Ayurveda for Yoga Teachers

According to Ayurveda, different people require different yoga practices. Some asanas can aggravate the subtle energies of the body, while other asanas are more in harmony with one’s unique energetic balance. With this knowledge you can modify your practice and bring greater well-being into the body and mind. Each individual has different needs. To practice in a way that does not support you is to invite greater imbalance. When determining the kind of yoga practice that is right for you, the most important factor is your vikruti, or imbalance. Your vikruti is, in fact, the single most important determinant of your entire regime. Once you have corrected your imbalance, you can stay in good health by choosing a yoga practice that balances your constitution, or prakruti.

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Keys to Practicing Asana for Your Type:

Vata Dosha Icon

Vata

  • Keep your energy firm, even and consistent; moderate and sustain your enthusiasm.
  • Keep the body calm, centered and relaxed, do the asana slowly, gently and without undue or sudden use of force, avoid abrupt movements, use strong muscles.
  • Keep the breath deep, calm and strong, emphasizing inhalation
  • Keep the mind calm and concentrated, grounded in the present moment
Kapha Dosha Icon

Kapha

  • Make sure to warm up properly and then do the asana with effort, speed, and determination.
  • Keep the body light and moving, warm and dry.
  • Keep the Prana moving upward and circulating; take deep rapid breaths if necessary to maintain energy
  • Keep the mind enthusiastic, wakeful and focused like a flame.
Pitta Dosha Icon

Pitta

  • Keep your energy cool, open and receptive, like the newly waxing Moon
  • Keep the body cool and relaxed, do the asanas in a surrendering manner to remove heat and tension
  • Keep the breath cool, relaxed and diffused; exhale through the mouth to relieve heat as needed
  • Keep the mind receptive, detached and aware but not sharp or critical

Class Contents

  • Ayurveda: Body/Mind Balance
  • Creating Health Through Ayurveda
  • Yoga: Body/Mind Synergy
  • The Subtle Body
  • Ojas: The Essence of Physical Form
  • Cultivating and Protecting Ojas
  • Factors That Decrease Ojas
  • Ama: Removing Toxicity with Ayurveda
  • Types of Ama
  • Agni: The Digestive Fire
  • Using the Fire of Transformation
  • Reducing Ama with Asana and Ayurveda
  • Prana: The Movement Underpinning Life
  • Vayus: The Five Primary Forms of Movement
  • Prana and the Yoga Sutras
  • The Five Elements
  • The Three Doshas
  • Dosha Functions
  • The Principles of Ayurvedic Healing through Yoga
  • The Energetics of Asana and Pranayama
  • Yoga and the Mind
  • Nature of the mind
  • Doshas and Sense therapies
  • Meditation according to Doshic types
  • The Three Gunas of Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas
  • Seasonal Ayurveda
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