9 Day Prana, Pranayama, and Yin Immersion Teacher Training in Lisbon

Facilities

This Immersion does not involve long periods of sitting and in meditation posture. Much of the work is done from movement patterns and yoga poses called Swara Cycles, which combine the practice of asana with the power of breath, which makes it fun and accessible to all who want to join.

Prana: Vitality

Prana is the life-giving energetic force which is accessed and amplified through the breath. Classical breathwork is called pranayama: “the expansion of prana”. To know prana is to know the essence of life itself. The course is designed to give you a first-hand experience of prana and help you take your yoga to the subtle energetic approaches to practice.

Breath in motion

Learn how to use asana, breath, and pranayama to affect the quality of your energy. Understand when, why, and how to stimulate, expand, circulate, calm, or ground your prana. You will learn accessible, take home practices which can be used to flavour and transform your energetic reality and feelings.

Pranic practice

Understand how to create practices for yourself and others that are breath and energy focused instead of the usual focus on the physical body. The course will give you literally hundreds of different ways to explore breath, energy and physical practice. This is especially good for teachers who are looking for a deeper and more profound approach to teaching yoga.

Breath dynamics

Learn about the nature of the 4 parts of the breath, the energetic wave patterns of breath as well as the 5 vital movements of energy (vayus) within you and how to play with them in yoga practice. Each part of the breath is a unique energetic reality, and by changing the parts, you can change your life force. Learn how to create more energy, calm the prana, balance the energy, or get into stillness.

Classical pranayama

The approach opens the doors to classical pranayama through in-depth practice and exploration of antara, bhaya and kevala kumbhaka, viloma, kapalabatti, bastrika, sheetali, anuloma, chandra and surya bhedana, nadi shodhana, sama and visama vritti, and other classical techniques.

Swara yoga

The unique system is called Swara yoga, which is a type of contemporary pranayama, designed for the modern yoga student. Swara yoga is a refined system of rhythmic movement and breath that makes yogic breathing accessible to all students, regardless of experience. This practice draws techniques from classical pranayama and delivers them in a way which is effortless to practice and highly effective and circumvents the need to sit for long periods to gain access to breath.

5 steps of Hatha yoga

Cultivate a classical flow of practice, starting with purifications (kriya), followed by flowing, breath based asana (Swara yoga), followed by bandha (energetic locks), mudras, and meditation. The course builds up from the foundation practices and gradually enters into greater depth and intensity as the days go on. This flow is the most effective way to get deep into transformative yoga, for each stage builds upon the one before it.

Kriya and purification

You will learn a series of purifications (kriyas) that can be used every morning for cleansing, detoxing, and preparing for your day or the rest of your yoga practice. This includes, kapalabatti, lion’s breath, bhastrika, and other powerful kriya techniques. This is the first step in yoga practice (classically) and the kriyas should be done each day at the beginning of a practice to prepare for the deeper work.

Bandha and mudra

The course gradually builds up into the powerful energetic practices of bandha (locks) and mudra (seals), which take you into the next levels of gathering, moving, and stilling prana and altering the nature of your consciousness, health, and emotions. Bandha and mudra are some of the most transformative of the energetic practices, but one has to build up to them gradually. You will learn how to sequence into bandhas and mudras during the course.

Yin yoga and Nidra

Each day will wrap up with the juicy and nurturing yin yoga practice, led by Hayley Lander. Some evenings will also explore the practice of yoga Nidra for deep restoration, integration, and inner harmony.

The 5 vayus

The vayus are the 5 essential energetic flows in the body. Each one controls some aspect of our health, your energy, and your awareness. This is a rare opportunity to learn about the vayus from the perspective of Tantra, Hatha yoga, and Ayurveda, and understand how to practice and teach with these powerful energy flows as your focus.

Chakras and nadis

You will explore ‘esoteric anatomy’ which deals with the subtle energy channels that move energy in your bodies and basically control all that you are and all that you experience. This includes looking at the nadis (rivers of energy) as well as the chakras (pranic plexuses).

Schedule

• 18:00 - 10:00 Morning class
• 10:00 - 11:00 Breakfast
• 11:00 - 12:00 Discussion
• 12:00 - 16:00 Relax time
• 16:00 - 18:00 Yin yoga
• 18:00 - 19.30 Dinner
• 20:00 Optional yoga Nidra or fire ceremony

• One afternoon, you go to a local beach to enjoy the sun and sea
• Visits to the wolf sanctuary

The location has several highlights for you:

• A beautiful location next to a national park and wolf sanctuary
• Located on an old farm with orchards and gardens
• Very close to Lisbon airport and train station
• A quiet and secluded retreat center at the end of a road, next to a Buddhist monastery
• Walking paths, sun beds, outdoor meals, and forest yoga platform

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• Visit local beaches and towns

The Shanti Space often offers massage and other treatments, but not always.

• All classes
• All class materials
• 8 nights accommodation
• 2 meals: brunch and dinner
• Coffee, tea, and filtered water
• Fresh air

• Transport to and from Lisbon
• Private accommodation

Recommended Airports

• A reservation requires a deposit of 25% of the total price.
• The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
• The rest of the payment should be paid 14 days before arrival.