Free Yoga Orientation & Intro to Yoga

FREE YOGA ORIENTATION

Saturday June 15 - 1:00-2:30 pm with Mike Pottenger

Space is limited; please Pre-register

Santa Monica Yoga welcomes new students to our studio for a free orientation. Learn about what yoga is, where it came from and basic guidelines for practice. We also help you find classes that suit your needs and answer any questions you may have. A beginning level class will be included. After the orientation, students may want to sign up for the Intro to Yoga series or purchase a pass. Ask about new student specials!

INTRODUCTION TO YOGA four-week series

Four Thursdays, 7:45-9:15 pm with Mike Pottenger
June 20 to July 18 (skip July 4)

$80 for series of four (plus two bonus classes from our regular schedule).
Pre-register Now

This is an in-depth course which provides a solid foundation for practicing yoga either on your own or in group class setting. Step-by-step instruction is given for basic yoga postures and breathing techniques, allowing you to move at your own pace in a comfortable setting. Special package price includes two additional classes on our regular schedule (which must be taken within 60 days). No credit or make-ups for missed sessions.

Helpful notes for both workshops:
• wear comfortable loose fitting clothing
• do not eat at least two hours before class
• bring a small towel
• mats and props will be provided
• please leave your cell phone in your car

Breaking Down the Vinyasa with Grace Flowers

Saturday, June 29
1:00-3:30 pm

$30 if pre-registered by June 17
$40 after
Pre-register Now

The pace of our everyday Vinyasa yoga class doesn’t often allow for us to really get into the nitty gritty of the vinyasa sequence. Join Grace for this two and a half hour workshop in which we will zero in on the breath, asana (posture), and transitions that will help your practice flow with more grace, intelligence, safety, and ease.

This workshop is suitable for both beginners and seasoned practitioners looking to deepen and refine their understanding of the elements of the vinyasa sequence.

In this workshop, we will explore all the questions you have about the “Vinyasa” in the yoga practice in a safe and nurturing environment.

• Roots - Where did Vinyasa come from and what exactly is it?
• Sanskrit terms for a Vinyasa yoga class so you can walk into any Vinyasa class and dive right in
• BREATH is the foundation of a Vinyasa practice.  We will dive into Ujayii breathing and learn methods to sustain our breath as we move as well as learn a few Pranayama (breathing) techniques
• Journey through a step by step breakdown of postures that make up the Vinyasa sequence
• Alignment for YOUR body
• Exploration of proper injury prevention to create a safe and healthy yoga practice!
• Practice!  We will navigate our way through our very own Vinyasa practice!

Finally, we will put it all together in a fun, challenging Vinyasa flow that will allow you to integrate and solidify what you have learned into your everyday practice. You will leave with a solid foundation that will enable you to hop into any future vinyasa yoga classes you’d like!

Essence of Living Tantra with Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD

Tuesday, June 18, 7:00-9:00 pm
$20 if pre-registered by June 14, $30 after
Pre-register Now

Join the Living Tantra Movement now and discover how tantric teachings and techniques enhance and deepen yoga, meditation and Ayurveda practices. Attend a condensed two-hour lecture and guided practice by acclaimed author and spiritual teacher Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD.

In Essence of Living Tantra, you will learn what tantra is and what it is not, and how tantra can make your current practice of yoga, meditation, Ayurveda, spirituality, and holistic health richer and more fulfilling. In these two hours, learn exactly what the tantric masters mean when they proclaim, “There is an innate wisdom in your body, and an immense power in your mind. What you need is the time-tested technique for discovering yourself – your wonderful body and beautiful mind.”

Key points are:

• The tantric view of life, and how freedom and fulfillment go hand in hand
• The power of kundalini shakti, prana, and mind, and the tantric way of working with them
• The tantric idea of balance and integration, and how to apply this idea in our daily life
• Cultivating a clear, calm, and tranquil mind, and making your mind your best friend
• The tantric method of meditation to experience the joy that is in us, and is us

Limited availability.  To learn more, visit www.LivingTantra.com

Full Moon Meditations with Indira Shekerjian

One hour session, $10 Pre-register Now

• Sunday January 27 at 7:00 pm
• Tuesday March 26 at 9:00 pm
• Thursday April 25 at 9:00 pm
• Thursday May 23 at 9:00 pm
• Sunday July 21 at 7:00 pm
• Tuesday August 20 at 9:00 pm

Join Indira as she guides you through gentle yoga stretching in preparation for a seated meditation, a walking meditation and another seated meditation. Each new moon you are encouraged to write out your intentions for the cycle and review them during the Full Moon Meditation.

The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite and profoundly affects every body of water, including US.  It communicates to us and ties us rhythmically with all of life's cycles.  We acknowledge that cycle by taking the time to get quiet and be still so that we may feel that influence and hear the primal inner voice with which Nature is speaking to us.

The Full Moon sheds light on the things that we no longer need to hold on to.  Once we have become enlightened to ways that are blocking us, the easier to let go.  Traditionally, the Full Moon is also used for the setting up of plans and for the releasing of old and unwanted patterns or issues.

Most cultures have a tradition and practice of relating to the moon for its influence and inspiration.  Whether you are a man or a woman, no one needs to explain the meaning behind "lunar cycle" --- it is a powerful influence and the strongest pull on our body that can take us out of our habitual physical fixation and into the etheric.  The moon is the celestial orb of dreamtime and tied to the unconscious. When we meditate, we can drop into our subconscious and hear the quiet voice of the heart.
 
A great time for fasting or eating very light is during Full and New Moons. We sit together to give support to that choice because the group energy can help the individual ride the wave of the collective.  Sitting in groups makes it easier for the individual to practice stillness and allows one to go deeper more quickly.

We begin with some gentle yoga stretching, followed by a guided meditation, walking meditation and a second, shorter sit.  There is also time to ask questions as well as share your experiences regarding the meditation.  Beginner or experienced student benefit from this collective community meditation.

Introducton to Meditation with Nathalie Kramer

Three Saturdays, 10:30 am - 12:00 pm
July 13, 20, and 27

$60 for series, or $25 each Pre-register Now
Series price must be pre-registered or paid on the first day. No credit or make-ups for missed sessions.

Learn a simple and practical way to integrate a meditation practice into your daily life. It is best if you take all sessions, as you will be given simple homework and we will bit by bit set up your meditation practice. You will be given tools and simple instructions on how to prepare the body and mind for meditation.

We do not need a temple, or a perfect setting, or a perfect posture or a special time in our lives for us to sit down and close our eyes for about 20 minutes. It’s really no big deal! What is a big deal is that we can go through life without ever feeling completely relaxed and at ease, without ever really knowing moments of deep peace and awareness, constantly harassed by our thoughts and all that we absorb through-out our days. There are many ways to feel moments of peace; connecting to nature, connection with a loved one, yoga, exercising, a beautiful poem, etc. Unfortunately sometimes we can do all these things and not sustain or deeply connect to peace.  When we meditate there are no distractions, nothing outside of ourselves that we need to rely on.  We come to realize that our inner resources of peace, joy, wisdom are infinitely vast. Having this experiential knowledge on a daily basis is an invaluable tool for living in this world.

Benefits of a daily meditation practice over time include:

• Dropping stress out of the body - it literally leaves
• Letting go of negative thought patterns or habits
• Reducing high blood pressure
• Making the mind clearer and sharper
• Giving the body and mind the deepest rest (deeper than sleep)
• Connecting to your own joy and self-sufficiency

No prior Yoga experience required.

Nathalie has been teaching meditation and meditating for years. She is greatly inspired and influenced by the teachings from the Vedic tradition, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Deepak Chopra, as well as the works of Jon Kabat-Zinn. For more information visit www.nathaliecanessa.com.

Iyengar Level II Course with Keri Lee

11 Week Session

Mondays 7:15 -8:45 pm

March 4 to May 20 (no class May 13)

$143 for 11 sessions Pre-register Now
30% discount for students with an existing unlimited pass (contact the studio for more information)

This multi-week Iyengar Yoga Course is for students who have a strong foundation and knowledge of level I/II poses, especially standing poses, twists, seated forward bends and the beginning of backbends. Students should be able to do salamba sarvangasana (shoulder stand) and variations for 5 minutes as well as regularly practice sirsasana (headstand). The course will be a very safe and systematic progression of yoga postures to develop each student’s ability and skill, both within each class and from class to class. All students in the class will be registered for the entire series. This highly developed methodology of teaching the poses in a certain order and individualizing them for each student are distinguishing marks of Iyengar yoga. We will help to build or start your own home practice by giving you sequences to work on during the series. Principles of yoga philosophy will be taught throughout the course; as well as furthering your pranayama practice in a clear and safe way.

Keri Lee is a certified Iyengar yoga teacher.  She studied with the Iyengar family in Pune, India in the summer of 2010.  Before teaching yoga she already had over 15 years of teaching experience including the movement principles of the Yoshida Technique, various kinds of dance and fitness classes.  Her career before teaching yoga was performing in Broadway shows.  She holds a BA in English. Her primary teachers are Marla Apt and Carolyn Belko.  The profound change she has experienced with her practice instills her teaching with clarity, warmth, humor and devotion.



Mommy & Me Series with Indira Shekerjian

Five Tuesdays 1:45-3:00 pm
April 16 to May 14

$60 Pre-register Now

This series of Mommy & Me classes is designed for new moms and their little ones. Indira creates a space where it's OK to be a mom and do some yoga, too! Crying, nursing, stretching, even smiling are all allowed.

While focused on those with babies who haven't yet started to crawl, depending on your baby it's OK to be a little older too.

Note: You may join a session already in progress for a pro-rated price. No make-ups or credit for missed sessions.

Paulie Zink Yin Yoga Teacher Certification

100-hour course with Master Paulie Zink

This is the only official Yin Yoga Teacher Certification Course authorized by The Yin Yoga Institute and taught by the founding master of Yin Yoga, Paulie Zink. Learn to teach the art of Yin Yoga as it is intended to be taught.

• Week One: June 15-21
  Early-bird registration deadline - May 20

• Week Two: September 21-27
  Early-bird registration deadline - August 26

• Daily Schedule: 12:00-6:00 pm

• Cost: $1475 per week
  10% early-bird discount if registered by deadline; payment plans are available
  Pre-register Now

Yin Yoga was developed by Master Zink from the Taoist spiritual traditions and health practices of ancient China. In Taoist philosophy, the entire universe is regarded as a living organism imbued with life force. Being in harmony with the flow of this energy in nature is the essence of Taoist attitude. The primary purpose of Yin Yoga is to restore and enliven our innate ability to move with fluidity, power, and grace.

Participants will learn to open to their intuitive hearts, to discover the individual expression of the artist within, to awaken to our spontaneous and playful spirit, and to transcend the boundaries of the analytical mind in order to advance beyond the techniques for doing yoga into cultivating a way of being yoga, of living it in our day-to-day lives, and sharing these gifts with the lives of those we touch.

In this Teacher Certification Course, participants will study the deeper dimensions and comprehensive components of the art of Yin and Yang yoga, including:

• The alchemy of the Five Elemental Energies
• The circular flow of energy and the cycle of yin and yang in yoga practice
• Master Zink's teaching philosophy with emphasis on developing the intricacies and variations of postures
• The opportunity to practice teach under Master Zink's supervision

Master Paulie Zink received private intensive training for ten years as the sole protégé of ChineseTaoist yoga and kung fu master, Cho Chat Ling. A three-time international martial arts grand champion, Paulie is renowned for his fluidity, flexibility, and artistry of motion. He teaches with a relaxed and playful demeanor that encourages everyone to feel accepted and comfortable. He brings to his teaching over 30 years’ experience.

“Our bodies are mostly water. Our natural state is to move fluidly like water and adapt to our environment. When I do yoga I want to be like water pouring from a vessel.”

~ Paulie Zink

For more information visit PaulieZink.com and TheYinYogaInstitute.com.

Yin and Yang Yoga with Paulie Zink

Yin and Yang Yoga 4 Sessions

Saturday June 15, 12:45-2:45 pm and 3:15-5:15 pm
Sunday June 16, 12:45-2:45 pm and 3:15-5:15 pm

$60 each session
$220 for all four sessions

Early-bird discount price through June 1:
$50 each session
$180 for all four sessions

Pre-register Now

All sessions will include some lecture on the alchemy of Yin and Yang yoga. We will explore specific yoga postures for each of the five transforming alchemical elements of earth, metal, water, wood, and fire. These elements animate distinct qualities in the body such as lightness, fluidity, strength, springiness and calm. By integrating the power and healing aspects of these properties we stabilize emotions, harmonize the internal organs, and resonate with the true nature of our being.

The Art of Yin and Yang Yoga
Saturday June 15, 12:45-2:45 pm 

Developed from the healing practices and spiritual philosophies of ancient China, this art is based on the Taoist principles of living in oneness with nature. We will experience how to cultivate vital life force and direct it through the body, balance our yin and yang energies, liberate ourselves from limiting perceptions, feel with the intuitive heart and express the artist within.
Appropriate for all levels. Includes asanas & energy awareness exercises.

Taoist Flow Yoga
Saturday June 15, 3:15-5:15 pm

Including both Yin and Yang yoga, Taoist movement is much more than a sequence of postures. It incorporates a continuous synergistic economy of motion designed to quicken our primal spirit, and to promote relaxed confidence, fluidity, and grace in the body.
Appropriate for all levels. Includes  asanas in movement with integrated breathing exercises.

Yin Yoga
Sunday June 16, 12:45-2:45 pm

Deepen your practice and enhance self-awareness by returning to the source of being and the mystery that informs all of life. We will hold postures of stillness to clear energetic blockages, improve circulation, and unlock the joints while focusing on visualizations for grounding, relaxation, and growing the body supple.
Appropriate for all levels. Includes  asanas and meditations.

Yin Yoga Alchemy
Sunday March 16, 3:15-5:15 pm

We explore specific yoga postures to endow the body with the energetic qualities of the five transforming alchemical elements of earth, metal, water, wood, and fire. Each element contains and animates distinct qualities in the body such as lightness, fluidity, strength, springiness, and calm. By integrating the power and healing aspects of these properties we stabilize emotions, harmonize the internal organs, and resonate with the true nature of our being.
Appropriate for all levels. Mostly asanas, energy awareness exercises.

Master Paulie Zink is the founder of Yin yoga. He received intensive private training for ten years as the sole protege of  Chinese Taoist yoga and Kung fu Master Cho Chat Ling. A three time international martial arts grand-champion, Paulie is renowned for his fluidity, flexibility and artistry of motion. Through his many years of practice and study he has evolved the ancient Taoist tradition into his own unique style he calls Yin and Yang yoga. With his relaxed and playful demeanor, students find him to be a very approachable and enjoyable teacher. He brings to his teaching over 30 years experience and a profound knowledge he conveys with a simple clarity that comes from true understanding.

Yoga for Trauma with Kyra Haglund

Friday May 31, 6:00 - 9:00 pm
Saturday & Sunday June 1 & 2, 9:30am - 5:00 pm

$300 through May 24 or $325 after Pre-register Now

This training provides you with skills to work with students whose lives have been impacted by traumatic experiences or environments. This includes both acute events such as attacks or accidents and chronic exposure such as abuse, poverty, neglect, violence or loss. You will gain understanding and confidence in addressing the challenges that can arise in these settings and learn how to optimize the yoga you offer.

The focus of this training is on understanding the physiology of trauma and how it shows up in the body. Kyra will share important tools from Somatic Experiencing, a technique that helps to resolve the symptoms of trauma such as dissociation, anxiety, chronic dysregulation, depression and addiction. You will learn how to incorporate these tools into a yoga class to help support your students to expand the resiliency of their own systems. You do not have to be a yoga teacher to benefit from this training. You will leave with yoga-based tools that can be applied in any setting.

Kyra Haglund teaches hatha-raja yoga in a compassionate, knowledgeable, and energetic manner. She views yoga as a multilayered journey that inspires greater understanding of and connection to the true self within. Along with teaching yoga, Kyra is a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner. Somatic Experiencing is a therapy that works directly with body sensations and the nervous system to relieve and resolve symptoms of trauma. For more information visit kyrahaglund.com.