Weekend of Workshops
with David Swenson
8th – 10th November
Mission, 7-9 Fashion Street, London E1 6PX
Ashtanga Yoga
Exploring the FUNdamentals
Friday 8th November: 6.00-8.00pm
£40 or £230 for full weekend
Mission, 7-9 Fashion Street, London E1 6PX
This class is an introduction to Ashtanga Yoga and open to all levels of experience (or even lack thereof.) The building blocks of Ashtanga Yoga will be explored through what David refers to as The Five Elements of Practice; Breath, Bandhas, Drishti, Asana and Vinyasa.
After the short discussion David will conduct an introductory flow through an abbreviated sequence from the First Series. This is a great way to gain a taste of Ashtanga under the guidance of one of the world’s most renowned and compassionate instructors.
If you are curious to know more about this dynamic and flowing system then come and join David for a fun, flowing, user-friendly adventure into the basics of Ashtanga Yoga.
Fully Led Primary Series
Dancing with the breath in a first series rhythm
Saturday 9th November: 12.00-2.00pm
£40 or £230 for full weekend
Mission, 7-9 Fashion Street, London E1 6PX
This class is designed for those already familiar with the Primary Series of Ashtanga Yoga, yet it is open to all levels of proficiency from the daily-practising aficionados to the novice fit-it-in-when-I-can weekend warriors, and everyone in between.
The class will be conducted like a choreographed dance flowing all of the way from the opening sun salutations to the closing savasana. David will spend time at the beginning of class to introduce alternatives to some of the more challenging asanas as well as offer user-friendly vinyasa options.
Class will be followed by an open discussion allowing students to ask David questions about any topics of interest.
Inversions and Backbends
Building roots and growing confidence
Saturday 9th November: 3.00-5.00pm
£40 or £230 for full weekend
Mission, 7-9 Fashion Street, London E1 6PX
Whether you are frightened of inverting or love to hang out upside-down, and whether you have a flexible back or a stiff board-like spine there is much to be learned from David’s insightful tools for building confidence and gaining control in inversions and backbends. David will take the class on a journey of exploration into the unseen world of gravity and share methods of how to utilize this perpetual energy as a stabilizing force for establishing our roots from which we can grow into inversions and backbends with greater ease and more confidence.
He will teach the participants methods to expand the front of the body and open the heart rather than collapse the back in order to discover greater depth in a backbend with less effort and more grace and efficiency.
David likes to encourage patience when he teaches. He phrases it like this: “The strongest trees in the forest grow the slowest!”
Breath, Bandhas and Pranayama
Exploring the subtle yet powerful internal realms of energy
Sunday 14th May: 5.30-7.30pm
£40 or £230 for full weekend
Mission, 7-9 Fashion Street, London E1 6PX
Our first act of life as we enter this world is to inhale and our last act before departing is to exhale. Breath is our most elemental form of life and unites all of humanity yet we think little about it. The ancient yogis gave it great thought and in so doing developed intricate methods of harnessing breath to gain control of the mind and to see the world with greater clarity.
This class will delve into the realms of specialized Yogic Breathing as well as the subtle and highly misunderstood internal energy valves known as Bandhas. There is much confusion surrounding these mystical tools and the part they play in the regulation and control of pranic flow. David will share a series of practical exercises he has developed himself to assist the practitioner in gaining a greater understanding of these subtle yet powerful energy gateways of yoga. David has an amazing ability to convey complex ideas in simple terms.
All are sure to leave with new insights and useful tools for personal practice regardless of their system.
So You Think You Can Balance
A fun-filled exploration of not falling over
Sunday 10th November: 12.00-2.00pm
£50 or £230 for full weekend
Mission, 7-9 Fashion Street, London E1 6PX
Whether standing on our feet, hands, head or any other body part, balance can be one of the most challenging aspects of practice. David will share his personal insights and methods of finding balance in an unstable world. The class will contain partner work as well as individual pursuits of balance in an array of asanas.
Interestingly there are many parallels between the techniques used for physically balancing in our body and also in finding balance in our life. Regardless of what system of yoga one does there is sure to be a wealth of knowledge gained from this class that can be applied on the mat and in life!
Falling Is Optional!
Really Hip Openings for the Hips
A pleasant exploration of gentle methods to open the hips
Saturday 9th November: 3.00-5.00pm
£40 or £230 for full weekend
Mission, 7-9 Fashion Street, London E1 6PX
Tight hips can cause problems in other areas such as the knees and back. David has devised an approach of exploring the hips through slow and gentle movements, stable holding of postures and deep breathing which all combine to bring greater openness to the hips without forcing or pushing.
To create stability David will share methods of activating one area in order to relax another. This balanced approach is both safe and effective and can be applied to other regions of the body as well. As always, David will manage to make this enjoyable experience.
Bring Those Tight Hips In For a Tune-Up!