The Second Series Intensive
2-Day Ashtanga Yoga Workshop with Chris Croft & Yulia Heaton
£110.00
Places Available
A 2-day Introduction to the Second Series of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga
The Second Series of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga is ‘Nadi Shodana’ (nerve cleansing). Its dynamic mix of backbends, twists and inversions make the Second Series the perfect ‘counter-sequence’ to the Primary Series. Traditionally the Second Series was taught to all students at the same time as Primary Series during morning mysore classes in India.
This workshop is an introduction to the Second Series of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, with the intent to make it accessable, enjoyable and fun.
Over the course of the weekend we will explore the grace and beauty of this dynamic asana sequence in depth and pose-by-pose.
Multiple options, approaches and modifications for each posture will be taught in order to accommodate all levels of students. By exploring the sequence in this way we will also uncover the intelligent structure of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga and gain a deeper understanding into the internal methodology of both Primary and Second Series.
We will focus on:
- How to twist from above the navel
- The natural progression of Second Series backbends
and their relationship to Primary Series poses - 'Drop backs' and how to start them
- The 'skill builders' for arm and hand balances
- How to work towards putting your leg behind your head
- Developing and evolving your headstand.
Cost
£140
Early Bird Discount
£110*
*booked by JUNE 3rd 2016
Dates
June 25-26, 2016
Location
The Ashtanga Yoga Workshop
King St Business Centre, 7-9 King St, Exeter, EX1 1BQ
Daily Schedule
SATURDAY
[11:00 - 14:00] - Foundation Poses, Backbends & Twists
[14:00 - 15:00] - Lunch Break
[15:00 - 16:00] - The Vinyasa of Primary to Intermediate
[16:00 - 18:00] - Arm Balances & The Shoulder Girdle
SUNDAY
[10:00 - 13:00] - LBH, not GBH (leg-behind-head),
[13:00 - 14:00] - Lunch Break
[14:00 - 15:00] - Moving Beyond Asana
[15:00 - 17:00] - Crowning the King: Headstands & Dropbacks
Reserve your place TODAY!
Places Available
Workshop Testimonials
"Thank you so much Chris, you are truely a fantastic teacher! i have learnt so much, so sorry again for all the questions! The manual is fantastic thank you!!"
Debs Nettley
"Chris has a wealth information to share openly about Ashtanga yoga. I consider Chris to be a forward thinking modern yogi which for me was refreshing and inspiring."
Sue Lewry (yoga teacher)
"Thank you, Chris, for a stimulating and comforting weekend that promises to have a far greater impact on my daily life than I anticipated. I had previously made a very brief foray into Ashtanga yoga but withdrew feeling 'inadequate' in so many ways.
Your accessible, practical, gentle yet frank encouragement has rid me of that sense of inadaqeucy and convinced me to calmy enjoy the process of entering and developing my practice of the primary series at a pace which suits my personality and my life circumstances."
Sarah Green
"I just wanted to let you know that I gained so much from your recent workshop. Since opening my own business two years ago my personal yoga practice suffered when time and work pressures took over my life. The Ashtanga primary series is a way for me to practice at my own pace, in my own way, and reconnect with something I was desperately missing. I feel my strength grow every day, and my aches and pains diminish as my stress levels reduce... and then the spiritual side has room to grow once again. Thank you for that blessing in my life returned!"
Paula Warke
"Thank you! I really enjoyed the workshop this weekend - my head is brimming with all the physical, theoretical and spiritual things I have learned. Ashtanga is the yoga for me and I feel enthused to begin the journey. Thank goodness too that you injected a liberal dose of humour to the sessions - it made the experience more human and fun!"
Abigail Leighton-Boyce
"Your love and enthusiasm for yoga comes across in bucket loads. You've inspired me to do my first self practice, how fabulous - It has taken 20 years of teacher led yoga (which I won't stop doing) for me to manage self practice. Thanks for the inspiration"
Kerstine Gardner
"Just a quick note to thank you for such a wonderful weekend. I've wanted to learn for years and spent quite some time researching courses/tutors and came to the conclusion I should attend the Beginner's Intensive in Exeter. I am so pleased I made that decision, the course was everything I wanted it to be and more"
"As a novice to yoga I was expecting to learn about breathing and postures with the goal of 'getting fit' really and yes I was bent & stretched upside down and back to front on the course but I had no idea how much more there is to Ashtanga yoga - the spiritual side, health benefits, chanting, meditation... This comprehensive course taught me so much more than I expected and filled me with enthusiasm to keep practising. Since the course I've practised each morning and plan on this being part of my weekday routine"
Zelda Rhodes
"Thank you for a truly inspiring weekend workshop I really gained a lot from it, and some things which I thought I understood and clearly didn't have started to slot in to place this weekend on all sorts of levels. Thank you so much to you both"
Jane Williams
"Thank you for an inspirational weekend which provided food for mind and body. I am sure you have hear of Lao Tzu 'A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step'. I fell I have taken my first step!! Many thanks for your energy and enthusiasm"
Ali Vahdati
"Ashtanga is the yoga for me, but by attending some led classes I found practicing the asanas only just wasn't enough. I wanted to learn more. So, after trawling the web to find a 'qualified' Ashtanga teacher I signed up for the course and quickly talked my partner into coming too! And what a fantastic weekend we have had (even though we were exhausted and tucked up in bed early on the first night – best night's sleep we'd had in ages!)"
"Chris, and Yulie, did a great job of teaching without preaching. For me, this weekend was not about perfecting asanas, it was my thirst for history, philosophy, theory, anatomy, the importance of the breath and the bandhas and how they make you strong from the inside out. My Mula Bandha has been engaged frequently since and, 10 years after the birth of my second child, I think I may have even found my Uddiyana Bandha!!!
Nicola Eagle
"I really enjoyed the weekend and was (pleasantly) surprised to find, this morning when I came to practice, that my body remembered the sequences you shared with us and that I could actually trust my breath to guide me through! Yay!!"
The balance of theory and practice was perfect for a beginner like myself and has given me ongoing food for thought. What was particularly enjoyable though was the positive energy we shared in the group over the two days. My ever increasing bouncy-ness has been commented on by friends and family, which I attribute in no small part to the experiences of the weekend!"
Kim Hulme
"I had not fully recognizing just how much was transmitted during this non-stop learning experience until I attended a led Ashtanga session in a London studio last week and began to appreciate how deep this workshop was. First and foremost was a consciousness of the breathing and an awareness of the bandhas as I flowed through the Asanas. Next, I recalled how you had described the therapeutic nature of the Primary Series of Ashtanga. The idea helped me to soften, deepen and lighten the postures. It also tended to unifiy my body and mind on the mat. I also recognized how selective you had been in the choice of the asanas covered over the 2 days. You had chosen asanas that were the most appropriate for our early development; avoiding injury and developing the core flexibility and power. After this session I found myself refering back to the Beginners Manual from the workshop. It is really an excellent document and will serve as a useful reference for many years"
"In closing, I want to add that I have a picture of you both during the workshop as simultaneously earnest and while at the same time playful in your teaching methods. I think this brings a very desirable spirit to the practice. Thanks for that!"
Tom Hogman
"Firstly a huge thank you for your time and teaching. I had a great time. You project a feeling of calm authority, that you are genuine and passionate about yoga and it's philosophies and how each person can interpret them into their lives. It had a most profound effect on me. I can home and felt that for many many years I had been closing my heart off. I was exceptionally emotional and felt a renewed sense of purpose. This was made evident to me by my difficulty in in taking breath around my heart. I realised I have been holding grief in my shoulders and upper torso without really addressing it for years.Thanks again for your hard work and giving of information."
Tracy
The balance of theory and practice was perfect for a beginner like myself and has given me ongoing food for thought. What was particularly enjoyable though was the positive energy we shared in the group over the two days. My ever increasing bouncy-ness has been commented on by friends and family, which I attribute in no small part to the experiences of the weekend!"
Kim
"Thank you for a most memorable and enlightening beginners yoga weekend. I can truly say that I have not felt so relaxed and well for some considerable time. It is only three days later and I already miss the group and the guided instruction"
Jenny St Johnston
"Thanks for a great weekend! I came to the workshop because I was really stressed out, and was starting to get all sorts of stress-related problems both mentally and physically. The workshop has made me much more aware of how the stresses of everyday life impact upon the body. I feel like a massive weight has been lifted off my shoulders already! I am curious to learn more and can't wait to get myself a mat and start practicing"
Lisa Downe
"Chris teaches in a way that can only be seen in people that are born to be teachers. I have been to a few Introduction to Ashtanga classes before, and the quality of his class is galaxies and light years ahead of the quality of the others I have attended where I live. I have always felt there was something missing when I went to see the teachers I have learned from in the past, and now I know why. I was looking for a teacher like Chris! He is extremely professional, patient, and can explain things in a way that anyone can understand"
"Since I began a regular daily practice about 4 months ago, I've been using only books and videos as my learning tools until this weekend. His help over the course of only a few days was monumental in motivating me to keep my personal practice consistent and adjusting areas only an experienced teacher can spot'
"My only disappointment overall is that I don't live in England, otherwise I would permanently continue my Ashtanga studies with Chris!"
Krista Squires
"Thank you for a great weekend Chris; very inspiring. Having reached middle age without ever attempting any yoga, I was worried that the weekend Beginners Workshop might be inaccessible for me. I worried needlessly, you made it all effortless. I am not sure how you managed it but somehow by the end of the weekend my tired old brain had managed to retain the beginnings of a yoga practice that I could attempt at home. As for my tired old body; that had managed to contort itself, at your behest, into positions not recreated since childhood. How you achieved all this in complete safety without any of us pulling a muscle is a mystery to me, it must be magic! I achieved everything I wanted to from the weekend and more too, thank you. Now if you could only weave some of your magic to find me an extra yoga hour in my otherwise packed days..."
Sarah Unwin
"A hugely inspirational weekend, thanks chris. Passion, devotion to the practice and a true understanding of yoga, you've shared a lot. I'll be back!"
Pip Trentham
"Thank you so much for the weekend. It was a great exposé of the Ashtanga Vinyasa form of yoga to one who has never done that style before. I so enjoyed it and my body is responding really well (practised this morning!). Thank you again for the clarity and kindness of your teaching!"
Jo Chadwick
"I found the beginners course really helpful. The two days were enlightening- and punishing - in the best possible sense! As someone with no previous experience of yoga I liked the encouraging, good humoured style. I came away not only with a far better understanding, but an appetite to return and continue practising"
Dom Garnett
"Thank you both so much for a thoroughly enjoyable and inspirational weekend of yoga. It was lovely to meet such a wide range of people, not just of different ages, different ability levels and different walks of life but from so far afield as well! I had no idea people would be travelling so far and just assumed we would all be locals!"
"It was particularly good to find out more about the philosophy behind the practice and then have the opportunity to (try) and apply those teachings"
"It was a fab weekend and I'm already compiling a list of people that I could recommend it to. I plan to invest in a decent yoga mat now and to carve out some "me" time in my busy schedule because if I can recapture the calm, stress free me who also slept REALLY well last night then I know my 4 kids will consider Mum's "me" time to be time well invested!"
Liz Ford
"Thank you both - I really do feel inspired and confident to now commit to Yoga and the course really has come at the right time to support me and that commitment. I am truly grateful for the knowledge and wisdom that you shared and your energy and enthusiasm. I loved how you broke down everything so simply and clearly - even your teaching on living presence!! It's a wonderful gift you both have, enjoy your giving"
Angeline Wolfe
"You guys were so fantastic and I absolutely loved the way you taught us and have been with us all the way. It has been a nurturing, Conscious space all the time. You guys are the perfect combination! I just wish I was closer to Exeter to be able to attend your Mysore classes .... but you never know ;) Maybe one day!!?"
Ronèl Byleveld
"The weekend was really valuable to me and am taking the good feelings into my week so far (only Tuesday I know!). The depth and slowness of teaching made a real difference to me from the breathing through to the postures, alignment etc. I could feel a real difference at my taught class on Monday evening in the way I was doing the yoga and how I felt about it and as a result of doing it. Many Thanks for your guidance and inspiration"
Louise Reynolds
"Just wanted to say thank you for the weekend beginners course which I found both informative and fun. It is a bit embarrassing to find, that my response to the question, what brought you yoga? Was "I want to be able to put my socks on in the morning whilst standing" is not actually the reason why yoga has evolved over the past four thousand years! Luckily I am now beginning to understand that there is so much more (and more pain) than I could have possibly imagined. The strange thing is I went back to work after the two day course feeling like I had been on a two week holiday! Not sure how that works but it has me wanting more! So I guess the course worked!"
Gary Adcock
"I'm so glad I decided to come along to the Beginners Intensive – it was good to share the learning, pick up on other peoples' thoughts and questions and fun to practice in a group. I enjoyed your teaching style, and the structure of the days, including the 'theory', which has now begun to stir my interest more. I think initially I came at Ashtanga from a physical and pretty uninformed perspective. I'm gradually acknowledging something much more holistic and profound and, happily, this is now translating into a firm commitment to practice. I came to you after the travails and frustrations of a year hijacked by a duff knee and I was keen to find a way of protecting myself from futher injury and maintaining some degree of flexibility in the face of anno domini! I appreciate that I've left it a wee bit late but I'm full of optimism – maybe the serene and very bendy old lady image is attainable!"
Viv Horton
"Just wanted to say thanks so much for the workshop last weekend, getting some one on one tips and talking it through with a smaller group really helped with my progression into yoga. I usually attend a led mixed ability vinyasa class, which is great considering the lack of yoga around my area, but attending your workshop and starting afresh allowed me see where I have been going wrong - not having a teacher correct me has got me into some bad habits!"
"It was definitely worth travelling from Swansea for your workshop and no doubt I will be attending more in the near future"
Charlotte Eve
"The biggest shock was experiencing how different self practice is to a led class. They both have their place in my life but in very different ways. I never had the motivation or confidence to practice on my own, but having experienced the feeling that working alone can bring it totally turned my experience of yoga on its head!"
"The extra time spent in the workshop on breathing and the blocks has given me rather a lot to ponder. Obviously i started to iron out a number of technicalities with the positions but weirdly for the first time i started to be able to link things together and see a pattern, and a pattern in my body. I still have a challenge that i feel compelled to do everything in one sitting so that is another little journey i have to travel with myself!"
Debbie
"I would like to express my deep gratitude for inspiring and giving me motivation to deepen my ashtanga vinyasa yoga practice. I enjoyed the workshop and am actually hoping to be able to take it much more seriously than before because of the inspiration and the feeling of want to experience and learn more of the practice not just the poses but the way of life in yoga. How I wish I just live an hour away from exeter so I can actually be one of your constant students.Thanks for the support. Namaste"
Agnes
"I really enjoyed the course and definitely was inspired. I even enjoyed the heat and sweat. Once you know the reason behind something it is easier to get on with it. I liked how you explained to us the spiritual side of yoga and how breathing impacts our body. I think you are a very good teacher.Thanks again for the course"
Jo
"I'd just like to thank you Chris for running the course at such a reasonable price and for enabling me to develop my practice under your guidance. It's only recently that I've become more interested in Yoga having previously focused on meditation for my spiritual satisfaction but this weekend was the perfect introduction into a practice that I can see will be forming a regular part of my life from now on. Thank you for this opportunity and for imparting this knowledge with such passion and humour"
Alex K
"I travelled a fair distance to attend this workshop & it was a journey well worth taking. Chris is an open & inspirational teacher who made me feel at ease the moment I arrived. Chris brought the entire workshop to life, through theory, fundamentals & asana. Its a weekend I won't forget; I've been reunited with my mat & my passion has been awakened & is alive. Thank you. "
