysore: rp 3 050 000 (USD 200)
Pranayama:  rp 6 100 000 (USD 400) (pranayama)
Total = rp 9 150 000 (USD 600)

2 weeks:

Morning Mysore: rp 1 800 000 (USD 120)
Pranayama: rp 3 800 000 (USD 250)
Total = rp 5 600 000 (USD 370)

Contact Iain to register

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