Building an Inspired and Sustainable
Ashtanga Yoga Practice
with Ron Reid & Marla Meenakshi Joy
October 18 – 20, 2024
Program
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18th
18:30 – 20:30 Finding devotion in your practice: Satsang and Chanting
Mantra and Sanskrit chanting is a devotional path that started centuries ago in India. Bypassing the mind and going straight to the heart leaves us feeling brighter, happier and more integrated and connected. In this evening we will weave together satsang, discussion, chanting, pranayama and meditation to embrace the path of bhakti yoga and experience the heart of compassion towards ourselves, how we view our lives and practice, towards others and towards the planet as a whole.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19th
9:00 – 11:00 GAYATRI MANTRA Sun salutations and more!
Practicing this vedic mantra while slowly moving into practice is like opening a gateway to your subtle body… accelerating the process of energetic and spiritual rejuvenation!
In this workshop we will learn this incredible mantra to the Sun and illumination, which will set to Swaha’s (Meenakshi and Ron Reid’s) new track of the Gayatri mantra which is specifically for Surya Namaskara’s and asana practice in general. We will open our hearts and minds to: “The Creator of the Universe, the core of the universe, the source of life, and the embodiment of light—the rising Sun”
11:30 – 13:30 Arm Balancing Lab – Vasishtasana and Vishwamitrasana: Birds of a Feather
These two incredible arm balances (which are Rishi’s, or sages)… require similar areas of strength and opening! Working on one supports the other…
We will dive into ways to find stability in the wrists and shoulders… while exploring Trikonasana (triangle pose), Parshvakonasan (side angle pose) and gentle Hanumanasana stretches (front splits) to open and prepare ourselves for our journey into the mystical world of these two enlightened saints!
15:00 – 17:00 Twist Lab: the Twist, the Sacred Spiral
Energize and awaken the spine and the sacred spiral within! Twists help us to access the central “nadi” or subtle nerve channels where our Divine energy flows. They help us to develop spinal flexibility and prepare us for Backbends and help to sustain lateral mobility.
In this workshop we will explore hip-opening techniques and elements which are common to all twists, including preparations and modifications for learning how to bind.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20th
9:00 – 11:00 Backbending Led Class: Opening the Energy Body!
Ignite and align the energy body…! In order to liberate our energy in backbends, we first need to discover ways of working with the spine that allow us to balance its tendencies into a uniform flow. This requires stabilizing and strengthening in some areas, and extending and opening other areas… creating an energetic opening in our hearts, bodies and minds! We will be exploring in a safe way some of the poses from 2nd series, adding modifications and inspired steps along the way!
11:30 – 13:30 Eka Pada Rajakapottasana: One legged King Pigeon… Learning to fly!
This beautiful posture sometimes leaves practitioners mystified in how to move towards it in a sequential and supported way. Since it’s a hip opener, back leg psoas opener, hamstring opener and an opener of the heart, there is a lot going on!
We have devised some beautiful ways to prepare and work on this posture so that even as you move “towards” it you feel like you are beginning your journey of flight!
15:00 – 17:00 Bhagavad Gita/Chanting & Restorative Yoga
Come and dive into a few verses from this epic poem…that will lead us into the blissful practices of chanting and restorative yoga. We will learn and repeat in an easy way…bringing our minds into a clear focus and intentional practice to swim in the ocean of joy inside of our bodies in this deeply regenerative workshop.
Pricing
Early Bird: €250 before August 31, 2024
Normal: €300 from September 1, 2024
Individual sessions: €45
Register
Priority goes to those signing up for the whole workshop.
* Early Bird discount will be applied in the last step before payment.
Cancellation Policy
An admin fee of 30 euros will be deducted for cancellations made more than 21 days before the workshop.
Only half of the sum paid will be returned 8 to 20 days before the workshop.
Sum paid is non-refundable 7 days before the workshop.
We don’t accept transferring of a paid reservation to another person after 2 weeks before the workshop.
We advise to those coming from out of Paris to purchase travel insurance as travel issues will not change this policy. Medical issues will also not change this policy.
As the teacher is confirming their presence and is guaranteed the amount of people who are attending 21 days before, we ask for your understanding of this policy.
For more payment methods and registration options:
Please fill and sign the registration form below & join your payment.
Send by (snail) mail, e-mail, or bring at the studio directly if you’re coming to a class.
Download Registration Form
Location
Ashtanga Yoga Paris
See on map
Room: Patanjali (downstairs)
You might enjoy:
A workshop with Ron & Marla (2017)
More on the blog!
About Ron Reid:
Ron Reid has been practicing Yoga for more than 35 years and teaching since 1988. He is the co-founder of Downward Dog Yoga Centre.
Ron has studied with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and Sharath both in India and North America and was one of the first Canadian teachers to be authorized by Pattabhi Jois. In addition to regular classes at Downward Dog, he conducts workshops and teacher trainings in Canada, Europe, and the U.K. and is becoming a familiar face at various conferences around the world.
Ron is one of Canada’s top teachers, approaching teaching in an inspired, informed and non-dogmatic way. He places the needs of the students ahead of the demands of the practice. While continuing to teach and practice the ashtanga vinyasa system as a foundation, he endeavors to blend tradition with innovation, and to balance precision with grace. Students will find his refined approach to practice both challenging and rewarding.
Ron is also an accomplished musician and composer and performs with his partner Marla Meenakshi Joy under their group name “Swaha”.
About Marla Meenakshi Joy
Marla first traveled to India in 1988 to study meditation and the philosophy of the Vedas with Swami Shyam, as well as other learned scholars in the Himalayas. She is a Certified Meditation and Yoga Philosophy teacher from the International Meditation Institute in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh, Himalayas, and, along with her studies with her Pranayama teacher Sri Sudhir Tiwari, has also completed an “Advanced Pranayama” training with Sri O.P. Tiwari from the Kaivalyadhama Institute in Pune, India.
She has been teaching in teacher training programs since 1999 across Canada, the U.S., Europe and Asia, as both a teacher of Philosophy and Sanskrit, Chanting and Meditation, Ashtanga and Vinyasa yoga, and Restorative Yoga. She is the previous co-owner of Downward Dog Yoga Centre.
A practicing Shiatsu therapist since 1993, and teaching Mysore around the globe, Meenakshi has a healing and informative touch.
As a celebrated singer and songwriter, she also leads Kirtan (call-and-response chanting) with her band SWAHA, with inspired musical compositions with her partner/keyboardist, Ron Reid. She has produced five CDs of Sanskrit chanting.