The physical practice of Ashtanga Yoga weaves movement, breath, and gaze into a meditative, rhythmic flow. In this workshop, we'll explore a taste of the Primary and Intermediate Series of Ashtanga with a special focus on transitions such as jump-throughs, jump-backs, and backward somersaults (chakrasana). These transitions will be broken down into their core components, so that they can be safely practiced. This workshop is accessible to any level of practitioner; the only requirement is an open mind, and a willingness to practice and laugh.
About Derek:
Derek is Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Perelman School of Medicine at University of Pennsylvania. He is passionate about yoga and nutritional biochemistry. He started his vinyasa yoga practice during his years in graduate school and shortly after graduation he developed a love for the Ashtanga style. After experiencing the many stress-relieving and physical-strengthening benefits of yoga, Derek enrolled in a 200-hour Ashtanga-influenced Vinyasa style teacher training program in hopes to share these benefits with others.
Treating the practice as a science and each student as a new course of study, he strives to make the practice fun, challenging, and most importantly, therapeutic. His overall serious (cough, cough), straight-forward, no-nonsense demeanor is only overshadowed by his award-winning smile and his enthusiasm for the practice. Believing that yoga is for everybody, he strives to find ways to make the practice viable for everyone, no matter their limitations.
$30