A Weekend of Yoga with Jani

Since 2000, Jani has explored yoga with Janne Kontala, his life-long teacher and friend. Jani teaches traditional Hatha, Slow yoga, Vinyasa, Ashtanga yoga and yoga philosophy. Known for sharing his love and knowledge of yoga in a clear, dynamic and generous manner, he receives invitations and travels regularly to conduct workshops, retreats and teacher trainings around the world. Practitioners from all levels benefit greatly from his classes. His dedication and devotion to the whole meaning of yoga is a true inspiration for everyone who has the opportunity to develop their yoga with him. Jani is currently based in Kota Kinabalu, the east Borneo of Malaysia. He started his own yogashala, Gokul Yoga, in 2012.

$175 for Full Weekend

$50 for Individual Sessions ($45 for Unlimited Members)

REGISTER FOR INDIVIDUAL SESSIONS HERE

Saturday October 5th 11-1pm Hip Opening

We will focus on yoga asanas (postures) that will help release the tightness, tension, and pain in this area of our body. Participants will be guided through warm ups of our joints and feel stronger and more flexible in the hips, giving tips and tricks to working towards asanas that need an opening hip.

Saturday Octber 5th 2-4pm Arm Balances

Arm balances work to cleanse the nervous system and exhilarate the body and mind. In this workshop we will play with the techniques that serve to lengthen and strengthen the muscles required to successfully find your balance whilst maintaining lightness in the body.

Sunday October 6th 11-1pm Meditation/ Pranayama & Yoga Philosophy

This is an opportunity to take our yoga practice beyond our yoga mat, and for us to uncover and experience the inner workings of yoga. We will discuss the yogic view of meditation, including a basic framework of classical yogic philosophy. This is the perfect workshop for Yogis longing to delve deeper, beyond the bounds of just the physical poses/asanas.

Sunday October 6th 2-4pm Shoulder Opening

We will focus on problem areas within the shoulders, offering participants safe, effective techniques to open the body and make the practice of yoga even more enjoyable.

Therapeutic Wisdom Workshop and Teacher Training with Doug Keller

$400 for Full Weekend

$150 for Individual Day

22 Hours of Yoga Alliance CEUs available.
 

In partnership with Santosha Yoga, Doug Keller returns again this year to continue to reinforce the fundamental themes for working with yoga therapeutically to overcome pain problems.

Open to students and teachers of yoga looking to deepen their understanding of the practice.

Thursday December 12, 11-2 & 3-5:30

Sacroiliac Health: Understanding the Pelvic, Low back and Sciatic Pain

On this first day, Doug will lay out in practical terms the functional myofascial lines at the heart of the dynamics of asana practice and its functional as well as esoteric purpose. this is based on what Tom Myers identified in his ‘Anatomy Trains’ as ‘Functional Lines,’ which Doug describes as the ‘Kriya Sutras’ or lines of action in asana. He’ll give a clear and straightforward introduction of these lines and how they deepen, clarify and  reinforce some common yoga instructions — while calling some others into question.

Friday December 13, 11-2 & 3-5:30

Lower Body: Special Focus on the Health of the Knees

On this second day, the focus shifts to the lower body, starting with further exploration of sciatic pain originating in the hips — and how to work with it. This naturally expands into an exploration of the health of the hips in relation to the knees, and the role of the feet.

With respect to the knees, we’ll focus on the most common problems presented by the knees, including hyperextension, tibial torsion, tools for working with knock knees and bow legs, and the sources of common knee pains — as well as principles for safe practice in yoga.

Saturday December 14, 11-2 & 3-5:30

From Hands to Heart: Spiraling into Shoulder Health through the Arms

Shoulder work in asana practice, with refined actions that spiral from the hands deep into the shoulders and heart, helps us to keep the shoulder joints aligned and free from damage and irritation, while maintaining the space of the upper body.

We will cover the most common forms of movement problems, injuries (rotator cuff, cartilage and ligament injury) and pain syndromes involving the shoulders, elbows and wrists together, and will work with exercises and asanas for improving the ‘spirals’ by which we achieve greater freedom of movement, support healing from injury, and freedom from pain.



Sunday December 15, 11-2 & 3-5:30

The Upper Body: Upper Back and Neck, and Their Effect Upon Shoulder Health

Neck and head alignment — and our own subtle habits in using our neck — have a great impact upon the health of our upper back and shoulders, and are the root of a great deal of our upper body pain. This includes jaw alignment and tension, as well as tension arising from postural shifts beginning in the lower body.

After the first day, which lays out fundamental principles for practice, each day from Friday onward will begin with an asana practice, for an experience of how these principles are incorporated simply and effectively into asana practice and teaching. The training itself during the course of each day also includes active exercises, poses and short practices to approach the ideas experientially.

Each day will finish with a guided Yoga Nidra practice.

Support Materials

Some very important support materials are provided with the training to ensure that you can take in the information and work with it even when the training itself is over. An extensive illustrated manual is provided for you with the training, which includes the teaching points of the training, illustrated and in detail, with space for you to take notes as we go along. This reduces your stress from worrying about taking extensive notes, so that you can be fully present to experience what is being covered in the training.

The PowerPoint presentations used in the lectures, which follow the information in the manual, will also be available to you to download. You will be able to save them to your computer or tablet as high quality color documents for you to review whenever you wish.

High quality recordings of the lectures and practices will also be provided to you as a download upon request for a small additional fee, which you can use to go back and review your notes, as well as giving you the chance to repeat and explore the asana and relaxation practices.

BUDDHA & THE YOGIS: THE WHEEL OF TIME AND THE RIVER OF STARS WITH MICHELE LOEW AND ROBERT THURMAN

This year’s Buddha & Yogis retreat in Molokai, Hawaii will intimately explore the super-subtle sciences of Vajrayana found in Mahayana Buddhist Tantras & the Yogic Tantras of Saivism and Vaishnavism.We will explore these subtle mind yogas intellectually and experientially with daily practices of yoga asana, pranayama, mantra & meditation within the tantric mandala, and with teachings on the Unexcelled Yoga Tantra of the Kalachakra “Wheel of Time” on the Buddhist side, & Sankaracharya’s “Yoga Taravali” (River of Stars) on the Yogis’ Side.

Within an intention of providing us with the experiential wisdom of knowing the nature of reality, the Kalachakra tantra especially is an art of rebuilding the universe over time out of love and compassion knowing that within this context beings could be provided the tools to evolve and find true happiness. Sharing practices which provide students with the wisdom, technical skills and transformative abilities to reshape the universe and intimately know the awakened experiences of the Buddha & the Yogis, this retreat will be powerful to all.  Join us for this immersion in the magic of the forest, ocean, sky, and the tantric mandala.Pu'u O Hoku Ranch is a family-owned biodynamic and organic ranch and farm, rustic retreat center, and sublime getaway on the remote and tranquil east end of Molokai, Hawaii. “Pu'u O Hoku” is surrounded by more than 14,000 acres of protected land, immersed in the transcendent beauty of one of Hawaii’s most amazing islands.  Don’t miss this opportunity to start the New Year & 2020 in beauty and the bliss of these inspired yoga practices and studies with master teachers in this intimate and natural setting. 

Only 11 rooms available, so please book soon!

For more information about Pu'u O Hoku Ranch, click here to visit their website.  

Photo by @allie_oop

Sample ScheduleArrival Day

• 3 - 8pm  Check-in
• 5 - 6pm  Yoga 
• 6:30 - 7:30pm  Dinner
• 7:30pm  Opening teaching & meditation/ Welcome & Opening Discussion (All Faculty)

Typical Daily Schedule

• 6:30 - 7am  Sunrise Meditation
• 7 - 9am  Pranayama & Yoga Asana
• 9 - 10am  Breakfast
• 10:30am - 12:30pm  Philosophy study, mantra, chanting, meditation
• 12:30 - 4pm  Free time, ocean, hiking, relaxing, touring
• 4 - 6pm  Lecture & Experiential study with Professor Thurman
• 6:30 - 7:30  dinner
• 7:30 -  8:30pm  Yoga Nidra or mantra practice

WHAT’S INCLUDED:

• 7 nights lodging, 3 organic meals daily on the Lanai sourced from the farm, classes with Professor Thurman and Michele Loew 
• Special guided sunrise meditation walk to the very east end of Molokai to watch the sunrise and the whales
• Guided hike to the amazing Halawa waterfalls
• Free time in the afternoons to meditate or play on the secluded beaches

NOT INCLUDED:

• Travel expenses. Note: if you want to rent a car, secure much in advance, as they are limited on the island (about 30 miles)