DOUG KELLER
(www.doyoga.com)

“Yoga has a purpose unlike other fields of learning and practice; we delve more deeply into our yoga not just for the sake of knowing more about yoga, but really for the sake of knowing the one who is doing the yoga – our own Self – in a way unlike any other form of self-knowing. The subject matter of yoga is the great Self…as a pure, unmediated, lived experience.”  From The Heart of the Yogi, by Doug Keller

Doug Keller is one of the senior teachers in the Anusara School of yoga founded by John Friend. He holds graduate degrees in Philosophy from Georgetown and Fordham University, and began his career teaching philosophy at Fordham for several years. It was in India that he met John Friend, and trained intensively with John from 1993 onward as he developed the Anusara style.  He is author of the books Anusara Yoga and Refining the Breath: Pranayama in the Anusara Style of Yoga, both of which have become standard texts in Anusara trainings. His teaching and writings are known for giving balanced attention both to the principles and biomechanical understanding that make our practice beneficial, safe and effective, and to the philosophy, practices and spirit of yoga that awaken us to the presence of God within our own hearts. Doug’s workshops are well known as fun learning experiences distinguished by his clarity, wit, and wise, insightful style.

WEEKLONG INTENSIVE

Anusara Yoga and the Tantric Weave of Wholeness

As if the lovely hues of the evening sky were transferred to the body, or as if an image were fashioned from an inner radiance of the spirit... this is how the yogi's body appears when Kundalini has drunk of the nectar…Although the body has the appearance of gold, it has the lightness of air.  – Jnaneshwar Maharaj, describing the venture of the hatha yogis

The Hatha yoga tradition presented an ambitious attempt at a turning point in the history of yoga to fully unite disciplines of physical wellness with a sophisticated spiritual path of transformation and liberation. The vital link through which the spiritual and the physical merge is the Prana, the spiritual power behind the breath. 

In this intensive we will explore the place and contribution of the Hatha yogis in the history of yoga philosophy, their specific contribution in terms of practices of pranayama, the bandhas and teachings regarding the ascent of the Kundalini energy, and how the practices may be learned and taught in a way that is accessible to the students of today. This will be set in the larger context of Tantric philosophy – and specifically that of the Trika system of Kashmir Shaivism.

As a contemporary style of Hatha yoga, Anusara Yoga honors the insights of the hatha yogis and of the Tantric tradition as a whole in recognizing the body as an expression of spirit, and of yoga as a path to realizing health and spiritual wholeness through the full unfolding of the heart. Our time will be spent in lecture and discussion, the practice of specific pranayama and meditation techniques, and asana practice with Anusara principles, included to the extent necessary to understand and experience the practice of the bandhas and to achieve a firm seated posture for pranayama and meditation. Also included will be discussion of the therapeutic/spiritual connection that can be made in one’s practice and teaching through Anusara principles.

Strongly Suggested: The Heart of the Yogi by Doug Keller

Suggested: Refining the Breath by Doug Keller, and Anusara Yoga by Doug Keller

TRACK 1

The Breath of the Spirit in Asana

A well-rounded practice aimed at creating physical balance and harmony and a deeper experience of the breath as an unfolding of the light of the heart. Includes an overview of Anusara principles put into practice, and an understanding of their practical as well as therapeutic benefits. Includes vinyasa and all classes of poses except for inversions.

TRACK 2

The Key is in the Lock: Asana and Bandha

A well-rounded practice aimed at greater physical challenge and purification through deeper and more precise work in the poses. Includes an introduction to the bandhas as practiced in asana in conjunction with the breath, with reference to Anusara principles. Includes vinyasa and all classes of poses, with greater emphasis on backbending. Will include some inversions, with alternatives available.

TRACK 3

The Liberating Power of the Breath: Breath as Wholeness

A well-rounded practice balancing greater physical challenge with more refined work with the bandhas. A deeper look at the bandhas and their purpose as practiced in asana with the breath, with reference to Anusara principles, in forward bending as well as backbending and pranayama. Will include more work with inversion, as well as with hip opening and blossoming of the lotus.

KEYNOTE ADDRESS

A Meditation on Wholeness

In the whole of the Tantric Revolution in Yogic thinking, the paths of hatha yoga and the Trika System of philosophy were enterprises aimed at clarifying its central message and refining its approach to practice. The hatha yoga tradition presented an ambitious attempt to fully unite disciplines of physical wellness with a sophisticated spiritual path of transformation and liberation; the philosophy of Kashmir Shaivism attempted to present a comprehensive contemplative approach to liberation that allowed for full participation in the world. In both cases, the vital link through which the spiritual and the physical merge is the Prana, the spiritual power behind the breath.

This talk will be a dialogue between the practical and more physically oriented system of hatha yoga, and the more contemplative and grace-oriented approach of Trika philosophy. When practice, understanding and contemplation are merged through the union of these two, we arrive at a full experience of wholeness that marks a huge advance in understanding beyond the accomplishments of Classical Yoga. The heart of this talk is about what these two systems mean to us as yogis today, and where we might go from here.

 SPECIAL CLASS - OPEN TO ALL

Somatic Sutras

This class will present a practical introduction to the vital link between biomechanical principles for the practice of hatha yoga and the ‘sutras’ or lines of myofascial continuity woven through the body. A ‘reading’ of these sutras provides deep insight into the imbalances behind therapeutic problems; the principles of Anusara Yoga provide a comprehensive yet very accessible approach to addressing these imbalances through a program of yoga practice. This approach is compatible with all styles of hatha yoga practice, and greatly enhances their therapeutic benefit with the support of concrete insights and understanding. We will address the most common structural problems, including feet, knees, hips, shoulders and neck.