Listening Yoga

Yoga mentorship is the best way to integrate the practices and techniques of yoga into your daily life. It’s like going for private music lessons, except the instrument you’re learning is you – body, mind, and soul.

Working one-on-one, a student attends a lesson to work on specific techniques and tools to develop their yoga practice. Then, the mentor gives them their own daily practice, specially tailored to help strengthen their deficiencies and achieve their particular goals.

The general progression of yoga mentorship works with the student through several phases:
1. Deficiency (cikitsa), evaluating and strengthening the places in the student where they are lacking, sick, tense, stressed, and otherwise below a level of regular functioning in life and helping them to build their capacities towards a –>
2. Stable and Balanced Life (raksana), where the student has built the capacities required to live a meaningful life in their everyday world, fulfilling their calling (dharma) and learning to thrive and enjoy their life so they are able to begin –>
3. Self-Discovery and Spiritual Transformation (siksana), when the student can start to move into spheres of life that inspire their deeper interests, and even further towards real and transformative liberation.

Through the development of techniques, skills, and the commitment to practice, the student begins to open up to the underlying motivations for their habits and patterns (samskaras) in life. As these are revealed more deeply, the student will gradually work to replace old habits that no longer serve them with new habits that serve their current direction in a healthy and supportive way.

As a student grows in their personal practice and their old habits are gradually replaced with healthy habits that are conducive to their current direction, the mentor will guide them through progressive techniques and new practices to cultivate their health further and establish the life they wish to live.

Techniques are chosen based on a variety of criteria, the most important being the student’s desired aims.

Progressive categories of techniques in practice may include:
1. physical movement and stretching postures (āsana)
2. breathing techniques (prānāyāma)
3. meditation (dhyāna)
4. chanting (if desired).
5. sacred text study (svādhyāya)

Mentorship sessions may include:
1. dialogue – discussing life difficulties or problem areas
2. guidance through a practice and meditation
3. study of yoga texts and philosophies
4. call and response chanting.

To begin mentorship, reach out for a free consultation to discuss the obstacles, blockages, health complications, life goals, spiritual aims, and other desired directions to work towards.

In the first session, there will be an in-depth discussion of problem areas and goals, followed by the development of a personalized practice for the student to follow. The full practice will be provided within 24-48 hours following the session.

Subsequent sessions can involve discussion of the experiences from the practice, progressive changes to the practice, going deeper into study or chanting, discussions about the life of the student in relation to the practice, or even development of completely new practices. New practices will also be provided within 24-48 hours of these sessions as well.

Between sessions, a student will aim to do their practice daily (according to what’s possible) and record observations, insights, questions, and concerns that might come up to discuss with the mentor.

Following each full session there is a short, free follow-up session after ~1 week, to discuss questions, concerns, and observations the student may have about the practice.

Subsequent lessons are recommended once every 2 to 4 weeks depending on the student’s goals and commitment.

30-Min Consultation: Free
120-Min Initial Session: $200
60-Min Session: $120
(If none of the times available work for you, please reach out to me directly through the contact page so we can schedule another time for you. Click Here.)