‘Asanas and pranayama are the fountain and source for all the other aspects of yoga, because the whole human system is dependent on the respiratory and circulatory gates’.
Iyengar BKS Tree of Yoga p.87
The Specialist-Breathing & Circulation Program is one of a series of specialist programs offered within the institute. The specialist programs are developed to assist students with specific needs to develop greater confidence in their practice and to equip them with techniques and modifications such that participation within the practitioner Yogasana courses and Led practice programs is possible.
The Specialist- Breathing & Circulation program of Yoga Mandir Institute is comprised of 2 parts:
- The Specialist- Breathing & Circulation workshop: attendance at which prepares a practitioners to work in the Led practice programs and for their own practice to gauge and modify their asanas for optimum health
- Online study resources: a range of student study resources has been developed to support the program. Students access the study resources through Yoga Vidya (Yoga Mandir’s online study platform) and are required to review the audio-visual material prior to attending the workshop. This element can be paid for individually for lifetime access to the resources.
The Specialist- Breathing & Circulation program is underpinned by the Yama’s and Niyamas – the first two disciplines of Astanga Yoga. These disciplines form the basis for ethical practice.
The Breathing & Circulation program will be conducted as a weekend workshop incorporating 5 sessions (Friday evening to Sunday afternoon) and is structured across the groups of asana- for example standing poses, seated poses, forward bends, twists, inversions and backbends. Each session will focus on a group and explore the modifications and use of props and supports.
Key elements to the program include
- Practice that develops discernment. Differentiating experience
- Understanding the relationship between thought and pain
- Cultivation of dispassion and clarity in observation
- Developing feedback systems that assist student to gauge their limits
- The application of Iyengar methodology in working with injuries
- Developing a range of practice modifications so that students work to their own capacity.
