The Anusara Yoga Immersion is a three-part curriculum designed to transport your yoga to a more powerful practice of fulfillment and freedom. By combining an informed body of knowledge with practice on the mat, your capacity to expand the transformative power of yoga deepens exponentially. Each part of the Immersion curriculum includes over 33 contact hours, and the immersion is a pre-requisite for those wishing to go on to teacher training.
In Part One of the Immersion, we will discuss how the technology of Universal Principles of Alignment works, explore key concepts in yoga philosophy, and deepen your experiential understanding of all types of asana poses. Standing poses, backbends, forward bends, twists, and inversions are all included. You will also discover ways to practice breathing, meditation and contemplation. Part Two builds on this background and expands to include a study of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. In Part Three we delve into subtle body anatomy as well as the Bhagavad Gita.
This is a unique, ground breaking opportunity to undertake a journey combining greater knowledge with your asana practice to leverage the profound benefits of harmonizing with the pulsation of life, which is who we are truly.
Part 1: Awakening Your Heart
- In-depth exploration of the Universal Principles of Alignment, Loops, and Spirals
- Refinement of all poses of Anusara’s Level 1 Syllabus
- Introduction to some of the auxiliary principles of alignment
- Anusara philosophy and vision, the 3 A’s, ethical precepts, studentship, history of yoga, the 5 elements
- Basic principles of the breath and pranayama techniques
- Practice and exploration of meditation techniques, contemplation, and journal writing
- Introduction to the anatomy of the Anusara principles, skeletal and main muscle groups of the shoulders and hips, anatomy of the breath.
Part 2: Unfurling the Lotus in your Heart
- Explore the foundations of yoga philosophy by delving into Patanjalis’ Yoga Sutras, the classic text that condenses ancient traditional yoga lore into verses that point out the path of yoga.
- Deepen your understanding of the Five Elements and relate them to a systematic overview of reality including limited, conventional reality all the way to liberated, ultimate reality.
- Review the principles of alignment and poses of the Level 1 Syllabus, and begin to practice asanas on the Level 2 Syllabus.
- Organize your practices into coherent order by learning the principles of sequencing.
- Experience Viloma and Nadi Sodhana breaths as well as review natural breath and Ujjayi.
- Continue to investigate the mind through meditation practices.
- Review the main muscle groups of the shoulders, hips, arms, and legs.
Part 3: Basking in the Splendor of the Heart
- Delve into the world classic Bhagavad Gita, including an investigation of the yoga paths of knowledge, action, and devotion.
- Investigate the chakras and other subtle body anatomy both theoretically and experientially.
- Review the principles of alignment and poses of the Level 1 Syllabus, and further your practice of asanas on the Level 2 Syllabus.
- Deepen your understanding of the elegant principles of sequencing that underlie the magic of yoga asana practice.
- Refine your accomplishment of all the major classes of poses, including standing, arm balances, backbends, hip openers, twists, and forward bends.
- Include the breaths Kapalabati and Sahita in your repertoire of pranayama, as well as reviewing previous breaths.
Prerequisite: 30 contact hours (class or workshop) with a Certified Anusara Yoga Teacher. Recommended: An Introduction to Anusara Yoga Workshop, 3-10 hours. Immersion is a pre-requisite for Immersion 2, which is a pre-requisite for Immersion 3 except with permission of the instructor.
The next Immersion at Tasha Yoga will be 2012-2013.
This description was developed by Julie Miller of Kula Yoga in Avon, CT and Tasha Judson of Tasha Yoga in Williamstown, MA.