Practical and Profound: The Therapeutic Wisdom of Yoga
With Doug Keller
Doug came to teach hatha yoga by way of meditation and years of academic study: philosophy, both western and eastern approaches spirituality, anatomy, movement and yoga. Doug’s depth, intelligence and accessibility for translating hard concepts into digestible ones is profound. Join him during his long awaited European tour, in one or all of these workshops at Yoga Moves this November.
Practical and Profound:
The Therapeutic Wisdom of Yoga
The true power of yoga practice and its therapeutic value goes beyond muscles and joints. It influences the nervous system — particularly through the Vagus nerve — in ways that touch every level of our health and well-being.
In the Upanishads, this was described in terms of the ‘Vayus’ of the Prana. In this training, we’ll unveil in contemporary, relatable terms the full significance of these ideas, and tie them directly to the practices — with emphasis on asana, but also extending to pranayama, meditation, and Yoga Nidra.
daily topics in depth:
Friday:
Lower Body. Vyana Vayu: Freedom is in the Joints
‘Vyana’ is the Vayu of sensation, concerned with movement and our perception of space and freedom in the joints. Where there is lack of space, there is restriction of movement and pain. It is also the Vayu that governs pain management.
Vyana vayu is a starting point for understanding how and why joint pain, muscle stiffness and weakness, limited range of movement, and recurring pain patterns have a common root in the body’s protective reflexes arising from the peripheral nervous system — which is the realm of Vyana, the ‘pervasive’ aspect of Prana.
Our practical focus in asana will be on the lower body: principles for working with the feet, knees, and hips, with new insights into the feet as the keys to these joints in all classes of poses, particularly for finding space in the hips and progressing toward freedom in the hamstrings.
The vital role of our perception of inner ‘space’ will also be explored in some restorative poses, to understand their purpose and effect, as well as in pranayama and the marma’ points of awareness and chakras in Yoga Nidra.
Saturday:
The Sacrum, Spine, and Torso:
Prana & Apana | Equilibrium & Samana
The most familiar idea in yoga is the idea of the balance between Prana and Apana, between stimulation (Prana) and staying grounded (Apana). The dynamic balance between these two is a state of equilibrium (Samana) in which we function at our best in body and mind..
All movement in asana begins with the spine, and the natural undulation of the spine in movement is also the foundation for the health and steadiness of the mind. And the heart of the spine’s movement is at the sacrum, the foundation of both ‘Prana Vayu’ and ‘Apana Vayu.’
The lecture and practices will focus on this vital movement of the sacrum and spine in asana and vinyasa, and will expand to include the torso, the realm of the breath and of the ‘gut,’ where we experience equilibrium or Samana Vayu.
The hatha yogis were the first to emphasize the crucial importance of the health of our ‘gut’ or digestive system, and to tie the benefits of asana — especially twists and forward bends — to the well-being of this vital area. We now understand the ‘gut’ as a center for our immune and hormonal systems, which are crucial to our resilience as well as our mental and emotional equilibrium. We will especially explore healthy twisting as a vital dimension of asana practice influencing this core, and will touch upon the psoas in the process.
Exploration of Prana, Apana, and Samana will expand into a deeper experience of the bandhas and the natural undulations of the spine in pranayama, as well as add new dimensions to some restorative poses and Yoga Nidra.
Sunday:
Intention and Empowerment: Connecting Udana, the Power of Intention, to Vyana, the Power of Feeling
Udana Vayu concerns the power of intention and its role in regulating the overall health of our nervous system and body. ‘Intention’ closes the circle of the Vayus, bringing together intention and feeling to empower us in body and mind.
The role of the psoas, introduced in Saturday’s session, will be more deeply explored in relation to the neck and upper body — the realm of Udana, particularly in relation to the breath. The asana practice will explore the shoulders as connected to the neck, and the role of the neck in healthy functioning of the Vagus nerve.
From this asana work, we will move into pranayama, meditation practices, and Yoga Nidra. This will go all the more deeply into the ‘nadis,’ understood through the Vagus nerve, and the role of imagination, visualization, and intention (‘Sankalpa’) in these practices — leading to deeper states and realms of consciousness.
Get the whole package:
All four days (Including: Thursday afternoon workshop on the shoulders free!)
Dates:
Thursday thru Sunday | 21-24 November 2024
Time: Thursday: 13.30-16.30 | Fri-Sun 11.30-18.30
Location: Studio Fly | Croeselaan 209 | Utrecht
Price (VAT included):
Early Bird:
until 1 July €299
until 1 September €329
until 1 October €359
Regular price €389
Can’t make all workshops?
Send us a request: We might open up individual days in the fall.
Can’t make this weekend of workshops?
Join KEYS TO THE SHOULDERS on Thursday afternoon.
about the teacher:
