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Connecting to energy: the subtle body SERIES

Often in yoga, we get wrapped up in the physical body, but the work we are doing is also to clear and balance the energetic body, too.  Chakras are energetic centers in the subtle body that cannot be seen, but can be sensed.  There are 7 chakras located along the pathway of the spine, each associated with a specific aspect of being human.  The body remembers your life. Emotions and memories that we haven’t processed yet can sometimes become “stuck.”  This results in imbalances and blockages affecting the flow of prana energy which can manifest physically, emotionally, behaviorally.  Once we are consciously aware of where we may be blocked, we can focus on clearing that space and connecting to ourselves in a new way.  This series will be a great introduction to the chakras as well as a way to explore what pieces of the past might be living in our bodies.

NEW DATES FOR 2016/17

Root Chakra - Grounding and Clearing the Muladhara

Friday, September 25th 7:30-9:30pm Samara Yoga 

In Sanskrit, this space is referred to as the Muladhara or “root support.” Found at the base of the spine and continuing down to the legs and feet, it rules our connection to the Earth, the physical world and all that we need for survival.   In this workshop we will explore the areas that carry our feelings about grounding, security, family, money, our jobs, and our home.  Are you feeling ungrounded?  Are you feeling stagnant?  Muladhara may be speaking to you.

Sacral Chakra - Connecting to Svadisthana

Friday, October 23rd 7:30-9:30pm  Samara Yoga 

Do you deny yourself pleasure or feel uncreative?  Do you find yourself wanting to dominate or control your partner?  The Sacral Chakra or Svadisthana is known as “one’s own place or base.” Housing everything within the pelvis, this is a watery, emotional space ruling sensuality, sexuality, creativity, intimacy, joy, gender, and parenting.  Water flows, moves, and changes, and a healthy second chakra allows us to do so, too. 

New Year's Cleanse: Resolve to Evolve!

Sunday, January 1 2-4pm Karma Yoga Cambridge

In addition to the individual chakra workshops, I'm holding this special workshop on New Year's Day to clear out the energetic pathway, addressing all of the chakras and helping to let go of the past to clear the pathway for the New Year!  We'll  follow it up with a long savasana including elements of yoga nidra in order to plant the seeds of intention for the future. Expect to leave feeling replenished and recentered.

Solar Plexus Chakra - Empowering the Manipura

Friday, November 20th 7:30-9:30pm Samara Yoga

The Solar Plexus Chakra is known as the “lustrous gem,” maybe because it houses your self esteem, warrior energy and the power of transformation.  This chakra is associated with physical and emotional digestion. When Manipura energy is deficient, we can feel insecure, unsupported and insignificant.  When excessive, we are often selfish, egotistical and quick to anger.  Finding the balance between strength and surrender here is the key to feeling cheerful, outgoing and empowered.

Acuyoga: The Synergy of Shiatsu, Yoga & Acupuncture

Sunday April 12th 1:30-4pm  Karma Yoga Newbury 

 Zoe Culbertson and Karma Longtin are teaming up again to blend yoga and shiatsu. We'll focus on opening meridians and moving energy throughout the whole body, with an optional mini acupuncture treatment during an extended savasana. Karma will lead you through Vinyasa & Yin styles of yoga, a combination of warming, gently opening and resting into poses. Throughout this practice Zoe will be discussing the meridians active during Spring and some Chinese medicine principles and we'll be teaching you how to stimulate certain acupressure points and providing hands-on shiatsu. The practice culminates in a deep meditation, enhanced by an optional acupuncture treatment.   

Heart Chakra - Nourishing the Anahata

Friday, January 20th 7:30-9:30pm Samara Yoga

The Heart Chakra is the center of the chakra system located at the mid point between the Crown and the Root and drawing equally upon the grounding and opening of those two spaces.  The front of our bodies is often associated with the future and the back body with the past.  Look around and see how many people round their shoulders forward to protect their hearts, while creating tension in the upper back, or the back of their heart – the space that holds onto past hurt.   In Sanskrit, the heart chakra is called Anahata, which means “unstruck” or “unhurt.” Its name implies that deep beneath our feelings of brokenness and pain , wholeness, boundless love, and a wellspring of compassion reside.  This is not a “heart opening” workshop.  On the contrary, it is about soothing the Anahata.



Throat Chakra - Opening to Visuddha

Friday, February 24th 7:30-9:30pm Samara Yoga

Do you feel unheard?  Do you talk incessantly in order to feel understood? The throat is the tiniest space along the energetic pathway for prana to flow.  Because of this, there are often blockages housed in the throat manifesting as tension in the neck and gripping in the jaw.  Visuddha translates as “purification,” and thus this chakra is how we express our inner truth.  It rules communication, expression, and the ability to hear others.  We will clear this space through asana, breathwork and chanting to connect to our own voices.



Unleashing the Energy of the Third Eye

Friday, March 24th 7:30-9:30pm Samara Yoga 

Ajna is Sanskrit for “the perception center” and so our experience in this world is filtered through this chakra.  In our culture, we are often overwhelmed with external input and over stimulation that can block our own inner wisdom.  Through guided meditation, pranayama and blindfolded asana, we will work to let go of the habit of over thinking and allow our own intuition to arise.



Crown Chakra - Opening to the Divine through Sahasrara

Friday, April 28th 7:30-9:30pm Samara Yoga  

The Crown Chakra is often referred to as the thousand-petaled lotus, a symbol of our potential for infinite expansive consciousness.  It’s believed that the soul enters in through the crown at birth and leaves from the crown at death.  It is our connection to humanity, spirituality and our highest self.  This workshop will include asanas such as headstand(modifications will be offered), breathwork and yoga nidra. If you are feeling disconnected, this workshop will remind you that we all are different expressions of the same divine energy and forever connected to each other.  

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