Halifax Ashtanga Yoga Shala

Ron Reid and Marla Meenakshi Joy

Join us for an Ashtanga Yoga Workshop and Kirtan August 2012.

Friday, Aug. 24—Vinyasa Class & Kirtan with SWAHA—All Levels

Vinyasa style class (based on Ashtanga) followed by Kirtan with SWAHA (Meenakshi & Ron Reid); 6:30 -7:30pm Vinyasa class, 8-9pm Kirtan Price: $45 for class + kirtan; $15 for kirtan only

SWAHA performs music that is both inspired and uplifting. It is an enticing blend of ethereal Sanskrit vocals soaring over rich earthy rhythms. The songs are composed by Meenakshi and Ron Reid. Swaha invited the soul to sing, and Meenakshi and Ron and the grooves of the band are contagious. Swaha’s website: http://www.swaha.ca/

Saturday, Aug. 25 – Public Workshop - All Levels

Price: $165 early bird (purchased before July 13, 2012); $185 regular
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
“POWER AND GRACE”-A Salute to the Sun 
The beauty of Sun Salutations is being able to feel both power and grace in our devoted efforts to their mastery. The poses in the Ashtanga Sun sequence form a complete practice in themselves. Finding nuance in these movements allows us to explore our greater potential.

2:00 – 5:00 pm
“A LEG TO STAND ON”- Sthira Sukham Asanam 
Standing poses are the foundation of any Yoga practice. By finding strength and stability in our legs (sthira) and how they relate to our core we develop a deeper relationship to gravity from which to explore ease or levity (sukham).

Price for both Friday night and Saturday: $190 early bird (purchased before July 13, 2012); $210 regular

Sunday, Aug, 26—Training for YTT students
Price: Included in the 300-hour Hart Lazer YTT program

9:00:00 am – 12:00 pm
“ENTRANCE GRANTED THROUGH THE GATEWAY OF THE HIPS”
Our access is often denied to deeper yoga poses until the area of the hip is opened.
It requires not just an opening but a balancing of actions involving the three joint of the leg. The knee, as the hinge, is often the victim of discomfort, due to a limitation of external rotation, tightness of the inner leg, and lack of stability in the ankle.
This workshop explores pathways from Janu Shirshasana to Eka Pada Shirshasana (leg behind the head pose) and will cover information appropriate for all levels.

2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
“BEND WITHOUT BREAKING”- back-bending basics
Finding our way in backbends can be challenging. By using principles of leverage, energy in backbends can shift from a broken flow to a continuous flow. We will learn how to “support” backbends in our bodies to create balance and control.

 

Ron Reid has been practicing Yoga for over 30 years and teaching since 1988. He is co-owner and Director of the Downward Dog Yoga Centre in Toronto, Canada. http://www.downwarddog.com
Ron has studied with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and Sharath both in India and North America and was one of the first Canadian teachers to be authorized by Pattabhi Jois. In addition to regular classes at Downward Dog, he conducts workshops and teacher trainings in Canada, Europe, and the U.K. and is becoming a familiar face at various conferences around the world.
Ron is one of Canada’s top teachers, approaching teaching in an inspired, informed and non-dogmatic way. He places the needs of the students ahead of the demands of the practice. While continuing to teach and practice the ashtanga vinyasa system as a foundation, he endeavours to blend tradition with innovation, and to balance precision with grace. Students will find his refined approach to practice both challenging and rewarding.

 

Meenakshi (Marla Joy) first traveled to India in 1988 to study meditation and the philosophy of the Vedas with Swami Shyam, as well as other learned scholars in the Himalayas. She is a Certified Meditation and Yoga Philosophy teacher from the International Meditation Institute in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh, Himalayas.
She was involved in Downward Dog’s first teacher training program in 1999, as both a teacher of Philosophy and Sanskrit, and a student. She has over 500 hours of Teacher Training with both Ron Reid, Chuck Miller and Maty Ezraty, among others, and is a Yoga Alliance Certified Teacher.
She currently teaches Ashtanga Yoga, Swaha Yoga, Restorative Yoga, Yogadance, Meditation, Yoga philosophy, Sanskrit, and Chanting privately and in yoga studios in Canada, the U.S. The UK, Europe and Asia. She has been teaching Sanskrit and yoga philosophy, as well as Restorative Yoga in Teacher Training courses since 1999. She has been a practicing Shiatsu Therapist since 1993, and has a healing and informative touch. She also leads Kirtan (call-and-response chanting) with her band SWAHA, with inspired musical compositions with her partner/keyboardist, Ron Reid. She has produced four CD’s of Sanskrit chanting entitled “Prayer’s”, “Salutations”, “Vishnu’s Dream”, and “Bolo!”