Friday, February 17th | 6:00 – 8:00pm
This class is an introduction to Ashtanga Yoga open to all levels of experience or lack there of. The building blocks of Ashtanga Yoga will be explored through what David refers to as The Five Elements of Practice: Breath, Bandhas, Drishti, Asana and Vinyasa. After the short discussion David will conduct an introductory flow through an abbreviated sequence from the First Series. This is a great way to gain a taste of Ashtanga under the guidance of one of the world’s most renowned and compassionate instructors. If you are curious to know more about this dynamic and flowing system then come and join David for a fun, flowing, user-friendly adventure into the basics of Ashtanga Yoga. *Cautionary Note: You might actually enjoy it!Saturday, February 18th | 9:00 – 11:00am
This class is designed for those already familiar with the First Series of Ashtanga Yoga yet it is open to all levels of proficiency from the daily-practicing aficionados to the novice fit-it-in-when-I-can weekend warriors and everyone in between.
The class will be conducted like a choreographed dance flowing all of the way from the opening sun
salutations to the closing savasana. David will spend time at the beginning of class to introduce alternatives to some of the more challenging asanas as well as offer user-friendly vinyasa options.
Class will be followed by an open discussion allowing students to ask David questions about any topics of interest.
Saturday, February 18th | 12:30 – 3:00pm
One of the greatest challenges of the Ashtanga flow is the vinyasa. In this class David will break the vinyasa down into its basic components in order to explore techniques for creating greater lightness and efficiency of practice while using less effort to achieve greater ease.In addition to vinyasa the class will also explore elements of handstands and arm- balances. It is common to feel intimidated or even frightened by balancing on our hands. David will address this issue and offer practical methods of approach to allow for greater confidence and ability that can be carried away and applied within a personal practice.
There will be partner work as well as individual techniques offered. There is always plenty of laughter and fun as well as a depth of information in David’s classes. All levels may attend even if you have never done a handstand before. Alternatives are always given.
Come and Experience the Joy of Flight!
Saturday, February 18th | 3:30 – 5:30pm
Our first act of life as we enter this world is to inhale and our last act before departing is to exhale. Breath is our most elemental form of life and unites all of humanity yet we think little about it. The ancient yogis gave it great thought and in so doing developed intricate methods of harnessing breath to gain control of the mind and to see the world with greater clarity.This class will delve into the realms of specialized Yogic Breathing as well as the subtle and highly misunderstood internal energy valves known as Bandhas. There is much confusion surrounding these mystical tools and the part they play in the regulation and control of pranic flow.
David will share information he gained directly from K. Pattabhi Jois as well as a series of practical exercises he has developed himself to assist the practitioner in gaining a greater understanding of these subtle yet powerful energy gateways of yoga. David has an amazing ability to convey complex ideas in simple terms. All are sure to leave with new insights and useful tools for personal practice regardless of their system.
Come and Feel the Prana!
Sunday, February 19th | 7:30 – 9:30am
This class is a talk-through of Half of Primary Series and Half of Intermediate Series. In Ashtanga the traditional approach for entering the Intermediate Series is to use the Primary Series as a yogic springboard to propel the student forward. Intermediate Series can be intimidating yet David has a way of presenting it in an accessible and engaging manner. Those that feel a bit uncertain about taking that first step into the realms of the Intermediate Series will find comfort in knowing that David always keeps it Fun, Safe and Incredibly Informative as he guides the group along in a compassionate and thoughtful manner using the first half of Primary Series as a wonderful gateway into Intermediate.
Come and experience the joy and wonder of exploring new asanas or deepening awareness and ability for the ones you are already familiar with!
Sunday, February 19th | 1:00 – 3:30pm
Whether you are frightened of inverting or love to hang out upside-down and whether you have a flexible back or a stiff board-like spine there is much to be learned from David’s insightful tools for building confidence and gaining control in Inversions and Backbends. David will take the class on a journey of exploration into the unseen world of Gravity and share methods of how to utilize this perpetual energy as a stabilizing force for establishing our roots from which we can grow into inversions and backbends with greater ease and more confidence.
He will teach the participants methods to expand the front of the body and open the heart rather than collapse the back in order to discover greater depth in a backbend with less effort and more grace and efficiency.
David likes to encourage patience when he teaches. He phrases it like this: “The strongest trees in the forest grow the slowest!”
Take the seeds of information he shares and plant them within the fertile ground of your personal practice and watch them grow!
Sunday, February 19th | 4:00 – 5:30pm
David will share Stories, Anecdotes and Insights gained over his more than 40 years of yoga practice and pursuits of spiritual life, love, health and adventure. David is a witty, humorous and inspiring storyteller. His life is filled with colorful, sometimes wild, sometimes sad, sometimes hilarious and always entertaining pursuits of knowledge of the world around him and the wonders that reside within us all. Within his tales of travel, fasting, chanting, seeking, studying, laughing and crying there is always a thread of sincerity of purpose that anyone seeking greater
meaning of life can relate to and possibly even gain tools of insights of their own from the mistakes, successes, failures, triumphs and bumps along the road of life that David shares with honesty and heart-felt sincerity.
Buckle Up It’s a Wild Ride!
Monday, February 20th | 6:30 – 8:30am
In this session you will have a chance to practice your Mysore style ashtanga yoga practice with David.
The essence of this type of yoga practice is to encourage the practitioners to follow the rhythm of their breath and develop an individual practice suited to their body. This class is available to all levels of practitioners.
David Swenson began practicing yoga in 1969 at the age of 13. His older brother, Doug, was his first teacher. They practiced Hatha Yoga from whatever books they could find. David’s introduction to Ashtanga came in 1973 when he met David Williams and Nancy Gilgoff in Encinitas, California. In 1975, David and Nancy brought K. Pattabhi Jois to the U.S. for the first time and Swenson was fortunate enough to be there. Swenson made his first trip to Mysore in 1977. He is one of a very small number of people that have learned the full Ashtanga system as it was originally taught by K. Pattabhi Jois. David Swenson is recognized today as one of the world’s foremost practitioners and instructors of Ashtanga Yoga. David has produced 5 DVD’s and is the author of the highly popular and best selling yoga book: Ashtanga Yoga The Practice Manual that has been printed in 10 different languages and sold internationally.
We’re sorry, but we don’t offer refunds or account credit on workshops or trainings.
These workshops will be conducted in-studio only.