– WORKSHOPS –
The Zoom link will be sent to you close to the Workshop date.
Developing a Practice of Standing Poses
with Gay White
Mondays, March 1 to April 19,
8 week series, $240
7:30-9:00 p.m.
The standing poses strengthen the legs, improve the mobility of the hip joints, and create a firm and steady base for the elongation of the spine. In this course, we will explore alignment, sequencing of poses, and the use of props.
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Gay White is Director of The Yoga Room and Co-Director of The Yoga Room Advanced Studies Program. The Yoga Room Advanced Studies Program (500 hours) has been helping people deepen their practice & training teachers since 1988.
Yoga Anatomy 1
with Bonnie Maeda
Mondays, March 1 to April 19,
8 week series, $240
5:45 - 7:15 p.m.
In this 8 week course we will study structural anatomy including the bones and joints. The participants will learn the names of the bones, and be able to describe the range of motion of the joint structures. This class is open to any student interested in learning how the body moves in daily life, and in yoga poses.
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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.
Zen Meditation
with Reb Anderson
March 2 to April 13
7 week series, $126 / single class $20
7:30-9:15 p.m.
“On being in the same boat with all sentient beings”.
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Tenshin Reb Anderson is Senior Dharma Teacher and former Abbot of San Francisco Zen Center. He is the author of Warm Smiles from Cold Mountains, Being Upright: Zen Meditation and the Bodhisattva Precepts, and The Third Turning of the Wheel: Wisdom of the Samdhinirmocana Sutra.
Bhagavad Vita, Chapter 3, Karma Yoga
A Benefit for the Yoga Room
with Phid Simmons
Thursdays, March 11 - April 29
8-Week Series, $144, Single Classes $20
6:00-7:30 p.m.
We’ll start with a few selected verses from Chapter Three as a review of karma-yoga. Then we’ll turn our attention to Chapter Seven to focus on understanding īśvara (the Lord) and the relationship between īśvara and the individual
.
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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.
Sequencing for Asana Practice
with Mary Lou Weprin
Saturday, April 3
2:00-4:00 p.m. | $40
We will discuss various aspects of asana sequencing, including the traditional Iyengar approach. We will also look at other ways of preparing and warming-up for a certain practice focus, using pose analysis and pose categories to craft appropriate practice modules. After our discussion, we will do a regular practice, noting reasons for particular choices and experiencing the benefits. Our workshop will be geared towards both teachers and those who wish to deepen their understanding of practice techniques. You will need a mat, 1 bolster, 2–4 blocks, a tie or belt, wall space, shoulderstand blankets, and a yoga chair or substitute.
Level 2–5.
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Mary Lou Weprin has been leading workshops and intensives at The Yoga Room for over 30 years and enjoys supporting the practice
community in their endeavors.
Restorative Yoga Practice, A Benefit for the Yoga Room
with Bonnie Maeda
Saturday, April 10
2:00-4:00 p.m. | $40
In this workshop, we will begin with a period of gentle stretches to release muscle tension, and fatigue allowing the body and the mind to slow down. The restorative poses will be supported facilitating an opportunity for deep relaxation and rest.
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Bonnie Maeda teaches Restorative Yoga at The Yoga Room, and Gentle Yoga for Health at several Bay Area women's centers. She graduated from The Advanced Studies Program at The Yoga Room, and is certified in the Relax and Renew Training with Judith Hanson Lasater. Bonnie believes the practice of yoga is available to everyone, can help manage stress, and can improve one's sense of wellbeing.
Finding the Posterior Body
with Amelia Pudoff
Saturday, April 17
2:00-4:00 p.m. | $40
It is much easier to have awareness of the front of our body, it is what we can see. In this workshop we will explore opening our 'eyes' in the back of our body as Donald Moyer so lovingly instructed, with wonderful resulting discoveries. Finding strength and support from our back body, from the bottom of our feet to our third eye center, can help to bring balance from front to back and add a fuller awareness of how we see ourselves and carry ourselves forward.
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Amelia Pudoff has a love of yoga and anatomy that shines in her mindful movement classes. She teaches with props, clear communication, and a positive and caring manner. Amelia wants people to walk away from their yoga practice feeling better equipped to get the most out of their lives, feeling physically stronger and more agile, and also mentally ready to handle the good and bad with grace.
When Amelia is not teaching she is spending time with her husband and two young children. They have taught her just how important it is to slow down, destress, and keep a playful attitude all throughout the day. Amelia did a 200 hour teacher training course in 2011 and then studied prenatal and postpartum yoga at Yoga Garden in San Francisco. She completed her 500 hour certification at The Yoga Room in Berkeley, CA in 2016. She continues to study as a forever student.
Building Resilience and Presence, Practicing Transitions
with Shannon Knorr
Saturday, April 24
2:00-4:00 p.m. | $40
In this practice the focus will be on cultivating and developing states of presence, especially in transition.
We practice being present as we move between different modalities and somatic practices. Moving from stillness into more rhythmic movements and fluidity and moving from resistance into release. We will explore weightlessness and feeling weight, all the while practicing staying present and building our capability and ability to be resilient in our lives, and being aware through life’s transitions.
We will study somatic practices within our yoga practice as we fluctuate between Gyrotonic and Fluid movements, stillness and release, restorative and more active movement and yoga practices, while moving between inner and outer awareness/body.
This class is for all levels, but at least one year of yoga practice is recommended. With continuum we'll find the common threads between lineages of movement. The workshop will hopefully be a breath of fresh air to your usual practices, incorporating new life, creativity and fun, as we enter into spring. You will need a chair, 2 yoga blocks, 2-3 blankets, a strap and therabands, or resistance bands.
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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.
First Year of the Advanced Studies Program
Practice of Backbends
with Mary Lou Weprin
Mondays, April 26-June 21
5:45-7:15 p.m. | 8 classes/$240
Backbends restore a normal spinal curve and strengthen the back muscles. They open the chest, stimulate the nervous system and increase vitality. This class is meant to deepen our understanding of backbends and explore different ways of practicing them
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By permission of the teacher, Mary Lou, or enrollment in the Advanced Studies Program.
First Year of the Advanced Studies Program
The Wisdom of Yoga
with Phid Simons
Mondays, April 26-June 21
7:30-9:00 p.m. | 8 classes/$240
This course will introduce the principles and common themes of Indian philosophy, as taught in the Yoga Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita. We’ll apply the wisdom of these ancient teachings as a guide to self-understanding, more effective practice, and greater happiness.
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No prerequisite required.
The Teaching and Practice of Restorative Poses: 2 Class Series
with Bonnie Maeda
Saturdays, May 1, June 5
2-4 p.m. | $40 each
This two part workshop is for both teachers, and students interested in individualizing, and sequencing of a restorative practice.
In the May 1st session, we will focus on supported backbends, and supported inversions. The participants will experience a warm up sequence preparing for these poses. I will offer several options for setting up the restorative pose. We will then work together to individualize each pose.
In the second session on June 5th, we will focus on standing and seated forward bends as well as twists. The participants will experience a warm up sequence preparing for these poses. I will offer several options for the set ups for a chosen pose. We will then work together to individualize the pose.
Props needed will be a mat, strap, three to four blankets, or bath towels, two pillows the same size, and a chair.
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Bonnie Maeda teaches Restorative Yoga at The Yoga Room, and Gentle Yoga for Health at several Bay Area women's centers. She graduated from The Advanced Studies Program at The Yoga Room, and is certified in the Relax and Renew Training with Judith Hanson Lasater. Bonnie believes the practice of yoga is available to everyone, can help manage stress, and can improve one's sense of wellbeing.
The Twelve Treasures of Wild Goose Qigong: 5 Class Series
with Nicole Stone
Tuesdays, April 27, May 4, 11, 18, 25
4:15-5:15 p.m. | $75
In this series we will dive into the beautiful, flowing Twelve Treasures Qigong practice. This set of exercises was designed by my teacher Dr. Hu for beginning and intermediate students to increase qi circulation, relaxation, and overall well-being. Focusing on spirals, circles, and three-dimensional movement, this qigong set is both safe and nourishing. Classes will be recorded and available for viewing up to one month after the series ends.
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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 deep Qigong classes. Nicole founded Joyful Movement Qigong in 2014 and has been teaching in Alameda for the past six years.
Yoga Movement with The Yoga Garden Dancers
with Gay White, Tasha Hansen, Maya Woodson Turman & Elizabeth Costello
Saturday, May 8
2:00-4:00 p.m. | $40
This afternoon will be a movement practice based on the ancient art of yoga.
We move together through linked asanas either with guided, slow, improvisation or composed sequences of asana and breathing.
Each of the four yoga teachers and dancers will lead a portion of the workshop. We will begin with floor warm-up, standing poses, inversions and a long connected cool down.
This is a level 2-4 practice but can be adapted by those who know some yoga. You will need some space to move, but two sticky mats crossed is enough.
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The Yoga Garden Dancers are an ever fluctuating group of dancers, yogis and musicians. We first performed our yoga dances in San Francisco and at yoga conferences in the 1990's. Our most current body of work was choreographed and performed at The Yoga Room Studios in Berkeley. We are beginning a new creative cycle and are inspired to emerge from a fallow period.
Developing Stronger Bones and Balance Through Alignment
with Deborah Saliby
Saturday, May 15
2:00-4:00 p.m. | $40
In this workshop we will learn the basics of good posture while sitting and standing. There will be an emphasis on building a strong foundation in yoga postures while strengthening and fortifying our ability to balance. This class will conclude with supported postures, and Pranayama practice. Especially geared for those 50+.
Please have available a chair, wall space, 2 blankets and 2 blocks.
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Deborah Saliby Is a Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher and Certified Yoga Therapist with the International Association of Yoga Therapists (c-IAYT). She is a graduate of the 500-hour Advanced Studies/Teacher Training Program at the Iyengar Yoga Institute of San Francisco (1982).
– INTENSIVES –
Memorial Day Intensive
with Gay White and Debbie Gilman
Sunday, May 30 & Monday May 31
Mornings 9:00-11:00 a.m., Afternoons 4:00-5:30 p.m.
$140
Join us for two days of practice as we emerge into the summer months after a long hibernation. The more active morning sessions will aim to open the body and establish a sense of strength, equipoise and groundedness through standing poses, supported backbends and twisting postures. And the quieter afternoon sessions will encourage turning inward with inversions, reclining work, deeply relaxing restorative poses and pranayama. Intensives allow us to go into a deeper kind of practice with four connected classes.
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Debbie Gilman, M.A., ERYT 500, has been teaching at The Yoga Room since 2000, is on the faculty of the Advanced Studies Program there, and co-owns Innate Chiropractic & Wellness Studio in Albany. A life-long teacher, she loves sharing the movement-based mindfulness practice of yoga with her students. In recent years Debbie has been studying the history of yoga to deepen her understanding of the practice.
Gay White, Director of The Yoga Room and Co-Director of The Yoga Room's Advanced Studies Program, has taught yoga in the Bay Area since 1991. Her longtime teacher, Donald Moyer, taught with great joy and passed along deep understanding to his students. Gay's classes and workshops are dedicated to alignment and awareness in a safe and creative mixed-level learning community.
