Workshops and Retreats
Current Workshop Offerings
The workshops listed below are available as stand-alone weekends, retreats, master classes, sections of Yoga Teacher Trainings, or as an ongoing, monthly series. They can be adapted for the needs of your studio, church, Y, or student population.
In addition, any of the Empower Practice Themes can be taught as Master Classes or stand alone workshops. Please contact me for details and arrangements.
Embody the Heart: Bringing the Beatitudes to Life
2 – 6 hours (offered in segments) or as a Full Retreat
The Beatitudes – or “attitudes of Being” – are at the core of the Christ teaching. By weaving the attitudinal stance offered in each Beatitude with specific alignment actions and yoga poses, the asana practice becomes a powerful way to embed these teachings into body, mind and heart.
This workshop series can be adapted and offered as an introduction for beginners, or as a deeper experience for advanced practioners.
Mandala, the Sacred Circle: Creating a Tool to Discover, Embrace and Share our Creative Ministries
Co-taught with Edna Marie Thomas (my mother!)
3 hours to a Full Weekend Retreat (best way to experience this!)
A Mandala is a sacred symbol of wholeness. Creating mandalas is a powerful and fun way to explore the depth of what you are experiencing, moving through or wanting to offer the world.
This workshop or retreat will offer an introduction to mandalas, their place in the Christian tradition and serve as a bridge to the practice of yoga both on and off the mat. Includes elements of lecture, hands on activity, and asana.
As with all of the workshops above, the asana can be adapted to serve the levels and interests of the group.
Get Vibrant
4 – 2.5 hour segments
“Yoga is the process of harmonious alignment with the vibrations of Life.” Yoga Sutra 1.2
With so many yoga poses, so many styles of practice and all those classroom instructions (or lack thereof) it is easy to feel like a perpetual novice. This workshop series focuses on a simple, effective and harmonious set of actions that work with the body’s optimal, natural design and that can be applied to any yoga pose or yoga style. Students will feel safe, confident and supported in their practice.
This workshop series focuses on physical alignment as a means to care for the body, mind and spirit.
Part I – Down Dog, Standing Poses and Baby Backbends
Part II – Hips, Hand balances and More Backbends
Part III – Forward Folds and Twists
Part IV – Backbends and Basic Inversions
Optional: Add Nourishing Rhythms – An Introduction to Ayurveda and Daily Wellbeing
Nourishing Rhythms: An Introduction to Ayurveda and Daily Wellbeing
3 – 6 hours (offered in 2 – 3 segments)
While Ayurveda is focused so sweetly on the body, at its core, this science of Life is about bringing the sacred into each moment.
Ayurveda – the ancient Indian medical system studying the science of Life – offers a rich way to engage with the elements of the natural world and care for the body on every level. This dynamic workshop will cover an introduction to the mahabhutas (5 great elements), an overview of doshic theory (personal constitutions: vata, pitta, kapha), daily practices for harmony and wellbeing, and asana to pull it all together.
“Your lecture was excellent and made it accessible to Ayurveda newbies.” ~ Astrid
The Koshas: Dialoguing with the Layers of the Self
2 – 4 hours
Like looking into a drawer full of clutter, we often experience life as jumbled. By organizing the drawer we can separate one object from another, making seeing things for what they are and finding what we need a simple task. Using the lens of the koshas – or sheaths that describe the layered aspects of body, breath, mind and heart – we can separate and organize our experiences, seeing each aspect of our lives for what it
actually is.
Through asana as a moving dialogue with the koshas we isolate aspects of the Self and allow for a more expansive perspective; to see the drawer of our Self and all it contains bringing a level of clarity and maturity that empowers choice.
Spiritual Practice
The Householder’s Path is an invitation to live the spiritual journey by meeting the sacred in every moment through contemplation, listening, daily practice, and hospitality for ourselves and others, even if in that moment one is getting the oil changed, washing the dishes, folding the laundry, balancing the checkbook, practicing yoga, walking in the woods, cooking a meal or enjoying the company of friends and loved ones. By embracing the daily-ness of life we recognize that mutuality of the sacred and the mundane.
This is not easy. That’s why it’s called a practice, a path. Such language implies choice. We chose where and how to place our attention.
Personally, I often fail – by which I mean I forget, get frustrated, depressed, angry, neurotic and resentful. But, there is always the opportunity to begin again. Even more radical is the opportunity to find the Divine within perceived failures of attitude and action. As Christine Valters Painter suggests, this is radical hospitality, to truly welcome ALL parts of ourselves.
Spirit grows and moves along its journey by embracing all aspects of life. Everything you see, do, read and think holds a kernel of the Divine. Everything that exists is pulsing with the sacred creativity of the moment. It is our work to see it.
Teacher Training and Mentoring
I am on the faculty and present regular segments in the following teacher trainings.
At InnerLight, our mission is simple: To empower fellow humans to Practice, Teach, and Shine. Whether you would like to teach or simply deepen your understanding and relationship to your practice, InnerLight Yoga School offers students an in-depth, unscripted, and personalized approach to the study of Yoga. We believe that Yoga is more than just poses and mat time and support each student in discovering their own personal Yoga journey through thoughtfully selected curriculum, small class sizes, and abundant personal attention. Experience has shown us that when we dedicate our focus to the individual, we can then collectively and constructively contribute to the greater good of the whole.
Rasa Yoga School ~ Rasa Yoga School is a Registered Yoga School with Yoga Alliance. We offer training programs that connect aspiring yoga teachers with their capacity to skillfully lead yoga classes and sessions from a well-informed place. Students enrolled in the program will embark upon a remarkable journey that is sure to offer deep and extraordinary transformation on many levels. Each participant will travel through the many different facets of what it means to be a yoga teacher, and how to fully answer this deep calling of the Heart. This program is a wonderful opportunity for students who are seeking to deepen their awareness of their practice, as well as for those who are on the path to becoming yoga teachers.
Mentoring Program
For teachers looking to enhance their technical skills, authenticity and voice. This program involves:
6 months of mentoring and guidance in which I will:
- Attend 3 of your weekly classes if you are local. A video of your class can be submitted in place of attendance for non-local teachers.
- Offer an evaluation of current skill sets and work with you to develop a plan for enhancing what you already do well and improving those areas where you feel weak.
- Be available to answer questions by email one to two times a week
- Work with you to create well structured class plans
- Monthly check-ins either in person or via Skype
I specialize in the following areas:
- Creating an inspiring theme grounded in real life context and carried throughout the class
- Effective sequencing
- Assisting and adjusting
- Enhancing verbal cues
- Finding your authentic voice
- Working with beginners
Program Perks
- Receive 10% off my workshops and events during the course of the program
- In-person discussion, Skype sessions and phone discussions count as continuing education hours with Yoga Alliance.
Other Details:
- Must have completed a 200 hour teacher training program, been teaching for at least 6 months and maintain a consistent personal asana practice. Consistent asana practice defined as 4 x’s a week for a minimum of 45 minutes per practice.
- In order to provide the most focused and personalized attention possible I only accept 2 mentees at a time.
- Pricing is offered on a sliding scale from $600 – $800. Payment plans available.
The HouseHolder's Path 