$1,500.00

• Five asana sequences to embody elemental energies. Sequences are experienced from a student's perspective and workshopped from a teacher's perspective. Five led meditations to contemplate elemental relationships, which will be expanded in philosophy discussions. Teacherly emphasis will be upon how elemental language from Samkhya and Ayurveda perspectives can be incorporated into classroom settings.

• An Ayurvedic approach will be central, allowing teachers to develop a constitutional approach to instruction and a therapeutic view of all traditional aspects of practice, from ethics through to meditation. Particular to the methodology will be an emphasis upon individual needs directing the nature, mood, an intensity of interventions and suggestions.

• In the course of learning Ayurvedic digestive theory, cleansing techniques, etiology, daily rhythm, menstrual regulation and fertility rejuvenation, the classic system of seven tissues, three wastes and thirteen channels will be covered, as well as the doshic properties and connections between organ systems. The pranic model of wellbeing emphasized by Ayurveda will be contrasted to the visual epistemology of modern biomedicine, to see how each might complement the other. The elemental energies attributed to the chakras will be examined as interoceptive metaphors.

• A panorama of texts will be studied, using the five elements as thematic guides, with the Bhagavad Gita, Yoga Sutras, and Hatha Yoga Pradipika at the heart of the reading list. Special emphasis will be placed on where canonical texts serve contemporary needs, and where their lines of inquiry might be further developed.

• Incorporate the core concepts held in the Gita and how it applies on the mat and off the mat
• Create a safe and sacred learning environment that encourages trust while maintaining personal integrity and yogic values
• Integrate teachings and experiences through inquiry, contemplation and journaling

• All Ayurvedic sections will involve self-analysis and partner-analysis, employing the three core techniques of darsana, sparsana, and prasna. Philosophy exercises will focus upon eloquence, concision, and open-endedness in presenting yogic theses in a classroom setting. Conscious communication and reflective listening skills will be emphasized throughout.