TWEEN SUMMER WORKSHOP
Mondays 1 - 2:30 pm July 14 - August 4
Join us as we explore the five senses. Learn about breath work, meditation, asana, the chakras, crystals, reflexology, massage, and more. Share your talents and learn to express your creativity through poetry, painting, and journaling. For ages 8 - 13 - please sign up in advance!
$60 for four sessions
$20 WEEKEND WORKSHOPS
Partner Yoga w/Kim & Scott: June 27 at CCY WEST
6 - 8 pm
Yoga and Language of the Heart w/Carrie: July 19 at CCY WEST
2 - 4 pm
Family Yoga w/Kim & Amy: July 19 at CCY
3 - 5 pm
Yoga and Language of the Heart w/Carrie: August 9 at CCY WEST
2 - 4 pm
Arm Balancing w/ Kim: August 23 at CCY
2 - 4 pm
Master Workshop
DAVID WILLIAMS comes to Salt Lake City, UT!
October 9- 12, 2008
12 hours of instruction for $225!
A rare and wonderful opportunity to study Yoga with the man who brought Ashtanga to the US.
Thursday: 5:30 pm - 8 pm Discussion
On how David feels Ashtanga Yoga should be taught and practiced based on his 37 years of daily practice and teaching. This discussion is the foundation for the entire weekend. It is for all students and teachers who want a greater understanding of the "big picture" of Ashtanga Yoga; will give you the philosophy behind the most beneficial way to practice and teach Ashtanga Yoga.
Friday: 5:30 pm- 8 pm Practice
1st series in depth with thorough explanations of every step.
Saturday: 10:30 am - 12:30 pm Practice
1st series completed with less interruption by David's commentary, except for postures not covered the day before.
Saturday: 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm Discussion
History of Yoga, description and the history of Astanga Yoga, David's travels and adventures in Yoga, and his bringing Ashtanga Yoga to America and its eventual spread to the entire world.
Sunday: 10:00 am- 12:00 pm Practice
An introduction to 2nd series in a way that everyone at all levels can try and enjoy.
About David:
David Williams has been practicing Yoga daily, without interruption, since 1971. In 1972, David met K. P. Manju , the son of K. Pattabhi Jois, and saw him demonstrate the Ashtanga Yoga 1st series. This was at Dr. Swami Gitananda's Ananda Ashram in Pondicherry, South India, where David received his 6 month Yoga teachers training course certification.
In 1973, David began studying Ashtanga Yoga with K. Pattabhi Jois at his home in Mysore, India, and became the first non-Indian to be taught the complete Ashtanga Yoga system of asanas and pranayama directly from Jois. David introduced K. Pattabhi Jois and Manju to America and the western world when he, along with Nancy Gilgoff, organized and sponsored their first visit to Encinitas, California, in 1975.
David is responsible for teaching the Ashtanga Yoga system to many of today's leading teachers and practitioners, including David Swenson, Doug Swenson, Danny Paradise, Bryan Kest, Jonny Kest, Tracy Rich, Chuck Miller, and Maty Ezraty. David is 55 years old. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has lived on the island of Maui, Hawaii, since l975, and teaches private individual or group classes by appointment.
Letter from David:
Greetings and Salutations from Maui!
I really enjoy traveling and teaching yoga. I have always wanted to visit Salt Lake City and now Dana Baptiste has invited me to teach my workshop at Centered City Yoga.
When I teach Yoga, I am always reminded that there are some major concepts about how Ashtanga Yoga is taught and practiced that I feel are important to share with my classes.
First, and foremost, I hope you can learn from me that in your practice, "If it hurts, you are doing it wrong." Through the years, I have observed that too many people are hurting themselves and hurting others. Yoga practice can be (and should be) pleasant from beginning to end. What is important is the mulabandha and deep breathing. With daily practice, it is inevitable that one will become more flexible.
Pushing your current limitations to get into a desired position can result in injury, which results in one needing to rest the injury to recover so you can resume your practice. This cycle can lead to unpleasant associations with one's yoga practice, rather than the pleasant experiences I work to instill, and that I feel are necessary for a lifelong practice. It is my belief that through slow, steady daily practice one can achieve a healthy degree of flexibility of a more lasting nature, simply by generating one's own internal heat to relax into positions, rather than forcing the body into a position.
The key is being able to continue practicing Yoga for the rest of your life. From over 35 years of observing thousands of people practicing Yoga, I have realized that those who continue are the ones who have made it enjoyable. They look forward to their daily practice and nothing can keep them from finding the time to do it. It is my goal to do everything I can to inspire you to establish your Yoga practice not just for the few days we are together, but for the rest of your life.
Secondly, I hope to share with you my belief that the ultimate goal of Yoga is not to increase flexibility and strength. Increased flexibility and strength are simply the natural results and benefits of daily practice. I believe the goals of Yoga practice are self-realization and keeping oneself balanced and healthy on a daily basis. The body's DNA knows how to heal itself; all it needs is the energy. The energizing, rejuvenating practices in Yoga can be the source of this energy.
Lastly, I hope you will find that my workshop is for everyone at all levels. The best Yogi is not the one who is most flexible, but the one who is most focused on what he or she is doing, the one most intensely doing the mulabandha and deep breathing. My goal is to convey the idea that the greatest Yogi is the one who enjoys his or her Yoga practice the most, not the one who can achieve the ultimate pretzel position. I hope to convey to you that in your practice of this moving meditation, what is really important is what is invisible to the observer; what is within each of you.
I believe in the Yoga. I believe that anyone who has the desire can do the Ashtanga practice, perhaps with personal modifications, in a way that is totally pleasant. For years I have said, "If someone said to me, 'You have 15 minutes, one hour, etc., do something good for yourself. You can use barbells, bicycles, or whatever,' I would start doing the Ashtanga Yoga Salutations to the Sun and First Series."
If someone can show me something better, I am ready to learn it. In my 37 years of searching, I have learned five or six systems of Yoga practice. For myself, I have not found a better physical, mental and emotional fitness program than the Ashtanga Yoga system. I hope you will feel the same after our days together.
I look forward to sharing my practice and experience with you. For more information, please go to my website, www.ashtangayogi.com.
Yours in Yoga,
David Williams
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