Events

UPCOMING EVENTS and WORKSHOPS

For a complete list of our Events, please click HERE.

FIRST FRIDAY ART WALK and STREET MARKET, September 3rd, From 8pm till Late!

Downtown Yoga Shala is proud to be a part of the SoFA District Art Walk! Join us after Candlelight Yoga (6:15-7:45 pm) on Friday, August 6th, as we welcome Art Walk patrons and mingle with new yogi friends and the downtown community. For the month of August, one of our own yoga teachers, Emily Lounsbury!

Emily Lounsbury’s current works take a look at modern women becoming empowered and expressing themselves through the digital self-portrait.  Emily is an artist with a love for the figure, portraits, and anatomy. Her current works include ink washes and mixed media on paper and canvas. She explores what it means to be a modern woman in the twenty-first century; the era of internet social networking sites that create a place where people express and expose themselves on the internet. A new form of voyeurism arises from being able to peer into people’s lives without them knowing, and so much is captured by taking the camera in their own hands and see instant results. Since it’s easier than ever to document the human experience, Emily’s art seeks to bring back a human element of expression to the images and present them with transparent layers and more vibrant colors that bring the characters to life.

Yoga and Trauma Release Exercises (TRE) with Maria Alfaro Sunday, October 10th, 1 – 3:30PM

Maria AlfaroAn hour of gentle and all levels yoga will precede the revolutionary Trauma Releasing Exercises facilitated by Maria Alfaro. TRE was developed by David Berceli, a bioenergetic therapist, who has used it successfully all over the world for almost two decades, working with soldiers, fire fighters, police officers and survivors of war, earthquakes and other traumatic circumstances to help alleviate the many symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. What is TRE (Trauma Releasing Exercises)? TRE is a gentle, simple and profound technique that facilitates the lengthening and relaxation of the Psoas muscle. This relaxation provides a very effective release of physical and emotional tension and stress. The Psoas muscle is a very thick, deep and stubborn muscle that acts as a guardian of our lower belly. In its role of protector of our organs it contracts and tightens, becoming shorter, in response to life small and big traumatic experiences. A tight Psoas can cause many problems, including sciatica and lower back pain, just to mention a few. The TRE exercises work the legs, tiring them and creating a trembling response which begins in the legs and often spreads throughout the body. This gentle shaking is actually the nervous system way of discharging long held tension or unconscious muscle contraction to order to restore the body to wholeness.

Some benefits that you may expect from TRE *Release of deep chronic tension and increase of overall energy and stamina * Shake loose unconscious involuntary muscular contraction * Discharge of buried emotional and physical trauma * Promotes deep relaxation and improves circulation * Improved mood and decrease of aches and pains * Increase of the body sensitivity to pleasure * Improved sense of being grounded * The healing of sciatica * Increased flexibility. Cost: $35 online registration, $45 day of event.

Invert, Involve and Empower with AcroYoga, September 12, 1-4PM

Dates: Sun   9/12/2010
Time:  1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Explore the mystery of inversions with the wisdom of acrobatic training technique. Learn the AcroYoga asana sequence which provides tools for the understanding and embodiment of inversions. We will solidify our spotting techniques and progress to partner flying acrobatics and inversions, cultivating trust, strength, flexibility while working as a team. A playful, safe, supportive environment will empower the whole room to be upside down and connected to the divine. $40 – advance registration thru 9/6; $50 – after 9/6

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Detox Flow with Stephanie Snyder, Sunday, September 26, 3-5:30 PM

DETOX FLOW with Stephanie Snyder Feel sluggish? Overfed? Tired? This vinyasa sequence is specifically designed to detoxify and cleanse the body and clear the Nadis (172,000 channels of energy) of toxins. We will begin by stoking the internal flame as we flow through a soulful and strong standing pose sequence. Then move into deep hip openers to clear the pelvis and boost the immune system. With twists to wring out the internal organs; awakening and renewing the digestive system, and inversions to stimulate the lymphatic system and aid in flushing impurities out of the body. This will be a nurturing and deeply cleansing asana practice. (Last 30 minutes of workshop will feature live music with Mukti). All levels.

Please come with an empty stomach and bring a small hand towel. Stephanie is well known for her unique ability to infuse her rigorous and flowing vinyasa classes with yoga philosophy, concise technical alignment, and heart-felt humor. Stephanie Snyder is the creator of the Yoga Journal DVD, Yoga for Strength and Toning. She has written for Yoga Journal Magazine, has been featured on the cover, and is a Yoga Journal Conference presenter. Stephanie leads retreats, workshops, public classes, and teacher trainings in San Francisco and around the world. She is honored to sit on the Board of Directors of Headstand, an organization that brings yoga to at-risk youth, as well as host fundraising workshops to support Headstand and raise awareness about the crucial benefit yoga has to anyone in crisis. Her commitment to breath, movement, happiness, and prayer honor the pure teachings of yoga. InStyle Magazine named Stephanie “San Francisco’s most sought after teacher”. She lives in gratitude for her teacher Dharma Mittra for revealing to her the heart of yoga and has also been greatly influenced by the teachings of Iyengar and Anusara yoga. Cost $35 online registration, $40 at the door.

 
Yoga and the Alchemy of Kirtan with Jai Uttal  
Dates: Sun   10/31/2010
Time:  1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Join Nubia Teixeira and her husband Jai Uttal for an afternoon of Bhakti Yoga. In this workshop we will explore how the body, the heart, and the mind support and complement each other in our journey towards oneness. Nubia will lead the asana and pranayama practice, which will anchor us in our bodies and open us to the meditative practice of calling to the divine. Jai will lead us in the ancient practice of Kirtan, or chanting, the heart and soul of devotional yoga. Together they will guide us in a heart-opening adventure through breath, movement and sacred sound, blending those traditions in a deep and playful way. All levels are invited. $40- online registration.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Donation-Based Yoga - Wednesdays, 3:30-5pm and Sundays 5:30-7pm

Downtown Yoga Shala is dedicated to growing a beautiful yoga community in Silicon Valley. Our endeavor is to maintain a beautiful, sacred place to practice yoga, ultimately allowing each of us to experience the depths of ourselves and our own innate magnificence.  Donation-based yoga is an attempt to widen our reach and include more members who love yoga so they may recognize the positive effects it has in their lives, their relationships and  their communities.  Suggested donation: $5-$16.