Yoga Events
Events are listed in chronological order below
Below is a listing of our events both in Asheville and at other locations where noted. You can register online for any of these events. You can also register for any workshop by mail, though your spot is not guaranteed until we receive your payment Asheville Yoga Center, 239 S. Liberty St., Asheville, NC 28801
*500hr YA denotes a module for our 500 hour teacher training. These events are open to all to attend. You do not need to be working towards a 500RYA certificate.
All events held at Asheville Yoga Center, 211 S. Liberty St., Asheville, NC 28801, unless otherwise noted.
- February 3 - 5, 2012 :
Breathing and Anatomy Workshop with Leslie Kaminoff
500hr YA - Asheville, NC - February 4, 2012
Bhagavan Das
Chanting Workshop and Concert - February 8 - 12, 2012
Vinyasa Flow Yoga Teacher Training and Certification
with Stephanie Keach
500hr YA - Asheville, NC - February 8 - 12, 2012
Master Classes with Stephanie Keach
- February 10 - 12, 2012
LifeForce Yoga® To Manage Your Mood with Amy Weintraub
500hr YA elective credit - Asheville, NC - February 14, 2012
Couples Yoga for Valentines Day
with Michael & Stephanie Johnson - February 24 - 26, 2012
Restorative Yoga with Stephanie Keach
500hr YA - Asheville, NC - February 29 - March 4, 2012
Vinyasa Flow Yoga Teacher Training and Certification
with Stephanie Keach
500hr YA - Jacksonville, FL - February 29 - March 4, 2012
Master Classes with Stephanie Keach
Jacksonville, FL
- March 9 - 11, 2012
Step into the Current of Grace -
An Anusara Weekend with Joe Taft and Friends - March 9 - 11, 2012
Senior Yoga Teacher Training and Immersion
500hr YA - Asheville, NC - March 17, 2012
Music, Art and Yoga Event
Wah! Live in Concert
and
Flow Yoga with Stephanie Keach - March 22-25, 2012
Ashtanga Yoga for the Rest of Your Life with David Williams
Ashtanga Yoga for the Rest of Your Life
with David Williams
4 Days, 5 Classes
March 22-25, 2012
This
is a rare and wonderful opportunity to study Yoga with the
man who brought Ashtanga to the US.full workshop $300
$250, if paid by 2 weeks in advance. Register and Pay for entire workshop
Thursday- 5:30 pm - 8:00 pm Register and Pay for session $60Talk and practice.
Discussion of how David thinks Ashtanga Yoga should be taught and practiced based on his 40 years of daily practice and teaching. This class is the foundation for all students, and particularly teachers, who want a greater depth of understanding of the "big picture" of the most beneficial way to practice and teach Ashtanga Yoga. 1st series practice led by David.Friday- 5:30 pm- 8:00 pm Register and Pay for session $60
Talk and practice.Continuation of 1st series in depth led by David with thorough explanations of every step.Saturday- 10:00 am- 12:00 pm Register and Pay for session $70
1st series completed with less interruption by David's commentary, except for postures not covered the day before.Saturday- 4pm- 7:00 pm Register and Pay for session $70
History of Yoga, description and the history of Ashtanga Yoga, David's travels and adventures in yoga, and his bringing Ashtanga Yoga to America and its eventual spread to the entire world. Introduction and practice of the Ashtanga yoga pranayama, as taught by Pattabhi Jois, led by David.Sunday- 10:00 am- 12:00 pm Register and Pay for session $70
An introduction to 2nd series in a way that everyone at all levels can try and enjoy. 2nd session of the Ashtanga yoga pranayama led by David.
For those who can't come to the entire workshop, David really encourages everyone to attend the Thursday class.
We no longer print paper certificates (saving trees and unnecessary for YA purposes). YA only wants documentation information from Asheville Yoga Center regarding completion of our 500hr YA program, not individual units. If you are wanting certificate of attendance, you will automatically receive an email after completion of each session, which is all YA requires for ceu's, not 500hr.
About DavidDavid Williams has been practicing Yoga daily, without interruption, since 1971. In 1972, David met K. P. Manju , the son of K. Pattabhi Jois, and saw him demonstrate the Ashtanga Yoga 1st series. This was at Dr. Swami Gitananda's Ananda Ashram in Pondicherry, South India, where David received his 6 month Yoga teachers training course certification.
In 1973, David began studying Ashtanga Yoga with K. Pattabhi Jois at his home in Mysore, India, and became the first non-Indian to be taught the complete Ashtanga Yoga system of asanas and pranayama directly from Jois. David introduced K. Pattabhi Jois and Manju to America and the western world when he, along with Nancy Gilgoff, organized and sponsored their first visit to Encinitas, California, in 1975.
David is responsible for teaching the Ashtanga Yoga system to many of today's leading teachers and practitioners, including David Swenson, Doug Swenson, Danny Paradise, Bryan Kest, Jonny Kest, Tracy Rich, Chuck Miller, and Maty Ezraty.
David is 61 years old. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has lived on the island of Maui, Hawaii, since l975, and teaches private individual or group classes by appointment.
What others are saying about his last workshop
Hi David,
Just thought I'd write to you while the going is good. I thoroughly enjoyed the workshop and am very happy that I had the experience of sharing yoga with you. For many years now, I have been questioning the way that Ashtanga has been taught and I too have been saddened by the injuries and bad name that Ashtanga has in the yoga community. I started yoga to find freedom in my life and then one day I looked around and realized that I was surrounded by a system that was rigid and full of doctrines and dogmas.
To hear you, the 'legend of Ashtanga yoga', come out and say that, "if it hurts you are doing it wrong", that "it should feel wonderful", and that "the person who enjoys it the most today is the one most likely to practice tomorrow", was so refreshing and so important.
You have inspired me to practice daily for the rest of my life, to love it, and to get real.
Thanks.
Aloha mate,
Mark
Thanks David for unshackling years and years of self-doubt that certain individuals along the rungs of the "Yoga hierarchy" have bestowed in me because I didn't and wouldn't agree with their dogmas and doctrines (I heard you well and clear Mark). It enabled me to completely change my daily practice and my way of teaching this very art of Yoga with a clear conscience and total freedom. Good on ya.
GeorgeAn open letter to North Carolina Yoga students, from David Williams
Greetings and Salutations from Maui!
I am honored to have this opportunity to travel to Asheville and share what I have learned from my uninterrupted daily Yoga practice of these last 38 years.
When I consider traveling to other parts of the world to teach Yoga, I am always reminded that there are some major concepts about how Ashtanga Yoga is taught and practiced, based on my personal study, observation, and uninterrupted practice, that I feel are important to share with my classes.
First, and foremost, I hope you can learn from me that in your practice, "If it hurts, you are doing it wrong." Through the years, I have observed that too many people are hurting themselves and hurting others. Yoga practice can be (and should be) pleasant from the beginning to the end. What is important is the mulabandha and deep breathing. With daily practice, it is inevitable that one will become more flexible.
I have learned from my own practice and observation that pushing your current limitations to get into a position can result in injury, which results in one needing to rest the injury to recover so they can resume their practice. This entire sequence of events is not only unpleasant, it is contrary to my belief that through slow, steady daily practice, one can achieve greater flexibility by generating one's own internal heat to relax into positions, rather than being forced into a position. I have observed this slower, steadier method is not only healthier, but it allows one to develop greater flexibility of a more lasting nature, than the kind that is forced. Unfortunately, as many have found, pushing one's current limitations can result in having to severely curtail or limit activity during recovery. This cycle can lead to unpleasant associations with one's yoga practice, rather than the pleasant experiences I work to instill, and that I feel are necessary for a lifelong practice.
In my workshop, I want to show each of you how you can do the Ashtanga Yoga series in a lifelong practice that is a totally pleasant experience. I suspect that when you first saw the practice, you said to yourself, "If I did this, it would be great for me!" So, here you are--you have observed the practice, and you want to continue it. The key is being able to continue practicing Yoga for the rest of your life. From over 30 years of observing thousands of people practicing Yoga, I have realized that those who continue are the ones who are able to figure out how to make it enjoyable. They look forward to their daily practice and nothing can keep them from finding the time to do it. It becomes one of the most pleasant parts of their day. The others, consciously, subconsciously, or unconsciously, quit practicing. It is my goal to do everything I can to inspire you to establish your Yoga practice not just for the few days we are together, but for the rest of your life.
Secondly, I hope to share with you my belief that the ultimate goal of Yoga is not to increase flexibility and strength. Increased flexibility and strength are simply the natural results and benefits of daily practice. While additional flexibility and strength are important and apparent benefits of Yoga, I believe the goals of Yoga practice are self-realization and keeping oneself balanced and healthy on a daily basis. Health is your greatest wealth. The body's DNA knows how to heal itself; all it needs is the energy. The energizing, rejuvenating Yoga practices can be the source of this energy.
Lastly, I hope you will find that my workshop is for everyone at all levels. I am occasionally asked if someone is "good at Yoga." I quickly respond that the best Yogi is not the one who is most flexible, but the one who is most focused on what he or she is doing, the one most intensely doing the mulabandha and deep breathing. It is with some sadness that I have observed people "competing with their Yoga practice." I have also observed others who are discouraged in their practice because they feel this competition and worry that they will never be able to do their practice with the flexibility and skill of others more advanced in the series. My goal is to convey the idea that the greatest Yogi is the one who enjoys his or her Yoga practice the most, not the one who can achieve the ultimate pretzel position. It is my belief, and I hope to convey to you, that in your practice of this moving meditation, what is really important, is what is invisible to the observer, what is within each of you.
I believe in the Yoga. I believe that anyone who has the desire can do the Ashtanga practice, perhaps with personal modifications, in a way that is totally pleasant. For years, I have said, "If someone said to me, 'You have 15 minutes, one hour, etc., do something good for yourself. You can use barbells, bicycles, or whatever,' I would start doing the Ashtanga Yoga Salutations to the Sun and First Series." If someone can show me something better, I am ready to learn it. In my 30 years of searching, I have learned five or six systems of Yoga practice. For myself, I have not found a better physical, mental, and emotional fitness program than the Ashtanga Yoga system. I hope you will feel the same after our days together.
I look forward to sharing my practice and experience with you. If you would like more information, please go to my website: ashtangayogi.com . If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Yours in Yoga,
David Williams - March 23-25, 2012
Children's Yoga Teacher Training and Certification with Jane Anne Tager
500hr YA - Asheville, NC - April 25 - 29, 2012
Vinyasa Flow Yoga Teacher Training and Certification
with Stephanie Keach
500hr YA - Charlotte, NC - April 27 - 28, 2012
A weekend of Anusara Yoga with NAIME JEZZENY - May 11 - 13, 2012
Gary Kraftsow Therapeutics and Viniyoga
500hr YA - Asheville, NC
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