Deepening Your Restorative Practice through Breathing Awareness

with Bonnie Maeda 

Mondays, March 7 - April 25 (8-week series)

5:45-7:18 pm

$80 for 4 classes / $160 for the series

 

In this eight week series, we will discuss the anatomy and physiology of the respiratory system. The presentation will also include the nervous system, and its relationship with the breath. There will be a restorative sequence following the discussion which will allow the student to experience, and assimilate the information presented. This class will give the participantthe opportunity to learn how the breath affects the overall health of the body.

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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 well being.

Zen Meditation on Karma and Awakening

with Reb Anderson

Tuesdays, April 5 -May 24 (8 week series)

7:00-8:45 pm

$144 series /$20 individual class (via Zoom only)

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In this series of meetings we will meditate together on the teachings of karma and karmic causation for the sake of actualizing great wisdom and compassion. We will begin each session with quiet sitting together followed by teachings and discussion.

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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.

A Yoga Practice as a Kitchen for Consciousness (Parts 1, 2, and 3)

with Michael Lucey

Saturdays, April 9, May 14, and July 16

2:00- 4:00 pm

$40 / In-person only (recording available)

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We all understand, after being involved with Iyengar Yoga for a few years, that an asana practice is more than physical activity. But it's so easy to get caught up in the technicalities of the postures that we can lose sight of what else is going on. In both his teaching and his writing, Prashant Iyengar (son of B.K.S. Iyengar) has been offering his students systematic ways of using an asana practice as a laboratory for rich explorations, or, in his memorable phrase, a "kitchen for consciousness." In a series of three workshops we will explore how we can incorporate into our own asana practice some of the techniques Prashant Iyengar lays out in the early chapters of his book, Yogasana--The 18 Maha Kriyas (available in the store at iynaus.org). Each workshop will start with a review of the material covered previously, and then move on to new material. The workshops can be taken separately or as a series.

 

Part 1 -- Learning to Integrate (4/9)

Part 2 -- Breath and Mind (5/14)

Part 3 -- Senses of Perception (7/16)

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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. 

Embodiment and Integration (part I)

with Roxlyn Moret

Saturday, June 11

2:00-4:00 pm

$40 (online only)

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This weekend will be an invitation to be with the process and practice of consciousness as we move through layers of tissue and experience.  Can we bring awareness to the patterns that support us and discover what is in shadow that can be illuminated and allow us to move into our fuller potential. I will guide touch and smaller internal movement. We will integrate this internal practice with asana.

The central axis, the notochord began its development in relationship to the gut tube and the neural tube in the 3rd week of embryological development. Our vertical axis, our spine is 3 dimensional and very important in the organization of our limbs, organs, brain and nerves.

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Weekend 1,  June 11th
A full term baby is in a concave ball just before birth. As the baby comes through the birthing canal the birthing crown will present first as the baby starts to extend to come out, then the celestial crown will present and finally the frontal crown. The baby rotates and extends the head which leads the body out. Experiencing the frontal crown, the celestial crown and the birthing crown can allow us to feel the top of our head as not being static but being in relationship to all of the parts of our cranium and where we are in space. Initiating movement from the coccyx up the spine to the head can be a big source of support for the hips and low back down to the feet.  Our AO joint, our thoracic spine and sacrum are our primary concave curves. Our cervical and lumbar curves develop later and are considered to be the secondary convex curves.The dynamic curves of the spine in relationship to each other allow for a balanced spine that facilitates ease and freedom of movement.

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Roxlyn Moret has been exploring, practicing and teaching movement, touch, yoga and the martial arts for 45 years. The embodiment and integration of her knowledge and understanding of anatomy, physiology, embryology and developmental movement patterns with her movement practice and teaching has allowed for experiencing a greater range and ease of movement balanced with the strength that comes with pliability and the organization of all of the layers of tissue. She taught Body Mind Centering and yoga all over the world in different training programs and has a robust private practice.  She is a Body Mind Centering Teacher, a CMA, ERYT 500, RSME and a member of ISMETA.

Embodiment and Integration (part II)

with Roxlyn Moret

Saturday, June 18

2:00-4:00 pm

$40 (online only)

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This weekend will be an invitation to be with the process and practice of consciousness as we move through layers of tissue and experience.  Can we bring awareness to the patterns that support us and discover what is in shadow that can be illuminated and allow us to move into our fuller potential. I will guide touch and smaller internal movement. We will integrate this internal practice with asana.

The central axis, the notochord began its development in relationship to the gut tube and the neural tube in the 3rd week of embryological development. Our vertical axis, our spine is 3 dimensional and very important in the organization of our limbs, organs, brain and nerves.

 

Weekend 2, June 18th
The pharynx and mouth are in front of the cervical vertebra. The rectum is in front of the sacrum. The anal mouth in front of the tail. Finding the movement of the mouth to the anal sphincter through the gut tube can facilitate sturdy, pliable support for more ease in our spine. We will explore the relationship and support of the ribs and lungs as they connect into the concave thoracic spine. The ascending and descending intestines with the 2 pelvic bones can provide support to the sacroiliac joint and our concave sacrum.

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Roxlyn Moret has been exploring, practicing and teaching movement, touch, yoga and the martial arts for 45 years. The embodiment and integration of her knowledge and understanding of anatomy, physiology, embryology and developmental movement patterns with her movement practice and teaching has allowed for experiencing a greater range and ease of movement balanced with the strength that comes with pliability and the organization of all of the layers of tissue. She taught Body Mind Centering and yoga all over the world in different training programs and has a robust private practice.  She is a Body Mind Centering Teacher, a CMA, ERYT 500, RSME and a member of ISMETA.

A Men's Introduction to Yoga Series

with Joe Sapena

Saturdays, June 5, 12, 19, 26

4:15-5:30 pm

$75 Full series / $20 Single Class (In-person only)

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This 4 week Introduction to Yoga class is tailored for men who have an interest in experiencing the benefits that a Yoga practice can bring to their lives. During this 4 week class we will practice some basic Yoga poses to help build strength, flexibility and alignment along with a sense of well being. These classes are appropriate for all levels of flexibility.

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Joe Sapena began his personal yoga practice at 62 years of age using the method inspired by BKS Iyengar. In 2013, he graduated from the Berkeley Yoga Room’s 500 hour Advanced Studies Program. He then started teaching at numerous East Bay yoga studios as well as hospitals, the Hayward Area Recreation Department's Aikens Senior Center and the Castro Valley and San Lorenzo public libraries. He is committed to yoga as community service and  believes in the healing and sustaining power of yoga for himself, his family, and his community. He is also a certified Yoga for Healthy Aging instructor and a Yoga 12-Step Recovery Class teacher.

Yoga Rope Wall Series

with Bridget Frederick and Sandy Zirulnik

Sundays, June 12, July 10, August 14

2:00-4:00 pm

$40 class

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Experienced using the Rope Wall or ready for your first time, you are invited to add a little hang-time to your yoga practice using the fantastic Yoga Ropes Wall in Studio B. Join Bridget Frederick and Sandy Zirulnik for a gentle, playful, sometimes challenging, always fun experience. We will learn preparations, technique, poses, and positions, while developing strength and confidence on the walls.

Limited to 8 students.  All students must be fully vaxxed and boosted.

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Bridget Frederick, ERYT 500, has been teaching since 2010. Her classes aim to make Yoga accessible to anyone who is interested in finding the relief, strength, or stillness that Yoga can bring. With a strong focus on anatomy, balance, and core strength, there’s always a new direction and challenge for her students to explore. Her interest in aerial arts led to an exploration of the Yoga Ropes Wall.

 

Sandy Zirulnik, RYT 500, E-RYT 200, YACEP, leads yoga classes that explore structure, movement, strength, and balance through the practice of Asanas, breathing awareness, and the study of anatomy. They are enjoyable and appropriate for students of all ages and interests. No experience or special level of flexibility is required. Sandy developed the Rope Wall system at The Yoga Room. Often he can be seen riding his bicycle in the Berkeley hills or more distant places.

Yoga for Osteoporosis Workshop

with Betty Aten

Saturday, June 25

2:00-4:00 pm

$40 (In-person only)

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This workshop is based on the long term study conducted by Loren Fishman, MD, who found that the majority of those practicing a specific set of 12 poses over a two-year period, had measurable improvement in their bone density. This workshop will begin with a brief discussion of bone health, how to practice yoga safely when you have osteoporosis or osteopenia, and how to interpret DXA Scans, which are used to diagnose those conditions by measuring Bone Mineral Density. The rest of the workshop will be devoted to practicing each of the 12 poses at three different levels of difficulty. The workshop is appropriate for beginning to advanced students.

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Betty Aten traveled to New York City in 2016 to become the first Yoga for Osteoporosis certified teacher in Northern California. She taught Yoga for Bone Health classes at 4th Street Yoga until it closed, and now offers classes at her private studio, “just YOGA” in Berkeley. She teaches with precision, warmth and encouragement.

Memorial Day Weekend Classes

with Gay White & Bonnie Maeda

In-Person and Online

 

Sat, May 28, 10:00 am-noon with Gay & 2:00-4:00 pm with Bonnie

Sun, May 29, 10:00 am-noon with Gay

$80 for all classes /$30 Single class

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Please join us for these holiday weekend classes to bring balance, strength and deep rest to your body and mind. The two morning classes will focus on active asanas such as standing poses, backbends and simple inversions.

Saturday afternoon will be a quiet practice of seated forward bends, and restorative poses.

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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 shared his work and understanding with many students. Gay's classes and workshops are dedicated to alignment and awareness in an open-hearted, safe and creative mixed-level learning community. 

 

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 well being.