On 19-21 January 2024, Vilnius will host the first ever Yoga Workshop in Lithuania with renowned yoga teacher Eddie Stern. The three-day seminar will include yoga and pranayama (breathing) practices, lectures on the effects of yoga on the human being as a whole, ways of self-knowledge, yoga as a science, and yoga’s relationship with the endocrine system.
Quick links:
– About Eddie Stern
– Workshop program
– Description of practices
– Lectures
About Eddie Stern
For many, it probably goes without saying who Eddie Stern is. A direct disciple of K. Pattabhi Jois, who brought Ashtanga Yoga to the western world, author of several books, creator of the breathing app, yoga researcher and scientist, he has been practicing and teaching yoga since 1987. It is a rare opportunity to attend a teacher’s workshop of this level in Vilnius.
Eddie Stern started practicing yoga in New York in 1987 at the Jivamukti Yoga Society and with Dharma Mitra. His first teacher training was at the Sivananda Dhanvanthari Ashram in Kerala, followed by 19 years of Ashtanga Yoga in Mysore. For the past two decades he has focused on non-profit work providing yoga training to underprivileged young people who are exposed to armed violence on the streets. He is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Yoga Studies and runs the Broome Street Ganesh Temple in New York, where he teaches asana, pranayama, chanting and philosophy.
Eddie Stern is the author of the bestselling book One Simple Thing – A New Look at the Science of Yoga and How It Can Change Your Life, creator of The Breathing App and Yoga365, has been featured on numerous podcasts and projects, and has been featured in the documentary film “On Yoga: The Architecture of Peace”. Despite his simplicity and calmness, Eddie Stern is a true celebrity.
Workshop program:
FRIDAY, 19th January
14:00 – 15:15 Practice: Wholistic Ashtanga Yoga Practice; Pranayama, adapted Primary, with some Intermediate Postures (group I)
15:30 – 16:15 Practice: Pranayama Level 1
16:30 – 17:45 Practice: Wholistic Ashtanga Yoga Practice; Pranayama, adapted Primary, with some Intermediate Postures (group II)
18:00 – 20:00 Lecture: Introduction to Yoga’s Effects on Mind-Body-Spirit
SATURDAY 20th of January
07:45 – 09:15 Practice: Yoga Asana Sangraha (group I)
09:30 – 11:00 Practice: Yoga Asana Sangraha (group II)
12:00 – 13:00 Lecture: The Means of Self-Knowing: An Introduction to Yogic and Western Sciences
15:00 – 16:00 Lecture: Why do Pranayama?
16:15 – 17:00 Practice: Pranayama Level 1 + a little of Level 2
SUNDAY 21th of January
8:00 – 8.45 Pranayama Level 2
9:00 – 10:30 Led Primary
11:00 – 12:00 Lecture: Yoga and the Neuroendocrine System
Description of practices:
Day 1:
Pranayama Level 1: This is an introductory pranayama practice where you will learn how to slow the breath down to bring a deep calm to the nervous system. It is an accessible, gentle, but highly effective practice, suitable for all levels. We will do eight different breathing patterns over the course of 40 minutes, followed by a short relaxation practice.
Holistic Ashtanga Yoga: For Yoga to be holistically effective, we must include a regular practice of pranayama as well as follow lifestyle guidelines for healthy emotional and social living. In this class, we will add in three simple pranayama practices, shorten primary series, include some very important but not difficult back bending positions of intermediate, and include a relaxation practice that balances the emotional body.
Day 2:
Pranayama Level 1 + 2: This is an introductory pranayama practice where you will learn how to slow the breath down to bring a deep calm to the nervous system. It is an accessible, gentle, but highly effective practice, suitable for all levels. We will do eight different breathing patterns over the course of 40 minutes, followed by a short relaxation practice. Saturday’s class will include a few practices from Level 2.
Yoga Asana Sangraha: Sangraha means “a collection” or “compendium.” This class is a grounding and calming sequence of postures arranged in a specific order, which has a positive effect on the signaling of the nervous system. The postures come from the larger Hatha Yoga tradition, but not from any one lineage. I have put these sequences together over the past couple of years of experimentation and exploration of Hatha Yoga practices and texts. This class is reflective of how I currently practice asanas, an ongoing journey after my initial 5 years of practicing and teaching Sivananda Yoga (1987-1992), and then 30 years of Ashtanga Yoga (starting from 1992 till the present).
Day 3:
Pranayama Level 2: In this Level 2 we begin to introduce breath retentions and bandhas. The class builds from the elements introduced in Level 1.
Led Primary: The standard, traditional practice of the Yoga Cikitsa, or Primary Series of Ashtanga Yoga.
Lectures:
The entire series of lectures this weekend will be oriented towards understanding the underlying mechanisms that make yoga a highly effective practice of our body-mind-spirit existence. We will discuss from Yogic and Western views how the different yoga practices effect the neuroendocrine system, which is largely responsible for how we respond, adapt, and perceive ourselves and reality. We will discuss how the practice of yoga can create enduring states of calm, quiet, and insight in the body and mind.
Workshop venue: Gedimino av. 2A, 3rd floor.
If you have any questions, email us: info@surya.lt, reach out through our contacts or on facebook.
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