January 2012

~ Effortless Yoga, the Art of Not-Doing.  Saturday, January 21, 10-Noon. 

Effortless Yoga focuses on the exertion of effort in all we do - from our relationships, to our job, to our Yoga.  And with effort comes stress .. either to stress our point, our position, or the pose.  Often, the result is for the body and/or mind to rebel or resist, leavingus asking, ‘Where next?!’

How we feel about our relationships, our job, our Yoga – our self – comes out on the Yoga mat, especially during difficult poses.  Rushing to embrace an easy pose is just as telling as avoiding challenging situations.

The Raja Yoga Sutras tell us that, in all we do – both on the Yoga mat and off – our effort should be ‘correct’, ‘relaxing’ and ‘pure’.  For at all times, our singular goal is: Sthira Sukham Asana, ‘Sure Joy Existence’.

Are we fully engaged, fully present and vigilant in our daily life?  Are we relaxed and enjoying the moment?  Or are we always trying to accomplish something, and so get caught in the coil of duhkha (‘struggle’)?

Yoga is about flowing from tension to attention, from effort to the art of not-doing, from concentration to meditation, from stagnation to elation.

This workshop, taught by Yogini Devi, will guide you through releasing breath, opening poses suitable for all levels, and discussion / explanation of ‘effortless being’ from the Raja Yoga Sutras.

This 3-hour workshop costs $30.  Limited space assures a personal setting while requiring pre-registration.  Email to make arrangements to pre-pay with check or cash: yogini_valarie@yahoo.com

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Previous Workshops

~Yoga Potluck ~ Saturday, September 4, at 4pm.  $10 drop in, with a dish, for non-members.

~Yoga Fit Camp ~ New Series, Thursday and/or Saturday, 9am, Tribble Mill

Why do boot camp when you can do Yoga Camp?  Lose Weight . Get Fit . Shape Up . Have Fun . Meet Others.

In Yoga Camp, you will: Lose Weight . Tone Arms and Legs . Get a Yoga Butt . Establish a Strong Core . Develop Shapely Legs . Improve Flexibility . Improve Balance . Learn Yoga Nutrition . Learn Yoga Walking . Learn Yoga Running . Build Stamina . Increase Endurance.  All the physical benefits of Yoga are here.  No yelling or screaming, no intimidation or threat tactics.  This is, after all, Yoga.  Expect to laugh, have a great time and push yourself to YOUR edge!

This is a six week series, every Thursday and/or Saturday at 9am (you decide either one day or two!).

Rate:  $75 for non-members, $50 for Shala members.

Wear comfortable and breathable work out clothing.  Wear running shoes.  Bring a water bottle or two!  Bring work out gloves (your hands will be on the ground for part of this series).  Come with a positive attitude.  Pay when you arrive. Bring healthy snacks to munch on .. like fresh or dried fruit. There will be a fitness test before beginning.

~Beginners Yoga ~ New Series, to be announced

New to Yoga, with no experience?  Want to learn the basics that apply to all levels of Yoga?  Want to learn the proper alignment and movement, the way to breath and how to concentrate, all from the ground up?  The Beginners Yoga class is a fun, productive and complety unintimadating way to learn the fundamentals of Yoga. 

This is a four week series, once a week at 7pm. 

In a supportive environment you are free to ask questions, to hold a pose for as long as you choose, and to move in and out of the poses as often as you like.  Come discover your own strengths, and the confidence to begin Yoga!

Rate: Pre-registration required, $65

Wear comfortable and loose fitting clothing.  Do not eat a heavy meal two hours before class.  Bring a pad and pen if you like.  Feel free to ask questions.  Relax, learn, have fun!

~ Great Green Opening ~ Thursday, April 22.

Join us for a full day of Yoga at The Shala.

FREE Meditation starts at 6:30am.

Agni (fire / hot) Yoga at 7:15am

Gentle Yoga at 9am

Chikitsa (Healing) Yoga at 5pm

All Levels at 7pm

$40 unlimited MONTHLY access.  27 classes to choose from.

No Registration required.  No signup fees, no contracts.  All Yoga, All the Time!

~Shanti and Sanity New Years Celebration!

Join us for Traditional Hatha Yoga from 7-8:30pm, and stay afterwards; or come at 9pm for our Shanti and Sanity New Years Celebration at Hamsa Yoga.

What better way to start 2010 than with a Gentle Yoga class, deep breathing exercises, peaceful singing, and quite reflection?  Join us for a quality evening of loving kindness, peace and joy that will resonate within you for the entire year!

Thursday, December 31, 9pm to Midnight.  Bring a vegetarian potluck to share, drinks provided.  Donations accepted.

~Peace, Metta and Non-Harming with Centeredness Prayer

Every morning, 6:30am

Join us for Peace Meditation, stay for Agni Yoga.  Begin your day with an act of peace and metta (loving kindess) for your body and mind.

Rate: Free meditation.  $15 Drop-in for Yoga class (non-members).  One Month Unlimited Access, $40.

~Walk for Peace and Non-Harming

Tribble Mill Park, Main Entrance, 11am, Saturday, October 3.  An easy 3k walk over rolling hills and shaded pathways.  Meet new folk, bring the family, pets on a leash .. enjoy the day! 

~At the Rishi's Knee: An Introduction to the Upanishads

The Upanishads, meaning "sitting down new (the teacher/Rishi)", are a collection of sacred writings that embody the most profoundly insightful words every put to palm leaf. 

Join Yogini Valarie Devi as she introduces the sheer simplicity of these philosophical and spiritual texts, meant to be guidelines for students seeking the deep meaning of Yoga.

More than Yoga, the Upanishads - written between 500BCE and 1200CE - are found in Buddhism, Dharma, martial arts, and Christianity.   They are a way to view, consider, and come to understand reality. 

Sundays, October 11 and 18, from Noon to 3pm.

$60 for both classes, $50 for pre-registration.

~Integrative Restoration - Yoga Nidra

September 12, Saturday night, 5-7pm

The ancient practice of Yoga Nidra eases stress, heals trauma, and awakens us to our timeless Presence.  Stretch out, breathe deep, and the let bodymind be calm.

'Integrative Restoration' is what modern researchers call the method of accessing the internal healing response, to better resist disease, pain, insomnia, depression and stress.  Recent medical studies with participating US Military personnel suffering from PTSD, recently returned from deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, have resulted in released tension and greater comfort.

Yoga Nidra's eightfold approach to deep healing sleep has enriched and nourished the lives of many.

Rate:  Pre-registration required, $20

Wear comfortable and loose fitting clothing.  Bring a pillow and light blanket.

~Matrika Yoga for Women

August 22, Saturday night, 5-8pm

Join us for a beautiful evening of honoring the feminine to help you remember the Yogini within.  Matrika Yoga is a unique, right-brain, hip and heart opening way to boost creativity, sensuality and fertiity while balancing your moon cycle.  So come to relax, renew and reconnect with your feminine power.

Rate: Pre-registration required, $30

~Guru Purnima

July 7, Tuesday night, Full Moon, 8:15pm – 9:15pm

On this night we give thanks for all the ways Yoga has enriched our lives, while also giving thanks to our teacher/s (guru/s) who have guided us along the Yogic path.

All are welcome!

There will be a guided meditation with Yogini Valarie Devi, devotional chanting and puja (ceremony).

Donations accepted.  Please bring a small vegetarian dessert to share.

~Weaving the Life Force – The Art of Tantra

With Yogini Valarie Devi

Saturdays, Noon to 3pm

This three week series will explore the ancient wisdom tradition of Tantra.

July 11: Introduction – History and Synthesis

July 18: The Subtle Body and Becoming Whole

July 25: Sacred Space – Nadi and Nyasa, Mantra and Mudra

Rate: Drop-in, $30 per session

Register Online

~Meditation for Beginners

Sunday, July 26, Noon to 2pm

Learn what meditation is, how to start a personal practice, and Yoga tips to make the practice easy, with Yogini Valarie Devi.

Rate: Drop-in, $20

Register Online

~Patanjali's Raja Yoga Sutras

The foundation of Yoga, this 2,200 year old text is a timeless classic.  Anyone who has spent anytime in the study and practice of Yoga is at least familiar with it.  Patanjali's Raja Yoga Sutras are unparalleled in psychology and parapsychology.  Unlike the clinical methods adopted by psychology today, the Yogis of antiquity discovered the mental laws through their inward experience of concentration, meditation and samadhi.

The philosophers and mystics of ancient Greece, Persia, Arabia, Egypt and other civilizations were considerably influence by the teachings found in the Raja Yoga Sutras.  Which explains but one of the reasons for its benevolent influence and long-lasting appeal.

Yogini Valarie Devi explains Patanjali's work without the extended explanations and intellectual speculations, cutting straight to the core so that its guidelines for spiritual evolution may be quickly reaching, understood and applied.

Saturdays, April 11, 18 and 25, Noon to 2pm.  $60 for entire course, $50 for pre-registration.

~Gentle Asana – An Ongoing Practice

Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9-10:00am, and again from 5-6pm.

Gentle Asana is for Every Body

Suitable for beginners, Gentle Yoga is a relaxing, slow moving, gently flowing class of basic poses, soothing breath work and quite reflection.

Rate: Drop-in, $15

One Month Unlimited Access: $40

~The Goodness of Gita

Sundays, March 8, 15, 22 and 29 (four weeks), from Noon to 2pm

Bathe yourself in the goodness of the Gita, and be soothed by its timeless knowledge.

The Bhagavad Gita is transcendental literature, dating back 5,000 years, to ancient India.  "Gita" means song, and it is a lyric truly unborn, eternal, imperishable and timeless.

Deep in the heart of Yoga is the Gita - the nature of consciousness, insight into self, and the universe.  More than who we see in the mirror, or are thought to be by those who know us, the Gita helps us realize our true spiritual identity.

Yogini Valarie Devi has been a student of Yoga for 30 years, and has learned the Gita at the knee of many great Pundits, Yogins and Swamis.  Join her for the empowering presentation and experience into the profound truths of the Gita.

Rate: Pre-registration required.  $80 for 4 weeks, $70 if pre-paid.

~Bhakti Yoga: The Nature of Devotion

For some, Yoga is the path of union with god, which is not something generated or attained, but that already exists, waiting - like a seed in the earth - to be realized and fully expressed.

The Yoga idea of Bhakti, "devotion", is found in Sat-Chit-Ananda, "Existence, Consciousness, Bliss", for both the devotee and god are made of this.  This idea is beautifully and loving expressed in the Narada Bhakti Sutras.

If you are orientated towards fulfilling the call of blissful love, having a strong desire to make love your polestar, then this class is for you.

Saturday, February, 7 and 14, from Noon to 2pm.  Class begins with the Bhakti Mantras and Shakti Meditation.

Pre-registration required, $40 for both classes, $30 in advance.

~Health, Healing and Hatha Yoga

When people think of 'Yoga' they think of pretzel poses, yet Hatha Yoga is a healing practice.  One that includes anatomy and physiology, psychology and pain management, rejuvenation and energy restoration, a healthy lifestyle and therapeutics. 

Join us for a three week exploration on Hatha Yoga health and healing practices.  How stretching and strength building poses affect your circulation, digestion and breathing.  How moving in stillness calms your nervous system and alliviates depression.  How Hatha Yoga's holistic approach to health includes the body, mind and spirit (the last two aspects being left out of Western medicine).

If you are interested in taking charge of your personal healthcare, of regaining your innate ability to heal, then this workshop is for you.

Sundays, February 8, 15 and 22, from Noon to 2pm.

$60 for all three classes, $50 if you pre-register.

~Prameya Sastra: The Metaphysics of Yoga

Interested in the more esoteric aspects of Yoga, curious about the fundamental nature of reality?  Looking for Drayva (substance), Guna (quality, and the more refined aspects of Dharma?

This class is recommended for advanced Yoga students, or those with a basic understanding of dharma, jnana, purusa, ahamkara, buddhi, the siddhis, and other ideas / concepts / applications.

Sunday, January 18, Noon to 5pm (with a 30 minute break).

Pre-registration required, $60. 

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Auburn, Berkeley Lake, Braselton, Centerville, Dacula, Duluth, Five Forks, Grayson, Harbins Hog Mountain, Lawrenceville, Lenora, Lilburn, Loganville, Mountain Park, Norcross, Peachtree Corners, Rest Haven, Rosebud, Snellville, Stone Mountain, Sugar Hill and Suwannee, Gwinnett Georgia since 2001.