Green Yoga Association - Practice lightly on the Earth

Main Conference
Green Yoga Taking Root
May 18 - 20
Be a part of a weekend of awakening your yoga practice as union with all life. Experience healing your body and healing the planet together in yoga through:

-Yoga classes with teachers who bring earth-awareness to their practice

-Green Yoga experiential workshops

-Ecology classes with leading scholars who study the past, present, and future of yoga as ecological practice.

Click here for daily schedule.

Keynote Speech Faculty and Topics

Nischala Joy Devi
Yoga of the Heart
Nishchala is a masterful teacher, internationally renowned since 1974. She studied Yoga with masters in US, India, and lived as a monk with Swami Satchidanandaji for 18 years. Her landmark research in adapting Yoga for heart disease and cancer culminated in Yoga of the Heart ® certification course for teachers and health professionals. Author of The Healing Path of Yoga and The Secret Power of Yoga, Nischala’s teachings reflect the compassionate heart perspective in spirituality and scripture. For more information on Nischala please visit www.abundantwellbeing.com. Nischala will also be presenting a workshop.

The Secret Power of Yoga
This extraordinary lecture provides an opportunity to gain knowledge of and reinterpret Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras from a heart-centered intuitive approach and view how even thousands of years ago we were encouraged to protect our Mother Earth. Our habit of waste runs contradictory to the basic precepts of Ahimsa (Reverence for all ) and Aparigraha (Gratitude for Abundance). As a nation, we are great consumers, and also great wasters.
Whether you are a long time student of the Sutras or this is your first exposure, you will revel in discovering your own inner wisdom and how to love and protect our global home.

Jill Abelson
Senior Communications Manager US EPA, Jivamukti Yoga Instructor
Jill Abelson balances love for Mother Nature between teaching yoga and a career as an internationally known expert in environmental marketing and education. She has worked for Greenpeace, National Environmental Trust, Florida DEP, the United States Senate, and currently U.S. EPA, where she helps manage communications for the successful ENERGY STAR program. A yoga teacher since 1999, Jill teaches exclusively in the Jivamukti method for Flow Yoga Center, a GYA founding member studio in Washington, DC. For more info on Jill please visit www.jiva-dc.com.

Global Warming: What every Yogi can do at the personal and community level
This lecture will share both personal anecdotes and concrete solutions to the most pressing environmental issue of our time. We will look at what every Yogi can do, personally and in their community, to help address global warming.

Ocean Robbins
Founder and Director of YES!
Ocean Robbins is director of YES! — “Helping Visionary Young Leaders Build a Better World”, which he founded at age 16 in 1990. YES! has held 90+ week-long gatherings for young leaders from 65+ nations, and spoken in person to more than 650,000 people. Robbins is co-author of Choices for Our Future, and has served as a board member for Friends of the Earth, Creating Our Future, and EarthSave International. For additional information on YES! please visit www.yesworld.org

When Hope Takes a Stand: Bringing Spirit into Action in Our Lives and Our World
We live in troubled times. Yet each of us carries in our hearts a vision of how this world could be. This presentation starts from the premise that part of the reason we are alive in these times is to bridge the gap between the painful realities of our times and the potential that lives in us. Through stories, statistics, experiential exercises, and speaking from the heart, renowned facilitator, Ocean Robbins will entertain, inform and empower attendees with support and inspiration to take positive action on behalf of our deepest values.

Christopher Key Chapple, PhD
Loyola Marymount University
Professor of Indic and Comparative Theology
Christopher Key Chapple, co-Director of the conference and Green Yoga Advisory Board Member, serves as Navin and Pratima Doshi Professor of Indic and Comparative Theology at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. A specialist in the religions of India, Chris has published over ten books, including translations of the Yoga Sutra and the Yogadrstisamuccaya as well as edited volumes of essays on religion and ecology. Chris trained in classical Yoga for twelve years at Yoga Anand Ashram in Amityville, New York, and is currently working on a translation of nature-themed chapters from the Yogavasistha. For additional information on Dr. Chapple please visit: bellarmine.lmu.edu/~cchapple.

Green Yoga: A New Sadhana
American Yoga came into existence when Ralph Waldo Emerson declared himself a Yogi and, a few years later, Swami Vivekananda wrote the classic work Raja Yoga while living in Pasadena, California. American values of independent thinking and self-reliance accord well with the traditional practice and theory of Yoga in India. Historically, Yoga in India was a path of escape for those disaffected and disillusioned with the world. In America, people practice Yoga to improve their stature within the world. Green Yoga combines the urgency that comes with knowledge of current environmental problems with the resolution that human inenuity and will can overcome obstacles. Green Yoga simultaneously helps heal the self and the planet. During this conference, we will outline four practices of Green Yoga that focus on the sun and moon, the five great elements, plants and animals, and the body as vehicle for breath, clear thinking, and right action.

Laura Cornell, PhD
Founder and Director, Green Yoga Association
Laura Cornell, founder and director of the Green Yoga Association, is adjunct faculty at the California Institute of Integral Studies, where she earned her doctorate. Her work has been featured in Yoga Journal, Yogi Times, LA Yoga, Whole Life Times, and Common Ground. A certified Kripalu Yoga teacher with over twelve years experience, Laura received a Distinguished Service Award from the Kripalu Yoga Teachers Association for her research on Women in Yoga. She will co-direct the Yoga and Ecology Leadership Program with Chris Chapple. For more information on Dr. Cornell please visit www.lauracornell.com.

Green Yoga: Intimacy and Action
Green Yoga is a process of deepening intimacy with all of nature, including our own being. Out of this, action based in compassion naturally arises. In Green Yoga, we focus our deepening intimacy in four areas: Heavenly bodies (sun and moon), the five great elements (earth, water, fire, air, and space), earthly life (plants and animals), and humanity. Increasing joy, reverence, and peace, decreasing attachment to consuming resources, and a lighter footprint on the earth all derive from this practice.

Stuart Ray Sarbacker, Ph.D., RYT
Professor Department of Religion, Northwestern University
Stuart Ray Sarbacker, Ph.D., is Lecturer in Religion at Northwestern University. He has written extensively on the practices of Yoga and Tantra (both contemplative practices and bodily disciplines) in South Asian religion, and is co-chair of the “Yoga in Theory and Practice” program unit within the American Academy of Religion. He has also trained extensively in contemporary yoga traditions and is formally registered with the Yoga Alliance as a yoga teacher.

The Ecological Dynamics of Power and Liberation in Yoga
The present of yoga is invariably tied to its past, in ways not always apparent or obvious. This lecture will address the ecological implications of yoga in light of parallels between contemporary yoga and its historical precursors. We will examine the logic underlying traditional representations of yoga as situated within, or in opposition to, nature. We will also focus on the relationship between the goals of yoga practice, notably the tension between power or perfection (siddhi) and release (mukti) in traditional accounts. It will be demonstrated how the ecological issues of contemporary yoga are brought to clarity through historical perspective.

Rana Lee Araneta
Producer Rana Lee TV and Chill Mudra Productions
Rana Lee Araneta has been watering the seeds of youth empowerment for 10 years. Rana has taught yoga, circus and eco awareness in public and private schools in the Bay Area and New York within " superhero" programs she has designed as well as for prestigious organizations such as Greensphere www.greensphere.org, Circus Minimus www.circusminimus.com, and the Natural World Museum's global Planet Art Program www.artintoaction.org, in partnership with the United Nations Environmental Program www.UNEP.org, Full Circle Learning www.fullcirclelearning.org, SF environment www.sfenvironment.com, and Zeum Museum www.zeum.org. She is the founder of the Green Circus http://www.greencircus.org, and is in preproduction to do an eco film project in the Yucatan with youth, for Friends of Calakmul www.calakmul.org. She is excited to share her passion for global youth empowerment with the honorable community at the Green Yoga conference! For more information on Rana's various projects please visit www.acroyoga.org, www.artintoaction.org, www.calakmul.org. Rana will also be presenting in our Children's Conference.

Buddhas to Be: Watering seeds in the next generation
When we practice, we are watering the seeds of mindfulness within us and reconnecting to our child selves--enthralled with every moment…the slug on the ground…the bug on our window…the blue sky. The seeds of green yoga are already in the next generation. They are in all of us. We must water the seeds in ourselves AND them, so we bloom radiant and strong TOGETHER. Now, more than ever, in our quest to "make the world a better place", we must ask ourselves, "Do I feel good?" "Am I having fun?" "Do I trust it is all happening smoothly and joyfully right now as I appreciate every moment in this life experience?" There are MILLIONS of us all over the earth, who are wanting the same thing. We are all working together in many ways. Right now. Being present, content and happy in our individual lives has a much greater affect on the world's next generation than the human brain can fathom, for the next generation includes all of us. So relax, look at the blue sky, squish your toes in the mud, and write the first task on your to do list: 1.Be happy.

Yoga Faculty and Classes

Dina Amsterdam
Dina fell in love with yoga in 1990 in a journey to heal herself. Her classes and retreats poetically interweave stillness with flow to awaken peaceful presence, intelligence, and vitality in the whole being. Her guidance, both compassionate and inspiring, cultivates a tender spaciousness and a desire to embrace the transformational power that yoga offers our lives. Dina is deeply influenced by and grateful to Sarah Powers, Rodney Yee, Kripalu Center, and the great masters (both living and deceased) of the Toaist and Tibetan Buddhist traditions.

Yin and Yang ~ Water and Fire: cultivating spacious loving awareness in yoga asana during passive and active practice (moderate)
Class Type - Asana (Yoga)
Class Level - All Levels/Moderate
Props Needed - Yoga Mat
Experience the water and the fire of your being as you align with essence - your innate goodness - and explore the gifts of Big Sky awareness. This class will be an opportunity to dive deep within through yin and yang yoga and infuse you body-mind with prana. The yin portion, also known as Taoist yoga, will include long held passive poses that open the energy rivers of the body and deeply moisten and nourish the connective tissue. The yang portion will be slow yet challenging and comprised of flowing sequences that build muscular strength, warmth and vitality as well as proper alignment

Nourishing The Mind-Heart with Yin Yoga
Class Type - Asana (Yoga)
Class Level - All Levels/Moderate
Props Needed - Yoga Mat
In this class we will explore a sequence of yin poses (long held passive poses) that support the cultivation of a calm mind and balanced emotional state. Through this very restful and gentle Taosit Yoga style we will experience the benefits of needleless acupuncture as we stimulate the kidney and liver meridians. These powerful internal rivers, when balanced, correspond to our capacity to access our innate wisdom, courage, and compassion in the face of life’s internal and external challenges.

Katchie Ananda
Katchie Ananda is an activist, dancer, artist, priestess and yogini. She is a co-founder of Yoga Sangha, a studio in San Francisco dedicated to Anusara Yoga and Spiritual Activation. She is certified in Anusara, Jivamukti, Ashtanga and Integral Yoga. From what she has learned from John and Ocean Robbins, Julia Butterfly Hill and others, Katchie has been teaching about human and animal rights, protection of the environment and social justice in her yoga classes. For more information on Katchie and her studio please visit www.yogasangha.com.

Being an empowered and embodied agent for change in the world.
Class Type - Asana (Yoga)
Class Level - All Levels/Moderate
Props Needed - Yoga Mat
Through the practice of yoga, we can tune into our core values and learn how to embody these values more consciously in the world. Taking issues from the intellectual level to the physical level, where they can be felt and experienced, assists us in becoming empowered and embodied agents for change in the world.

Yoga and Dharma for Environmentally Concious People
Class Type - Asana (Yoga)
Class Level - All Levels/Moderate
Props Needed - Yoga Mat
Katchie Ananda inspires her students to be the change they seek in the world. Using the ancient philosophical concept of SatChidAnanda we will explore how we can be most effective in the world. Sat, translated as truth, points to a deep, underlying source of goodness in the world, as well as facing reality as it is.
Chid relates to universal consciousness and intelligent order in the universe. Ananda is the realization of happiness. When we take a step that is aligned with what we know is true, we experience an immediate sense of joy and bliss.

Baxter Bell
Baxter Bell, MD, RYT 500, has re-connected with nature in fits and starts over the past 15 years or so, but with accelerated excitement and urgency in the last 2 years. It was no surprise to him that this reconnection with nature occurred at the same time as his exploration of all things yogic. Baxter’s recent teaching has been inspired by all things green and his involvement with the Green Yoga Association. For more about Baxter please visit www.bellyoga.info.

Beyond the Green Hype-The 2 Foundational “R’s” Reconsider and Refuse!
Class Type - Asana (Yoga)
Class Level - All Levels/Gentle to Moderate
Props Needed - None
Synchronicity and serendipity conspired to have me reading about the life and times of contemporary mountain man Eustace Conway while pondering the theme for this class. He suggests that the 3 R’s - reduce, reuse, recycle - are actually the last resort, and that the concepts of Reconsider and Refuse are the foundation of a sustainable, harmonious life with nature. Not surprisingly, yogic philosophy and its quest to investigate the mind, concurs. Join us as we explore this theme in a balanced asana and meditation practice designed to reveal the cultural avidya of our times. Practice will be outdoors, as Eustace would prefer! A special guest yogini and my sweetie, Raven Nemeroff, will lead a short kirtan.

Pam Bliss
Pamela Bliss, is the founder and director of YogAsylum in Brookfield, WI. She currently pursues a Masters of Arts in Transpersonal Psychology with Ecopsychology Concentration at Naropa University and is a guest lecturer and advisory board member at Mt. Mary College. Pamela is also a moderator for the Green Yoga Association’s Studio Pilot Program. Her inspiring work has landed features in numerous local and national publications, radio and news segments. As an instructor, Pamela offers a warm and eclectic style while drawing upon her years of experience as a Registered Nurse to focus on the therapeutic aspects of the yoga practice. Her down-to-earth approach and sense of humor make this ancient healing art readily accessible to everyone. For more information on Pam and the studio where she teaches please visit www.yogasylum.com.

The Journey Beyond the Threshold
Class Type - Meditation Walk
Class Level - All Levels/Gentle
Props Needed - None
Join us for a contemplative walk outdoors and discover how the landscape informs you of your story. Tap into your animate nature and discover the truth of your be-ing. Surrender into the nurturing embrace of the mother and receive her loving support. Join us on this journey of self exploration and deepen your connection to the earth.

Scott Blossom
Scott Blossom teaches a style of Hatha Yoga Vinyasa and Yoga therapy that is informed by his training as a Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda. He specializes in teaching about the relationship between Yoga and Ayurveda. He is blessed to have had the expert guidance of his teachers Dr. Robert Svoboda, Zhander Remete, and Erich Schiffmann.

The Internal Ecology of Fire
Class Type - Asana Class
Class Level - All Levels/Moderate
Props Needed - Yoga Mat
When we aspire to live in harmony with nature it is important to consider how we establish harmony within our bodies, minds and hearts because these are the foundations that support our ability to act with integrity. From the Ayurvedic perspective the center or “sun” of our inner universe is called Agni. Physically, Agni endows us with the power of digestion and transformation; mentally it endows us with clear discrimination and courage, thereby enabling us to separate what is essential from nonessential, healthy from toxic, right from wrong, and wise from foolish. Through discussion and yoga practice we will explore the dynamics of Agni.

Catherine Chapman
Born and raised on the California coast this smiley yogi is a beach and nature lover, heart and soul! Catherine cultivates meditation and connects to nature by climbing mountains, catching waves, and sitting with the trees. Her approach to teaching and life is adventurous, dynamic, healing, enthusiastic, and filled with compassion and love. For more information on Catherine and the where she teaches please visit www.yoga4.com.

Root in Nature
Class Type - Outdoor Yoga Adventure
Class Level - All Levels/Gentle
Props Needed - Yoga Mat and Bolster (optional)
Outdoor Yoga Adventure
This nature hike and practice invites all participants to activate mother earth’s energy, by awakening and realigning the physical, spiritual, and energetic bodies.
This workshop includes a short circle meditation, guided hike, and asana practice. We will explore a deeper connection to nature’s dynamic rhythm-the heartbeat of all life by activating the first chakra, the Muladhara, our root and earth essence. The ancient Redwoods live as a community by supporting one another through their root system. As a group we will re-root to the fundamental essence of spirit and our connection to how all life supports each other on mother earth.

Cultivating a Compassionate Relationship with ‘Gaia’ Mother Earth; For Sustainable Living.
Class Type - Outdoor Yoga Adventure
Class Level - All Levels/Gentle
Props Needed - Yoga Mat and Bolster (optional)
This class will focus on healing ourselves and our connection with nature. There is work that we can do in our own spaces that can, when combined with a spiritual focus, help to restore the planet and secure a sustainable future.
Class includes meditation, a gentle asana practice, silent hike, and discussion. When in nature we connect with what the Native American’s call “the spirit that moves in all things,” which, when combined with our intentions, can dispel the illusion of separation. Discussion will focus on learning to be present in the moment and honoring our Mother Earth with compassionate and sustainable living technique. We create a peaceful world by choice and action.

Gillian Kapteyn Comstock
Gillian Kapteyn Comstock MA, Co-Director of Metta Earth Institute, is a holistic psychotherapist, human ecologist, and yoga guide certified in Kripalu, Jivamukti, and Advanced Interdisciplinary Yoga. She has led yoga retreats, quests, and trainings in wilderness sanctuaries around the world. A mother of three grown sons, Gillian has practiced yoga and meditation for over 25 years while weaving together family and community sustainability with the contemplative path. For more information on Gillian and where she teaches please visit www.mettaearth.org.

Metta Earth Yoga ~ Practices for Contemplative Ecology
Co-Taught By Gillian and Russell Comstock
Class Type - Asana Workshop
Class Level - All Levels/Moderate
Props Needed - Yoga Mat
Calling on “Metta” compassion for Earth, we gather in nature to explore four essential yoga practices which can bring a radical shift toward ecological consciousness. With a variety of applications of ujjayi pranayama (wind sounding breath) we experience the pulsating exchange of prana between all beings. Through an in depth practice of drishti (eye gaze) we begin to dissolve the objectifying mind that separates, and open our perception to the fields of energy that move through all life. Engaging in an interplay of asanas (postures) with nature, we embody interconnection. With a progression of mantra (sacred sound) practices we quiet the mind and attune to the primal silence resonating in the universe. In closing we contemplate together how what we have experienced in the workshop may energize our ecological activism.

Lotus Blossoms in our Footprints
Class Type - Outdoor Yoga Adventure
Class Level - All Levels/Moderate
Props Needed - Yoga Mat
By walking lightly and breathing deeply in the sanctuary of nature, we bring a meditative approach to the consideration of our ecological footprint and the impact we each have as humans on the earth. With both silent and sung mantra we clear our minds for this reflection with the intention of finding the deeper rhythms of our footsteps. Along the way, asana gives us ground for expressing our relation to tree, stone, and sky. The mysteries of drishti, the eye gaze, helps us dissolve the perception of separation, and then opens us to the vivid knowing of interconnection.

Russell Comstock
Russell Comstock, Co-Director of Metta Earth Institute, holds an MA in Contemplative and Ecological Leadership, a BA in Human Ecology, and is certified in Interdisciplinary and Jivamukti Yoga. Russell has extensive experience teaching yoga and directing programs in wilderness, adventure, and experiential education. He has recently completed a handbook called: Metta Earth Yoga - Contemplative Ecological Practices for a Sustainable Future. For more information on Russell and where he teaches please visit www.mettaearth.org.

Metta Earth Yoga ~ Practices for Contemplative Ecology
Co-Taught by Gillian and Russell Comtock
Class Type - Outdoor Yoga Adventure
Class Level - All Levels/Moderate
Props Needed - Yoga Mat
See description above

Married to Beloved Earth: The Union of Posture and Place
Class Type - Outdoor Yoga Adventure
Class Level - All Levels/Moderate
Props Needed - Yoga Mat
Delighting in the deep relationality that is key to fostering an ecological perspective, this class explores yoga asana as a lively path of connection between body and Earth. We begin by walking mindfully and in silence to our site. Through an expanded body scanning process, we heighten awareness of our connections to the elements of Earth. Moving back and forth between dyadic, partner postures with each other and then with the forms of nature, we discover the union of body and place. With several co-breathing practices, we explore the dance of intimacy with ourselves, each other, the beings of nature, and the community of all of us.

Pat Daniel, Ph.D., R.Y.T. (Tanuja)
Pat Daniel, PhD, RYT (Tanuja) is a professional level Kripalu Yoga instructor. A member of the Collaborative for Ecological Yoga, she was the founding editor of Green Yoga Association’s newsletter and has written for Yoga Journal. The former associate director of Ceres, a coalition of investors and environmentalists promoting sustainability, she works as a writer, professional coach, and organizational consultant.

Being Peace with Blooms and Beasts: Walking Meditation Amidst Flowers, Farm and Flock
Class Type - Meditation Class
Class Level - All Levels/Gentle
Props Needed - None
Join us for a walking meditation within the cultivated and wild nature of Mount Madonna Center. In silence and with empty minds, we will wander the gardens and grounds, attuning to the fragrances and beauty of flowers, the sounds and movements of sheep, ducks, chickens and wildlife. Simply observing without analysis and judgment, we open ourselves to wonder, surprise and teachings from the earth. We will emerge with a sense of peace and deepening reverence for the non-human world.

Nischala Joy Devi
See bio above.

Healing with the Chakras
Class Type - Asana and Lecture Class
Class Level - All Levels/Gentle
Props Needed - Yoga Mat
The energy we use to think, feel, and act is fed through whirling vortexes of energy up and down our spines called chakras. These chakras are closely aligned with the five elements earth, water, fire, air, and space. We will relate our study of the chakras back to the planet around us and what we are doing to the earth.

This workshop will move through sound, visualization, breath, imagery, color, sensory awareness, and gentle Yoga poses to help us recognize and clear the rarified energy of the chakras. This movement from within opens us to our natural healing and wholeness, in turn making this healing available to the whole world.

Dennis Eagan
Dennis began studying yoga in 1989 and has been teaching yoga for eight years. He brings a rich thirty-year career in outdoor education to his teaching. He believes global circulation of the atmosphere and oceans is Nature’s blueprint of the energy body within each of us. Dennis leads retreats that combine yoga with the wilderness experience. In addition to his yoga practice he enjoys spending as much time as possible on or in water. For more information on Dennis and where he teaches please visit www.wildyoga.com.

The Ocean and Rivers Within; An exploration of the earth element water in our yoga practice.
Class Type - Asana Class
Class Level - All Levels/Moderate
Props Needed - Yoga Mat
More than seventy percent of the earth’s surface is water. We live on watery planet and we are water creatures; born into this world nearly seventy percent fluid. It is from Our Mother Ocean that all life sprung forth and to it all rivers seek to return. This workshop will explore some of the important roles water plays in our yoga practice as we flow through standing poses, inversions and backbends. We’ll also look at the relationship between water and breath.

Chandra Easton
Chandra Easton grew up with Tibetan Buddhist practice and has studied Tibetan language and Buddhist philosophy for the last 10 years with H.H. Dalai Lama, Ngawang Thondup Narkyid, and B. Alan Wallace. Her background as a translator allows her to teach directly from the root texts. She specializes in teaching in settings where yogis are learning to meditate and meditators are learning to do yoga. For more information on Chandra and where she teaches please visit www.shunyatayoga.com.

The Practice of Shamatha
Class Type - Meditation
Class Level - All Levels
Props Needed - Meditation Props (Blanket and Cushion)
Meditation is a skillful way to diffuse the reactive mind that tends to judge and blame others for the wrongs in the world. As activists, we can balance our work with contemplative practices so that we may be more effective and of greater benefit to others. Shamatha, translated as “calm-abiding” or “quiescence,” is accessible to everyone, regardless of religious affiliations, due to its focus on developing relaxation, stability, and clarity as a means for gaining deeper insight into the nature of reality (Vipassana). This class will be balanced with equal time for practice and discussion.

Clayton Horton
Clayton Horton has been a student of yoga for over 19 years and began teaching in 1996. His practice is deeply rooted in the Ashtanga Tradition and Greenpath meditation. He is a student of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and the Greensufi. Clayton received Formal Authorization to teach Ashtanga Yoga from Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and his Grandson, Sharath Rangaswamy of the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute, Mysore, South India in 2003. He is an emeritus Founding Board Member of the Green Yoga Association. From 2001-2006 ,Clayton was the Director of Greenpath Yoga Studio in San Francisco California. Clayton travels to Mysore India yearly to be with his teacher and to deepen and refine his practice. "Yoga kindles the flames of love, freedom and self illumination. It brings me huge joy to share my experience of this with others," he says.

Inner Sunrise
Class Type - Asana Class
Class Level - All Levels/Moderate to Vigorous
Props Needed - None
Since time immemorial, yogis, fakirs, monks, shamans and the like have awoken before dawn to practice at this sacred and sattvic time of day. Honoring, witnessing and absorbing the quality of the atmosphere at sunrise has a profound and subtle effect on the endocrine, cellular, and nervous systems of the body. Getting in tune with the diurnal patterns of the planet is an essential element when walking the path of natural harmony. Find value in establishing a pattern of starting your day in an upright way. This class will include meditation, light asana, gentle pranayama, and chanting.

Timo Jimenez
As the main instructor at YogaPada, Timo is renowned for his innovative approach to the practice of Classical Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, both at YogaPada and also in the workshops he teaches in various parts of the country and Europe. For the last 14 years Timo's primary modality for exploration of the self and spirit has been mainly a subtle blending of Classical Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga and Classical Iyengar therapeutics. When teaching the Classical Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga lineage, there is a recognizable influence of the principles of the classical Iyengar system due to 8 years of dedicated classical Iyengar study. Over the last 7 years Timo has also been working closely in assisting Peter Sterios in teaching and developing the therapeutics and sequencing of an evolutionary take on “Classical Yoga” termed the “Gravity and Grace Yoga system”. Most recently, together, they combined there talents, which culminated in the production of a DVD of the Gravity and Grace system. (Copies of the Video For sale during the weekend). Although Timo is well versed in all three “Systems”, they are taught strictly in a non-eclectic sense in order to preserve there individual essence yet Illuminate what all 3 potentially share in common. For this reason each student has the potential to develop a very personalized yet non eclectic approach to practice.

Gravity and Grace
Class Type - Asana Workshop
Class Level - All Levels/Moderate
Props Needed - Yoga Mat
Gravity and Grace Yoga is a unique combination of Asana and pranayama practice that stresses the non-muscular effort. The focus is on building physical, neurological and psychological flexibility and Stamina, inner core strength and intelligence of origin of movement within a context of asana. Application and differentiation of pranayama Bandha Kriya and Pelvic Mudra are a key focus.

In this Gravity and Grace workshop, we will explore the principals of non-muscular effort, working with connective tissue. When effort is excessive, the inner core strength of the physical body is exhausted and the mental fluctuations are exacerbated; consequentially, the “Innate potential wisdom” of our yoga practice is unnecessarily diluted.

The principals of Gravity and Grace are progressive in nature and appropriate for all levels of yoga practitioners (regardless of what style or lineage of practice one is currently practicing.)

Transforming Physical Energy Conservation into Conscientious Social Energy Conservation
Class Type - Asana Class
Class Level - All Levels/Moderate
Props Needed - Yoga Mat
The ecological , environmental ,spiritual and energetic sustain ability of our smaller spiritual community's at large, are, to a very certain extent, dependent upon our own energetic conservation awareness. How we as "Non monastic -boddhisatvas", "21st century-western industrialized warriors of spirit and self-inquiry,impact and contribute socially, economically, ecologically and energetically not only as teachers but as practitioners, to our spiritual communities both on and off the mat is a crucial element of our daily practice. As "Non monastic -boddhisatvas", "what is an it in our practice that creates a sustainable long term healthy practice? How, when we discover the elements of a long-term sustainable practice, can we potentially translate this into action off the mat? Where and how can we begin to consciously begin to lighten our "negative" energetic or wasteful impact on our own c! ommunit ies? Physical energy conservation, within our own Yoga practice, regardless of tradition,is key and can be an incredible first step and tool in which to begin to see how and where we can eliminate wasteful actions . These are just a few of the resolutions that we will explore during our time together.All levels welcome regardless of tradition.Bring props if you use them.

Denise Kaufman
Denise Kaufman’s lifelong passions have been yoga, movement, music, energy flow, surfing and community/connectedness. A child of the 60s, as a teenager she was “on the bus” with Ken Kesey and later in the first all-girl band in San Francisco, “The Ace of Cups.” After years of training in Aikido, Kundalini, Hatha, Bikram and Astanga traditions she fell in love with the quiet depth of Yin Yoga in 1990 while practicing daily with Paul and Suzee Grilley. With a ready smile, compassionate sensitivity and attunement to each individual, Denise creates a nourishing and safe space for deep openings. Denise lives and teaches in Venice, CA and on her organic farm in Kauai, HI.

Yin Yoga
Class Type - Asana Class
Class Level - All Levels/Gentle
Props Needed - Yoga Mat, Bolster and Blanket (or a pillow, towel and blanket)
Yin Yoga targets the deep connective tissue of the hips, pelvis and lower spine. Connective tissue does not respond to the brief rhythmical movements which are so effective in training muscles. It responds to slow, deep, steady pressure. In our Yin practice, using the gifts of gravity, leverage and time, we put targeted joints into therapeutic traction. We release the surrounding musculature, enabling the joint spaces to yield. Our extremities (arms and legs) are used as levers to manipulate our core. Releasing into these stretches we have time for the contemplative, reflective aspect of our practice as we open our deepest flexibilities and increase the flow of prana (chi.)

KK Ledford, M.A.
Growing up on an organic farm in Texas, KK has been involved in Earth-based spirituality and ecology since childhood. Her innate connection with nature and knowledge of the mysteries and medicine infuses her teachings. She began studying directly with John Friend and teaching Anusara over eight years ago. She also teaches Wildmoonwisdom yoga and an Embodiment and Ecology course she designed.
Poetic and powerful, cultivating soulfulness, celebration, and true embodiment. For more information on KK visit www.wildmoonwisdom.com.

Roots and Blooms ~ Finding Stability and Freedom in Backbends
Class Type - Asana Class
Class Level - All Levels/Moderate
Props Needed - Yoga Mat
Authentic embodiment is the foundation of all work and practice. We must be engaged with and truly celebrate this embodied experience before we can connect with ecology and with our surroundings. This class will allow us to develop and commit to the connection with our selves through yoga.
True embodiment, a genuine experience in the body, invites deeper communion with Gaia. With power and grace we will practice dynamic standing poses and backbends to have a taste of the sweet nectar that pulsates within. By focusing on setting a strong foundation and grounding our roots to experience stability, we will find more freedom and come into the full bloom of our being.

Roots of Being ~ Exploring Effort and Surrender in Forward Bends and Hip Openers
Class Type - Asana Class
Class Level - All Levels/Moderate
Props Needed - Yoga Mat
Authentic embodiment is the foundation of all work and practice. We must be engaged with and truly celebrate this embodied experience before we can connect with ecology and with our surroundings. This class will allow us to develop and commit to the connection with our selves through deeply embodied yoga.
Our roots will descend into the Earth creating stability and grounding. This will encourage opening in the pelvis, hip flexors, psoas, and clear energy blocks in the lower chakras. Cultivating the fertile ground of the pelvis will allow us to work on growing a lotus (padmasana)! Learning to balance effort and surrender on the mat encourages looking into the relationship we have with ourselves and nature. Inhabiting the wonderful creature of the body has an impact on how we appreciate the natural world.

David Lurey
David was introduced to Ashtanga Yoga in 1996 as a way to tone his body and relieve work related stress. Using those as a foundation for asana practice, the limbs of Ashtanga Yoga began to unfold leading him to the path of teaching transformational Yoga. Using various spiritual teachings as guidelines for classes, David takes students through opening and often challenging asanas while encouraging the magical power of breath and mental stillness to cultivate the true loving nature of the heart. For more information on David visit www.findbalance.net.

The Natural Link; Connecting to the Elements through your Asana Practice
Class Type - Asana Class
Class Level - All Levels/Moderate to Vigorous
Props Needed - Yoga Mat
With Yoga, as in daily life, we are given countless opportunities to engage with our natural environment. In bringing these thoughts to a conscious level, we take the first steps towards harmonizing our resonance with the universal forces and the world we live in physically, mentally, and spiritually. This workshop will begin with a guided meditation through our connection to the elements followed by pranayama and vinyasa ‘waves’ of each element followed by Yoga nidra deep relaxation. Upon rising we chant to awaken our vibrations and be in tune with the world in which we live.

Swami Dinndayal Morgan
SWAMI DINNDAYAL MORGAN, Director and Founder of Pathfinder Institute, School of YOGA HEART Meditative Movement is a Certified Kriya Yoga Teacher and Minister. He is also a professor of Martial Science, a 7th degree black belt in Chinese Kempo, Jujitsu and Eagle Claw Kung Fu. Professor Morgan, a specialist in Yoga, Martial Arts, Movement Psychology, Five Rings and Stress Response Training has over 40 years of experience including seminars, workshops, and private classes with adults and youth. His classes are offered through numerous agencies including adult schools, recovery programs, continuation schools and other community programs. For more information on Swami Dinndayal please visit www.yogidinndayal.com.

YOGA HEART
Class Type - Asana Class
Class Level - All Levels/Gentle
Props Needed - Yoga Mat
This Yoga Heart Meditative Movement class will include yoga, tai chi and other movement psychology practices. Learn to move through the daily challenges of life. We will explore body types and the relationship to stress, heart opening, communication, self empowerment, healthy lifestyle, interpersonal relationships and recovery. Beginners to advanced are all welcome.

Hasita Nadai
Hasita is a 500 Hour RYT, a professional level Kripalu Yoga Teacher, Reiki Master and an Energy Medicine Healer. She is a deep ecologist, biologist and geologist. Hasita roams the natural world, as a mountaineer, canoer, skier and geologist. She journeys through the inner world through yoga and meditation. She creates Yogagaia, where through the practice of yoga our deep connection to the earth is revealed.

Yogagaia: The Yoga of Earth and Kosmic Consciousness
Class Type - Asana
Class Level - All Levels/Gentle
Props Needed - Yoga Mat
Our body reveals our story, which is also the story of the "Kosmos," the sum total of reality including matter, body, mind and spirit. Yogagaia is a celebration, a ritual and a practice that expands our consciousness of the self toward a Kosmic consciousness, the greater self. We'll experience meditations, imagery, yoga sequences, and play that
Invoke memories of our earliest beginnings
Awaken our wonder at the universe
Heal our connection to the planet
Celebrate all of life with the deep knowing that it is a miracle that we are here.

Steve Nakon
Steve Nakon is the founder of Northwest Yoga and the director of Yoga Programs at The Chicago Botanic Garden, where sustainability and the environment are an important part of the mission. Steve’s backround includes training in many healing modalities with an emphasis on the Yoga Teachings of T. Krishnamacharya and TKV Desikachar. Steve leads retreats and trainings, and presents at conferences around the country. For more information on Steve visit www.northwestyoga.org.

The Healing Energy of Food
Class Type - Lecture
Class Level - All Levels/Sedentary
Props Needed - Blanket and Cusion or Beach/Camp Chair
As we become more attuned to the energy of food we begin to realize how the food choices we make affect our personal health and influence planetary health. A natural, whole foods diet helps nurture calm, creative people who are more likely to resolve conflicts peacefully, more capable of dedicating their energy toward ecological living.
In this session we will examine the healing qualities of a whole foods approach to eating. As we discuss foods that cause imbalance and disease, as well as foods that create a healing atmosphere in the body, we will explore the relationship between a plant based diet and individual and planetary health. Hippocrates taught “Let food be thy medicine” in 431 B.C., yet even today its meaning is just beginning to influence modern public and medical opinion.
Learn how what we eat helps us to heal ourselves and the planet.

Meditation in the Garden
Class Type - Meditation Class
Class Level - All Levels/Gentle
Props Needed - Meditation Props (Blanket and Cushion)
Nature’s rhythms, because they are our own deepest rhythms, can be our greatest teacher. As we spend time contemplating in the garden, we learn to listen to what our heart tells us. We begin to understand our role in preserving and sustaining life on this beautiful planet. Moment by moment, with attention to the breath, watching nature unfold we will explore the relationship between our individual nature and the universe that surrounds it.

In Mt Madonna’s beautiful landscape garden setting, surrounded by nature’s display of plants, flowers, and grasses, life force (prana) is bountiful. Absorbing the energy from the garden, we will observe our own individual energy as we breathe and meditate together. Meditation can be described as being present and observing each moment unfold. Nature is the perfect place to watch this unfolding.

Join us for a deep, experiential practice immersed in nature. All are welcome.

Samantha Ostergaard
Samantha has been practicing Iyengar Yoga for 15 years, and teaching for eight. She is a certified graduate of the Iyengar Institute of San Francisco’s Teacher Training Program. Samantha brings to her teaching her study and practice of Eastern healing traditions and many therapeutic modalities to alleviate physical and mental suffering, including Zen & Tibetan Buddhist meditation, esoteric Yoga, and Qi Gung.

Mother Earth, Father Sky
Class Type - Asana & Meditation
Class Level - All Levels/Gentle
Props Needed - Blanket & Yoga Mat
Human beings are engineered to be conduits between the earth and the heavenly bodies. When you are connected energetically to Mother Earth and Father Sky, you are never alone, never cut off from the source. In this class we will learn tools to make this an experiential reality. Through asana, movement, and visualization, we will explore our basic energetic structure, and learn how to tune our bodies so that we can draw from external sources of energy -- from the earth and the heavenly bodies, and from the forces of nature as they come through rocks and trees.

Jenny Sauer-Klein
Jenny Sauer-Klein is the co-founder of AcroYoga and the Director of the Green Yoga Conference Children’s Program. She leads AcroYoga workshops, retreats and teacher trainings internationally, but her heart belongs in Berkeley, CA. She is devoted to bringing people together to create a relationship of reverence and gratitude for each other and the earth. For more information on Jenny visit www.acroyoga.org.

Harvesting the Fruits of AcroYoga
Class Type - Asana Class
Class Level - All Levels/Moderate
Props Needed - Yoga Mat
Open your practice with grace and ease, as you learn to collaborate with a partner. This workshop touches upon all the disciplines that AcroYoga offers, combining Partner Yoga, Basic Acrobatics, and Thai Massage. The sweet nectar of the practice is the opportunity to deepen our relationship to ourselves, to our community, and to the Great Source of it all! As we flow through the experience, the focus will be on the principles of mutual support, trust, playfulness, and the divine connection between humanity and the earth. Students are requested to have some familiarity with yoga, all levels are welcome. No partner necessary!

Michelle Stobart
I became inspired to teach yoga because of the delicious, connected, peaceful feeling I felt after each practice. The more I practice and learn, the more I realize that yoga opens me in ways beyond just new flexibility within my body, into new flexibility in life. As I teach, I try to convey this experience to others and help them open to a greater sense of joy and peace that comes from within and an ease of living within their own bodies comfortably. It is my hope and mission to share the benefits of my practice experiences with as many people as I can in this lifetime. For more information on Michelle visit www.inhaleyoga.org.

Intuitive Movement
Class Type - Asana Class
Class Level - All Levels/Gentle to Moderate
Props Needed - Yoga Mat
Take a journey of deep exploration of what your inner voice says to you. This class will be blind folded the entire time. The intention will be to get in touch with that voice within that drives you to action, to listen to that voice and respond accordingly, to step outside your standard yoga practice and connect at an even deeper level. It is a journey of openness, vulnerability and trust.

Stephanie Snyder
Stephanie offers a rigorous asana flow practice designed to build strength and awareness. She offers a space for students to break through the physical and
mental limitations that have become habitual. Students are asked to consciously explore the unknown territory outside their comfort zone and go deeper. Emphasis on the vibration of deep and rhythmic breath creates an internal atmosphere of transformation with physical, mental, and emotional integrity. Students are encouraged to reconnect with what dwells in the heart, to get curious about their truth and to cultivate the courage to honor that higher purpose in their life. Stephanie’s classes will help you cultivate a deeply cleansing and detoxifying sweat while flowing to beautiful music. You will also find that she loves to infuse her flow classes with a healthy dose of both humor and technical alignment.

The Yamas and our Environment
Class Type - Asana Class
Class Level - Level 2/3/Vigorous
Props Needed - Yoga Mat
In this class we will explore how our yoga practice and specifically practice of the Yamas translates into our lives as environmentally aware human beings. We will contemplate how ahimsa, satya, asteya, aparigraha, and bramacharya affect our impact here in the physical realm and on this Earth. This will be a rigorous vinyasa class designed to challenge old habits that are not serving us anymore and awaken us to how we might be of maximum service to each other and to this planet.

Patricia Sullivan
Patricia’s classes offer a depth and breadth that arise from 30 years of teaching, and includes many streams of study. Having begun yoga in 1971, she studied in India with the Iyengars in the eighties and taught Advanced Studies at the Iyengar Yoga Institute of San Francisco through the nineties. Her practice and study of Buddhism brings the emphasis of mindful awareness and investigation taking precedent over accomplishment, and her work as a sculptor adds a creative, improvisational element to the class. For more information on Patricia please visit www.patriciasullivanyoga.com.

Integration
Class Type - Asana Workshop
Class Level - All Levels/Vigorous to Moderate
Props Needed - Yoga Mat
We begin with a guided meditation on interconnectedness as expressed in the vision of Indra’s Net. Just a glimpse of this vision can help us see a green perspective that we are connected with everything else.
We will then integrate the meditation by creating gathas, short verses, usually connected with the rhythm of the breath. We will welcome verses that help us remember our connectedness with our planet. We will use paper handmade by Patricia to record the verses.
During the asana part of the class we will take the opportunity to chant or sing out our gathas during yoga poses. The gathas are integrated with inhalation and exhalation.
Being reminded of the breath we are more connected to the body; the gathas may help us remember the body of the earth of which we are a part. Thus we embody of a new way of breathing/thinking/being/acting in our yoga practice and our lives. Our practice is not only for our own benefit, but the benefit of all things.
These gathas made during class can later be taken home to remind us of our green yoga ideals. They can be placed on an altar or used in ceremonies. They can also be given to other people, or exchanged with other students.

Questions? Call 1-888-659-7925 x1 or 415-564-7336.

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