The Art and Soul of Ashtanga Yoga

Enjoy a Weekend of Enlightened Practice and Experienced Guidance with Ron Reid and Marla Meenakshi Joy

  • Friday 23 March to Monday 27 March 2007
  • Cost: £250
  • Contact Joanne for pre-booking by emailing
Helen Noakes. Charvutti Massage

This workshop is a unique and rare opportunity to study with two of Canada's top teachers. An effortless blend of Ashtanga Yoga, Chanting, Devotional Music and Ashtanga Philosophy, all within the context of Yoga as a spiritual art form. Ron and Meenakshi have been teaching teacher/student intensives for the last 5 years, in Canada, the U.S, Europe and the UK, and regularly lead classes at The Downward Dog Yoga Centre in Toronto. www.downwarddog.com

EVENING CONCERT AND KIRTAN WITH SWAHA

(Ron Reid and Marla Meenakshi Joy)

In this evening workshop we will explore together as a group call-and-response chanting. With stories, humour, and satsang we will bring together the ancient with the modern and sing some of the original Kirtan tunes compiled by SWAHA of soulful prayers and salutations to the deities. No singing experience necessary!!!

"[SWAHA's 'Salutations'] is soft and sweet and full of heart."
~Jai Uttal

"SWAHA's richly textured, transcendental vocals and beautiful melodies make each song a delight!"
~Dr. Robert Svoboda
Ayurvedacharya

For more details on SWAHA please visit their website at www.swaha.ca

YOGA JAM - ASHTANGA RE-MIX

Yoga Jam is a Yoga class devoted to the spirit of improvisation. We will find new and exciting ways to energize our practise by exploring new variations and unique ways of combining them. See how the unexpected can yield exhilarating results. A Vinyasa style class, Yoga Jam = Yoga fun!!

ASHTANGA YOGA - The Eight limbs of Yoga

A Map to navigate a successful Yoga practice and Life with Marla Meenakshi Joy

This workshop focuses on the Eightfold path as prescribed by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras.

We will explore the "other side of the coin", whereby the asana practice of Ashtanga Yoga is the tails of the coin, the spiritual guidelines of the Yoga Sutras serve as the "head" of the coin. Both sides make up the whole, and we will explore them in their philosophical context as a map to guide us towards purification and liberation.

THE ASHTANGA MANTRA/THE MANGALA MANTRA

Our salutations at the beginning and end of our practice

In this workshop we will learn the proper pronunciation and meaning of the opening prayer sung at the beginning of the Ashtanga practice, as well as the closing prayer. We will approach them to deepen our understanding of the tone, metre and translation of these traditional chants, and to provide a context for the foundations of the practice from a philosophical and spiritual point-of-view.

YOGA YATRA

YOGA YATRA is a vinyasa style class..you can take out the levels...an inner journey or pilgrimage deep inside our infinite selves, with earthy rhythms and healing chants to lift, balance and restore your energy. This class flows with the groove of pre-recorded and /or live music. We cover a range of Yoga practices in this class, including Pranayama, Asana, Chanting, Restorative Yoga, and Meditation, for a grounding, energizing, relaxing and transcendental experience!!

BEND WITH OUT BREAKING (FREEING THE ENERGY BODY)

Finding our way in backbends can be challenging. By using principles of leverage, energy in backbends can shift from a broken flow to a continuous flow. We will learn how to "support" backbends in our bodies to create balance and control.

HOW TO FOLD AND UNFOLD THE KNEE

By learning how to gracefully enter, sustain and exit poses involving the knees we reduce the risk of injury while learning to deepen poses. Injuries to knees are usually the "effect" of "causes" found in the hip and the ankle. We'll look at how to properly work with all these joints and how to open the hips to get into asanas that involve deep bends in the knees. With this knowledge you will have a safe foundation on which to build your practice.

PILLARS OF STRENGTH

By understanding the structure of the hand, the arm and the shoulder girdle, we can learn to support the weight of our bodies in various poses and develop an economy of movement and an efficiency of energy.

VINYASA - THE ART OF SEQUENCING

The Sanskrit word "vinyasa" means "to place (vi) in a specific way (nyasa)." In the Ashtanga Yoga practice, how poses are linked or connected is vital.

In this workshop we will look at various groupings of poses from First and Second Series. It is also possible to see individual poses as having their own "vinyasa". In other words, "steps" taken within the pose to deepen our practice. Another aspect of vinyasa in Ashtanga Yoga are the specific movements that take us from one pose to another to create a seamless flow.

Workshop Schedule

  • Friday evening: 7-9 pm Introduction
  • Saturday: 12-8 pm (with hour break)
  • Sunday: 10- 6pm (with hour break)
  • Monday: 12-4:00 pm
  • Total hours: 20

Ron Reid

Ron Reid

Ron Reid has been practicing Yoga for 25 years and teaching since 1988. He is co-owner and director of the Downward Dog Yoga Centre in Toronto, Canada (www.downwarddog.com)

In 1996 after practicing Ashtanga yoga for two years he traveled to India to study with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. He continues to study the Ashtanga system both in India and in North America.

He teaches Ashtanga and classical Hatha yoga in a variety of settings (workshops, teacher training, improv and other exploratory classes), as well as pranayama, and yoga lab workshops across Canada, the U.S. the UK and Europe.

Ron is one of Canada's top teachers, approaching teaching in an inspired, informed and non-dogmatic way. He places the needs of the students ahead of the demands of the practice. He endeavors to blend tradition with innovation, and to balance precision with grace. Students will find his refined approach to practice both challenging and rewarding.

Ron is also a gifted musician and composes, records and performs devotional music with his partner Meenakshi in their group 'SWAHA'.

'Ron teaches with intelligence. His adjustments suit the individual needs of the students. I personally found his adjustments were the best I have received from any teacher. I have a very high regard for him as an exceptional teacher.'
-- Elizabeth Connolly, International yoga teacher


Marla Meenakshi Joy

Marla Meenakshi Joy

Marla (Meenakshi) Joy first traveled to India in 1988 to study meditation and the philosophy of the Vedas with Swami Shyam, as well as other learned scholars in the Himalayas. She is a Certified Meditation and Yoga Philosophy teacher from the International Meditation Institute in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh, Himalayas. She currently teaches Meditation, Yoga philosophy, Sanskrit, Chanting, Restorative and Ashtanga Yoga privately and in yoga studios in Canada, the U.S. the UK and Europe, and has been teaching Sanskrit and yoga philosophy in Teacher training courses since 2000. She has been a practicing Shiatsu Therapist since 1993, and has a healing and informative touch. She also leads Kirtan (call-and-response chanting) with her band SWAHA, with inspired musical compositions with her partner/keyboardist, Ron Reid. She has produced two CD's of Sanskrit chanting ('Prayers' and 'Salutations') which are widely available, and is working on a few new CD's for yoga and meditation to be released in 2006.

'Meenakshi's open-hearted chanting soothes the heart and frees the spirit.'   
-- Krishna Das