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Dates
Saturday 09/21/2024 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Saturday 09/21/2024 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm
Sunday 09/22/2024 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Sunday 09/22/2024 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm

Pricing
$200.00 Full Weekend - Therapeutic Wisdom of Yoga - Sept 2024
$60.00 Session 1 — The Secret of Wellness in Asana — Sat 1-3pm
$60.00 Session 2 — The Heart of Movement — Sat 3:30-5:30pm
$60.00 Session 3 — The Keys to the Knees and Hips — Sun 1-3pm
$60.00 Session 4 — Equilibrium — Sun 3:30-5:30pm

Space is still available for those who wish to attend the full weekend and/or individual sessions. For co-op members, the discounted fee is $180 for the full weekend and $50 for a single session. Not a co-op member? Learn more and join today.

We are thrilled to welcome Doug Keller back to Circle Yoga for a Therapeutic Wisdom of Yoga weekend. This is a hybrid event with participants joining both in person or online. All participants will receive a high-quality video recording of the session(s) for which they registered.  We recommend that you register early if you plan to attend in person; in-studio space is limited, and Doug's workshops at Circle Yoga always fill. Each session will include presentation, practice, and time for questions, and each day will end with yoga nidra. Participants joining us in person are invited to join us for tea and light snacks between sessions on Saturday and Sunday. 

Doug has traveled worldwide offering yoga workshops and teacher trainings for more than 20 years. Whether he's teaching about asana, yoga philosophy, yoga therapy, or pranayama, his approach is clear, accessible and full of insight for practitioners at all levels of experience. Doug is a highly respected teacher in the yoga community. He is also humble and kind, creating a supportive and encouraging learning environment.

Saturday, Sept 21, 1:00-3:00pm
The Secret of Wellness in Asana: It’s In the Joints — With Focus on the Shoulders

Asana practice most often focuses almost exclusively on muscle tone and flexibility though poses and stretches, while missing the essential secret for achieving this naturally: the joints. Proper space for movement in the joints — or ‘joint play’ — is the key to proper flexibility and tone in our muscles, as well as freedom from chronic pain stemming from inflammation. This understanding of the joints is vital for understanding pain management through yoga, as well as overcoming stiffness and weakness through collaboration with the way our nervous system actually works, rather than struggling with stretches and one-size-fits-all concepts of alignment. This session will focus on the shoulders, with clear and straightforward principles and approaches for achieving proper movement in the joints of the shoulder girdle. Yoga asanas explore all ranges of movement for the shoulders, with the aim of achieving balanced joint play — and with that, flexibility and freedom from impingement and inflammation. This will be an all-levels practice, with a clear learning component containing news-you-can-use for students and teachers alike. 

Saturday, Sept 21, 3:30-5:30pm
The Heart of Movement: The Sacrum and Spine
All movement in asana begins with the spine, and the natural undulation of the spine in movement is also the foundation for the health and steadiness of the mind. And the heart of the spine’s movement is at the sacrum, whose movement initiate the stimulation into action known in yoga as ‘Prana Vayu,’ as well as the grounding, centering movements characterized as ‘Apana Vayu.’ This session will explore the movements of the sacrum and pelvic bones in forward bending, backbending, and twists, starting from standing poses, and the interwoven threads of muscles connected to these movements by which the integrated whole-body movements of these asanas takes place. This session will be a very practical and accessible exploration of sacral and low-back health as well as the keys to healthy movement patterns in asana. It will include straightforward understanding of the actions of the ‘Core’ which supports these movements, which are traditionally known as the ‘bandhas.’ This will lead us into breath practices and relaxation in Yoga Nidra to finish the day.

Sunday, Sept 22, 1:00-3:00pm
The Keys to the Knees and Hips: The Feet

While the keys to both movement and stability (or Sama-Stithi — steady equilibrium in Tadasana) lie in the sacrum and spine, we do have accessible principles for achieving balanced movement starting from the feet. The opposing movements of the parts of the feet not only set up the resilience of our arches and stability of our ankles — they also direct the movements of our knees and hips, in forward bending, hip opening, and backbending. This session will start with simple movements and exercises for our feet that will be translated into principles for movement in asana — and will be essential to your working effectively with your hamstrings, as well as your knees and hips. This will lead into a well-rounded all-levels practice of a variety of poses. The principles, which are adaptable to any body type, provide the pathway to establishing equilibrium in your own body — a significant part of the healthy state of balance described in yogic terms as ‘Samana Vayu.’ This will include special focus on hip stability, which supports health of the knees.

Sunday, Sept 22, 3:30-5:30pm
Equilibrium: The ‘Gut,’ the Breath, and the Mind

The hatha yogis were the first to emphasize the crucial importance of the health of our ‘gut’ or digestive system, and not only its role in our health, but its connection to our intuition as well as our samskaras. The various systems of the chakras in hatha yoga are an elaborate way of saying that we must listen to our ‘gut’ as well as to our heart, with a focused mind. This session will be about approaches to inward focus, with warm-ups, breath work, and simple bandha, encompassing tools for inward focus centered around the chakras that will enhance your understanding of their practical value. It’s a breath, meditation, and relaxation session that includes some movement, and sets the foundations for a deep Yoga Nidra practice. There will be some learning component as we set the context for the practices, with insights into the habits and patterns that drive the mind, and how yoga practices help us to recognize the ‘cues’ that set off these patterns, and to undo these patterns and replace them with more constructive patterns of doing, seeing, and feeling. Such is the gift of the tools of the chakras and yoga practices!

Some prior experience with yoga is recommended.

Refund Policy: If you need to cancel your registration, a refund will be provided minus a 20% administrative fee if you cancel at least 48 hours before the workshop. No refunds will be given within 48 hours of the workshop. Send refund requests in writing to support@circleyoga.com.

Doug Keller

Doug Keller’s background reflects a lifelong commitment to the vast field of yoga. After receiving degrees in philosophy from Georgetown and Fordham University and teaching philosophy at a college level, he pursued a practical experience of yoga at the ashram Gurudev Siddha Peeth in India — which in turn also led him to the practice of hatha yoga as part of his overall experience of yoga.

From years of study, practice and teaching, Doug has produced widely used and highly respected books on asana, yoga as therapy, pranayama and yoga philosophy, and he teaches hatha yoga workshops and trainings in both North America and Europe.

Doug was a regular columnist for Yoga International Magazine for three years, and has also written on therapeutic topics for Yoga Journal. His popularity as a teacher comes from his ability to deepen people’s experience of yoga through clear, simple and direct instructions that are easy to practice and remember. And he does it with lightness and light.