My first workshop coming up. Richard Freeman Intensive at YogaCampus

Re posting this now as a reminder that I have this upcoming workshop with Richard Freeman, booked back in April, coming up at the end of next month. Need to brush up my Ashtanga in my evening practice slot (been working on Krishnamacharya's approach in Yoga makaranda and yogasanagalu recently).

I've also been following along with Richard's online Pranayama course which finished last week. Good time to practice along with his DVD's to try and bring the two together, so much crossover between how he approaches his asana and teaches pranayama.

Yoga campus links to this video, thought I'd add it to the post.



Just booked my first Yoga workshop ever (from 10th April).

It was a toss up between Manju in Crete, Nancy's upcoming workshop, Richard and a late runner, Mysore in July.

Just happened that I came across the Richard Freeman intensive while going through a Richard Freeman, Kidney wings, Cobra hoodie, seat of Patanajali phase and want to carry on exploring that rather than disrupting it with anything else right now

Having the best practice this month ( See Yesterday's post) thanks to the one workshop he did at the Ashtanga Yoga Confluence on back bending. The intensive I booked includes that one (which is nice as the sound wasn't great on the video) and four more besides.

Day 1. Square One, Touching Earth
We will play with the subtlety of uddiyana-mula bandha, so that the legs and the feet connect to the earth, and the coccyx and kidneys become the sofa of Patanjali.


Day 2. Curling, coiling and twisting in wave patterns
Breath and body can learn to move with continuous alignment, manifesting in a natural movement into the central axis as prana and apana naturally and organically interpenetrate all through the body.


Day 3. Arm balancing with strength, alignment and focus
Learning how the shoulderblade structurally interfaces with the ribcage, spine and abdomen.


Day 4. Backbending with the Subtle Breath
In all backbending postures, knowledge of subtle actions and counteractions and how to fine tune them can eliminate joint compression and leave you grounded, open and clear.


Day 5. Inversions, Pranayama and Letting Go
The shoulderstand and headstand families of postures are keys and precursors to other forms of contemplative practice. In these postures the palate plays the central role as it opens the central axis of the body.

Here's a review of a similar workshop by Richard covering much of the same material.

http://www.sensational-yoga-poses.com/richard-freeman.html 

and here's another

http://www.ashtangadevon.co.uk/2011/09/article-reflections-on-richard-freeman-intensive/

Just booked the morning session so far, not sure I can afford the second part on the Gita (and not my favourite book, though interesting and beautiful) and besides I have enough of his talks to be going on with for now with  his book, Mirror of Yoga, digesting  his Studio talks too and the  six Yoga Matrix cd's (again something I've had for ages but hardly listened too).

Mysore in July was close, really close, (half filled out the application form before checking the flights), Noble had mentioned that the shala was opening in July and I figured it would be a really quiet time. Flights turned out to be more expensive than I expected and I had to ask myself how interested I actually was in going, turns out, if I'm honest with myself, not so much, more a feeling that I probably should go at some point or other rather than feeling a strong draw to the place.

I've always been more drawn to a month on the trains travelling all over India, doing my practice wherever I find myself than a month in Gokulum doing a practice I do everyday anyway (spent years traveling rough, hopped some trains, long long train journeys, perhaps I want to recapture a little of that).

But then I've had Richard's DVD's for years and only watched them once 'till now so perhaps I'll feel the draw to Mysore in the future.

Taking M. through Primary Series today (she's practiced a little Vinyasa krama thus far) so if she gets the Ashtanga bug perhaps someday we can go to Mysore together.

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Here's the outline of the Richard Freeman intensive from Yogacampus below

Postures on a Thread and the Middle Path of Love
with
Richard Freeman
YOGA CAMPUS London 
30/08/2012 09:30 - 03/09/2012 17:00

We are delighted that, for his 2012 visit, Richard Freeman will once again be exploring not just the multiple subtleties of the Ashtanga Vinyasa system, but also the multiple subtleties of the Bhagavad Gita, a core yoga text with, as Richard says, a Russian doll quality of many layered themes, as relevant today as they were 2000 or so years ago.

For the first time, it will be possible to book just the morning practice sessions or just the afternoon philosophy and discussion sessions – though, of course, we hope that you will be drawn to take the whole 5 days!

The morning sessions Postures on a Thread – Ashtanga Vinyasa Inside Out and Outside Inwill be primarily devoted to an exploration of details of the traditional Ashtanga Vinyasa series to find new awareness in its transitions and new alignment depth in old postures. Mindfulness of the breath will be used to bring the brilliant core of the central axis out through the forms of the postures. Through the continuous joining and separating of masculine and feminine movements in both the breathing patterns and the structures of the postures, an attention to fine detail becomes natural and easy. The morning sessions will be broadly structured as follows:

Day 1. Square One, Touching Earth
We will play with the subtlety of uddiyana-mula bandha, so that the legs and the feet connect to the earth, and the coccyx and kidneys become the sofa of Patanjali.


Day 2. Curling, coiling and twisting in wave patterns
Breath and body can learn to move with continuous alignment, manifesting in a natural movement into the central axis as prana and apana naturally and organically interpenetrate all through the body.


Day 3. Arm balancing with strength, alignment and focus
Learning how the shoulderblade structurally interfaces with the ribcage, spine and abdomen.


Day 4. Backbending with the Subtle Breath
In all backbending postures, knowledge of subtle actions and counteractions and how to fine tune them can eliminate joint compression and leave you grounded, open and clear.


Day 5. Inversions, Pranayama and Letting Go
The shoulderstand and headstand families of postures are keys and precursors to other forms of contemplative practice. In these postures the palate plays the central role as it opens the central axis of the body.


The afternoon sessions The Bhagavad Gita, the Middle Path of Love will use lecture and discussion to explore:


Day 1. Context and Crisis.
The crisis of a unified value code, the crisis of death, the crisis of knowledge, the crisis of relationship and the crisis of love.


Day 2. Waking up in the middle of a paradoxical pot.
The story within the story of the extended, infinite Mahabharata, the revitalisation of the dharma, and the dilemma of Arjuna. What is the effect of the layers of narration, the frames in frames? What is between the armies? Compassion?


Day 3. Nirodha is not what you think.
It is not negative. The field of citta accounts for content, structure and belief of and about experience, including sacred forms.


Day 4. The atman in the atman.
The various philosophies of Sankhya, Karma, Yajna, Jnana and Yoga form the Russian nesting doll quality of themes in the Gita, as atman is within atman within atman. The vision of “Seeing Me within all beings and all beings within Me” is a pattern that runs all the way into the two mirror metaphor of lover and beloved being each others’ heart.


Day 5. The Gita as a universal text like the Yoga Sutra.
The plurality of paths is essential, unavoidable and is at the heart of the insight of the Gita. Even the worship of various gods is all part of a meandering path to Krishna, also various philosophies and concepts of Krishna are a meandering transformation to Krishna. Does the Gita make any explicit reference to self-reference paradox? A new interpretation of the Gita is always needed. We never stand on the same ground in the same circumstances. There is no final interpretation, but what interpretation there is must be new, less dogmatic, more open.

Richard Freeman is one of the world’s leading teachers of Astanga Vinyasa yoga. He began the practice of yoga asana and meditation in 1968 and subsequently found an integrative vision in the teachings of the late Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. Richard’s teaching style is unique in that it continuously restructures and reframes the biomechanical and perceptual forms of the asanas and movements in the context of a profound understanding of yoga philosophy, all laden with humour and compassion. Richard spent nearly nine years in Asia studying various traditions which he incorporates into the Astanga yoga practice.

Open to teachers, trainee teachers and experienced practitioners of all traditions. Some experience of Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga is desirable for those attending the morning sessions.
How to book
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*Once you register for an account with yoga campus the course shows up that you can book just the morning or afternoon session.