Level 1 Yoga Teacher Training (200+ hours) Yoga Alliance Accreditation
When: 9 February - 10 March, 2013
Where: Satsanga Retreat, Goa, India
Cost: 2,500 GBP (Includes yoga tuition/2 Ayurvedic vegetarian meals a day/twin share accommodation.)
We believe that Yoga is not gymnastics. It is an ancient science that uses the body and breath to understand the mechanisms of the mind and liberate us from suffering. With this in mind, we treat asana as the starting place for meditation so that the practice moves beyond a mere physical experience and makes the yogic inquiry genuine and relevant to real life.
While we use the traditional Mysore Astanga Primary Series as the main form of practice, this course offers a comparative study of contemporary yoga styles and takes its inspiration from the classical Indian Yoga system of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. Our aim is to understand the inner/outer techniques of Vinyasa, to reveal the spiritual path underlying the practice, and the technology to stabilize the mind and glimpse at our true nature.
During the month training, you will study Yoga philosophy, classical Pranayama and meditation techniques. You will develop your own practice, understand the biomechanics of asana, get hands-on experience with adjustment techniques (with emphasis on assisting/apprenticing so that you are prepared to work alongside someone once you have finished), learn the Astanga Primary series count, and the art of sequencing Vinyasa. Our aim is to teach you how to teach, from the heart, following in the traditions of ancient yoga philosophies. There will be plenty of time for practical teaching and learning about the Business of Yoga.
We believe that the Guru lies within. We will do everything in our power to help you on this journey that will transform your perspective on the world and change your life.
Vinyasa Yoga Retreat: Chateau Dumas, France
May 12-19, 2012 / from £895 per person
Chateau Dumas is an elegant 18th C country house about 45 minutes north of Toulouse. It has great character and has been lovingly restored to contemporary standards. Perched on top of a hill, there are sweeping panoramic views of the rolling countryside and medieval villages in the distance. Visit the delightful hilltop village of Montpezat de Quercy, cycle or hike the surrounding hills, relax by the pool, treat yourself to body therapy, and dine on delicious regional cuisine. The beautiful, oak beamed yoga studio is light and airy and just a short stroll across the Chateau's formal gardens. There will be two yoga classes a day with the opportunity for each guest to practice at his/her own level making the week suitable for students of different abilities. Do yoga and get to the spiritual heart of the practice.
For details SEE HERE
Vinyasa Yoga Retreat with Heather Elton & Matt Spellman
22 – 29 June, 2012 | from £650 pp shared; £800 single accommodation
Finca Argayall is a beautiful eco farm nestled into a seaside cove on La Gomera, a tranquil island in the Canarian Archipelagos. There is no mass tourism here - just spectacular, diverse and natural landscapes. Hiking, mountain biking, kayaking and dolphin/whale watching are all possible on this magical island. You can trek through an ancient Laurisilva forest up to Garajonay (1487m), La Gomera’s highest peak. Or, you might just want to relax by the pool, have a holistic treatment, wander through organic gardens, or swim in the deep, blue Atlantic sea. Delicious organic vegetarian cuisine is sourced directly from the garden. Most importantly, do two yoga classes a day and get to the spiritual heart of the practice.
For details SEE HERE
Vinyasa Yoga Retreat: Santa Maria Del Sole, Puglia, Italy
August 9-16, 2012 / £895 pp (shared accomodation)
Santa Maria Del Sole is an exquisite yoga retreat designed in the traditional architectural style of Puglia. It is one of the finest yoga venues in Europe. The cool, white stone building makes it a perfect temperature even under the hot Italian sun. This magical spot in the Itria Valley is secluded in the countryside, yet close to local villages with cobbled streets and turreted Trulli houses. The stylish rooms are extremely comfortable and the traditional Italian cuisine is mouth-wateringly divine. Santa Maria Del Sole is the ultimate yoga destination.
Whether you want to deepen your yoga practice, chill by the pool, relax with a massage, cycle the rolling hills, or swim in the sea - all is possible in this spectacular location. Two yoga classes a day with the opportunity for each guest to practice at his/her own level making the week suitable for students of different abilities. Do yoga and get to the spiritual heart of the practice.
For details SEE HERE
38th European Union of Yoga Congress
Zinal, Switzerland
August 19 to 24, 2012
Heather Elton has been invited to teach at the 38th International European Union of Yoga Congress in Zinal. The theme of this conference is ‘Yoga & Ayurveda.’ The guest of honor is Swami Yoganand Bharati. Renowned Ayurvedic doctors and therapists, as well as international presenters from India and Europe will look at the spiritual and philosophical dimensions of Ayurveda and the curative and preventive aspects of Yoga. Presentations and workshops include the Caraka Samhita, meditation (dhyana) as a therapeutic method, purifications (kriya) and pranayama (breathing exercises) and Ayurvedic therapy. By balancing the three doshas (qualities) on the body and the three gunas (qualities) in relation to our mind, we can discover how to adapt the yogic practice according to the constitution. Ayurvedic cooking classes and massage will be offered, as well as evening and morning Classical Indian Ragas, a Kalari Martial Arts performance from Kerala, as well as Bollywood Dance Show and disco. More traditional yoga classes will be offered each morning. All this will occur in front of the epic Swiss mountain backdrop.
Photography is a big passion of mine and I’ve been taking photos since the 80s. My new photography website showcases recent photographs of spiritual practice in India. My intention with photography is to reveal the spirit of the place whether that is found in the Himalayas, the smiling eyes of a Rinpoche, or the intrinsic devotion of a stone carving. It's about dristi (gaze) and trying to remove the obscurations of my ‘ego view' in order to see the essence of the object in front of me. I want to communicate the sense of AWE /AH that I feel in sacred places, the decisive moment when I lose my sense of Self and merge with the object. The great cinematographer, Vilmos Zsigmond, once said, "Photography is writing with light." For me, the light is the Guru and photography a spiritual journey.
The photo website consists of THEMES: Destinations, Buddhas, Deities, Temples, Nature, Yoga and Projects. DESTINATIONS (India) has images from Ladhak, Himachel Pradesh, Dharamsala, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Orissa and Mysore, as well as slideshows from Myanmar and Sri Lanka. TEMPLES include Konark Sun Temple, Shravanabelagola, Belur, Halebid, Belur, Rajrani, Hampi, Mahabalipuram. DEITIES focus on all aspects of spiritual practice, puja and darshan, on the Hindu trail in India. BUDDHAS include images of golden buddhas, monasteries, sacred shrines, sculpture, paintings, and Buddhist culture in around Ladkak, Himachel Pradesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. NATURE has images from the place I love most. The photographs all go full screen and there is a thumbnail bar that enlarges all the images in the gallery.
Article by Heather Elton
July, 2011 - Namarupa Magazine publishes "Spiritual Heart: My Travels in Tiruvannamalai"
The Yoga
I teach Ashtanga and Vinyasa Flow Yoga in London and on international yoga retreats and workshops, including Yoga Teacher Training in Goa. Ashtanga is taught in the Mysore tradition of Sri K Patabbhi Jois and Vinyasa Krama, or Hatha Flow, is an intelligent linking of poses rooted in classical yogic traditions that explores the physical, mental and subtle aspects of the practice. I consider Sri T Krishnamacharya to be the Grandfather of modern yoga and endeavor to teach all 8 limbs of ‘classical' Ashtanga in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras (200 B.C.). I'm a believer in the sacred power of yoga, the awakening of the Kundalini, and the transcendent path to Self-Realisation that Tantric mystics describe as a journey to the Divine through reverence and perfection of body, breath, mind and spirit.
Yoga philosophy is integrated with asana and breath to explore the inner/outer techniques of Vinyasa Yoga that transform the mind and body, accelerate personal growth and illuminate one's highest potential to find purpose and meaning in life. I aim to reveal the spiritual path underlying the practice and the technology to stabilize the mind, so we can shed the veils of Maya perpetuated by the ego, glimpse at our true nature and liberate ourselves from suffering. My approach is a deep physical and psychological practice that moves beyond a mere physical experience to make the spiritual yogic inquiry authentic and relevant to real life. The ultimate aim of yoga is love, liberation and freedom. Moksha.
The Practice
I began Hatha Yoga (BKS Iyengar) in 1986 and my yoga path has involved extensive studies with teachers from around the world, many who have had a profound influence of my unique style. In the past decade, my interest turned to Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga and I've studied with Sri K Pattabhi Jois in Mysore and with many of his senior students including John Scott, David Swenson, Matthew Sweeney and Rolf Naujokat. Nancy Gilgoff was my first Ashtanga teacher and I've attended many of her 'Adjustment Clinics' to learn how to safely assist people in the Primary and Intermediate Series. I completed 200-level Yoga Teacher Training with Richard Freeman (2004) and a 200+ level training focusing on the traditional Krishnamacharya method of Asana, Pranayama and Kundalini Metaphysics with Sri BNS Iyengar at the Patanajala Yoga Shala in Mysore (2008/09). On the Vinyasa Flow side of yoga, I completed the Tripsichore Yoga Theatre Teacher Training with Edward Clark (2002). David Life and Sharon Gannon (Jivamukti Studios) and Emil Wendel (Beyond the Asana) are also inspirational people and teachers.
I have studied various meditation techniques, including the Tibetan Tantric Vajrayana path with Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche. I completed a 10-day silent Vipassana meditation retreat in Myanmar (Burma) in 2006 and Dhamma Dipa (Hereford, UK) in 2009. I am interested in all forms of non-dualism including Self-Inquiry, the direct path to liberation, based on the teachings of Ramana Maharishi and visited his ashram in Tiruvannamalai, India (2009). Native American Shamanic healing techniques also inform my yoga path.
I'm a certified member of Yoga Alliance at the highest level, E-RYT 500, and am certified at RYS-500 to offer Yoga Teacher Training.
