March Workshop with Jason & Chelsey Magness

Book your place for this workshop now!

Please note if you are unable to attend the  full weekend you can book for just Fri-Sat or individual sessions.  The only restriction is that participation in Sunday's classes requires full attendance at Fri-Sat or previous acro-yoga training.

TAY Members: Fri/Sat $260 or Fri/Sat/Sun $360 or $65 per session.

Non-Members: Fri/Sat $290 or Fri/Sat/Sun $390 or $70 per session.

Visit or Workshop page to find out more info or follow this link:

http://teanauyoga.blogspot.com/p/te-anau-workshops.html

Off the Mat March 2-4th 2012 - AcroYoga and slackasana workshop with Jason & Chelsey Magness

Jason and Chelsey instruct the fundamentals of slackasana

Jason  & Chelsey Magness  are hard to pin down in a few sentences.  Both certified AcroYoga teachers, Chelsey is one of only two teachers that has received certifications from both AcroYoga groups in North America.  Jason is one of the co-founders of the YogaSlackers, and together they have trained and taught across the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia, and the Middle East.  With backgrounds in Ashtanga Vinyasa, traditional Hatha, Dutch Acrobatics, Tibetan meditation, Thai massage, Slackline, rock-climbing, and ultra-endurance adventure sports this dynamic duo use their teaching to help their students (and themselves) constantly re-asses what it possible and to radically expand the limits of physical and mental potential.  They've been featured by ESPN, ABC, MS-NBC, New York Times, Wend Magazine, Wall Street Journal and have been fortunate to teach at such esteemed establishments as Yoga Journal Conferences, Kripalu, Omega Institute, and Wanderlust.  More info: www.yogaslackers.com

Workshop Programme:

AcroYoga session April 2011

Friday March 2nd, 5-8pm: Fundamentals of AcroYoga - Blending the elements of Vinyasa Yoga, Acrobatics & Thai massage, AcroYoga is a powerful tool for transformation. Learning to trust & be confident, exploring the need for strength & surrender, AcroYoga is a physical & emotional balancing act. The basic tools can be used by yogis, bodyworkers & athletes to greatly enhance their sport or practice. No partner necessary, some basic yoga (or other body awareness practice such as rock climbing) is helpful.  

Saturday March 3rd, 9:30am - 12:30pm: Redefining Balance - Take your practice (whether it’s climbing, running, yoga or other) to an entirely new level. We will be reshaping your definition of balance by teaching basics of yoga on a slackline & on another person. Come see what it is like to play with your own & someone else's energy in a refreshing, new way. We will begin with a vinysasa warm up, move into Acroyoga and the basics of the slackasana series including standing, walking on the line, kneeling and sitting, arm balancing & even going upside down. This approach is a great way to improve your overall strength & balance for your asana practice on & off the mat!

Saturday March 3rd, 2pm-5pm: Gravity as the Guru - The ancient yogis gleaned much of their practices from looking toward nature and then emulating it. We'll return to this practice with a class that includes inversions, balancing, backbending, vinyasa, and lots of fun. We will work with partners as we advance the practice, and through mutual support and trust we'll all end up taking a look over our personal edge - wherever it may be.

Saturday March 3rd, 6pm-8pm: Thai and Fly - The Nectar of the AcroYoga practice. Through theraputic leg love and flying massage, we'll work to connect with the subtler energies of the body as we coax our spines, hips, ankles, wrists and shoulders into a passive place of peace. The lines of giving and receiving become blurred as we transition from flying to leg love and back again. The evening will begin and end with a blend of our voices in simple but powerful chanting.

Sunday March 4th, 9:30am - 12:30pm: The Yoga of Acrobatics - Confidence, concentration, trust & agility are all elements that support the embodiment of an acrobat & can help any person feel more empowered in their daily lives. By expanding the range of the physical body, we learn to trust ourselves & others, realizing our collective potential. As we remove self-imposed limits, we are walking on the path towards liberation. The elements shared in this class consist of: Tattsvadarzin asana sequence, partner balance, acrobatic flying, inversions & amp; spotting techniques. With these new tools students have a fresh perspective to enhance their practice & amp; their approach to others.

Sunday March 4th, 2-5pm: The Continuous Thread - The yogic principle of "live in the moment" doesn't tell the whole story. As we close the weekend, we will work toward taking the experiences of the days before, and blending them with the possibilities of the future. Learning not to "live in the moment", but to "live in all moments". Life and Death are one thread - one line seen from opposite ends, and all experience lies between.

Pre-requisites:

Friday evening and Saturday sessions are open to people who have a minimum of 6 months asana practice.  Sunday’s sessions are open to participants who have completed the Friday and Saturday sessions or individuals with previous acro-yoga experience. 

Costs: 

A non-refundable deposit to Te Anau Yoga Inc. of $50 is required to reserve your place at Off the Mat 2012.  Pay before December 17^th and save yourself $60 on the registration fee.  To make your booking please e-mail teanauyoga@gmail.com for payment options.

TAY Members:

Early-bird price (before December 16^th)
Fri/ Sat $200 (4 sessions) or Fri/Sat/Sun $300 (6 sessions)
from Dec 17^th Fri/Sat $260 or Fri/Sat/Sun $360

Non-Members:

Early-bird (before December 16^th)
Fri/ Sat $230 or Fri/Sat/Sun $330
from Dec 17^th Fri/Sat $290 or Fri/Sat/Sun $390

Cancellation policy:

Cancellations prior to February 1^st will be refunded the total amount less your $50 deposit.
Cancellations from February 2^nd to and including February 16^th will be refunded the total amount less 50%.
Cancellations from February 17^th to the commencement of workshop: A 50% refund will only be given with the provision of medical certificate.

Yoga Workshop - Karah-Leah Grant November 11th

The Power of Presence - Unravelling the stories that shape your yoga practice

  

It's not just our bodies that shape our experience of yoga, it's also our minds. Paying attention to our minds as we practice can profoundly shift our experience on the mat.

  

In this three hour exploratory workshop facilitated by Prana Flow yoga teacher Kara-Leah Grant, we'll examine the ideas, stories and beliefs each of us has about yoga in general, about our bodies, and about our practices.

  

Through the power of attention, and intention, we'll decide which of these ideas, stories and beliefs empower us and our practice, and which ideas, stories and beliefs no longer serve us. Expect to share, breath, practice, laugh, learn, wonder and delight.

Registration:
Please e-mail teanauyoga@gmail.com to register. Payment in full ($40 for TAY members and $50 for non-members) is required to reserve your place (limited to 18 persons).

Time: 6-9pm

Venue: Fiordland Medical Centre Community Room

More about Karah-Leah:

A story-teller and yoga teacher, Kara-Leah is fascinated by the way our minds and psyches shape our bodies and experiences on the yoga mat. Currently wrapping up her 200 Hr Prana Flow Certifcation with Shiva Rea, Kara-Leah is the founder and editor of The Yoga Lunchbox, New Zealand's on-line yoga magazine, and solo mum to her toddler son.

  

You can read more about Kara-Leah in her Yoga Lunchbox Teacher Profile.

  

http://theyogalunchbox.co.nz/

http://theyogalunchbox.co.nz/2008/12/03/dunedin-yoga-teacher-kara-leah-grant/

  

Yoga for Men workshop Sunday September 25th

Te Anau Yoga teachers Kerri-Anne Edge and Nick Hight will be offering a short introductory workshop for men wanting to experience and learn more about the benefits of a regular yoga practice on September 25^th from 5-6:30pm at the Fiordland Medical Centre Community Room.  It will be a one-off class particularly aimed at beginners. Cost is $10.  For more information ph: Kerri-Anne 03-2497170, e-mail teanauyoga@gmail.com

Whether you are training for the Kepler Challenge, engaged in a strenuous and physical occupation, high impact sport, or are just plain sedentary, yoga could be just the thing you need.  In fact yoga is often what men need because it is the opposite of what they do about 90% of the time. Yoga helps to bring balance, keep a range of motion in the joints, prevent soft tissue injuries and build bone density. While we have to admit there are some activities that fall by the wayside as we get older, yoga can be with us for life.

While a small number of men regularly attend class in Te Anau, it is generally woman who participate – about 80% - and this trend is not uncommon.  Even in the US where yoga is more main stream, 77 percent of the yoga practitioners surveyed by the American Yoga Journal in 2005 were female.   Often just getting to a class is the first obstacle.  The excuses I often hear are I’m too busy to make it a priority, too inflexible,…coupled with the excuses you don’t hear: afraid of not being able to do something in class full of women, afraid it will hurt, afraid of how they might be perceived by their peers.

Getting men to identify with yoga in the West is a challenge partly because influential role models that brought yoga to the West in the 1900s were women. Russian born Indra Devi, who emigrated from India to the US in the 1940s, was championed by famous cosmetics designer Elizabeth Arden who encouraged her (female) customers to try yoga. Other male teachers used woman to demonstrate yoga poses. By the 1970’s yoga was generally perceived in the west as something for “housewives”, despite the fact that yoga has been mainly taught and practised by men for thousands of years in India.

And guys, if you think you are too macho for yoga then think again. The All Blacks, the Welsh rugby squad and Aussie rugby league clubs are among many professional sports teams that include yoga as part of their training program with an emphasis on flexibility and injury prevention.

We are especially keen to introduce more men in the community to yoga right now. Yoga is a perfect way to compliment the high impact and physical training required for events like the Kepler Challenge. It also trains the mind to work differently. This aspect can be very beneficial in preparing for competitive events like the Kepler or simply dealing with daily stress where there is considerable pressure on us to excel.

Te Anau Yoga will also be hosting American yoga teachers and professional athletes Jason Magness and Chesley Gribbon for a 3-day workshop in March 2012 which will include elements of yoga on a slackline and acroyoga.   Jason and Chelsey taught a similar workshop in Te Anau earlier this year and we had our highest participation rate of men than any other workshop that we have hosted. 

Acroyoga workshop hosted in Te Anau in March 2010 with

(Left to Right) Chelsey Gribbon, Jane Tansell, Nick Hight

and Jason Magness

While this type of yoga really appeals to a lot of guys, participants will need to have a minimum of six months experience practicing yoga to attend so now is the perfect time to begin attending a regular class. (note: If you watch U-tv you may have seen Jason and Chelsey on Ultimate Sports recently  in Team "Gear Junkies" blitzing the field in a Patagonian adventure race to come second.

Grant for Te Anau Yoga from Pub Charity

We wish to thank Pub Charity for a community grant to purchase a laptop computer for Te Anau Yoga.  The computer is being used to support an increased level of administration for membership, classes, workshops and advocacy including this website. 

Every Moment is a Gateway

Anusara Yoga Weekend Workshop with Certified Anusara Teacher Katie Lane

Te Anau Yoga will be hosting international Anusara Yoga teacher Katie Lane in July 9-10th.

Founded by John Friend John Friend in 1997, Anusara yoga is a style of hatha yoga which unites a life-affirming Tantric philosophy of intrinsic goodness with Universal Principles of Alignment. "In an Anusara Yoga class, the asanas (postures) are a vehicle for expressing joy, connecting to your true self, and recognizing your own beauty. To this end, Anusara delights in - practically requires - a lighthearted attitude". Every Anusara class begins with an intention. The practice of uniting that intention with the pulsation of the breath and a dynamic approach to alignment makes every pose - from the most simple to the most advanced - a "grand experiment." --BREATHE Magazine, Going Deep: Anusara

Katie Lane has been sharing the teachings of Anusara Yoga in New Zealand since 2005. She is honoured to have been the first teacher to introduce this style of yoga here in NZ. Katie has over 1000 hours of training in Anusara Yoga and is a Certified Anusara Yoga Teacher, RYT-500. Currently based in Christchurch, she offers public and private classes, one-on-one yoga therapy, and Anusara workshops around New Zealand and overseas.

Weekend Programme

Saturday, July 9th

9-12am 1st Principle: Set the Foundation, Open to Grace - Standing Poses & Backbends

2-4.30pm Deepen Your Studentship with Life - Hip Openers, Twists, Forward Bends

Sunday, July 10th

9-12am : Honour the Dark, Step into the Light: Arm Balances, Backbends, Full Spectrum Practice

Registration and cancellation policy

Te Anau Yoga members Full workshop $175.00 (Sat or Sun am $65, Sat arvo $50).  Non-members $200 (Sat or Sun am $75, Sat arvo $60).  Includes instruction only.  Participants are responsible for providing their own accommodation and food.

Cancellations prior to:

June 15th (inclusive) will be refunded the total amount less 20%.

June 16th and June 30th (inclusive) will be refunded the total amount less 50%.

July 1st and commencement of workshop: A 50% refund will only be given with the provision of medical certificate.

 

Venue

Distinction Te Anau Hotel & Villas Turnbull Room

Accommodation discounts

Distinction Te Anau Hotel and Villas are offering the following discounted rates for our workshop: $155.00 for a Garden View Room (double or twin share), $175.00 for a Lakeview Room (double or twin-share) and $250.00 for a 2 Bedroom Villa, suitable for 4 adults.

A weekend off the mat in Te Anau (from the Yoga Aotearoa Winter newsletter)

Te Anau Yoga hosted their first international yoga workshop in April this year with visiting Yogaslackers Jason Magness and Cheslsey Gribbon from Colorado. The event attracted 30 participants from New Zealand, the Netherlands, and the US. Kerri-Anne Edge, who teaches for Te Anau Yoga (a not-for-profit organisation who regularly host yoga workshops) and organiser for the event writes about her weekend off the mat….

There is a definite autumnal feeling as our group head outdoors from the comfort and warmth of the yoga room to an adjacent park in Te Anau. We have our mats but I suspect there won’t be much need for them this morning. While I have spent the past 12 months trying to convince every yogi and yogini I know to come to this workshop and have some fun I admit I’m feeling a bit nervous. I shouldn’t be though. All the indications from the previous evening’s introduction to acroyoga were that we were going to get a great deal out of our three days with Jason and Chesley: a fresh approach to yoga, and a means to play the edge in a very safe, supportive and fun way. After 3 hours of vinyasa, partner yoga and moving into groups of four (and more) to explore the basics of postures where the body and breath of the group become one it was obvious that our group (aged from 22-70) had connected on many levels. No longer was our asana just about moving with full awareness of our own body and breath – we had to expand that awareness to the other members of our small groups. If you had even an ounce of ego left it quickly diminished. This morning we are about embark on the basics of yoga on a slackline.

After a short walk Jason and Chelsey lead us to an array of eight orange lengths of webbing (25mm wide) strung out under some tall trees at varying lengths. We partner up on mats on the dewy ground kneeling side by side and Jason and Chelsey begin to outline the principals and practice of slackasana. They are careful not to put us off (at any stage of the weekend!) starting with the very basics and leaving any demonstration of more advanced practice until the end of the session. Jason instructs us to extend one arm forward and the opposite leg back placing our supporting hand in line with our supporting knee. “Now - just imagine your yoga mat has become very very long and very thin…”. We laugh….we know where this is heading. Over the course of the morning we practice “simple” postures on the line: kneeling, standing and “foot-swapping”, sitting and a variation of lolasana or pendulum pose. We work in groups of three and are encouraged to try everything at least three times on both sides, changing groups and experiencing different set-ups: long or shorter lines with different degrees of tension.

Slackasana was developed by Jason over six years ago in collaboration with his friend Sam Salwei – a climbing partner, and fellow yogi. Jason had spent 6 months trying to walk on a slackline, a hobby amongst the climbing fraternity. Undoubtedly Jason had the balance and strength, but – he admits - not the patience. Then he decided to approach the slackline in the same way he practiced yoga. Over time, he learnt to stand still until the line stopped vibrating. He started using it as a meditation tool. When he was distracted, the line shook. When he focused, it was still.

Since that time Jason and Sam have established Yogaslackers – a prominent group in the US that specialises in teaching yoga on a slackline (or slackasana) and acroyoga (acrobatic yoga). Yogaslackers have taught collectively to over 5000 individuals aged 2-82 and feature at many of the American Yoga Journal Conferences. They are offering their first teacher training programme in the US this year.

Jason and Chelsey encouraged us to discover how practicing yoga on a slackline develops focus, balance, strength, breath, core integration, flexibility, and confidence. Working in small groups with acroyoga was incredible for building up skills with communication, relationships and trust, as well as strength and balance.
 

While Yogaslackers also teach internationally this Te Anau workshop was the first of its kind to be held in New Zealand. We are hoping to make it an annual event and to encourage local participation as well as visitors from overseas. The dates for next year have been pencilled in for March 2012. While we don’t want to lose sight of our community objective - to teach a diversity of yoga styles locally that appeal to a broad range of age and interests - it would be great to welcome more visitors from around New Zealand and overseas and to encourage them to spend time in Fiordland while they are here. To that end Jason and Chelsey will be promoting the March 2012 workshop at some of the big American yoga conferences and festivals they will be teaching at including “Wonderlust”.

 

The Te Anau workshop will run over three days and cover some introductory and intermediate sessions. Participants are required to have had at least six months asana practice and the intermediate sessions will be open to last year’s attendees as well as people who have undertaken acroyoga workshops elsewhere.

 

I have received so much positive feedback from Jason and Chelsey’s workshop. The wide smiles and cheerful laughter of the group at the end of day 3 belied the fact that for many even enrolling was enough to put one out of their comfort zone. I’m so safe with my own practice. It was wonderful to come off the mat and to extend ourselves into a new realm with such a wonderful group of people.
Nameste, ka

If you are keen on participating in March 2012 please contact Kerri-Anne at teanauyoga@ihug.co.nz to go on our workshop mailing list. More information and photographs from this year’s event will be posted on our website teanauyoga.blogspot.com soon.

Te Anau Yoga (Inc.) would like to acknowledge the generous support of Distinction Te Anau Hotel & Villas and Cosy Kiwi Backpackers that enabled us to keep the registration and accommodation costs low and make a workshop of this calibre accessible to the community in Southland and Otago.