Prajna Yoga

Session I lays a firm foundation for the practice of Asana with emphasis on standing poses as the basis for opening the entire body. In-depth study time is given to the feet, lower limb and knees. We review the key anatomical structures that relate to the arches in the feet and how to activate the feet in the asana practice. We study the importance of positioning the femur under the pelvis and spine in order to achieve optimum balance in the leg. To this end we study the musculature of the leg—hamstrings, quadraceps and inner groins in depth. We study the primary arteries and nerve channels that flow through the pelvis and into the legs and compare the lower three chakras of the spine to the organs and nerve centers. This course investigates the practice of mula and uddiyana bandhas, the core energetic lifts that come from the lower spine. We review the gut and the abdominal organs and look at the ways that the belly can be the seat of nervous tension, anxiety and fear.

This course introduces the poetic power of the Rg Veda and introduces the teachings on Death and Impermanence by reading the Katha Upanishad and exploring the Buddha’s teachings on Impermanence. We study the foundational Sutras from Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras and review the Ashtanga Yoga method or Eight-Limbed Path. In the meditation study we introduce a variety of concentration techniques used to steady the mind. We introduce the power of chanting and discuss the ways that chanting may accompany the practice. Time is given to an introduction of the Sanskrit language and the correct pronunciation of asana names. Included in Session I is an introductory class entitled Diet for a Yoga Practice. This class provides an overview of food combining, seasonal cooking, cooking methods, cooking from the Five Element theory and an overview of Macrobiotics.

In Level I attention was given primarily to the legs and lower trunk; in Level II we study in depth the upper trunk, arms, and hands. We provide an in-depth exploration of the ribs, diaphragm, shoulder girdle, brachial plexus, heart/lung and throat. In the asana training we detail ways to open the hands and forearms in order to properly support the shoulders in weight bearing. Asana sequences include poses that open the chest and back, back bends, inversions and arm balances. We look at active and passive ways to open the ribs, sternum and diaphragm. Much time is devoted to the shoulder girdle and practicing poses that serve to align the shoulders and reduce strain in the rotator cuff area. This week we practice pranayama while introducing ways to sensitize the diaphragm, ribs and lung tissue. We detail the practice of jalandhara bandha and its effects on the throat chakra, and the thyroid gland.

The primary theme for this week is the fluid system. We look at the fluid pulse (spanda) that animates the cosmic cycles of creation/destruction, particularly through the powerful metaphors of ocean and river. As we explore the cosmic themes of water and life, we detail the circulation of blood, lymph and cerebral-spinal fluid through the body.

In the Wisdom Training we investigate the power of myth and in particular the teachings on maya, or the Illusory nature of the visible world. We continue to detail the teachings on loving kindness and metta established in Session I, with emphasis on the heart chakra. We look at the way emotional holding may become buried in the chest and upper back.

The continuation of Diet for a Yoga Practice includes a study of the Ayurvedic principles related to body type, metabolic function and digestive fire. The Yoga Nutrition study includes designing a diet that is most appropriate for the student’s individual body type.

In this Session II training Tias continues to teach from "the ground up" with emphasis on the feet, the inner seams of the legs and the core support up the front of the spine. There is a continued exploration into the body's primary diaphragms of the feet, the pelvic floor, the respiratory diaphragm and the palate. Attention will also be given in this course to sequencing for an asana class. Students and teacher look together at how to design a practice that builds toward introducing a new pose or practicing an advanced pose.

In the third session we review the cranium, cranial sutures, jaw and sensory organs. Emphasis is placed on the practice of pratyahara or the softening of sensory awareness, particularly in relation to the eyes, ears, mouth area and throat. We emphasize the importance of the organ of the tongue and introduce khechari mudra to release the upper palate region. The asana practices further our study of inversions and variations on headstand, shoulder stand and plough.

We provide an in-depth study of how anxiety, stress, depression, chronic fatigue and trauma can become embedded in the body. We look at the various ways that strain and holding can become locked in the body’s soft tissues, relative to the flight/fight response. Students learn to “read” the subtle/energetic body by identifying how tension may become trapped in the feet, hamstrings, jaw, gut, eyes, etc. We look at the ways in which the culture we live in "forms" our structure and affects the various nervous centers along the spine (chakras). In our study of the brain and nervous system we review the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems and we explore the ways that the therapeutic application of yoga postures can effect these two sides of our nervous system.

Emphasis will be given to the application of asanas to cope with injuries, illness and limitations in the body. Specifically, this program details the use of therapeutic postures (how to use props) and gives attention to hands-on support. In addition to making adjustments, we practice communicating through touch and guiding the body to release through hands-on contact.

Each student will have the opportunity should he or she wish to teach a section of an asana class in order to receive feedback from Tias and the peer group.

Time will be allocated to questions that have surfaced since the first two trainings.

Teacher Training Application
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