Yoga ~ Anne Nowell

After 8 months of study, experimentation with different styles, and practicing yoga together I am pleased to certify six beautiful ladies as Yoga Instructors. The emphasis in the course has been the techniques of the Krishnamacharya lineage which includes rigorous Ashtanga Vinyasa, precise Iyengar techniques, and therapeutic Viniyoga methods. I feel confident that the newly certified Yoga Teachers will have the knowledge to use yoga in ways that will be beneficial to many students by addressing the needs of their students. By meeting the qualifications of the Yoga Alliance, the new instructors can be certified as RYT’s (Registered Yoga Teachers). Please enjoy the photos of our graduation ceremonies and festivities. You can click on the images for a larger view.

Course Instructors: Anne Nowell and Skyler Myers
Course Participants: Samantha Smith, Lisa Marchesini, Anne Nowell, Adesh Kaur, Skyler Myers, Keryna Johnson, Janet Dehart, Jennifer Shultz

Graduation Smiles!
Keryna Johnson
Janet Dehart

Jennifer Shultz
Samantha Smith

Adesh Kaur Khalsa
Lisa Marchesini

Artist Laura Rogan gifted the graduates with beautiful henna tattoos.
Kirtan (devotional music) performer, Thierry, performed on sitar and harmonium, leading the group in devotional chanting.

Happy Graduates: Lisa and Adesh
Happy Directors: Anne and Devi Kirn (Yoganic Studio’s Assistant Manager)

Congratulations Ladies!
Please enjoy these new instructors as they offer classes through out San Diego.

On a cold December afternoon (yes, even in San Diego there is winter!) our Teacher Training group met to complete their course work with a final exam. In order to become registered as a Yoga Instructor through Yoga Alliance, there is a specific syllabus involving practical, theoretical, and philosophical criteria. In the past 7 months our group has logged 200 hours of training in the teaching of asana as fitness and therapy,  in studying the necessary philosophical and theoretical foundations of yoga,  and participating in related studies such as Ayurveda and Anatomy.

The photos show the practical teaching portion as well as the written Q&A and essay examinations. I am happy to report that all the candidates did exceptionally well in their exams! Please excuse the poor lighting in the photos.  Stay tuned for graduation!

The term, karma yoga, implies a realization of the essence of Life by the service to life. Karma yoga is most often defined as selfless service. Great karma yogis include Mother Teresa, Gandhi, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Ammaji; those who give tirelessly for the benefit of others. At the lay level, those persons who take up the role of parenting and stirve to do it well are, in my opinion, karma yogis!

In August our Teacher Trainees participated in a work day at Drikung Kyobpa Choling, a Tibetan Buddhist Meditation Center in Escondido. The director of the center, Drupon Samten Rinpoche, is indeed a karma yogi. With his assistant, Ani Chodron, he has planned and built a beautiful temple almost single handedly. They are currently expanding the Center to accommodate more functions and to serve the increasing Southern California population of Tibetan Buddhist practitioners.

On this hot August day we donned our work clothes, hats, and gloves to help organize and create space for the ongoing construction at Drikung Choling. Sweaty and dirty, yes, but so lovely to experience what community energy can accomplish! And as you see by the photos, we had fun as well! Click on the photos for a larger view.

Iyengar Yoga as developed by the Indian master, BKS Iyengar, is one of the more structured of the yoga asana systems, with great emphasis on precision. As a teenager Mr. Iyengar learned the basics of yoga asana from his teacher, T. Krishnamacharya. He is a nephew of Krishnamacharya by marriage and lived in the household of his teacher for a number of years. Iyengar later went on to study the asanas in great detail through personal practice, and published one of the first comprehensive books about yoga asana, “Light On Yoga” in the 1970’s. The Iyengar tradition uses equipment (or props) as a way of deepening one`s experience in the yoga postures, as well as making use of props in therapeutic situations.

On August 2&3 Yoganic teacher, Kim Kolibri, a certified Iyengar instructor, presented workshops on Iyengar sequencing and use of props. Kim is an especially gifted verbal instructor, inspiring with her understanding and execution of Iyengar’s techniques. In the following photos we have documented some of the work and “play” of our Teacher Training group on this weekend. Click on the photos if you wish a larger view.

In the Ashtanga Vinyasa system the primary style of study as taught by Master Teacher Pattabhi Jois at his Indian yoga shala (school) in Mysore, India is called “Mysore practice”. In these classes students practice in the room with the teacher but there is very little verbal instruction. Students are expected to have their sequence memorized. The teacher is available to give hands on assistance and advice, much like a private class in a group class situation. In week twelve of our Teacher Training we have begun studying how to assist with the hands as well as teaching with the voice.

Teaching with the voice is the more common way to conduct a class and certainly the most direct way to share information. Just as practicing the yoga postures is necessary in order to become proficient in their execution, so practice teaching with the voice is a necessary requirement in the training of a yoga instructor. Initially there is some hesitation, over time one develops confidence.

Here are some photos of our group in their practice.

In the fifth weekend of our Teacher Training Intensive the students were given a quiz on the Sanskrit terms necessary to understand in identifying the asanas (postures). Sanskrit is a beautiful language, like Latin, in that it is the origin of other languages. In India, Sanskrit is known as “the language of the Gods”.

There are several major schools of Yoga coming from India. Most of the schools have similar postures but call them by different names. This makes for some confusion when discussing asanas. As well, in different regions in India they tend to shorten part of the pronunciation, asana becomes asan. This shifts the accent of the word; “Ut ta NA sa na” becomes “Ut TAN a san”.

Since our Training emphasizes the work of Krishnamacharya, the names of the postures tend to be the same however the pronunciations can be different. As students and practitioners of yoga it is important to stay flexible in the mind. ears, and tongue, as well as cultivating flexibility in the body!

In June, as part of our Teacher Training Intensive, we explored the topic, Energy Anatomy. The information was compiled from various sources mostly with origins in the Vedas (the ancient source texts of Indian philosophy). The Pranic Chakra and Nadi system of Yoga is similar to the Oriental Medicine depiction of Chi and Energy Meridians.

Koshas are a classification of the multi-dimensional attributes of the human being involving body, energy, mind, and spirit. A beautiful representation of the Kosha subdivisions can be seen in the artwork of Alex Grey, in his Sacred Mirrors exhibit. www.alexgrey.com

The Vayus are the categories of Prana as it relates to certain bodily functions and activities. During pranayama (yogic breath work) a primary goal is to enhance the body`s energy reserves by breathing exercises.

These subjects which have been understood for hundreds of years by Yoga practitioners are slowly being acknowledged by Western thinkers. Gradually we are transitioning into an understanding of “metaphysics” and the potential of this wisdom to enhance our well-being and spiritual evolution.

In early June we began the journey of a 200 hour Teacher Training Intensive which will be continuing through December. There are eight very talented candidates, and since the group is intimate, it will be a wonderful opportunity to train and mentor each of them closely. The understanding of Ashtanga Yoga as an Eight Limb path developed by the ancient rishi Patanjali will be an integral aspect of this training. In the photos below, we begin the practice of teaching with the voice. Stay tuned for the highlights of the course.

Please click on the photos for a larger view.

Whether you are wanting to deepen your current understanding of yoga or become a teacher, you may want to consider taking this teacher training.

In this course we will study and compare 3 major styles that have come from Krishnamacharya “the Grand Father of modern yoga”; those styles being Ashtanga Vinyasa, Iyengar, and Viniyoga. Following the guidelines of the Yoga Alliance, upon completion of the course the participants will be able to register with that organization as a RYT (Registered Yoga Teacher).

Those interested persons who have 100 hours from previous courses taught by Anne or through the Astanga Yoga Center Uptown will be able to use those hours, and thereby need only participate in an additional 100 hours.

We will cover topics such as Anatomy & Physiology for Asana including Energy Anatomy, Yoga History & Philosophy, Chanting/ Kirtan and other branches of yoga, Ayurveda, Pranayama, Class Sequencing, proper use of Props, and Business of Yoga.

The schedule of classes will be 4 hours a day on Saturdays & Sundays for 3 weekends a month. The first 100 hours will be held over 3 months beginning late May through mid August. Mid August through late September will be a break, then another 3 months, finishing mid December.

We are excited by this opportunity to provide San Diego with quality instruction and promising new teachers.

Cost: $2000 ($10 per hour) if paid in full by 4/1.
$2250 until May 1, which is cut off date to register.
Payment plans available.

For more information, please contact Anne at yoga@annenowell.com or Skyler at yoganicstudio@sbcglobal.net.
To get your application, please contact Skyler at 619.294.7792 or by email.