Elemental Logo

September 24-26, 2010
$250 | Watertown Center for Healing Arts

To register, close this window and scroll to the bottom of the workshops page for instructions.

Friday 6:00-8:30pm
Saturday 12:30-6:30pm
Sunday 11:00-5:00pm

Assisting is a complex and often-overlooked art that can offer yoga practitioners greater awareness and healing. In this workshop, you will immerse yourself in a deeper study of yoga alignment and the subtle art of assisting. You will receive an in-depth review of alignment for the primary poses of the vinyasa yoga system, as well as many of the therapeutic poses in the Elemental Yoga system of Integrative Yoga Therapeutics. You will learn about your anatomy and your yoga practice (including special issues), have the opportunity to observe your fellow students assisting, and receive and give assists in each pose. This workshop will cover: the purposes of assisting; different forms of assists and when to use them; the ethics of touch; alignment principles; and beginning energy anatomy and body reading. This course is ideal for teachers, aspiring teachers, and yoga students who wish to gain a more in - depth knowledge of alignment and deepen their personal practice. There will also be a free practice class on Sunday afternoon in which you will assist students in a live class setting.

*Priority registration will be given to those students taking the Elemental Yoga Teacher Training.

September 27-28, 2010
$250 | Watertown Center for Healing Arts

To register, close this window and scroll to the bottom of the workshops page for instructions.

Monday 10:00-1:00 and 2:00-5:00pm
Tuesday 10:00-1:00 and 2:00-5:00pm

This workshop will explore the Psychology of Yoga, including yoga's extraordinary influence on the mind, emotions, energy body, and inner self. We will examine the elements of the nervous and limbic systems that influence thought, emotion, and behavior and potentiate the mind-brain-body connection. We will discuss the power of personal patterns (samskaras) in the mind, brain, and body, and how these patterns can either obstruct or facilitate growth. Students will gain awareness of some of their primary limiting samskaras, and track these throughout the workshop. We will delve into the energetics of yoga, including the koshas, chakras, and gunas, and how these yogic concepts connect to physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health or disease. We will explore the system of Integrative Yoga Therapeutics, developed by Bo Forbes, and its potential for healing the entire mind-body network.

*Priority registration will be given to those students taking the Elemental Yoga Teacher Training.

September 29-30, 2010
$250 | Watertown Center for Healing Arts

To register, close this window and scroll to the bottom of the workshops page for instructions.

Wednesday 10:00-1:00 and 2:00-5:00pm
Thursday 10:00-1:00 and 2:00-5:00pm

This workshop will focus on the factors of alignment and movement that contribute to a healthy spine. We will also examine spinal injuries and anomalies, including sacroiliac joint dysfunction, chronic back pain, scoliosis (s-curve), kyphosis (hunchback), and lordosis (swayback). We will look at methods of assessing each of these back issues in class settings, and explore therapeutic techniques that can be used to reduce pain and discomfort as well as improve spinal health and alignment. Note: this weekend will include "live" yoga students and clients with pertinent spinal issues.

*Priority registration will be given to those students taking the Elemental Yoga Teacher Training.

October 1-3, 2010
$225 | Watertown Center for Healing Arts

To register, close this window and scroll to the bottom of the workshops page for instructions.

Friday 6:00-8:00pm
Saturday 12:30-5:30pm
Sunday 10:00-3:00pm

The Bhagavad Gita is perhaps the most representative and certainly the most influential and popular text from the numerous and varied spiritual traditions of Hindu India. Spoken by Lord Krishna to Arjuna who is undergoing a moment of existential crisis, the text deals with the nature of the self, the world, ultimate reality, the purpose of human existence and the spiritual paths that can be undertaken to accomplish this purpose. There are primarily four such paths, or yoga systems, featured in the text through which one can unite with the Divine: the path of self - knowledge (jnana yoga); the path of action in the world (karma yoga); the path of meditation (raja yoga); and the path of theistic devotion (bhakti yoga).

The philosophy portion of this workshop will undertake a detailed discussion of these four yoga systems as they have been understood by the most influential traditional Hindu commentators across the centuries, with contextual references to the background of the text and to some of the major streams of Hindu thought in general. No prior knowledge of Hinduism is necessary for this seminar; the only requirement is to bring an open mind and sincere heart.

Students are encouraged to procure any edition of the text, particularly versions that have the romanized Sanskrit text, since we will chant some of the Sanskrit verses together (a suitable version is by Winthrop Sargeant, published by State University of NY Press).

March 5-6, 2011
Saturday and Sunday, 10:00-1:00pm and 2:00-5:00pm
1120 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA
Cost: $200
Email: bo@elementalyoga.com or goodkarma@karmayogastudio.com

SANSKRIT IS THE LANGUAGE OF YOGA. It is 100% phonetic and intelligently designed, allowing one to learn how to read and pronounce anything with only 12 hours of training. In a supportive, cooperative, playful environment using color-coding and calligraphy, Nicolai will bring you step-by-step through the sacred alphabet. We will learn the sounds through chanting and explore the esoteric aspects of this sacred language. The weekend will culminate with everyone reading several asana names and Ayurvedic terms in the original Devanagari script. Booklets will be provided which will contain everything covered in the class and more. Deepen your yoga practice and yoga philosophy study with the beautiful language of Sanskrit.

Nicolai has been teaching Sanskrit, chanting, yoga philosophy and Ayurveda since 1994. He has a knack for synthesizing and organizing complex topics into simple and understandable presentations. His education combines informal, traditional study with the academic rigor of university classes. He has studied extensively at the American Sanskrit Institute, the Ayurvedic Institute, the American Institute of Vedic Studies and the Vedic Chant Center. He holds an M.A. in Eastern Philosophy, an M.S. in Nutrition, and is eRYT500 certified. Nicolai has authored several Sanskrit book/CD learning tools including 108 Sanskrit Flash Cards, The Language of Ayurveda, and by Sounds True, The Language of Yoga and The Yoga Sutras: An Essential Guide to the Heart of Yoga Philosophy. For more information, visit www.SanskritSounds.com .