SWAHA Sanskrit Chanting and Yoga Workshops

CLICK HERE

About Swaha

P A S T W O R K S H O P S

(IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER)

2013	2012	2011
2010	2009	2008
2007	2006	2005 AND OLDER

FOR YOGA WORKSHOPS / INTENSIVES WITH RON REID AND MARLA MEENAKSHI JOY at DOWNWARD DOG, PLEASE VISIT: www.downwarddog.com

[ CLICK HERE TO SEE CURRENT WORKSHOPS ]

TORONTO

YOGA SUTRA’S TO CHANT
(Accompanied with your shruti box or without!)
with Marla Meenakshi Joy

The Yoga sutra’s of Patanjali Muni, the great sage, are a means to Self Realization. Exploring key sutras through chant, philosophy, psychology, mindfulness and meditation we lead ourselves to the ocean of Truth that lies within.

***3- week course in the New Year:

DATES: Wednesdays, February 3,10, and 17th, 2010
TIME: 7-8:30pm
COST: $94.50
LOCATION: Downtown Toronto, TBA
FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO REGISTER: Email info@swaha.ca

“Transformation through Restoration;
The Inner Practice of Yoga”
A 20-hour Restorative Teacher Training Program
At Downward Dog Yoga Centre
with Marla Meenakshi Joy

The practice of Yoga is ultimately about balance. Having busy lives can often take us off-kilter. Restorative Yoga is a form of Yoga that benefits all of the organs and systems of the body, by facilitating a deep and profound relaxation of the physical, emotional and spiritual Self.

In this 20-hour Teacher training, you will learn the art, skill and beauty of both the inner Self practice of Restorative Yoga, but also teaching and supporting skills, Hands-on Healing, Meditation, Pranayama, Chanting and Yoga Nidra, leading to a full transformation, through Restoration.

Meenakshi (Marla Joy) first traveled to India in 1988 to study meditation and the philosophy of the Vedas with Swami Shyam, as well as other learned scholars in the Himalayas. She is a Certified Meditation and Yoga Philosophy teacher from the International Meditation Institute in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh, Himalayas.

She spent many years in Kullu as well studying Soma Yoga, as well as the teachings of Blandine Calais-Germaine (“Anatomy of Movement”) as well as Robin McKenzie (“Treat you own Neck”; “Treat your own Back”), as well as later studying with Judith Lasater, Chuck Miller, Maty Ezraty, Richard Freeman, Ron Reid and many great Ashtanga and Iyengar-based yogins.

She is a graduate of Kikkawa College since 1993, and has been a practicing Shiatsu Therapist since then. Her touch and awareness of the body is both healing and informative, gentle and nurturing, yet clear and focused. She currently teaches Ashtanga Yoga, Swaha Yoga, Restorative Yoga, Yogadance, Meditation, Yoga philosophy, Sanskrit, and Chanting privately and in yoga studios in Canada, the U.S. The UK, Europe and Asia, and she has been teaching Sanskrit and Yoga Philosophy in Teacher Training courses since 1999, both locally and abroad.

Along with her love of the physical side of yoga, she is also a bhakta. She leads Kirtan (call-and-response chanting) with her band SWAHA, with inspired musical compositions with her partner/keyboardist, Ron Reid. She has produced 4 CD’s of Sanskrit chanting Prayer’s, Salutations, Vishnu’s Dream, and her most recent release, “Bolo!”.

See full course details on this link:
http://www.downwarddog.com/

***Please note time changes below (the downward dog web-site has not been updated yet...thank you!!)

DATES:
• Weekend 1:
January 29 -31, 2010
• Weekend 2:
February 12 - 14, 2010
TIMES: Saturdays: 2pm - 7pm
LOCATION: Downward Dog Yoga Centre, 735 Queen Street West.
COST:(includes manual & certificate of completion): $625 plus GST
Spaces are limited for this specialized training course. Please reserve early.
FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO REGISTER: http://www.downwarddog.com/

[ Back to top of the page]

MEDITATION, PRANAYAMA AND YOGA NIDRA
with Marla Meenakshi Joy

Pranayama, is an ancient practice in yoga that allows us to access our energy bodies through various breathing techniques. Pranayama is the vital link between the body, the mind , the emotions, and the metaphysical or spiritual realm. Pranayama, meditation and the practice of yoga nidra (the sleep of the yogi's!) can be a guide on your yogic path of self discovery.

Please bring an eye pillow, warm clothes and an open mind and heart!!

Due to the popularity of this workshop, class size is limited to 20. Please register in advance to reserve your spot!

DATES:Saturday, February 20, 2010
TIME: 4:00PM to 6:00PM
COST: $ 40
LOCATION: Downward Dog (in the Beach), Toronto
FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO REGISTER: www.downwarddog.com or 416.703-8805

SPRING OFFERINGS WITH MEENAKSHI

CHANTING FROM THE HEART OF "HEARING" WITH THE SHRUTI BOX
Beginner level Shruti Box class (Shruti means "to hear, or listen")
with Marla Meenakshi Joy

“Remember God so much that you are forgotten.
Let the caller and the called disappear;
Be lost in the Call”
Rumi

Shruti boxes provide a rich drone background that supports singing or playing almost any instrument. A shruti box is hand-pumped, so you can produce a slightly pulsating constant chord to support the right rhythm for the style of music you are playing.

To purchase: I recommend the shruti box MKS (C to C octave)
Available at Kala Kendar in Toronto (www.kalakendar.com) in Little India on Gerrard Street East (1440 Gerrard Street East...West of Coxwell). Call ahead and speak to Micky to be sure he has it in. STOCK IS LIMITED SO PLEASE CALL SOON IF INTERESTED! 416.463.3111

DATES: Wednesdays, April 7th and 14th, 2010
TIME: 7-8:30pm
COST: $60.00 plus GST= $63.00
LOCATION: Downtown Toronto, TBA
FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO REGISTER: Please email me back for details on registration. Space is limited, so please let me know if you are interested. info@swaha.ca

[ Back to top of the page]

INTRO TO KIRTAN
(Accompanied with your shruti box)
with Marla Meenakshi Joy

Kirtan comes from the Sanskrit root “kirta” which means “to celebrate”…so, kirtan is a call from the heart…in a conscious, focused and deeply joyous and transformative way. The playful dance and communication of the kirtan happens as a Divine dialogue, essentially calling the names of the Divine over and over, back and forth to each other…meeting beyond the meaning of words in a space of unity and bliss, and letting that highten into an experience of ecstasy, or as Mircia Eliade says, “enstasy” which means “standing inside oneself.” With stories, humour, and satsang and the joyful exploration of the power of sound and sound vibrations on the energetic body, we will bring together the ancient with the modern fully in our bodies and minds.

No singing experience necessary!!! Come with or without a shruti box to play!

DATES: Saturday April 17th, 2010
TIME: 4-6pm
COST: $36.75
LOCATION: Downtown Toronto, TBA
FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO REGISTER: Please email me back for details on registration. Space is limited, so please let me know if you are interested. info@swaha.ca

INTRO TO SANSKRIT; THE LANGUAGE OF YOGA
(An 8 hour intensive)

Sanskrit is a language of healing sound vibration, and the language of Yoga. It’s roots are ancient, and it is often referred to as “Deva Nagari” or the language of the Gods. In this intensive we will learn the principles of resonance unique to this language. We will expand our understanding of why Sanskrit is the original language of Mantra and Yoga, working to learn the full alphabet, common yoga words and terms and also working with ancient traditional mantra’s.

DATES:Saturday April 24th and Sunday 25th, 2010
TIME: 1-5pm
COST: $150.00 plus GST = $157.50
LOCATION: Downtown Toronto, TBA
FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO REGISTER: Please email me back for details on registration. Space is limited, so please let me know if you are interested. info@swaha.ca

SUMMER WORKSHOPS WITH MEENAKSHI

YOGA SUTRA’S TO CHANT
(Accompanied with your shruti box or without!)
with Marla Meenakshi Joy

DATES: Saturdays, May 22nd and 29th, 2010
TIME: 4:30-6pm
COST: $60.00 plus GST= $63.00
LOCATION: Downtown Toronto, TBA
FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO REGISTER: Please email me back for details on registration. Space is limited, so please let me know if you are interested. info@swaha.ca

Beginner level Shruti Box class
CHANTING FROM THE HEART OF "HEARING"
(Accompanied with your shruti box. Shruti means "to hear, or listen")
with Marla Meenakshi Joy

“Remember God so much that you are forgotten.
Let the caller and the called disappear;
Be lost in the Call”
Rumi

To purchase: I recommend the shruti box MKS (C to C octave)

Available at Kala Kendar in Toronto (www.kalakendar.com) in Little India on Gerrard Street East (1440 Gerrard Street East...West of Coxwell).

The direct link to Kala Kendar for the Shruti Box ($209.00) is:
http://www.kalakendar.com/product_info.php?products_id=215
Please call ahead and speak to Micky to be sure he has it in.
STOCK IS LIMITED SO PLEASE CALL SOON IF INTERESTED! 416.463.3111

DATES: Wednesdays, June 2nd, and June 9th, 2010
TIME: 7-8:30pm
COST: $60.00 plus GST= $63.00
LOCATION: Downtown Toronto, TBA
FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO REGISTER: Please email me back for details on registration. Space is limited, so please let me know if you are interested. info@swaha.ca

TRANSFORMATION THROUGH RESTORATION:
THE INNER PRACTICE OF YOGA
A 20-hour Restorative Teacher Training Program
with Marla Meenakshi Joy

In this 20-hour Teacher training, you will learn the art, skill and beauty of both the inner Self practice of Restorative Yoga, but also:

~ Teaching and supporting skills
~ Reading the body
~ Learning how to sequence a class
~ Working with beginner, intermediate, and more advanced variations
~ Poses for women and their phases of menses, pregnancy, and menopause
~ Hands-on Healing/Adjustments "Enhancements"
~ Meditation and Pranayama...and more

Leading to a full transformation, through Restoration.

DATES:
• Weekend 1:
Saturday June 19th, from 1-6pm, 2010
Sunday June 20th, from 12-5pm

• Weekend 2:
Saturday June 26th, from 1-6pm, 2010
Sunday June 27th, from 12-5pm

COST: $625 plus GST (includes hand-outs & certificate of completion)
LOCATION: Downtown Toronto, TBA
FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO REGISTER: Please email me back for details on registration. info@swaha.ca

[ Back to top of the page]

INTRO TO KIRTAN (Part 2) - POSTPONED UNTIL FALL
(Accompanied with or without your shruti box!)
with Marla Meenakshi Joy

Kirtan comes from the Sanskrit root “kirta” which means “to celebrate”…so, kirtan is a call from the heart…in a conscious, focused and deeply joyous and transformative way. The playful dance and communication of the kirtan happens as a Divine dialogue, essentially calling the names of the Divine over and over, back and forth to each other…meeting beyond the meaning of words in a space of unity and bliss, and letting that heighten into an experience of ecstasy, or as Mircia Eliade says, “enstasy” which means “standing inside oneself.” With stories, humour, and satsang and the joyful exploration of the power of sound and sound vibrations on the energetic body, we will bring together the ancient with the modern fully in our bodies and minds.

No singing experience necessary!!! Come with or without a shruti box to play! Please feel free to join even if you have not taken Part 1

DATE: Saturday July 10th, 2010 - POSTPONED UNTIL FALL
TIME: 2:30-4:30pm
COST: $39.55
LOCATION: Downtown Toronto, TBA
FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO REGISTER: Please email me back for details on registration. Space is limited, so please let me know if you are interested. info@swaha.ca

SUMMER SATSANG SERIES
“UNBOUND”
A series of 3 satsangs

This course includes a copy of the book we will be reading and working with, and is the single most inspirational book that Ron and I have been reading for the last year, and was channeled through a good friend of ours in Thailand. Class is limited to 10 people. We will read, discuss, laugh and play in this course, as well as focusing in on a key traditional mantra that will increase the efficacy of our transformation.

“UNBOUND is not just a book. It is an invitation to consciously align your life with the unseen but ever present force that guides the universe and opens flowers in their time. The cycle of Ascendancy is a pathway to empowerment. Through its three stages your life evolves effortlessly instead of spinning endlessly in circles…Transformation is where reality expands into revelation, confusion settles into clarity and who you were before erupts effortlessly into the Truth of who you have always been”.

DATES: Wednesdays, August 11, 18, and 25th, 2010
TIME: 7-8:30pm
COST:$90.40 (including book)
LOCATION: Downtown Toronto, TBA
FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO REGISTER: Please email me back for details on registration. Space is limited, so please let me know if you are interested. info@swaha.ca

FALL WORKSHOPS

Ron and Meenakshi will be teaching at the
GLOBAL MALA

The purpose of this event is to unite the global yoga community to form a "mala around the earth" by practicing 108 sun salutations. This year 889 Yonge has teamed up the Schools Without Borders. The money we raise will go to an SWB project in Africa, Safe Spaces. Safe Spaces operates in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya and provides women with a secure place to learn sexual health/AIDS, self defense, yoga, mentorship and more.

New Participants:
Register for this event - click on "Sign Up" >>

Returning Participants:
Sign-in >> to fundraise and review results

Supporters, you can:
1. Sponsor an Individual >>
2. Sponsor or Join a Team >>
3. Make a direct donation >> to Schools Without Borders

You can also opt out of fundraising and just pay $40 to attend the event.

DATE: Sunday September 19th, 2010
TIME: 10am-12:30pm
LOCATION: Wychwood Barns (St. Claire/Christie)
TO REGISTER OR TO SIGN IN: Visit this link >>

INTRO TO SANSKRIT CHANTING
With Marla Meenakshi Joy

Sanskrit is a language of healing sound vibration, and the language of Yoga. It’s roots are ancient, and it is often referred to as “Deva Nagari” or the language of the Gods.

In this workshop we will learn the principles of resonance and vibration unique to this Divine language. In a sense, chanting is “body music” as well, since it clears the physical, mental, and astral bodies of any “muck” that we might be carrying around, and "tunes" and attunes us to a higher vibration!

In our time together, we will also expand our understanding of why Sanskrit is the original language of mantra and yoga. Through learning various ancient traditional mantras, we will immerse ourselves in these highly energized sounds that connect us with our true nature and bring a sense of peace and harmony to the heart and mind.

DATE: Saturday, September 25th, 2010
TIME: 2:30pm-4:30pm
COST: $35 + tax LOCATION: 889 Yonge Street
TO REGISTER: Visit www.889yonge.com or call 416.925.7206

“The Radiant and Luminous Sutra’s”
(Expositions of the Vijnana Bhairava tantric text)
With Marla Meenakshi Joy

The Radiance Sutras is a fresh translation of an ancient Tantra Yoga text, The Vijnana Bhairava Tantra, a love song between Devi and Bhairava, (Shakti and Shiva), and given that name by Lorin Roche. The name, loosely translated, means “The terror and joy of realizing oneness with the Soul”, and it is one of the earliest teachings on meditation. It is said to date back to the second millennium B.C., and gives teachings on the song between the two beloved ones, of classic tantra, chakra’s, kundalini, mantra, and mudra practices.

This text is a manual of practices. It guides us to dive deep into the full spirituality, mind/body/spirit which exists every moment when we are present with our nature as the entire Universe. It is an invitation to accept and become intimate with every sensation we have and have deeper contact with our internal landscape of breath, thought and feeling.

In this course we will learn some key luminous and sublime sutra’s, invite the space of satsang, and allow the natural unfoldment of meditation to occur.

***Each class includes hand-outs of the sutra's, and an mp3 recording. If you have a shruti box and would like to bring it, then there will be hand-outs with notes on them as well to play along.

DATES: Saturday October 2 and 9th, 2010
TIME: 4:30 - 6pm
COST: $30 plus hst = $33.90 per class LOCATION: Swaha Yoga Shala..Downtown Toronto (TBA)
TO REGISTER: Come to one class or come to both!
Email me back for more information on how to register.

WINTER WORKSHOPS

SWAHA YOGA DANCE!!

Swaha Yoga Dance is a free-form integration of the Spirit of Yoga, Dance, Breath and Chanting, embodying the essence of the cosmic dancer and Lord of Yoga, Shiva Nataraj Himself.

Set to a vast range of recorded music, we will explore freeing the movement of the physical body, as well as the breath and the voice in a creative, spontaneous, free-flowing and fun way!

We will end the class with the blissful un-winding and un-minding of Restorative Yoga.

Drawing on her background in Modern Dance, teaching yoga, and chanting, Marla Meenakshi Joy brings a fresh and innovative energy to the class inspiring a sense of fun and play, and liberation of the Spirit!

DATE: Friday December 3, 2010
TIME: 6:30pm-8pm
COST: Please call studio LOCATION: 889 Yonge Street
TO REGISTER: Visit www.889yonge.com or call 416.925.7206

MEDITATION, PRANAYAMA, AND YOGA NIDRA
With Marla Meenakshi Joy

Pranayama, is an ancient practice in yoga that allows us to access our energy bodies through various breathing techniques. Pranayama is the vital link between the body, the mind, the emotions, and the metaphysical or spiritual realm. Pranayama, meditation and the practice of yoga nidra (the sleep of the yogi's!) can be a guide on your yogic path of self discovery.

Please bring an eye pillow, warm clothes and an open mind and heart!!

DATE: Saturday, December 4, 2010
TIME: 4-6pm
COST: $40.00+tax LOCATION:Downward Dog Yoga Centre, in the Beach (1977 Queen Street East, 2nd floor)
TO REGISTER: Visit www.downwarddog.com or call 416.703-8805

[ Back to top of the page]

OUT OF TOWN

MYSORE CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS
AT BABYLON YOGA, VANCOUVER, B.C.

DATES: July 31st-August 4th, 2010
WEBSITE: www.babylonyoga.com
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: yogaatbabylon@gmail.com

More details coming soon...

YOGA JAM class and KIRTAN at:
The Yoga Studio, Squamish, B.C.

DATE: Thursday August 5, 2010
TIMES: 5:30pm-7:15pm Yoga Jam
7:30-8:30pm Kirtan with Swaha
LOCATION: 37776 2nd Avenue on the second floor of the building.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Lydia Zamorano and Sarah Manwaring-Jones
604 892 9476

WORKSHOP IN STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN
At Atmajyoti Ashtanga Yoga shala

DATES: October 15-18th, 2010
WEBSITE: www.atmajyoti.se
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: viveka@atmajyoti.se

WORKSHOP IN PARIS, FRANCE
At Ashtanga Yoga Paris

DATES: October 22-27, 2010

FOR DETAILS VISIT: www.ashtangayogaparis.fr
TO REGISTER CONTACT: Linda at info@ashtangayogaparis.fr

[ Back to top of the page]

YOGA TEACHER TRAINING IN UBUD, BALI
With Ron Reid and Marla Meenakshi Joy
and other international teachers!

November 2-6th, 2010 (part of the Level 1 course),
November 15-18th, 2010 (part of the Level 2 course)

More details to come!

VISIT: www.radiantlyalive.com/training.php and scroll down for more information!
CONTACT:YTT@radiantlyalive.com or for specific questions, please contact Heather Bonker at: heatherb@radiantlyalive.com

[ Back to top of the page]