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LOKA YOGA IMMERSION PROGRAM 2011-2012

Loka Yoga Immersion Program 2011-2012
Immersion 1: August 5, 6, 7 2011 Sadhana Pada—The Foundations of a Yoga Practice Applying The Second Chapter of the Yoga Sutras to Your Yoga Practice Explore ways in which to direct mind and body through the guidance and wisdom of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. Sadhana translates from Sanskrit “practice.” This weekend will be dedicated to the practical applications of the philosophical roots of vinyasa krama yoga as taught by Krishnamacharya and his students. Friday 7-9 PM Saturday 9 AM – 5 PM Sunday 2-5 PM Required Reading before Immersion 1: Two different translations of The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali chosen from the list below: The Yoga Sutras-translated and commentary by TKV Desikachar How to Know God—translated and commentary by The Discipline of Freedom—translated and commentary by Barbara Stoller-Miller The Essence of Yoga; Reflections on the Yoga Sutras—Bernard Bouchand The Hatha Yoga Pradipika by Swami Muktabhodananda

Immersion 2: September 2, 3, 4 2011 Spiritual Anatomy-Somatics and Applied Anatomy for Healing in Yoga Chakras 1,2,3_ Foundations.Creation.Sustenance Explore the ways in which the body expresses emotions, pleasure, dis-ease and health. Focusing on the lower three chakras and lower extremities, we will practice and discuss the meaning of these psycho-spiritual centers and go through sequences that stimulate balance and healing in the feet, legs, pelvic floor, reproductive organs, and organs of digestion. We will discuss the lymphatic system and its meaning for our bodies. We will cultivate practices that embody and guide our attention to healing. Friday 7-9 PM Saturday 9 AM – 5 PM Sunday 2-5 PM Required Reading before Immersion 2: Yoga Anatomy by Leslie Kaminoff The Wheels of Life by Anodea Judith —selected chapters




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Anatomy of the Spirit by Carolyn Myss— selected chapters The Anatomy Coloring Book—selected chapters

Immersion 3: October 7, 8, 9 2011 Yoga as Mind Medicine: Applying Chapter 1 of the Yoga Sutras to Your Yoga Practice This weekend is dedicated to understanding the applied practices discussed in Patanajali’s Samadhi Padha-the chapter dedicated to the mind in Raja Yoga Practice. We will examine the relevance of this chapter to our yoga asana practice as well as our search for greater self-awareness. Friday 7-9 PM Saturday 9 AM-5 PM Sunday 2-5 PM Required Reading before Immersion 3: Two different translations of The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali chosen from the list below: The Yoga Sutras-translated and commentary by TKV Desikachar How to Know God—translated and commentary by The Discipline of Freedom—translated and commentary by Barbara Stoller-Miller

Immersion 4: November 4, 5, 6 Pranayama: That Which is Infinitely Everywhere Pranayama is the foundation of a deeper practice. During this weekend many of the techniques of pranayama will be deeply explored and practiced, both in sitting postures and in dynamic asana sequences. We will learn the basis for the vayus-the winds of the body and the various breathing practices and their applications including the locks and mudras that accompany the breathing meditation. We will also study the basic functions of respiration both physiologically and anatomically so you really know what is happening as you breathe. Friday 7-9 PM Saturday 9 AM – 5 PM Sunday 2-5 PM Required Reading Before Immersion 4 The Heart of Yoga—Chapters 1-5 The Science of Breath by Swami Rama Light on Pranayama by BKS Iyengar—selected chapters




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Immersion 5: December 2, 3, 4 Spiritual Anatomy-Somatics and Applied Anatomy for Healing in Yoga—Chakras 4, 5, 6 Heart. Voice. Mind Explore the ways in which the body expresses emotions, pleasure, dis-ease and health. Focusing on the upper three chakras, arms shoulders neck and head, we will practice and discuss the meaning of these psycho-spiritual centers and go through sequences that stimulate balance and healing in the heart, throat and head. We will discuss practical anatomy as well as its spiritual counterparts in spiritual anatomy. Friday 7-9 PM Saturday 9 AM – 5 PM Sunday 2-5 PM Required Reading before Immersion 5: Yoga Anatomy by Leslie Kaminoff—Selected Chapters The Wheels of Life by Anodea Judith—Selected Chapters Anatomy of the Spirit by Carolyn Myss—Selected Chapters Immersion 6: January 6, 7, 8 Searching for the Teacher Within— Cultivating a Point of View and Voice in Yoga This immersion begins with an historic overview of the practice of yoga both in India and the West. Following a time line, the student will gain a greater perspective of the hatha yoga practice as we know it in its modern forms. We will look at and practice sequences from various disciplines and compare and contrast their efficacy and method. Friday 7-9 PM Saturday 9 AM – 5 PM Sunday 2-5 PM Required Reading before Immersion 6: The Heart of Yoga—Selected Chapters Teaching Practice at the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram — The Viniyoga Of Yoga by TKV Desikachar Yoga for the Three Stages of Life by Srivatsa Rama Swami— Selected Chapters Immersion 7: February 3, 4, 5 Sound Healing: Chanting and Yoga—Samaveda Sound plays an enormous part in the healing tradition of yoga. Not regularly practiced in modern yoga classes, chanting, and sounding have almost always had their place in




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traditional practices of yoga. During this time we will explore the origins of the Indian tradition in the Samaveda as well as different techniques to free your voice and body to receive and retrain your mind to accept and open to the healing potential of sound. Singing in public required. Friday 7-9 PM Saturday 9 AM – 5 PM Sunday 2-5 PM Required Reading prior to Immersion 7 The Mysticism of Sound and Music by Inyat Khan—Selected Chapters Song of the Spine by Dr. June Weider The Vijnava Bhairava – by Jayadev Singh Immersion 8: March 2, 3, 4 The Great Dilemma: Applying the Bhagavad Gita to Modern Practices Understood as one of India’s greatest contributions to spiritual literature we will together read and explore the meaning of this book. Using it as a guide we will construct a careful meditation, chanting and asana practice that reflects the lessons in the Bhagavad Gita. Reading of the Bhagavad Gita prior to Immersion is required. Friday 7-9 PM Saturday 9 AM – 5 PM Sunday 2-5 PM Required Reading prior to Immersion 8 The Bhagavad Gita There are hundreds of renderings of this text. Pick one that speaks to you. Some are written in the traditional sloka form that reads as an epic poem, while others are written as in prose. Some versions offer commentary which is helpful, but I recommend reading it first without the commentary so as to gather your own interpretation first. Immersion 9: April 6, 7, 8 Observing Self and Student: A Teacher’s Workshop in Seeing and Serving This weekend workshop is open to all — those who wish to teach and those who are already cultivating a teaching practice. During this time we will explore the concept of holding the space — a practice necessary for many kinds of work beyond yoga. We will explore voice, body posture, and how one serves the individual student in a group class. This workshop is applicable to the conference room, the school-room, the workplace as well as the yoga shala. Become the guide you wish to be in whatever field you work. The foundation of your work can be formed by your dedication to the yoga practice. Friday 7-9 PM Saturday 9 AM – 5 PM Sunday 2-5 PM




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Required Reading Prior to Immersion 9 The Heart of Yoga—Selected Chapters Yoga and Psychotherapy by Swami Rama, Swami Ajaya, and Rudolph Balanine. The Difficult Conversation by Douglas Stone, et al.—Selected Chapters

Immersion 10: May 4, 5, 6 Starting Where You Are: Working with Injury and Limitations Taking the most common physical complaints and ailments, we will work through various sequences to offer students including variations within the class and practices outside the yoga classroom. We will work with concepts familiar in asana practice, aryuveda as well as pranayama and diet. Friday 7-9 PM Saturday 9 AM – 5 PM Sunday 2-5 PM Required Reading Prior to Immersion 10 Hatha Yoga Pradipika by Swami Muktabhodananda Fierce Medicine by Ana Forrest – Selected Chapter Structural Yoga Therapy by Mukunda Stiles – Selected Chapters Spontaneous Healing— by Andrew Weil- Selected Chapters The Viniyoga of Yoga—TKV Desikachar Immersion 11: June 1,2,3 Prayer in Motion: The Artful Sequence How is a sequence constructed? There are various schools of thought and during this weekend various perspectives will be explored. We will practice asana sequences from a wide range of hatha yoga disciplines and discuss their value and practical applications. During the second part we will discuss the vinyasa krama method which relies on pose and counter-pose theory. Friday 7-9 PM Saturday 9 AM – 5 PM Sunday 2-5 PM Reading prior to Immersion 11 Yoga for Wellness. Healing with the Timeless Teachings of Viniyoga by Gary Kraftsow — Selected Chapters The Heart of Yoga— TKV Desikachar




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Immersion 12: What is Yoga For? July 6, 7, 8 Exploring the Meaning of Hatha Yoga in the Modern World This immersion is meant to help clarify the promise of yoga. Working through the various texts and practices, the student will explore and re-define the meaning of the practice for her or himself. Without clarity it is hard to have direction. This workshop is designed to promote that sense of direction and purpose in the yoga practice both through the physical disciplines of asana and the spiritual disciplines — yamas and niyamas as outlined in the Yoga Sutras and the laws of Karma as described in the Bhagavad Gita. Friday 7-9 PM Saturday 9 AM – 5 PM Sunday 2-5 PM

Cost: 1800.00 for all workshops due: August 1st 175.00 for individual workshops—pre-registration required If you are interested in further teacher training with Alice Joanou/Loka Yoga you must first complete the 2011-2012 Immersion Program. If you have completed prior immersions with Alice it will be taken into account during the review process. Following the immersion, an individual meeting will be arranged with Alice and other Loka instructors to assess the next step that includes a traditional apprenticeship program at Loka Yoga. For those who sign up for the year-long process, a sankalpa-a written form of goals and aims—must be submitted. We will periodically review this sankalpa to make certain that you feel you are on track and maintaining your efforts. I am not a member of the Yoga Alliance, nor do I count hours for certification. I base my recommendations for teaching on observations during class and in the immersions. I follow the time-honored tradition of personally guiding a student teacher until he or she is ready to graduate into the teaching practice based on my own experience and observations of the individual. Each person is different and has




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different needs as a teacher. It is my aim to adequately and properly train individuals based on their capacity and individuality.




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