8 Reasons to Join for the Full Weekend of Therapeutics and Anatomy with Martin Kirk
1. Learn therapeutic alignment techniques that will forever change your yoga teaching or bodywork practice, not to mention how you think of your own body.
2. Practice at the spacious and beautiful YogaKula studio, located conveniently in the heart of North Berkeley.
3. Delve into an exploration of the human body with a former rocket scientist! Martin brings both exquisite science and a deep reverence for grace (both cultivated during his time working with NASA) to his teaching of anatomy.
4. We’re located in the Gourmet Ghetto – excellent food abounds for your lunchtime choices.
5. Set a powerful intention for your life and teaching.
6. It’s a great deal. If you sign up for the full weekend in advance, the public classes are included for free.
7. Learn how therapeutics is a natural extension of principles of yoga alignment. At the workshops, you’ll get to feel them in your own body with a vigorous morning asana practice AND learn how to use them with students and clients.
8. Begin lifelong friendships with fellow yogis as you study and practice together in a community setting.
When is it?
May 31, June 1 & June 2
Learn more about the weekend with Martin Kirk
Image & content credit: www.kirkyoga.com
We’ve recently entered a new era of enlightenment, using new technology we’ll be able to make our classes available to more people all over the world from the comfort of their home. We’re proud to present YogaKula LiveStream and Pay-Per-View.
Some of you may have already had some experience with our LiveStream sessions, we started doing them back in December with the Four Yogas – Pt 1 – Jnana Yoga with Master Teacher: Sally Kempton. If you missed the class or the LiveStream last time you can still catch up with YK Pay-Per-View. And be sure to look for a LiveStream announcement for Sally’s upcoming second installment in the Four Yogas series pt 2 – Bhakti Yoga.
We are currently LiveStreaming the Chakra Intensive Series with chakra expert, Anodea Judith. Find out more about the series and the LiveStream here.
Look for PPV and LiveStream events on the YogaKula LiveStream page and YK Pay-Per-View page. Stay tuned!
We base our lives on seeking happiness and avoiding suffering, but the best thing we can do for ourselves—and for the planet—is to turn this whole way of thinking upside down. Pema Chödrön shows us Buddhism’s radical side.
Great article by Pema Chödrön on Shambala Sun’s site, read it here:
http://shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=3087&Itemid=0&limit=1&limitstart=0
Rules largely govern our lives and, for the most part, they help us. Still, not a day goes by when my kids don’t question (read: protest) widely held rules, from table etiquette to schedules to sharing. I glean a valuable lesson from this exhausting behavior because as we get older and, yes, less rebellious, many of us accept rules without questioning their validity or their impact on us. Are all rules limitations or are some actually tools for growth? Can we loosen up enough to learn about the relationship between our identity and our conduct?
I just returned from a Purim shpiel, a slapstick musical play that my daughter proudly participated in for the third consecutive year. Many holidays are joyous, sure; but they don’t revel in mockery and well, revelry. On Purim, Jews wear costumes, hold carnivals and are purposefully boisterous and disruptive during the reading of the megillah. Why does everyone let loose on Purim? It is commanded so.
Historically, Jews have had to live according to clearly delineated and enforced laws, both religious and secular, more often that not in inhospitable lands. And until recently, Purim was the one day when Jews were not only encouraged, but told to act with abandon in order to question authority and conduct. On Purim, masks are worn to veil one’s known identity while unveiling a lesser known one.
Yet, while it may seem a chaotic, narcissistic show, Purim is grounded in alignment. The text of the Purim story, the megillah, commands Jews to reach out to neighbors and to those in need specifically as they themselves are freeing themselves in the festivities. “Make them days of feasting and gladness and of mishloach manot (sending portions of food) one to another and matanot l’evyonim (gifts to those in need).” Not only is one instructed to give, but to give with abandon (without judging the recipient or questioning how he/she will spend the money). Give because you’re being asked to give. As we wear the mask of our true nature, we extend ourselves to all those in our community — a generous connection that feeds others as well as ourselves.
Like Purim, our yoga practice gives us space to explore boundaries — those imposed upon us and those self-imposed — and to play with those boundaries. On our mat, we explore and challenge ourselves to move differently in a safe and encouraging environment. The festivities and rituals of Purim enhance our individual connection to something bigger, both within ourselves and to what’s outside of ourselves. So, too, does our practice. And like Purim, our practice offers an avenue to express and revel in delight as we co-create with the world around us.
I’d love to hear from you. Email me at amblack@sbcglobal.net.
Aviva Black teaches a mixed level class on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12 – 1pm at YogaKula Berkeley.
Click here to register for Aviva’s class
On the eve of September 8th, Jews around the world celebrated Rosh Hashanah, ushering in the year 5771. The High Holidays (for most, the days including and between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement), is both a period of communal celebration and of personal reflection. In its essence, this truly awesome period carves out time and space for contemplation in order to respectfully bring issues to rest while committing oneself to living to one’s fullest potential in the coming year. The practice of pausing, reflecting and acting upon those insights, is inherent in many faiths and traditions and is integral to the tenets of yoga. As we move through the asana practice time and again, we practice being present and steady with our breath and mind, opening to possibility and connecting to what is good and meaningful within us. It is from this place that we set and act upon our intentions as we extend ourselves to others. Be generous to yourself. Take some time out in the next couple of weeks to identify what you cherish and need to commit to being the best of who you are. Here are some questions from a Jewish ritual guide that I’ve found useful in building my intentions for the coming year:
* Praise: What wonders and miracles, both large and small, cause you to give praise this year?
* Thanks: What opportunities, relationships, gifts, ideas, even setbacks make you thankful this year?
* Requests: What do you need real help in this year? Love, health, energy, stability, change, finding meaning?
* Forgiveness: What are you willing to pardon others for this year?What promises can you offer and make good on?
I’d love to hear about your experience with this exercise or others that you’ve found useful. Email me at amblack@sbcglobal.net.
Aviva Black teaches a mixed level class on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12 – 1pm at YogaKula Berkeley.
