We’ll offer a range of classes, workshops, and Teacher Training and special events on Zoom in 2024 as well as teaching live in the Studio (14 participants). Practising online and in person is meaningful in different ways and we hope you’ll enjoy either or both. Thank you for your continuing support in these uncertain times. And we hope you use and enjoy our pre-recorded Home Practice audios and videos.
The Studio is open for in-person classes with online advanced bookings and payment in advance only. The preferred payment method is by e-transfer to info@estheryoga.com. Sorry, we cannot accept drop-ins. Credit is available with 24 hours cancellation ONLY.
Please check this space for updates or send us an email if you have questions. Take good care – we look forward to welcoming you back to the Studio.
Our Workshops for Yoga Teachers delve into specific topics to enhance your teaching skills and personal practice. Each unique workshop is designed to expand your knowledge through yoga practice, meditation, reflection and discussion. Topics include functional anatomy, hands on assisting, pre and post natal, philosophy, anxiety and depression. Many workshops are eligible for CEUs.
Awakening the Spine
Sunday, March 24, with Monica Voss,
10:00am-12:30pm, 1:30pm-4:00pm ET, Full day/$90, Half day/$50
on Zoom
Spend a full day exploring all aspects of the spine – its anatomy, connection to the breath, energy, movement and texture and the imagery that has traditionally supported it. Each segment of the workshop will focus on two neurological movements of the spine and the yoga postures that pertain to and illustrate it, as follows:
Sunday am, Flexion and extension/Backbends and Forward bends
Sunday pm, Spinal rotation and lateral bending/Twists and Side stretching
Image: Plant detail by Sonya Noskowiak
Waiting for Spring: a Day of Yoga
Sunday, April 7, with Monica Voss, 10:30am-12:30pm, 1:30pm-3:00pm ET, $60/full day, $30/half day, included in your unlimited at the Studio, sliding scale available
on Zoom
Together, let’s ready ourselves for spring. We’ll prepare our mind garden with relaxation and visualization, pranayama and meditation; nourish roots with foot and leg stretches; begin to open shoulder and arm branches to the sunlight; and blossom with hopes and plans while freeing the spine. Our energy, like Nature’s yearly miracle, will return!
Teacher trainees, teachers, experienced practitioners, interested beginners – all are welcome. Bring your questions and reflections.
Image: Gardening, Natalia Goncharova, 1908
The quality of steadiness
Friday, April 12, with Peter Blackaby, 1:00pm-3:00pm ET, $45
on Zoom
There is a lot of talk about strength these days particularly as we age. It is true that without enough strength we cannot carry out our tasks. But beyond that, there is the question of how we steady ourselves in life. This is more than brawn, it is about how we become steadfast when we need to be – not to buckle but also not to stiffen.
This class will look at what we actually need muscle for. We will explore function and, importantly, how we become steady in life.
Image: Dorothea Lange, Man Stepping from Cable Car, 1956
Pete Blackaby is a yoga teacher and osteopath based in Brighton, UK, and the author of the book, Intelligent Yoga. His outlook and approach encompass the complex relationship among things and the way perception influences everything.
Return to Inversions
Sunday, April 14, with Monica Voss, 2:30pm-4:30pm, $40
at the Studio
Returning to inverted postures after the pandemic requires time and patience and moral and physical support. It will be easier with a repertoire of preparatory stretches and active breathing techniques. But better still, if we practise in person together.
Please join this session – even if inversions are beyond your grasp at the moment – to increase upper body fluidity and gain confidence weight bearing through your wrists, arms and shoulders. This workshop will include spinal release, breath practice and relaxation. All are welcome!
Image: Headstand:1912 Scott Antarctic expedition, Herbert Ponting
Introduction to the Yamas and Niyamas
Sunday, April 21, with Ana Bodnar, 11:00am-1:00pm ET, $40
on Zoom
In this workshop, we will review the Yamas and Niyamas as they are outlined in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras and then reflect on them using various translations, including a commentary from a women’s, heart-centred perspective. We will discuss how the Yamas and Niyamas continue to be vibrant and relevant in our current times, and how importantly they apply as guidelines for our teaching and our lives.
Please bring your translation to class along with a pen and notebook.
The Power of Touch: Hands-on Assisting for Yoga Teachers
Saturday, May 4, with Tama Soble, 1:00pm-3:00pm and 4:00pm-6:00pm, Full day/$85, Half day/$45
at the Studio, 14 students maximum
Explore and deepen your understanding of the way in which hands-on assisting enhances the connections between the ground, the breath and the energizing release of the spine. For teachers at all levels of experience.
Image: by Leah Gold
From the Ground Up: How to Teach Beginners
Sunday, June 2, with Monica Voss,
10:00am-12:30pm, 1:30pm-4:00pm ET, Full day/$90, Half day/$50
on Zoom
Spend time exploring the art of teaching yoga to beginners. Practise imagining the mind of a beginner, learn the how and why of adapting postures and breathing exercises, consider the importance of variety and flexibility in language and description, and explore the integrated principles of grounding, breathing and releasing the spine in order to guide beginning students toward self reflection, self awareness and independence.