Dear Yogis,

Welcome to the Prana Yoga Newsletter for August 2007!

In this issue:

1. August Schedule
2. Exclusive ~ Teacher Training in Antigua!
3. Fall Teacher Training
4. NEW! Prana Yoga Centre: Offering Courses in September
5. 4 Bursaries for Fall 200 hour Program for People with Low Income
6. Guest Tantric Teacher Swami Vivekanada Coming to Prana!
7. Visit shakti's Blog
8. Socktober Solution ~ Providing Relief to Homeless: Meeting 7:45 pm August 9th at Prana Yoga
9. Supporting Covenant House Through Donations and Prana Projects
10. Long Weekend in August!
11. shakti is Away
12. Accomodations for Teacher Trainers

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View our August Schedule Online:

http://www.pranayoga.com/studio-class-schedule.htm

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Antigua Teacher Training

Perhaps you've considered visiting a island of incomparable beauty, perhaps you've thought about experiencing a yoga teacher training program . . . now you can do both in one amazing journey to breathtaking Antigua, in the Caribbean, from November 13th to December 10th. This is an exclusive program, with limited enrollment spaces for ten students, in an intensive 200 hour introductory yoga certification course. The fantastic benefits of enhancing your yogic practice combined with an intimate retreat-style setting will provide an unequaled foundation for your aspirations as a yoga instructor. Experience the benefits of an intimate and creative learning environment with precise instruction, and dedicated teaching. Don't hesitate to embrace this opportunity to deepen your yogic connection and explore an exquisite paradise. Learn more here

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Fall 500 Teacher Training Program ~ Accepting Applications Now!

Prana Yoga is now taking applications for the fall 500 hour Teacher Training program, which will be running from September 4th to November 30th, and will be held in heart of downtown Vancouver at the Prana Yoga Studio. As the seasons begin to change, what better way to rejuvenate your practice and connection to self than by tapping in to the universal inspiration of yoga? If you are contemplating yoga teacher training or are simply interested in exploring the corners of your own practice, consider listening and learning from a master on a level that encourages utilization of the tools within you to enrich the experience of yoga for yourself and others. Prana offers the most comprehensive training program in North America, with amazing guest teachers whom educate from experience and knowledge about yogic lifestyle, including cleansing, tantra, nutrition, meditation, history and philosophy, and traditional yoga postures. This is a diploma program that will provide an unforgettable foundation of yoga throughout your life. Learn more here

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Prana Yoga is Offering Courses in September 2007

Starting in September 2007, Prana Yoga will be expanding options for students by offering courses that specialize in various aspects of yoga. All courses will include a series of hatha postures of the unique and innovative Prana flow style. The purpose for introducing these new and exciting class options is to enhance the personal practice of our yogis and deepen the yogic teaching of our talented teachers.

Yogis currently holding a pass with Prana can still attend classes at Prana under the same conditions that existed when the pass was originally purchased. This means that students are free to come to any class on the schedule. All courses are open to drop ins; students do not have to pre-register for courses in order to attend, however it is more economical to purchase courses. This is a fantastic opportunity for students to explore the different courses economically, and at students' convenience. The dedication of the Prana Team to evolving and educating through yoga creates an unparalleled quality of teaching and experience for all students.

Courses Will:

• Include hatha postures
• Provide detailed, attentive instruction unavailable in most yoga studios which offer generic classes
• Be cost efficient: course purchases are comparably economical to paying regular drop in fees
• Offer unique style and depth as each teacher has specially developed their courses to reflect the knowledge and diversity of their personal yoga inquiry including anatomy, core strength development, advanced asana, pranayama, and meditation
• Develop teacher/student dynamics insofar as working with the same teacher creates a foundation for consistency and growth within the practice
• Offer courses of varying levels so that students who pre-register for courses can be suited accordingly; For example, beginner courses will be suited to beginners and advanced courses will be suited to advanced students
• Enhance the approach to yoga without becoming limited to the physical aspect by embracing yoga's many layers of study

Here are a few of the courses to be offered in September:

Monday 7:00 am: Sun salutation class (Ana)

Dates:
First course: Sep 10 - Oct 29 7 classes
Second course: Oct 22 - Dec 17 10 classes
Description: Hatha yoga class beginning with asanas (postures) and ending with sun salutation. Explores a different sun salutation in each class.
Pranayama: Kapalabhati, Bhasrika, Ujjayi; breath and light Pranayama with arms work

Monday 9:00 am: Core Strength (Ana)

Dates:
First Course Sept 10 - Oct 1 4 classes
Second course Oct 22 - Dec 17 10 classes
Description: This course will explore yoga postures specially targeted to awake abdominal muscles. Increases core strength and assists people with back injuries.
Pranayama: Ujjayi, Kapalabhati

Tuesday 8:00 pm: Candlelight: Gentle Flow to Prepare the Body for a Great Sleep (Ana)

Dates:
First course Sept 11 - Oct 30 8 classes
Second course Nov 6 - Dec 18 7 classes
Pranayama: Anuloma Viloma
Description: Encourages relaxation of the nervous system, anxiety relief, and in general how to calm the body and mind to develop a healthy state of genuine rest. Incorporates breathing techniques to facilitate this process.

Friday 5:30 pm: Detailed Exploration of Asana (Ana)

Dates:
First Course Sept 7 - Oct 26 8 classes
Second course Nov 2 - Nov 14 7 classes
Description: All level course with focus on learning 2 asanas in each class in detail and with full demonstration. Focusing on postures such as camel, cobra etc.
Pranayama: kapalabhati

Saturday 8:00 am: Drop in (Ana)

Dates:
First course Sept 8 - Sept 29 4 classes
Second course Oct 27th - Dec15 8 classes

Tuesday 6:00 pm ~ Intermediate: Advanced Asana (Kreg)

Dates:
First course Sep 11 - Oct 30 8 classes
Second course Nov 6 - Dec 18 7 classes
Description: Incorporates advanced variations and postures in comprehensive flow style. A class designed to offer keen instruction on developing a high level of personal practice. Open only for intermediate students.

Thursday 7:00 am ~ Yoga and Pranayama (Breathing) (Kreg)

Dates:
First course Sep 13th - Nov 1st 8 classes
Second course Nov 8th - Dec 20th 7 classes
Description: Hatha Yoga class incorporating breathing techniques (pranayama) before and after the asanas. Gradual development of light to semi-advanced breathing in yoga flows. Designed to offer students tools to become more grounded in the physical practice.

Thursday 6:00 pm: Functional Anatomy Exploration (Kreg)

Includes a 5-10 minute review of a specific muscle or group (origin and insertion, actions of the joint, expansion/stretch components, applications in practice including safety principles). Knowledge is applied throughout the flow as attention is brought back to the unique functionality of the particular group of muscles.

Dates:
First Course: Sept 6th - Oct 25th 8 weeks
Second Course: Nov 1st - Dec 20th 8 weeks

Tuesday 9:00 am: Developing Core Awareness (Kreg)

Introduces students to specific muscle groups acting within and around the core while developing an understanding of spinal support. Students will learn origin and insertion of core muscles: how movement is created in the body, and how muscles are supported within postures.

8 weeks would cover *structure of the vertebrae with focus on the lower spine, *Rectus Abdominus, *Obliques, *transverse Abs, *erector spinae, *quadratus lumborum, *hip flexors, *understanding the function of breath within core awareness. Open only for intermediate students.

Dates:
First course Sept 11 - Oct 2 4 classes
Second course Oct 23 - Dec 18 9 classes

Course Pricing

8 classes once a week 1 course $80
2 courses $144 (taken simultaneously)
3 courses $170 (taken simultaneously)

7 classes once a week 1 course $70

4 classes once a week 1 course $40

Please contact our office with any questions at 604.682.2121

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Bursaries Offered for Fall Program!

Prana Yoga Teacher College is humbled to announce that we will be offering 4 bursaries for low-income individuals. For each applicant we are offering financial assistance of $1,400 off of the total program tuition (the total tuition for the Program would then be only $2,500 with the bursary). This incredible opportunity of gaining the 200hr yoga instructor certification is available to those who are able to submit an on-line application form along with an extensive bio and the required $100 application fee.

This bursary has been established to help change someone's life in a profoundly meaningful way. The individuals who will be presented with this bursary must demonstrate a genuine desire for the yogic lifestyle as well as explain how their financial hardship limits opportunities in life such as this program. It is very important to Prana to be conscious of the community in which it offers its programs, and to create space for those who desire to pursue teacher training for personal or practical use regardless of financial or circumstantial realities. Click here for more information and an online application.

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Guest Tantra Master Swami Vivekanada

We are happy to announce that Swami Vivekananda will be a guest teacher in our College this fall. Swami Vivekananda is the brilliant exponent of a unique and modern trend of thinking in Yoga. Educated as an electrical engineer, he is a passionate and dedicated teacher of the true, ancient lines of Indian and Tibetan Yoga, rapidly becoming lost in today's "spiritual marketplace." Although he does not deviate in spirit from the traditional teachings of ancient masters, he has found the resources to present spirituality not as something dogmatic and dead, but as a living science, based on common sense and joy.

Amazing and comprehensive workshops included in his teaching schedule are: Tantra 1, Tantra 2, the Art of Dying (including Bardol Rites), Parapsychology, and Metaphysics (with focus on meditation and esoteric teachings). For a full biography and full course descriptions, click here.

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Visit shakti's Blog

Visit shakti's blog, a place to bring spiritual questions directly to a teacher. www.shaktimhi.com

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Socktober Solution ~ Provide Relief to Homeless in the Winter

Next Meeting 7:45 pm August 23rd at Prana Yoga Centre.
Open to Everyone!

Socktober Solution is a community care initiative that enlists all members of the community. It will encourage the householders and business owners of the community to connect with and acknowledge the less fortunate (and often invisible) members of the community, through providing the homeless with comfort items of socks, gloves, scarves and toques. A ‘sock drive’ will begin in September and run through October, with all the items collected to be distributed to the homeless as the cold and wet descends in the winter. Through educating the community and raising the awareness by providing concrete ways to assist and give from the heart, Socktober Solution connects people and provides necessary relief to community members.

This is a project in need of capable and efficient persons who are interested in taking part in a project where they would have some responsibilities to organize the successful undertaking and fulfillment of the project's goals. On August 23 at the Centre at 7:45 pm, there will be a meeting to discuss the project's organization and implementation for all who are interested in what it is all about, or have been wondering how to contribute efficient skills in planning and pro-action to the community in a meaningful way. Bring your energy, your light, and we look forward to seeing you at the meeting!! There are several task groups that still require Task Leaders:

• Community Awareness- work with the householders of the community to bring awareness of the project through posters, meetings, and on-the-street communication.
• Media - obtaining and working with media partners, creating and sending press releases, organizing any interviews. Ideally suited for someone with media contacts.
• Community Partners- enlisting businesses, community centres, potential sponsors to get involved, and ensuring that they get the exposure from their involvement, sourcing collection locations.
• Collection Operations - dealing with the physical aspect of collection boxes, directing volunteers to pick up, and sorting of the items collected.
• Distribution Operations - determining a method of distribution and working with volunteers and potentially agencies to distribute collected items to the homeless. Includes storage of items.
• School Coordinator - working with local schools to bring program involvement to children and their families.
• Website - website creation and maintenance Done! Visit our new website at www.socktober.org

It is necessary to have volunteers for a project of this nature, and in the months to come, there will arise several opportunities to offer support and assistance. At this time, we are specifically looking for people interested in helping to develop the core ideas of the project, and we will keep the community informed when volunteer opportunities do indeed arise. Please contact our office at 604.682.2121 with any questions and for more details.

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Supporting Life by Supporting Covenant House

As one small seed nurtures the forest in which it grows, so does Prana extend its energy and support to the community in which it exists. Covenant House is an organization that supports youth who leave or are driven from their homes. In whatever area energy is needed, be it a bed, a meal, or emotional support, those who need it receive it at Covenant House. Prana is aware of the effort it takes to maintain such an organization, as well as the open need for its existence. There are many ways in which members of the community can help Prana support Covenant House:

• Clothing Donations (teenage wear) ~ Covenant House readily accepts clothing donations of all kinds, especially clothing appropriate for teenagers. You can donate clothing directly to CV by dropping it off at 575 Drake Street in Vancouver.
• Dollar for Dollar ~ For every dollar that you contribute to Covenant House, Prana will match it. That means if you give $20, a total of $40 will be donated to Covenant House through Prana, providing youth with food and basic sustenance supplies.
• Light the Path Ahead ~ Place a donation in the donation box at the reception desk in Prana and take home a candle holder and a candle. All donations will go to Covenant House, and you will possess a symbol of light; a reminder that through sharing and spreading love and hope in this world, the opportunity to experience lasting fulfillment is made more possible for everyone.

An Excerpt from Covenant House's Main Website:

For those of us who grew up in healthy happy families, it is difficult to imagine what years of abuse and neglect can do to a child. Even those of us who had our "fair share" of family turmoil know how difficult it can be to transform ourselves from angry edgy teenagers to prosperous stable adults. Needless to say, the road from adolescence to adulthood can be a bumpy one.

Covenant House Vancouver exists for those young people for whom there is often no one else - young people who have either willingly fled physical, emotional and/or sexual abuse or those who have been forced from their homes.

Often broken-hearted, the young people who come to Covenant House face many barriers to independent, healthy living. Many life threatening situations await kids who end up on the street. Substance misuse, disease and violence are a daily reality of street life.

Covenant House welcomes young people aged 16 - 24 with open arms. We bandage their cut-up feet, we give them hot food and a warm bed and we support them in their choice to change their present circumstances while helping them heal from past traumas.

We understand that life changes are challenging and do everything in our power to ensure that young people succeed at whatever plan they have chosen for themselves. As long as genuine effort is demonstrated, so is our commitment.

Click here for more information about Covenant House and ways you can help: (www.covenanthousebc.org)

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BC Long Weekend in August!

There is a long weekend upcoming in August and Prana has adjusted its class schedule accordingly. Please refer to the follow hours for the schedule at Prana from Friday August 3rd to Monday August 6th and enjoy the long weekend!

Friday August 3rd Regular Classes
Saturday August 4th 8am and 10am
Sunday August 5th Closed!!
Monday August 6th Closed!!

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shakti is Away

shakti will be away throughout the month of August, and will be returning to the Centre in September. Thus, at this time satsang will be postponed until she returns. We look forward to receiving her presence and energy when she comes back!

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Accomodations for Teacher Trainers

We are looking for accommodations for our fall International teacher Trainers, who will need places to stay for 1 - 3 months.

Please contact our office at 604.676.8812 if you have room(s) for rent. As well, if you are entering into a teacher training program with Prana and are in need of a place to stay, our office has begun compiling a database of available rooms for your convenience.

Please contact our office at the above number for more details.

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