Sthira Sukha Iyengar Yoga Retreat
With Carolyn Christie and Hugh Millard
February 17 - 20, 2023
Join Carolyn Christie and Hugh Millard this coming Presidents’ Day weekend to focus on the practice of asana as a means of working toward practical integration of body, breath and mind. Yoga done with this intent leads us to a subtle and sublime state of being. Quiet, aware stability in asana creates the space for us to explore subtle movements of body and freedom of breath.
Sthira
Mobility in our skin, muscles, and joints is necessary for us to feel relaxed and fully aware in our own bodies. In asana practice we learn to move with focus that is directed from the periphery inwards towards sensations of our physical body. By emphasizing essential bodily mechanics and alignment awareness, we can develop a sense of balanced stability, and this stability allows us to maintain a pose with mind/body connection over a duration time. This is called sthira in Sanskrit.
Sukha
Exploring the movement of breath in a particular asana leads us to a deeper connection with our mental/emotional state. When the mind lets go of surface activities, it opens more and more to the experience of bringing our mental/emotional state, our breath, and our physical body into a state of conscious interrelatedness. This experience is called sukha in Sanskrit.
Winter is a very conducive time to “stay put” (stira) and behold “genuine happiness” (sukha) in stillness and peace. Join us!
Schedule
Friday, February 17
- 3 – 4:30 pm Check in
- 4:30 – 6 pm Early arrival yoga class
- 6 – 7 pm Dinner
- 8 – 9:30 pm Yoga talk, Intro to Menla
Saturday, February 18
- 8 – 9 am Breakfast
- 9:30 – 11:45 am Asana Class
- 12:30 – 1:30 pm Lunch
- 1:30 – 4 pm Freetime: spa treatments, walking, hiking, explore…
- 4 – 6 pm Asana and Pranayama
- 6 – 7 pm Dinner
- 7:45 – 9 pm Yoga (question and answers…discussion)
Sunday, February 19
- 8 – 9 am Breakfast
- 9:30 – 11:45 am Asana Class
- 12:30 – 1:30 pm Lunch
- 1:30 – 4 pm Freetime: spa treatments, walking, hiking, explore…
- 4 – 6 pm Asana and Pranayama
- 6 – 7 pm Dinner
- 7:45 – 9 pm Yoga (question and answers…discussion)
Monday, February 20
- 7 – 11 am Check-out of Rooms
- 8 – 9 am Breakfast
- 9:30 – 11:45 am Asana Class
- 12:30 – 1:30 pm Lunch and Departure
*Please note that the schedule is subject to change at any time.
Leaders
Carolyn began her study of both Buddhism and yoga in 1987 while working for the Peace Corp in Thailand. In 1998 she was initiated into the Kalachakra Tantra by H.H. the XIV Dalai Lama in India and began studying with Khen Rinpoche Lobsang Tharchin in New York. She presently studies with Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse and has also studied with Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche and Professor Robert Thurman. Carolyn is a faculty member at the Iyengar Yoga Institute of New York and is certified as Junior Intermediate 3. From the beginning, she was fascinated by how the Iyengar method of teaching yoga led her…
Learn more about Carolyn Christie
Hugh has studied Iyengar Yoga since 1991 and began teaching in 1997. He has traveled to the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute in Pune, India for two extended stays in order to study with the Iyengar family. He began his studies with Mary Dunn and Manouso Manos. Since 2001, he has traveled regularly to California to study with Donald Moyer, the director of the Yoga Room in Berkeley. Hugh offers this advice to students: “Examine why you are doing yoga; stay with it and don’t give up. Iyengar Yoga makes the practice of yoga experiential—physically, emotionally, and mentally.” Hugh…
Learn more about Hugh Millard
MENLA
