WorkShop & Course

Saturday 25th February 2pm-5pm. Cost £25

Spencer-Goodier has been practicing and teaching yoga for a dozen years. A keen sportswoman and barefoot runner she understands that stretching is important, but it’s just as important for runners to ensure their muscles are balanced. Running doesn’t work the inner and outer quads evenly, so a common issue is that outer quads become tight and overused while inner quads remain weak, these imbalances can lead to knee problems. Weak gluteal muscles lead to hip instability and injuries; yoga meanwhile will strengthen the gluteus medius. While running compresses the spine and tight hamstrings can aggravate lower back pain, yoga decompresses the spine and encourages the musculature of the ham strings to lengthen. These workshops will teach you how to stretch and balance the major muscle groups of the body. It’s all physical practice, plenty of laughter and no mumbo jumbo – come and see how yoga can take you further and faster.

Saturday 3rd March 2012. 12.30pm-3.30pm. Cost £30.

This three hour workshop will explore The dynamics of back-bending in a yoga practice. Students will learn the importance of warmimg up the body and will practice a short flowing vinyasa based practice to warm up.

Students will also explore and so begin to have an understanding of what is happening within the structure of the body in relation to backbends, in particular the function of the spine, pelvis, legs and shoulder girdle.

Students will explore a number of asanas in detail, with warm up / complimentary postures and some partner work to enable them to deepen their awareness of the asanas. The importance of foundation and breath will also be emphasised, as well as working with the body and not forcing it (working with ‘Sthira and Sukha’).

In addition, students will learn about some of the benefits, emotional and physical, of backbends as well as contraindications.

A vinyasa flow based practice, incorporating the elements explored during the afternoon, will conclude the afternoon’s workshop so that students will have an experience of sequencing the asanas, including preparatory and poses and counterposes.

Saturday 10th March 12pm-2pm. Charity donation.

Join the yoga room team for 108 sun salutations in taking part in this global event. Wherever you are in the world, get ready to roll your mats out on 10th March 2012 forYOGA STOPS TRAFFICK, a worldwide yoga event to raise awareness about human trafficking. Last year YST brought together 3,000 people in 38 countries, 95 yoga studios, parks, homes, beaches and mountaintops around the world. With your help we raised over £30,000 for Indian organization Odanadi Seva Trust, to give survivors of human trafficking the chance of a better future.

Participants must raise minimum £15 sponsorship or make the payment themselves. Ask at Yoga Room reception for details and sponsorship forms.

Saturday 31st March. 2pm-5pm. Cost £25.

Yin Yoga consists of long-held and mostly seated poses that passively stretch the tendons and ligaments in order to unblock and distribute chi (prana) throughout the meridians (nadis), clearing blockages, in order to balance our organ and meridian systems for our general health.

Not to be confused with Gentle or Restorative Yoga, Yin Yoga goes beyond the muscle to truly create space and energy within you, helping to restore balance in your body and mind. Yin Yoga is the perfect complement to the dynamic and muscular (yang) styles of yoga that emphasise internal heat and the lengthening and contracting of our muscles.

In this three hour workshop, students of all levels will learn about the principles and philosophies of Yin Yoga and will embark on a journey of exploration into this slower and quieter yoga practice, opening up deep, dense and rarely touched areas of the body.

Throughout the workshop, students will experience and explore the Buddhist practices of Mindfulness and Compassion – the ability to see things as they really are and loving kindness towards the self and others.

Students will also have the opportunity to indulge in Meditation and Pranayama before finally melting into a deep Yoga Nidra.

Tuesday 19th June – 24th June. Plus 6 weekends. Please contact us for a price.

Union Yoga Training at the Yoga Room, Bournemouth. This comprehensive teacher training uses the Primary Series of Ashtanga Yoga as the basic structure in learning to teach. However, the training is not limited to the Primary series and a wide range of important yoga techniques are incorporated throughout the course. The aim of this course is to provide you with both a sound knowledge and a sound practice of Hatha Yoga and to encourage you to teach with confidence and intuition, and to motivate you to continue in your personal path of discovery. This course takes place over approximately 7 months and starts with a 6 day intensive which will introduce you to some of the key concepts of a successful personal practice and how to transmit this to your students. Empowering your students is the single most important aspect of teaching. Developing a strong and vibrant personal practice is the first step in achieving this. The intensive is followed by 6 weekends which will work progressively through most of the primary series, and explore the topics outlined below:

Course Curriculum.

• Yoga Philosophy and History, and its influence on current day yoga: This will provide you with an understanding of the roots of what you will be teaching, and the philosophical traditions which have shaped modern yoga.

• Anatomy and Physiology of Hatha Yoga: This gives you a fundamental understanding of what correct alignment actually means, and how to teach it and to analyze a student’s posture. Physiology covers the effects of yoga practices, their benefits and their contraindications. All anatomy and physiology is taught with direct relevance to Hatha Yoga and is not merely textbook learning.

• Teaching Pranayama to beginners and developing a personal pranayama practice based on sound physiological knowledge.

• Introducing the Shat Kriyas and how to teach them effectively.

• Techniques in Ashtanga Vinyasa: The use of body mechanics combined with the correct use of energetic locks reveals the tremendous potential of this style of yoga.

• Learning to adjust with awareness and sensitivity: Combining the latest flexibility research with adjusting is a powerful tool for increasing both flexibility and strength.

• Developing Verbal and Communication Skills.

• Vinyasa Krama: Intelligent sequencing is the key to a well-balanced successful yoga session, and gives you the confidence to be original and interesting in your yoga teaching.

• Modifications and Variations to suit individual needs: How to tailor a yoga class.

• Esoteric teachings of Hatha and Tantra: A practical introduction to energetic concepts used in advanced practices.

• Sanskrit pronunciation: The correct pronunciation of Sanskrit words commonly used in class.

• Teaching in class: Starting in small groups, you will gain the confidence to teach in front of others.

• Yoga Teaching as a Career: The business side of setting up classes in the public domain.