Yogacharya Venkatesh and his wife Hema
4th-6th of July 2008
Venkatesh, who started his yoga practice at the early age of 13 is an amazingly advanced practitioner, whose learning and teaching are based upon experience alone. He started teaching yoga at the age of 16 and is now one among the World’s most respected and renowned yoga teachers.
He is well known for his precision, dignity, discipline and ability to handle the students of all levels. Though, he is an expert in all sections of Yoga, his special and rare expertise in back bending asanas, has earned him the title rubber yogi. He is the first person to introduce special courses on flexibility improvement techniques which are based on very strong scientific, yet traditional grounds.
This is a rare opportunity to study in Galway with a genuine Indian yoga master. We are delighted that they are returning to the shala this year after such a wonderful workshop last year. They are also doing a longer workshop on Clare island see www.yoga-ireland.com
Booking is in advance and payment is accepted by paypal or cheque and costs €175. For more on these amazing teachers see www.atmavikasayoga.com
Manju Jois
visiting the shala on August 4th to 6th for early morning mysore style workshops.
Manju Jois, Ashtanga Yoga guru of Mysore, South India, is the oldest son of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, recognized worldwide as the foremost authority on Ashtanga Yoga. Manju was born on November 16th, 1944. At the young age of 7, Manju was awakened early each day by his father to begin lessons that would forever change the course of his life and the lives of those who would study with him in the years to come. He began his teaching career at the age of 15 with his father and has taught ever since.
Emil Wendel returns 26th &27th August 2008.
Emil was born in Switzerland and has been living in Asia since the mid-seventies, studying first Chinese Classics and Taoism in Taiwan, and then Sanskrit and Indian Thought on the Subcontinent.
Making Nepal his home in 1980, he became a founder-partner of Machan Wildlife Resort, a safari lodge in the jungles of South Nepal. While continuing his studies and occasionally retreating in East Asia, India and Nepal, Emil had the privilege to come into contact with several remarkable human beings and teachings. Among them were adepts, representing different branches of Yoga. His own Sâdhana – the spiritual search began in earnest.
Emil remains deeply passionate about philosophy and especially its application in Yoga. He practices and teaches Hatha-Yoga, using a method of merging physical postures, breathing techniques and meditation with discussions on liberating knowledge, to deepen a Yoga practice beyond the mere physical experience. One of his mentors was the late Professor Saraswati Prasad Ghimire. The affiliation with him and other Pandits covered research in Hindu and Buddhist literature, as well as thought and ritual, in their original context.
In the field of Âsanas, Emil is amazingly proficient but he is very modest and prefers to place the emphasis of his teaching on other aspects of Yoga not taught in and everyday class.
Emil’s Prânâyâma (breathing techniques) and his instructions in Kriyâ-Yoga (Processes of Movement of Awareness) distilled through years of self-practice and experimentation are so rarely taught in the modern yoga world but are such a joy to experience with Emil..
Edward Clark creator of Tripsichore yoga
visiting the shala for a workshop on November 28th - 30th.
Edward Clark is a founding member of Tripsichore which began in 1979 as a company devoted to creating full length dance narratives. They explored a variety of stylistic forms including punk ballet, conventional modern dance and strict neo-classical technique. They used masks, performed with rock bands and did pop videos. While yoga was always a part of their training, it wasn't until 1992 that they realized the expressive potential and choreographic viability of yoga postures.
They began to devise works using yoga asanas, the postures' extraordinary artistic logic became evident. Surprisingly, it would seem that there has been no orthodox tradition for using yoga technique to create dances in the 5000 year history of the discipline. The postures intrinsically possess a sumptuous beauty and fluidity. They are the ideal vehicle to express the themes of harmony, balance, spirituality, ecstasy, bliss and mysticism because they are exactly about these subjects in and of themselves. They are now many years into this experiment and each day brings new discoveries. Visit their website at: http://www.tripsichore.com/index.html
Max Strom
Visiting the shala in May 2009.
Born a twelve-pound baby with clubfeet, Max Strom spent the first 3 years of his life with his legs confined in plaster casts and braces. After several painful corrective surgeries, he was able to walk fairly well but would always have abnormally shaped feet. This would create a physical and emotional challenge for him in many ways. Because he had to learn to endure partial confinement or nearly complete immobility at a very young age, he developed patience, determination and a high tolerance to pain in order to cope with his condition. This initial physical set back in his life however, did not prevent Max from developing into a healthy and strong young man. By high school, Max was 6 foot five and an impressive football player. Although he was an avid athlete, Max was also an inquisitive seeker, wanting to make sense of the world around him. Introspective and gentle by nature, he spent much time reading and hiking in the woods on the outskirts of Santa Cruz, California where he grew up. (It was this introspection that eventually caused him to quit football, due to the serious injuries he was causing to other players).
Today, Max Strom is known for inspiring and impacting the lives of his students, teaching with the aim of personal transformation and has become one of the most revered and respected Yoga Teachers in the US. He built and directed Sacred Movement, Center for Yoga and Healing in Los Angeles, and now travels extensively teaching and lecturing on yoga, spirituality, and personal transformation. He is recognized by the Yoga Alliance at their Advanced Teacher Level (ERYT), and is renowned for his teacher trainings. You can see more of his work on his DVDs, Max Strom Yoga – Strength, Grace, and Healing, and Learn to Breathe, to heal yourself and your relationships. www.maxstrom.inticketing.com
GentleBirth Hypnobirthing Workshops with Tracy Donegan
June 21 and 22 , August 23 and 24
Weekend workshops with Irelands foremost authority on Hypnobirthing. below is an extract from her website: www.doulaireland.com
If you think hypnobirthing is only for 'earth mothers' - read on. Most couples come to my course not because they are completely ruling out the epidural but because they want to have a positive experience for themselves and their baby. They are women from all walks of life - pediatricians, teachers and stay at home mums. Like you, they've heard all the scary stories and have decided to stack the deck in their favour of having a great birth experience rather than leaving everything up to chance..
Gentlebirth is the only birth preparation class of it's kind in Ireland. This workshop is for parents who want to be actively involved in decision making and would like an understanding of what your choices are for labour and birth in Ireland. Our GentleBirth weekend workshops combining birth hypnosis (deep relaxation for pregnancy and labour) and active birthing principles enabling couples to have empowered, confident birth experiences with or without medical intervention at home or at the hospital.
