The anatomy of the subtle body — with its matrix of nadis and chakras — has long provided a road map for going deeper into one’s yoga practice, but it hasn’t always been clear how to pursue it, apart from some breath and meditation techniques.
Yet as we come to understand the nervous system better, and its deep interpenetration of the fascial matrix of the body, we not only get some objective confirmation of the insights of the yogis into the deeper experience of yoga; we also derive clear and practical direction for all of our yoga practice.
In this webinar, Doug will lay out these connections between the nervous system and the subtle body — and his point won’t be simply to ‘reduce’ the evocative nature of yoga language to the mechanics of the physical nerves. Instead, his point will be practical; how this starting point gives you a foundation for proceeding in your practice, and for feeling grounded in its effectiveness and reality.
Doug will connect the yogic account of the nadis and of the Vayus first with the fascial meridians that furnish the logic and purpose of yoga asanas — the relationship between activation of meridians or ‘sutras’ (the ‘threads’ of myofascial connection) and their influence upon states of the nervous system. This will be presented in straightforward terms, helping us to understand the effect of different asanas on our inner states, and how the idea of the chakras helps us tune into the subtle qualities and effects of these states. The effect and effectiveness of asana actually varies according to the focus we bring to it!
This will be experiential, with Doug guiding some short asana series, and linking them to fundamental pranayamas. Rather than one practice, there will be several short and memorable ones.
This link between asana and pranayama is a vital part of the experience of the subtle body. Too often asana and pranayama are separated, and pranayama is treated in terms of technique rather than feeling. The two are instead intimately connected: asana opens us up to feeling and directing the Prana; this effort comes to fruition in actually feeling the flow of breath as Prana, and experiencing where it takes us.
The time that we have for the webinar provides a foundation and guide, which you can revisit through the recordings; this opens for you a vast field of exploration of the practices, and new inspiration — whether you bring it to your own practice, or gradually introduce it to your students as an accessible and transformative way of practicing yoga that goes beyond the physical body and deep into the ‘subtle body,’ the true realm of yoga.
When: Saturday January 20th, 2024- 1:00pm-4:00pm California Time.
Recording: will be sent automatically to all registered so please, feel free to register if you cannot join the livestream but want the video. The recording will be available during 2 months.
Price: $45
Technology: Zoom will be used. You will receive the zoom link in the confirmation email.
Reminder emails: will be sent 2 days, 30 min and 10min before the event.
About Doug: Doug Keller’s background reflects a lifelong commitment to studying, imbibing and sharing the vast field of knowledge and practice known as yoga.After receiving honors and graduate degrees in philosophy from the top Jesuit universities in the United States, Georgetown and Fordham Universities, and teaching philosophy at a college level for several years, he then pursued his ‘post-graduate’ education in the practical experience of yoga at the Siddha Meditation Ashram, Gurudev Siddha Peeth in India, for seven years. He spent a total of 14 years doing service, practicing, training in and teaching yoga in Siddha Meditation Ashrams worldwide. He received intensive training in the Iyengar system in New York City, mainly with senior certified Iyengar teacher Kevin Gardiner. He also practiced Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga in India, and became one of the first certified Anusara Yoga teachers, producing three highly respected books on asana, pranayama and yoga philosophy.
His further expansion in learning is reflected in his latest and most in-depth work, ‘Yoga as Therapy,’ which is truly one of the most comprehensive, innovative and useful treatments of the structural aspect of yoga therapy available. And for three years he was a regular columnist for Yoga+ Magazine (formerly Yoga International, published by the Himalayan Institute), writing the ‘Asana Solutions’ column that addresses specific therapeutic problems. He is at the highest level of certification with Yoga Alliance, E-RYT 500, and a member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists.Doug is also a ‘distinguished professor’ on the teaching faculty at the Master’s Degree program in Yoga Therapy at the Maryland University of Integrative Health, a state-approved institution of higher learning.
Doug’s teaching is rooted in a vast and inclusive perspective of study and practice that honors the insights of the many streams of wisdom that flow into the river of yoga.Website: www.doyoga.com