Advanced yoga course for ashtanga practionners
with Ciara Cullen, 2nd - 7th April 2010

The course

I have been thinking about doing a course like this for a long time, and did a first one last August. I am really looking forward to running the second one!
This course will be an intermediate/advanced retreat open to those who have a solid, consistent practice of the ashtanga method. Minimum requirement is a self-practice of full primary. During the week we will be using a number of approaches (some quite unconventional from the ashtanga perspective) to explore the relationship of one's breath and bandhas and sense of groundedness to the practice. I hope also to be able to use the time we have together to explore difficult and challenging aspects of the ashtanga practice from a very individual perspective. Thus whether your challenge is Marichasana D, backbends, pincha mayurasana, handstands, padmasana, we can work with these asana during the week and explore different ways of practicing and approaching them. The first morning will be a mysore style self-practice so that I can get a sense of everyone's practice. From there we will move on to led practices and a combination of self-practice and led. Afternoons will be more workshop style, though we will also be doing some basic pranyama as well as yin hip openers. I have a number of things I want to cover with the group, but am also very open to the individual needs of everyone present, so there is a large amount of flexibility to the format of the retreat.
About Ciara

Ashtanga formed a most influential and lasting influence on my personal yoga practice. I studied ashtanga intensively from 1998 until 2007, working over extended periods of time with John Scott in Cornwall (including his first Practitioner's course) and Graham Northfield in Bali and Paros (for his first Practitioner's/teacher training course). I also studied with Nancy Gilgoff in Prague and then on Clare Island where she held over three years both Primary Series and Intermediate Series adjustment clinics. I also studied with Guruji in Mysore at his Lakshmipurum shala. Though my own personal practice has moved away from pure ashtanga, being heavily influenced now by Scaravelli, as taught by Paddy MacGrath and Rossella Baroncini, as well as a more classical form of hatha as taught by Venkatesh, ashtanga still deeply informs my style of yoga.

Cost for the course is 500 euros (vegetarian food, accommodation and 2 classes /day)		 Ciara in Back bend