Bend Yoga Festival 2024

Our center, known as the “kunda” or oven in Sanskrit, holds our internal fire. It is also where food, thoughts, and experiences dwell before they are processed. We need a healthy internal fire so that we can assimilate the good and the difficult dwelling in the center. When we can use our inner fire to assimilate and release what we don’t need, we find freedom and joy.

This workshop will help you access, light, build and maintain your flame so that it shines through the spark in your eyes, the glow of your skin and expands your whole aura. We will practice in a unique way of doing yoga poses and movements that focus on strengthening and stretching the entire torso. You will leave feeling peacefully powerful and sitting taller than ever before!

In addition to strengthening the center of your torso, you will be introduced to Bandhas (energy locks) and Mudras, (energy seals) to light this inner fire. A Tantric Fire Meditation will follow to teach you how to control this force for your prosperity. You will leave feeling powerful, breathing deeper than ever, and sitting taller than before!

Recommended Props:  1 block, 1 strap, and a blanket.  (If you can have two blocks, all the better.)

15 min talk, the rest is practice with some demonstrating sprinkled throughout.  ALL LEVELS welcome, and, this session is not ideal for bodies who are currently pregnant or have herniated disc issues.

The Bhagavad Gita, which means “Song of the Divine,” is arguably the most important yogic text to ever emerge from India. The 18 short chapters consist of a conversation between the renowned warrior Arjuna and his charioteer, Lord Krishna, at the dawn of a great battle between good and evil. It’s often said that the battle of the Gita is also taking place in our own consciousness, and each of our decisions, large or small, can lead us either to liberation or to bondage. In their dialogue, Krishna offers Arjuna answers to life’s most challenging questions, making the Bhagavad Gita a handbook for living a life of purpose and freedom.     It doesn’t matter if you’re new to the Gita, or if you’ve read it a hundred times, this workshop is for everyone! Join us on for a journey through these timeless teachings in "Gifts of the Gita."

When we think of breathing, we think of just inhaling and exhaling. And when a yoga class gets challenging, we often forget to do both! Yes, breathing is the most important aspect in a yoga practice and can significantly transform a student’s progress.

In the Yogic perspective, there are five specific channels for Prana to travel which can either help a yoga pose or negatively affect it. In this session you will learn all five directions, discover where you might be deficient, and understand how they can affect you on a mental, emotional, and physical level. We will then do a practice playing with these pathways to explore the whole being which you inhabit. A meditation will follow to set the energy we’ve cultivated.

You will leave with new tools to apply to your practice and to your life, expanding beyond your limitations. You will feel access to your whole torso with a serene sense of inner grounding. Your yoga will progress to a new, rewarding level.

No more than 30 minutes explanation, followed by a Vinyasa Flow practice using the information.  This workshop is best suited for intermediate students so that more attention can be paid on the work inside the pose instead of how to do the pose.

Recommended Props:  2 blocks, 1 strap, 1-2 blankets. (Do what you can.)

NOTE THE EARLIER START TIME FOR THIS SESSION: 8:15am.

This session is 2-hours long, but will not affect your enrollment in later sessions.

This workshop opens with a brief explanation on the Chakras, their qualities and effects. The
concept of Kundalini and how it works is also explained. A vinyasa flow practice follows that introduces
poses directly connected with each Chakra. Students will be guided through visualization, mantra,
and breathing techniques to access and free energy around each Chakra region.  

The workshop ends with a Tantric meditation that aligns the inner channels for energetic
freedom. Students will leave with more awareness and space in these energy centers with tools to
continue parts of the practice on their own.

Recommended Props:  2 blocks, 1 strap, 1-2 blankets. 

Students should have a minimum of one-year steady asana practice due to the inner body focus
of this session. Jeanne will not be focusing on how to do a posture so that we can attend to what is happening within the pose.

In Polyvagal Theory meets Yoga Philosophy, you'll explore the intersection of modern neuroscience and ancient philosophy. You'll learn the basics of Polyvagal Theory and what it contributes to yoga practice and teaching. Then we'll get creative with how it correlates to Rasa Theory and Aligned Motives for practice. Come curious! This session will give you new dimensions for practice on and off the mat.

Expect a presentation, journaling, and Q&A.

80% presentation, 20% journaling 

This session is good for: students who want to learn yoga philosophy, students who want to develop a home practice, students who want to learn about their nervous system, people in the helping and healing professions, yoga teachers.

Join Rob and Melissa for a blissful and heart-centered yoga practice that blends asana, mantra, meditation and kirtan (call and response chanting).

Melissa leads a delicious and joyful slow flow yoga class set to live music from Rob. Unlock your voice, open your heart and connect mind, body and spirit in this wonderful devotional practice.

An amazing way to close your festival experience and integrate all you experienced before returning home!