Workshops
The Advanced Workshop Series at Peacebank
Yoga is for everyone. Through practice we remove layers of conditioning and expose the light that shines within us. We are all yogis. We practice yoga because it keeps us grounded. Through regular practice we discover our path. With thoughtfulness we grow. Yoga shows us what is possible through attention to breath, concentration and movement.
Peacebank’s teacher training program introduces students to areas of yoga that aren’t taught in a traditional yoga class. Asana’s are an important part of yoga, but they are not everything. The teacher training program exposes students to all areas of yoga, greatly deepening their practice. The lessons taught in the teacher training course are immensely valuable to anyone interested in yoga, regardless of their experience level. Peacebank opened up individual lessons to students who aren’t enrolled in the entire teacher training course so they can experience these hard to find lessons.
Workshops are six to twelve hours long, much longer than a traditional workshop. Students will dive deep into each topic. The classes are guided by a gifted yogi with years of teaching experience. The skills and techniques students learn have practical applications in yoga and in life. Students will be able to immediately incorporate the material into their own practice.
Except for the prenatal class, all workshops will be taught by Doron Hanoch, a Yoga Alliance Certified Teacher at the most advanced level (ERYT 500). Doron is a sought after teacher who instructs group and individual sessions all over the Bay Area. Among other respected teachers, Doron was taught by the yogi who founded Ashtanga Yoga, Pattabhi Jois. Read more about Doron on his website www.doronhanoch.com.
The Wisdom of Yoga
Date: February 4, 2012 3:30 – 6:30 PM
Price: $129Where and when did yoga originate? Who were the early practitioners? What purpose does it serve? How can it help the modern day practitioner?
Join us for an eye opening adventure into the history of yoga, from its early days to modern times. Explore its history and philosophy. Learn from the Vedas, the Buddha, Samkya, Patanjali, Krishnamacharya and others in his lineage. Learn the purpose of Hatha Yoga. Discover yoga’s holistic approach to a healthy life.
This workshop is a vehicle for practitioners who want to move beyond their asana practice. For those that wish to understand yoga’s true meaning. To gaze upon the wisdom of yoga.
Qualifies for 3 hours toward Yoga Alliance RYT 200.
Tristana – The 3 Pillars of Ashtanga Yoga – Breath, Posture and Focus
Date: February 5, 2012 12:30 – 6:30 PM
Price: $169Tristana is the foundation of Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga. Your breath, posture and mental focus are the products of a lifetime of conditioning. Yoga teaches us that through practice and mindfulness we can change our conditions and perceptions, which in turn change our lives.
Tristana is more than the primary ashtanga series, it is the foundation of a graceful healthy yoga practice, and a full life. It is about the Bandhas (energy locks), Drsti (the yogic gaze which helps focus the mind) and Ujayyi breath. We will have a deep look at the basic forms, crucial for improving posture and maintaining a safe, sustainable, beneficial practice.
This workshop is important for anyone who wants to take care of themselves. If you have injuries, this workshop will help you work around them. We will focus on The sun salutations as the building blocks for all poses then move on to more advanced poses.
Qualifies for 6 hours toward Yoga Alliance RYT 200.
Focus on Standing Poses from Trikonasana to Natarajasana
Date: February 11, 2012 12:30 – 6:30 PM
Price: $169Standing poses are the foundation of an asana practice. They strengthen muscles, lengthen the spine and focus the mind. In this workshop you will explore standing poses. You will learn how to get in and out of them safely with proper alignment. You will be taught what each pose is meant to accomplish. You will understand why they are important, not just how to do them properly.
This workshop infuses study with asana practice. The teaching covers anatomy, physiology and energetic movements. You will be taught variations to simple poses, taking them deeper.
You will understand the energy flow that activates a pose. You will be given details that make your practice more efficient and graceful. You may find a whole new love for yoga.
Qualifies for 6 hours toward Yoga Alliance RYT 200.
Focus on the Hips, Twists and Forward Folds
Date: February 12, 2012 12:30 – 6:30 PM
Price: $169Want to find greater hip mobility and flexibility? Having open hips will improve almost every area of your asana practice. An open body makes us more emotionally available and better equipped to experience life.
Activities like running and cycling or simply sitting can stiffen the hips and back. The hips are the body’s mobility and stability center. Releasing blockages in the hips, gaining full mobility, will put you on a path to movement without pain. Beyond flexibility and mobility, you will understand the energy flow created by hip opening poses. You will learn poses that strengthen and open the hips. You will be given lessons to help keep you on the road to a healthier and happier you.
Qualifies for 6 hours toward Yoga Alliance RYT 200.
Open Up the Shoulders, Heart and Back
Date: February 18, 2012 12:30 – 6:30 PM
Price: $169Open up your body, mind and spiritual heart, in a customized workshop that will prepare you physically and support you mentally as you open up and create space in your spine, back, shoulders and upper chest.
If you want to feel more open and supple, deepen your backbends, and take your practice to the next level, you have to understand the relationship of the body parts, as well as the effects of your mind on your body. Come play and explore with this informative workshop, full of demonstrations and practice, close guidance and support as you experience new levels you may have not thought possible.
This workshop is designed to take you beyond your comfort zone into peaks of experience that are delightful as well as preparing you to live your life fully with no hindrances or fear. Everything from your neck, back, shoulders and chest down to your hips will be grateful for you for taking this workshop.
Qualifies for 6 hours toward Yoga Alliance RYT 200.
Training the Mind Through Meditation. Zen, Visualizations, Tibetan Buddhism and Osho
Date: February 19, 2012 12:30 – 6:30 PM
Price: $169Do you feel that your mind is controlling you and not the other way around? Can you sit still and just be? Do you have persistent thoughts that you can’t get out of your head? Meditation teaches us how to react thoughtfully to our perceptions. Our emotions no longer rule our world. We learn how to slow down and to live in the now.
In this workshop you will learn age old meditation techniques. You will learn skills that when practiced regularly bring balance and clarity. This workshop is the true foundation for discovering bliss. When you understand the nature of your mind you will recognize and appreciate the beauty of the present moment. You will be able to cultivate joy without relying on externals.
Qualifies for 6 hours toward Yoga Alliance RYT 200.
Ayurveda: The Body and Food
Dates: February 25 – 26, 2012 12:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Price: $289Want to feel more energy, lose weight, be in a good mood, and look great?
Imagine a customized toolbox, from which you can know what to use in order to bring yourself back to balance. It’s like being your own doctor, creating the awareness needed for you to know what you need to adjust.We will use the ancient wisdom of the Indian Ayurveda system, (the science of life) to find balance, health and peace in our lives. You will learn what is your body type (your dosha), and understand what it means. What does each body type need in order to find balance? Achieving balance through food, yoga practice, breath, and life style. You will also learn Pranayama techniques to balance your dosha type.
We will look into nutrition basics, get lots of practical tips on how to simply eat better and live healthier, supplements and food labels. We will address questions like: Should we all be vegetarians, the protein dilemma, to soy or not to soy, fermentation, raw food or macrobiotic, food for flexibility and healing, and the art of being a Flexaterian.
Qualifies for 12 hours toward Yoga Alliance RYT 200.
Learning to Fly! Core Work, Arm Balances, Inversions, More Meditation Techniques
Date: March 10, 2012 12:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Price: $169Take the step to realize that you can do it all. It is through practice that we learn, and practice with good tips, detailed explanation and lots of care that we learn faster.
This workshop starts from the basic and goes to the top. Everyone can take their practice a step forward, developing more calm, more courage and more stability. We will understand the concept of “Shifting Weight” to create balance; we will look in detail at all the steps of the transitions.This is a workshop that brings exhilaration as well grounding and focus. Develop personal power along with the ability to stay steady, in the pose as well as in life.
These challenging practices help us develop a state of deeper concentration and calmness. Graceful practice and smooth transitions happen hand in hand with focus and a sense of trust.
Doron can still remember the feeling of “being on top of the world” when he first got to do a headstand on his own. Throughout the years, with fine-tuning what is happening in the body and mind, he has discovered many little tricks, subtle movements that make balancing much easier. From tree pose to forearm balance. Doron draws from many traditions of yoga, and spices it up with Zen influence, in a detailed yet lighthearted way.
Come explore and enjoy!Qualifies for 6 hours toward Yoga Alliance RYT 200.
Ashtanga Vinyasa Primary Series, Sanskrit Counting and Asana Names
Date: March 11, 2012 12:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Price: $169Understand where it all came from! The Ashtanga Vinyasa system is the father of most Hatha Yoga practices you find in classes today. Baptise Power, Jivamukthi, Vinyasa, Shiva Rea, Laughing lotus and many others. Dive deep into this Ashtanga program designed to deepen the understanding of the poses, the breath, transitions, gaze and body and mind awareness.
Learn the flying techniques for jump throughs and jump backs, deepen your forward folds and twists, and as Patabhi Jois would say: Practice and all is coming. You will get lots of practice in this workshop!
The workshop is led with lots of detail and care and is based on traditional eastern teachings with a lot of modern, western information and a therapeutic approach, a Sustainable Ashtanga. The workshop will include a movie that will help you understand better anatomy and how to modify according to your body.
Qualifies for 6 hours toward Yoga Alliance RYT 200.
Yoga Philosophy: Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra
Dates: March 17 – 18, 2012 12:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Price: $289Patanjali took some of the teachings that were practiced (during his time and before), and systematized them in a practical way. To find freedom and to attain bliss, Patanjali claims we need to free the mind. In order to liberate the mind we need a system, a process. Ashtanga, the eight limbs are the tools we use in the process, in this system, on our path to liberation
The Bhagavad Gita is one of India’s most revered texts, considered holy by many. It is a story with great moral advice. A story that will keep you engaged and flame a lively debate.
In this workshop we will learn, discuss, and practice these teachings. Doron brings Patanjali’s teachings to life in a fresh and non-conventional way, creating a stimulating environment for transformation and understanding yourself, your tendencies and your potential, opening the doors to a blissful life.Qualifies for 12 hours toward Yoga Alliance RYT 200.
Teaching Tools: Voice, Language, Instructing, Modifying and Demonstrating
Dates: March 24, 2012 12:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Price: $169Teaching is a bit like performing in front of your students, except you have to be authentic, no faking it. This is for the super star hiding inside of you. Find your voice, whether for teaching or simply for expressing yourself, learn how to tell your story, how to engage your audience, how to speak and look at the same time, and how to refine your language.
You will understand when and how to offer modifications, when should you demonstrate and where, how to hold space for spontaneous occurrences, and how to find your inner miss sunshine, your radiating self.
We will also learn teaching for a variety of students, how to run a beginners class compared to an intermediate/advanced class. You will learn and practice, explore, view and play. This is a hands on workshop, experiential and fun.
Qualifies for 6 hours toward Yoga Alliance RYT 200.
Ashtanga Vinyasa Intermediate Series. Opening Up Your Energy Channels
Dates: March 25, 2012 12:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Price: $169Diving into one of the most beautiful series of the Ashtanga system, the intermediate series is a practice of Nadi Shodhana (nerve purification). We practice to open up our energetic channels, our Nadi’s, and to experience life energy flow through us, creating beauty, power and vibrancy.
The intermediate series is great fun. We get to practice some more challenging poses including crow, forearm balances, deep hip openers and back bends. We will learn how to do the poses safely with proper alignment. You will be taught modifications to most intermediate asanas.
Since the intermediate series involves lots of back bends and heart openers, after the class students often leave with a sense of lightness, openness and love. Expect to sweat, purify, work hard and feel amazing! Some yoga experience required. The workshop will include a movie with Pattabhi Jois.
Qualifies for 6 hours toward Yoga Alliance RYT 200.
Shakti Power, the Anatomy of Energy, Pranayama, Koshas, Gunas, Chakras and Nadis
Dates: March 31 – April 1, 2012 12:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Price: $289Feel energy flow through the body, discover how to tap into its source. Learn to find greater opening in your energy and spiritual bodies.
In this workshop we will learn about the anatomy of energy, its potential and how to harness it. Understanding the layers of our source, the energy centers, their qualities and practices to activate them. Learn how to bring your subtle energy into consciousness.
Pranayama is an art. It is one of the eight limbs of yoga, and one of the greatest practices to connect your physical body with your spiritual consciousness. You will learn a variety of practices that ancient yogis developed to awaken the dormant powers of Kundalini, the serpent power. Kundalini’s full potential lies dormant, awaiting for you to take action.
We will study and practice asanas, pranayama, and meditation. You may find yourself leaving with more energy, experience deep restful sleep and have a calm mind.
Qualifies for 12 hours toward Yoga Alliance RYT 200.
The Art of Sequencing: From Your Personal Practice to Teaching a Group
Dates: April 14 – 15, 2012 12:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Price: $289It requires skill and experience to create a safe and beneficial sequence or class. We all know the feeling we get from a thoughtfully designed class. We know what a good sequence feels like, when backbends were nicely prepared for and when there were enough releases and counter poses after the peak pose.
In this workshop you will learn how to vary sequences according to the peak pose, a student’s Dosha type or someone’s specific needs. You will learn how to vary a practice to accommodate a student’s level, abilities or class theme. This workshop will show you foundations of a healthy, efficient and practical sequences.
This workshop will include:
- Learn and understand the foundational groups of Asanas
- A few basic warm up sequences crafted for a variety of levels of classes
- Sequencing for a peak pose
- Pratikriyasana – Counter poses and where they fit in
- How to keep body heat
- Finishing poses
- When to use Yin and Yang poses
- Learn to create your own home practice
- Learn to create your own class
Qualifies for 12 hours toward Yoga Alliance RYT 200.
Giving Helpful Hands on Adjustments. Observation, Voice and Touch
Dates: April 21 – April 22, 2012 12:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Price: $289Hands on Adjustments are a fabulous tool to connect with your students. A good adjustment takes students deeper into their practice. This is a hands on workshop. You will learn and practice, refine and enjoy the teachings. You will learn about proper alignment, subtile movements in poses, deepening your own practice and helping you become a better teacher.
This workshop is great for teachers and students interested understanding how adjustments can enhance, heal, and grow their practice.
Qualifies for 12 hours toward Yoga Alliance RYT 200.
Prenatal and Yoga for Women with Jennifer Wolfe
Dates: May 5, 2012 12:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Price: $169Join Jennifer Wolfe for a 6 hour yoga teacher training intensive focusing on women in yoga and designed to help yoga teachers feel more comfortable when pregnant women come into their classes. Jennifer trains yoga teachers all over the world in her unique Vinyasa method of prenatal yoga and is the creator of the popular DVD’s Prenatal Vinyasa Yoga and Prenatal Vinyasa Yoga~Short Forms. As a doula and prenatal yoga instructor she has extensive background and knowledge in the pregnancy and childbirth field. She has attended over 400 births and has helped thousands of pregnant women have better birth experiences through yoga.
Topics include:
- Yoga for Women and mula bundha – the female pelvic floor
- How to feel comfortable if a pregnant woman comes to your class
- Safely integrating postpartum women back into yoga – including learning to check for and treat diastasis recti
- Pregnancy modifications and precautions
- Breaking down Surya Namaskara for the pregnant or postpartum woman
- Pregnancy and Yoga fact vs. myths
Qualifies for 6 hours toward Yoga Alliance RYT 200.
Yoga as a Profession
Dates: May 6, 2012 12:30 PM – 3:30 PM
Price: $129What does it mean to be a yoga teacher? What steps should you take after you get your Yoga Alliance certification? There is a demand for good teachers. Part of being a good teacher is to know how to offer your services, how to manage your time, how to price your services and how to build relationships with studio owners and retreat centers.
Topics include:
- Differences between teaching a group class and a private
- How to teach a corporate class
- How to interact with a studio owner
- Websites and blogs
- Marketing tools
- Creating a retreat
- Teaching workshops
- How much to charge
Qualifies for 3 hours toward Yoga Alliance RYT 200.