Here is our current selection of workshops. For more information please call 206.440.3191 or email us.

Hearts on Fire Practices with Rainey
Dates: March 1, May 24, September 20, and November 8, 2008.
Come set yourself ablaze with a challenging asana practice designed to open your heart and body alike. When we take a risk and try new things we expand our capacity and ability in all endeavors and we light up inside. In this led practice we will walk our edge while staying true to our essence. Come prepared to sweat, laugh and explore your perceived limitations! This practice is open to all Level 2-3 students with no major injuries and the desire to expand your potential exponentially! This is a led community practice hosted by Rainey. $30/session or $100 for all 4. Click here for a flier with registration form.

This Divine Vessel: Anatomy Series with Sarahjoy Marsh
Co-sponsored by Seattle Yoga Arts and Two Dog Yoga
March 21-22, May 2-3, July 25-26, Sept. 19-20
Sarahjoy has a rare gift for teaching anatomy infused with spirit and poetry. Her anatomical skills are without compare, and she communicates the subtleties and mysteries of anatomy with reverence, humor and clarity. You will learn the specific anatomical foundations of yoga movement, and how to create movement that is functional, healing and strengthening.
Also offered: A special Saturday morning class each weekend for yoga teachers, physical therapists, and others who have a solid understanding of anatomy. For a pdf flier with dates, times, topics, prices, etc., click here.

Jade Woman Qigong with Davida Wolf; Tuesdays 12:30-2:00 pm
Session One: April 21-June 8; Session Two: June 16-August 3; Fee $84 per session or $15 drop-in
Qigong arises out of ancient practices that work with the movement of energy, breathing techniques, and meditation to improve quality of life, with the ultimate goal of increased physical ease, emotional well-being, and spiritual freedom. Jade Woman Qigong addresses the unique physiology of a woman's body, supporting smooth transitions through the phases and cycles in a woman's life.
Instructor Davida Wolf is a practitioner and teacher certified by the Ling Gui International Healing Qigong School. Qigong is Davida's pure heart's joy; she has found the practice to be profoundly healing, empowering, stabilizing and transformative.
To register, or for more information, contact Davida at 206-320-1182 or wolf@mugwort.us

The Swell of Spirit: A Week of Anusara Yoga with Rainey
April 12 -19, 2008, Haramara Retreat, Sayulita, Mexico
Come to where the land meets the ocean and the ocean opens up to the endless sky. This vast setting of natural beauty on the Pacific Coast of Mexico will be our inspiration to explore ourselves in new ways. We will investigate how we can locate a ground of being that is steady and reliable like the earth. How do we find the infinity of the blue sky within ourselves? And how do we ride the currents of life in such a way that our spirit can do nothing but swell with vibrancy. We will have two yoga sessions and three exquisite meals per day. And we will take one day to do nothing be explore and/or rest. Our travel days will Saturdays. Children and non-yoga participants are welcome. Please join me for this amazing journey. Click here to visit the Haramara Retreat website. To register send registration form with payment. You must have Acrobat Reader to open this file.
Fees: Single Occupancy: $2350, Double Occupancy: $1650, Le Grand Cabana Dormitory (6 people): $1290
All fees are per person and include lodging, meals and all yoga classes. Does not include air fare, transfers or gratuity. $600 deposit holds your place, balance due no later than March 1, 2008.
***Haramara requires prepayment for this event months before we arrive. Your early registration and/or full payment is greatly apreciated as it helps me fulfill this obligation. Checks are preferred, M/C and Visa accepted. Payment plans available please call.

Home Practice Workshop with Lisa Holtby
Saturday, April 26; 2:30 - 4:30 pm; $30 fee includes 25-page packet
When you want to practice yoga at home, you unroll your sticky mat, stretch out in downward dog...and then what? In this workshop, you will learn and practice the skills of how to design your own yoga sequences; how to individualize your practice each day to accommodate changes in your energy level, health and intentions; and how to suffuse your practice with personal meaning. You will also learn gentle methods of how to develop and sustain positive habits, based on Martha Beck's excellent book "The Four Day Win."

Lotus Woman; A Yoga & Qigong Weekend for Women in the Menopause Years with Denise Benitez and Davida Wolf
May 30-June 2 -- Friday & Saturday times are 12 Noon to 5:30 pm; Sunday is 1 to 3:30 pm; Fee: $175 (reduced fees available)
The brilliantly beautiful lotus flower blooms best in cloudy, murky water. Like our lives, especially at midlife and older, the lotus represents the way circumstances of our lives, both joyful and challenging, can compel us to clarify our own needs and strengths.
In this workshop, Denise will teach the five yogic tools for menopause: Fluidity, Strength, Prayer/Meditation, Breathing Practice, and Rejuvenation. Davida, a practitioner and teacher certified by the Ling Gui International Healing Qigong School will teach the ancient Chinese Qigong form "Nourishing Woman," a form specifically for women that supports smooth transitioning through the various cycles of a woman's life. Denise and Davida will provide tools and information to bloom your energy fully into your unique potential, as well as providing a deeply nourishing weekend of retreat and renewal.
Women in all stages of hormonal transition are welcome: peri-menopausal, surgical menopause, menopausal, and post-menopausal. No yoga or Qigong experience is required. Download a flier here with more information

Moving Into Meditation: Three Class Series with Meg Agnew
June 10, 11, 12; 7:30 to 9:10 a.m.; Fee: $50 (Scholarships available)
In these three consecutive morning classes, scheduled during the studio's June class break, we will move in sequences that prepare us both mentally and physically to take a steady, comfortable seat in meditation. Each class will conclude with 20 minutes of guided meditation followed by Savasana. Meditating with a group of other dedicated yogis and yoginis is a powerful way to jump-start a daily meditation practice or shore up a sporadic one.
Open to students with at least one year of asana experience; no prior experience with meditation is necessary. Class size will be limited so register early.

Matrika Shakti: Living with Virtuosity
An Anusara Workshop with Betsey Downing
June 20-22, Fee: $160 for weekend or you may pay for individual classes. Download flier below.
Life is a gift. Yoga allows us to honor this gift by teaching us skills that support our heart's desires. With these practices, we can move through our lives with virtuosity. The Sanskrit words Matrika Shakti refer to the inherent power of consciousness contained in the alphabet. As the letters of the alphabet combine to form the words, ideas, and concepts we use, we are tapping into the subtle force behind thought and speech. Are your words a source of suffering or a source of freedom? In this workshop we explore our choice to connect with this energy. Join us for a superbly empowering weekend of yoga!
Betsey Downing, Ph.D., E-RYT500, has been a yoga teacher since 1973 and a meditator since 1974. She is one of Anusara Yoga's senior certified teachers, and serves as the Co-Chairman of the Anusara Certification Committee, working with candidates and assessors around the world. Betsey has a particular passion for exploring scientific research that validates what yoga masters have been experiencing for thousands of years! Her teaching is enthusiastic and vibrant with an emphasis on "joyful, successive approximations" both on the mat and in life.
Download a flier here with more information, including schedule and fees.

Ninth Annual Summer Yoga Intensive with Lisa Holtby
August 4-15, Monday - Friday; Section A: 7:00 to 8:15 am; Section B: 8:30 to 9:45 am; Fee: $110 for 10 classes
The summer intensive is a great way to challenge yourself physically, cultivate a home practice, and to begin each day feeling centered and strong.
During the first few days, you will memorize a flowing sequence of asana that is a combination of twists, backbends, forward folds, hip openers, arm balances, and inversions. As the intensive progresses, you will learn more complex variations on the basic sequence. You will move through the sequence at your own pace, following the rhythms of your breath, so that you experience - in community - a deeper state of meditation through movement, stillness, and your breath.

Denise Teaches at the First North American Anusara Yoga Gathering!
September 22-24, Estes Park Colorado
Be at the very first Anusara gathering designed for all levels of students, insluding those new to Anusara yoga. Each day includes a master class with John Friend, inspiring philosophical talks by Anusara scholars, early morning meditations, classes by senior Anusara teachers, live music by Benjy and Heather Wertheimer, and evening entertainment. The Gathering will also offer special classes for aspiring Anusara Yoga teachers, Anusara-inspired yoga teachers, and even certified Anusara Yoga teachers. Enjoy an unforgettable experience with all your favorite people!
For further info, registration and cost go to http://www.yjevents.com.

Eleventh Annual Foot Massage, Restorative Yoga & Cookies Workshop
with Lisa Holtby and Betsy Swart
Saturday, December 6; 2:30 - 5:00 pm; Fee: $30 per person
Otherwise known as 'Cookie Yoga,' this is the most luscious workshop of the year! Once again massage therapist Betsy Swart will teach how to give (and receive!) excellent foot rubs. After you enjoy homemade cookies and hot spiced cider, Lisa will teach an hour of luxurious restorative yoga poses. This is a wonderful way to spend a relaxing afternoon with your sweetheart, your best friend, or your mom. You are also welcome to come solo. Please bring a towel and socks, and wear cozy clothes. You will leave feeling nurtured and refreshed, with handouts of how to do the massage and restorative yoga at home. No yoga experience necessary to participate, but this workshop is not appropriate for people with major injuries.

Taking the Seat: Anusara Yoga Teacher Training with Denise Benitez & Elizabeth Rainey
Part A: Jan-April 2008; Part B: Sept-Dec 2008
THIS TRAINING IS FULL. SPACE MAY BE OPEN FOR INDIVIDUAL WEEKENDS; PLEASE ENQUIRE. WE WILL OFFER A 100 HOUR ANUSARA IMMERSION IN 2009.
Join Denise, Rainey, and a community of dedicated yogis in a learning experience that will transform not only your teaching, but your life. Ideally, the impulse to take the seat of the teacher arises when we are so full of passion and blessings in our own practice, that a heartfelt momentum compels us to share these gifts. In this training, you will learn highly effective methods to convey to others the depth of yoga. You will learn the elegance of the Anusara Principles of Alignment, which are unequaled as tools to both align the physical body and charge the practice with meaning. You will integrate the history and philosophy of yoga, realize the miracle of the physical body, and practice finding your own voice and inspiration via peer teaching and skillful commentary on the teaching of others. Special guest instructor Meg Agnew will teach pranayama and meditation. Click here for a flier with syllabus, dates, times, and other relevant information.

Coming Attractions in 2008!
*Note: No Sleeping Lady retreat in Summer 2008; Denise will be traveling.
*October 24-26 Fall Anusara Workshop with Noah Maze
*2009 Anusara Immersion with Denise Benitez and Rainey

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