Aligning with Breath
Ashtanga Weekend Workshop
with Ty Landrum
March 29, 30 & 31, 2024
Ashtanga Vinyasa works with two opposing patterns of breath. These patterns are called prana and apana, or the ascending and descending breaths, and alignment can be thought of as the continual rediscovery of balance between the two. In this workshop, we explore the movements of these patterns as they present in our bodies. We learn to recognize their unique physiological signatures, and we practice integrating them in the key postures of the Ashtanga Vinyasa system. Through these explorations, we rediscover the breath as an axis of alignment, one that brings unusual depth and vibrancy to the postures themselves.
Program
FRIDAY, MARCH 29th
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm Alignment Lab 1: Surya Namaskar
The backbone of the Ashtanga system is Surya Namaskar, the Salutation to the Sun. The Sun is not only the celestial body that gives us warmth and daylight, but the solar center of the subtle body, where our vital forces converge. In Surya Namaskar, we are propitiating to these forces, inviting them to rise up through the central axis of the body, burning away our delusions and giving us insight. This session explores the mechanics of Surya Namaskar and introduces the basic movement vocabulary that we use throughout the workshop.
SATURDAY, MARCH 30th
8:00 am – 10:00 am Mysore
This is a traditional Mysore-style asana practice. Practitioners will be supported but self-directed. To participate harmoniously, you must have an asana sequence that you can practice on your own, without external direction. Ashtanga Vinyasa will be the predominating style, but other intelligent, breath-based vinyasa krama sequences are welcome.
10:30 am – 12:30 pm Alignment Lab 2: Standing Postures
Standing postures have a secret life, a secret inwardness, a secret drama that is easy to miss. They can seem simple and accessible when we first learn them, but as we feel into them with closer attention, they start to reveal an unfathomable depth. Each standing posture is a unique stage for the dynamic interplay of prana and apana, and when we learn to direct those subtle forces into one another, their drama begins to unfold. In this session, we learn to balance prana and apana within the standing postures of the Ashtanga Vinyasa system.
1:30 pm – 3:30 pm Alignment Lab 3: Twists and Folds
In this session, we explore the mechanics of forward folding and twisting, and the mental impact of different ways of holding ourselves within these forms. Through our exploration, we learn to use forward folding not only to stretch the back of the body, but to stretch the back of the mind, and to ground ourselves more fully in the present moment.
SUNDAY, MARCH 31st
8:00 am – 10:00 am Mysore
This is a traditional Mysore-style asana practice. Practitioners will be supported but self-directed. To participate harmoniously, you must have an asana sequence that you can practice on your own, without external direction. Ashtanga Vinyasa will be the predominating style, but other intelligent, breath-based vinyasa krama sequences are welcome.
10:30 am – 12:30 pm Alignment Lab 4: Backbends
The practice of backbending is about making ourselves vulnerable, and finding the internal support to handle that vulnerability with steadiness and grace. When we backbend with internal support, we create opportunities for deep psychical release. In this session, we learn to work intelligently with the breath, the psoas and the diaphragm, to create a long and supple spine that can reach gracefully into these difficult and exhilarating forms.
1:30 pm – 3:30 pm Mula Bandha: Practice and Philosophy
Some say that mula bandha is the toning of the pelvic floor. Other say that mula bandha is the experience of non-duality. What do these disparate things have in common? This workshop aims to clarify. Observing the subtle breath within our bodies, we discover a thread of sensation that reaches from the pelvic floor to the soft palate, a thread that connects us to the source of our vitality. By awakening our love and admiration for where that thread leads, we can invite some of the finer experiences of mula bandha to arise.
Pricing
WHOLE workshop:
Early Bird if registered before December 1st: 250€*
Normal Registration (from December 2nd): 300€
Individual sessions:
Single Mysore Class: 40€
Single Workshop: 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
Room: Patanjali (downstairs)
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