Most yogis understand, after practicing for a little while, that there is a lot more going on in the practice than they first imagined. But it can be difficult to discover more about this "more" when you are trying to fit a 60 minute class into your busy life schedule. Or maybe you've been practicing for a while and would like to deepen your practice by exploring more of the extra practices that are also part of yoga. Maybe you're thinking about taking a teacher training and would like a taste of what that experience is like. Maybe you just want a bit of time for yourself, to explore and discover some hidden layers of your experience.
That's what this urban retreat is for: to take a journey with the words of The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, one of the most important yoga texts in western practice. It's delightfully short (about 6 pages when printed) and gives us a map to the back alleys and mountain trails of our human experience. Over two days of the October bank holiday, we’ll have a look at that map and explore some of it with both physical practice and group discussion.
On Saturday, we will look at what Patanjali means when he says "Yoga is when the restless mind stops chasing itself". Then we'll look at all the territory that the full practice of Raja Yoga covers. Along the way we'll have plenty of movement, good conversation, and some nourishing meditation to get us well on the long road trip of a sustainable yoga practice.
| 60 min | arrival/opening practice |
| 10 min | break |
| 50 min | YSP chapter 1 overview & satsang/discussion |
| 30 min | embodiment practice |
| 10 min | savasana/meditation |
Overview (Samadhi Pada)
Right from the first session we will begin to practice yoga in its original context: preparing the body as a vehicle for exploring all that it means to be a human, alive and present to all the world has to offer. We will begin with some asana work, and continue with the overview Patanjali provides in the first chapter of the Yoga Sutras. Then we'll close out the session with mindful sensory and movement practice to celebrate the miracle of our embodiment.
| 30 min | yin practice |
| 50 min | 8 limbs (YSP chapter 2) satsang/discussion |
| 10 min | break |
| 60 min | flow practice |
The Practice (Sadhana Pada)
Coming back from lunch, we'll take a little while to settle the body and mind back onto our journey with a short Yin yoga practice. From there we will have a look at the eight limbs of Raja Yoga to help us understand why we use asana as a major tool in yoga practice. We'll also have a look at its benefits and limitations as a container for our journey into the experience of Yoga.
The most important thing to remember about maps is that they are not the same thing as the actual terrain they describe. The second day of this retreat is dedicated to getting really real with the practice and the way we enact and experience it in our lives. We will also try out several different practices in addition to asana, just to see where they might fit into each yogis unique approach and lifestyle.
| 60 min | arrival/opening practice |
| 10 min | break |
| 40 min | Home practice satsang/discussion |
| 40 min | asana games |
Obstacles (Vibhuti Pada)
After gathering our attention together for the second day, we will jump right into a discussion of how the rubber meets the road: how to establish and sustain a home practice. There will be a particular emphasis on making it a fun and useful tool for gracefully managing the challenges of a house-holder's life.
| 30 min | pranayama & mantra practice |
| 40 min | liberation (YSP chapters 3&4) satsang/discussion |
| 10 min | break |
| 60 min | jam session/flow practice |
| 10 min | savasana/meditation. |
Liberation (Kaivalya Pada)
The closing session will take time to experiment with other tools that can augment a yogi's asana practice by fitting into spaces where rolling out a mat just won't. These practices also enable the yogi to develop and explore subtle experiences that can be overwhelmed when the mind is busy with the sensory demands of asana. Finally, we will end the weekend with a funky flow/jam session and yummy savasana so we can bring some of our weekend fun back to our regular daily experience.
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