– WORKSHOPS –
The Zoom link will be sent to you close to the Workshop date
FOCUSED PRACTICES | with Mary Lou Weprin
Saturdays;
September 19, October 10, November 14 and December 12
2:00-4:00 pm | $40 each
Each session will be a rounded practice with special focus on particular asana groups, as per below. We will explore appropriate warm-ups and preparations, and will include important classical poses in each category. The classes will be for Level 2–5 students who have practiced in the Iyengar style for one year or more and who have some familiarity with headstand, shoulder stand, and Urdhva Dhanurasana or chair preparations for that backbend. Each session will be 2 hours on Zoom. All participants will need a mat, 1 bolster, 1 tie or belt, 2–4 blocks, shoulder stand blankets, wall space, and a yoga chair if possible.
September 19: Focused Practice on Forward Bends
October 10: Focused Practice on Backbends
November 14: Focused Practice on Twists
December 12: Focused Practice on Inversions
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Mary Lou Weprin has been teaching ongoing classes and workshops at The Yoga Room since 1980, and she is Co-Director with Gay White of the Yoga Room's Advanced Studies Program. She is dedicated to supporting the Yoga Room community in their practice endeavors.
THE SECOND CHAPTER OF THE Bhagavad Gita | with Phid Simons
Mondays, September 21-November 9
6:30-8:00 p.m.
series cost - $160
In this series of eight classes we’ll explore the timeless message of the Bhagavad Gita through the verses of the second chapter. Through Arjuna’s situation we come to understand the universal nature of sorrow, and through Lord Krsna’s teaching we discover the ultimate solution to that sorrow. In this chapter Lord Krsna reveals the highest vision of truth and teaches the life of karma yoga and devotion, which is a means to attain that vision. He concludes the chapter with verses that describe the attitudes and conduct of the person who has conquered sorrow, providing invaluable guidance for the life of the spiritual seeker. The second chapter of the Bhagavad Gita concisely presents the entire message of the Gita. In this study group, we’ll read and discuss a few verses of chapter two each week.
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Phid Simons completed seven years of intensive study of Vedanta and Sanskrit under Swami Dayananda Saraswati, who is known throughout the world as a traditional master of Vedanta and the Bhagavad Gita. In over 650 hours of classes conducted in Sanskrit and English, Phid has studied in systematic detail every word of the ancient Bhagavadgita along with the famous and enduring commentary written by Shankaracarya nearly 1200 years ago.
FOCUSED PRACTICE OF BACKBENDS | with Mary Lou Weprin
Saturday, October 10
2:00-4:00 p.m. | $40
Each session will be a rounded practice with special focus on particular asana groups, as per below.
We will explore appropriate warm-ups and preparations, and will include important classical poses in each category. The classes will be for Level 2–5 students who have practiced in the Iyengar style for one year or more and who have some familiarity with headstand, shoulder stand, and Urdhva Dhanurasana or chair preparations for that backbend.
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Mary Lou Weprin has been teaching ongoing classes and workshops at The Yoga Room since 1980, and she is Co-Director with Gay White of the Yoga Room's Advanced Studies Program. She is dedicated to supporting the Yoga Room community in their practice endeavors.
UNWINDING THE NECK PART 2 | with Shannon Knorr
Saturday, October 17
2:00-4:00 p.m. | $40
In this workshop we will continue to explore ways to release tension around the neck, head and shoulders.It is not a prerequisite to have attended the first class, as in this class we are exploring different methods to deal with neck pain. We will specifically focus on traction methods, as well as strengthening the deep muscles of the upper spine, as well as all around the shoulder blades. Thus freeing up the neck and bringing our head in more alignment with our central access.
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Founder of Embody Studio. Shannon Knorr completed her Pilates certification in 2003 through PhysicalMind and Balanced Body. Gyrotonic Level 1 in 2005, and received her Dance/Movement Therapy degree in 2000. She completed a 500 hour Advance Yoga Studies certification in Iyengar inspired Yoga at The Yoga Room, Berkeley in 2014.Shannon herself is a breast cancer survivor and her movement practice of Yoga, Pilates along with guided meditation saved her during her time in treatment. She believes fully in her work and teaches directly from her own experience and heart.
QIGONG 5-CLASS SERIES:
THE DAOIST FIVE ORGANS EXERCISE | with Nicole Stone
Tuesdays, October 20, 27; Nov. 3, 10, 17
4:30-5:30 p.m. | $75
In this series, we’ll take a dive into this classic medical qigong set that improves immunity and tones the internal organs. Through breathwork, palpation of the meridians, and qigong movement, we’ll journey through the Five Elements (Metal, Water, Wood, Fire, Earth) by way of their respective organs (Lungs, Kidneys, Liver, Heart, Spleen-Pancreas).
This class series is for both beginning and intermediate students. All classes will be recorded so if you are unable to make one, you will be able to view later.
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Nicole Stone, M.A., is a movement artist who draws from her studies with many qigong teachers- from Daoist priests to martial artists to Qi healers- to offer unique and depthful Qigong classes. Nicole founded Joyful Movement Qigong in 2014 and has been teaching in Alameda for the past six years.
YOGA BOOK GROUP | with Debbie Gilman
Begins Saturday, October 24
2:00-4:00 p.m.
Come join other yoga practitioners who are interested in broadening their understanding of the ideas and traditions that underlie our modern yoga practice. Debbie Gilman will lead a discussion of Roots of Yoga (translated and edited with an introduction by James Mallinson and Mark Singleton) pp. ix-45.
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Debbie Gilman, M.A., ERYT 500, has been teaching at The Yoga Room since 2000 and is on the faculty of the Advanced Studies Program there. A life-long teacher, she loves sharing the movement-based mindfulness practice of yoga with her students. Debbie's yoga practice is informed by her study of the history of yoga.
STABILITY/BALANCE/EQUILIBRIUM | with Michael Lucey
Saturday, November 7
2:00-4:00 p.m. | $40
As we work to acquire physical stability and to keep our balance in our yoga practice, how does that contribute to cultivating other kinds of equilibrium — for example mental and emotional kinds?
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Michael Lucey is a certified Iyengar yoga teacher at the Senior Intermediate 1 level. Michael stumbled into an Iyengar yoga class in England in 1982, while he was a student at Oxford University. From his very first class he has been fascinated by the many ways yoga can transform your relation to your body, mind, and breath. He has also made 11 trips to India to study directly with the Iyengar family at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute, most recently in December 2018. Michael is also a professor of Comparative Literature and French at the University of California, Berkeley, and served as President of the Iyengar Yoga National Association of the United States from 2014-2017.
FOCUSED PRACTICE OF TWISTS | with Mary Lou Weprin
Saturday, November 14
2:00-4:00 p.m. | $40
This session will be a rounded practice with special focus on particular twists.
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Mary Lou Weprin has been teaching ongoing classes and workshops at The Yoga Room since 1980, and she is Co-Director with Gay White of the Yoga Room's Advanced Studies Program. She is dedicated to supporting the Yoga Room community in their practice endeavors.
HEALTHY HORMONES: Restorative Yoga Sequence for Self Identified Women | with Cator Sachoy
Sunday, November 15
2:00-4:00 p.m. | $40
Women’s health is directly related to hormonal and nervous system regulation. For each stage of life – youth, adult and maturity, we can find common principles in how to cultivate hormonal health. This class will focus on restorative yoga, mindfulness and breathing practices to support calming and cooling of the nervous system, laying a foundation for hormonal balance. We’ll look at optimal positions of internal organs related to women’s hormones, in particular the uterus, ovaries, kidneys, adrenals, and of course the brain. Open to all self identified women. Some experience with yoga is helpful.
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Cator Shachoy began the practices of yoga, Buddhist meditation, and energy healing in 1990 to heal chronic illness. Through the regular practice of these disciplines, she recovered her strength and vitality. For Cator, spiritual growth and development is a healing path inviting us to become more intimate with everything. Her practices of Buddhism, Energy Healing, Yoga and conscious body movement are deeply integrated. Cator is a CIAYT yoga therapist, YACEP instructor, MBSR teacher and Visionary Craniosacral work practitioner. She completed teacher training at the Iyengar Inst of SF & Kripalu and began to study with Donald Moyer & Marylou Weprin in 2004. She has a certificate in Buddhist Chaplaincy. Her primary meditation teachers are Ajahn Pasanno and Ruth Denison. Cator began teaching in 1996. Currently she is in private practice and teaches internationally.
YOGA FOR UNCERTAIN TIMES | with Bonnie Maeda
Saturday, November 21
2:00-4:00 p.m. $40
Yoga can not only bring awareness to this uncertainty, but also help to create spaciousness around it.
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Bonnie Maeda, RN, teaches Restorative Yoga and co-teaches Yoga For Health at The Yoga Room as well as at several Bay Area hospitals and Women’s Centers. She is certified by the Arthritis Foundation and also as an “Advanced Relax and Renew” teacher from Judith Hanson Lasater’s program. Her approach is gentle yoga for health and healing as well as restorative yoga to promote relaxation and manage stress. She believes in the benefits of yoga for every age, body type, and ability.
ASANAS FOR EMOTIONAL STABILITY | with Michael Lucey
THIS WORKSHOP IS A BENEFIT FOR THE YOGA ROOM.
Saturday, December 5
2:00-4:00 p.m.
We will practice together the sequence BKS Iyengar designed for Emotional Stability and explore the principles behind it.
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Michael Lucey is a certified Iyengar yoga teacher at the Senior Intermediate 1 level. Michael stumbled into an Iyengar yoga class in England in 1982, while he was a student at Oxford University. From his very first class he has been fascinated by the many ways yoga can transform your relation to your body, mind, and breath. He has also made 11 trips to India to study directly with the Iyengar family at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute, most recently in December 2018. Michael is also a professor of Comparative Literature and French at the University of California, Berkeley, and served as President of the Iyengar Yoga National Association of the United States from 2014-2017.
FOCUSED PRACTICE OF INVERSIONS | with Mary Lou Weprin
Saturday, December 12
2:00-4:00 p.m.
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Mary Lou Weprin has been teaching ongoing classes and workshops at The Yoga Room since 1980, and she is Co-Director with Gay White of the Yoga Room's Advanced Studies Program. She is dedicated to supporting the Yoga Room community in their practice endeavors.
YOGA AND THE EIGHT BROCADES FOR SELF-CARE | with Thara Srinivasan
Three Monday Evenings, December 7, 14 &21
4:00-5:00 p.m.
The ancient practices of yoga and qi gong have both been shown to boost immunity and support respiratory health. Indeed, medical practitioners in China have been using the Eight Silken Brocades, a form of qi gong practiced for over a thousand years, for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. In this refreshing self-care series, we will learn the beautiful, flowing movements of the Eight Brocades using yoga as preparation, and we will explore how qi gong and yoga can benefit and deepen each other. All levels are welcome. Classes will be recorded so they may be viewed at your convenience.
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Thara Srinivasan, PhD, teaches at The Yoga Room and is a graduate of The Yoga Room’s Advanced Studies Program, studying with Mary Lou Weprin. Yoga has been a strong tradition in her family for generations. She learned pranayama (yoga breathwork) and meditation from her grandfather, a lifelong yogi, and viniyoga (a style of yoga movement with the breath) from her father, a student of T.K.V. Desikachar. Her classes often incorporate qi gong, and she studied the Eight Brocades with Master Shi Yong Yao (former Grand Master of qi gong and kung fu at the Shaolin Temple in China). With deep experience using yoga therapeutically, Thara is dedicated to creating a safe environment for a joyful practice.
– INTENSIVES –
THANKSGIVING INTENSIVE | with Mary Lou Weprin
Friday, November 27 - Sunday, November 29
Fri: 2-4 pm, Sat: 10 am-12 noon & 2-4 pm, Sun: 1-3 pm
$120 for series of 4 classes / $100 for 3 classes / $80 for 2 classes
Join us for a three-day Thanksgiving Yoga Intensive. Friday will be devoted to more dynamic asanas, such as standing poses and backbends. Afternoon practice will be devoted to inversions, forward bends, and restoratives. This intensive is for Level 2–4 and Level 3–5 students.
Note: Participants must register for at least two classes. Please indicate which classes you wish to attend on the registration form. For eligibility information, contact mweprin@comcast.net or call 510-236-0295.
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Mary Lou Weprin has been teaching ongoing classes and workshops at The Yoga Room since 1980, and she is Co-Director with Gay White of the Yoga Room's Advanced Studies Program. She is dedicated to supporting the Yoga Room community in their practice endeavors.
