Teacher Training Residential Intensive

Yin Yoga, Anatomy, and Meditation with Yoga Alliance Certified Teachers Sarah Powers and Paul Grilley

White Sulphur Springs, Napa, CA
February 25 - March 7, 2007

A 10 day residential yin yoga course for dedicated practitioners and teachers with Sarah Powers and Paul Grilley at White Sulphur Springs, Napa, CA.

This course is intended to deepen one's understanding of the philosophical, experiential, and practical application of YIN yoga and meditation. Sarah, Paul and Suzie (Paul's wife) will also allow time to discover how to complement a yin practice with an active yang style.

One need not be teaching in order to participate in this training, although it can be very helpful to have been on a prior teacher-training course and already be teaching. What is required is at least 3 years of practicing yoga, a general understanding of the practices shared by Paul and Sarah, as well as a sincere interest in committing to the further exploration of yoga and meditation.

Sarah's Teachings:

Sarah's teaching will focus on Yin yoga and Buddhist mindfulness practices with a blend of meditation theory and practice. She will also share some flow sequences for teaching the beginner and the intermediate a Yin/Yang practice, including some hands-on adjustments.

Sarah's interest is in deepening our understanding of the purpose, method and effects of Yin Yoga in the body, heart and mind. A number of days will be dedicated to the physical and energetic details, deepening our understanding of our vital energy (prana or qi), while understanding how the yin practice affects the meridian system and specific organs to enhance an overall harmony of being. We will also explore the emotional component, learning how the health of our organ system is intimately connected with balancing our emotional body and how to work with difficult emotions when they arise.

A large part of each day with Sarah will include meditative training.   We will look into the effect the yin practice has on calming the mind, which can be greatly enhanced by mindfulness training.   Through both lecture and practice sessions, Sarah will highlight the four foundations of Buddhist Mindfulness Meditation, a simple but profound practice to engender psychological tolerance, openness, and insight.

(Included will be a required reading list and teacher training manual).

Paul's Teachings:

Paul's teaching will present the anatomy of movement and its implications for yoga practice. More specifically, he will focus on the differences in people's skeletal structures, how they limit movement and how to recognize these differences in others and ourselves.

Most of us begin a Yoga practice with many naive ideas about how bodies move and what limits a person's movement in a pose. We will explore the fundamental premise that there are three layers of tissue that are affected during yoga practice and each of these layers needs to be trained differently. Hand in hand with the description of the three layers of tissue is an exploration of the Modern Meridian Theory as expounded by Dr. Hiroshi Motoyama, Dr. James Oschman, and others. This theory has far reaching consequences concerning the original foundation of yoga practice and its direct relation to controlling one's prana (chi) and deepening meditation.

Although our bodies are complex, a few basic anatomical ideas, once understood, can vastly improve the efficiency and results of our yoga practice. Yoga in its essence is the harmonizing of one's own prana and the effortless extension of this harmony into one's meditation practice.

Paul has been practicing and teaching since 1979. He learned the Yin Yoga of Paulie Zink in 1988. He originally studied anatomy and physiology with Dr. Garry Parker, then went on to study kinesiology at UCLA and acupuncture theory at Emperor's College in Santa Monica. He first met Dr. Motoyama in 1989. Since then his understanding of Yoga and Meditation has been deepened by Dr. Motoyama's Meridian Theory which states that the connective tissues of the body are the meridians of acupuncture and that they are regulated by energy centers in the spine called chakras.

Suzee Grilley is a former member of the Nikolais Dance Theatre with whom she toured the world. Suzee is artistic director of the DanceSpace, in Ashland. Drawing from over 20 years of experience, Suzee teaches modern dance technique, improvisation, composition and Capoeira for dancers.

Paul and Suzee live in Ashland, Oregon with their dog Ivan. They can be reached at: www.paulgrilley.com

Dates:

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Sarah Powers Insight Yoga
1830 Bird Ave.
San Jose, CA 95125

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Retreats

August 22–27, Stockbridge, MA
Insight Yoga Retreat at Kripalu
www.kripalu.org

Feb 15-20, 2011
Insight Yoga Silent Winter Retreat
Laurel Springs Ranch
www.laurelspringsretreat.net

Classes

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Books, DVDs & CDs

Insight Yoga Book

Yin & Vinyasa Yoga Practice DVD

Yin Yoga Double CD Set (Audio)

Insight Yoga with Sarah Powers

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