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Ananda Yoga®
For Higher Awareness
Ananda Yoga restores the science of hatha yoga to its original purpose: raising our level of awareness. Developed by Swami Kriyananda and used by yoga teachers and practitioners around the world, Ananda Yoga is a meditative approach to the classic science of Hatha Yoga. Both basic and advanced courses are offered. The resulting practice is a “moving meditation” with the power to integrate and transform all levels of your being: body, mind, heart, and soul.
Ananda Yoga practice is part of every day’s schedule. It is part of both the early morning and mid-afternoon spiritual exercises. Thus no matter which course you take, even if it does not deal with yoga, you will be able to practice the postures at least once each day. These sessions also include instruction and practice of meditation.
- Ananda Yoga Courses
- Ananda Yoga Introductory Weekend
- Ananda Yoga for Body, Mind, and Soul
- Ananda Yoga for a Happy Spine
- Ananda Yoga for Awakening the Chakras
- Ananda Yoga to Relax, Recharge & Enjoy
- The Psychological Benefits of Ananda Yoga
- Ananda Yoga and Ayurveda
- Ananda Yoga for a Calm, Happy Heart
- NEW! Ananda Yoga and Patanjali
- Deepening Ananda Yoga
- Ananda Yoga Intensive
- NEW! Yoga, Ayurveda and the Mind
- NEW! Ananda Yoga to Awaken Creativity
- See Also:
Ananda Yoga Introductory Weekend
17-19 February 2012 (in Italian only)
4-6 May 2012 (in Italian only)
21-23 September 2012 (in Italian only)
A special weekend with reduced fees
Ananda yoga is ready to awaken your curiosity: Take a voyage in search of harmony in body, mind and spirit! This course is open to everybody, no matter how much you know of yoga practice: Beginners and experts alike will have the opportunity to experience a deeply spiritual approach to hatha yoga; your daily practice will gain a completely different flavor!
Arrive as early as possible on Friday, and start your weekend with a relaxing session of yoga and meditation at 5:30 p.m.
Through the peace and love that I discovered here, it was possible for me to find once more the strength and courage to face the changes in my life. — Annunziata, Florence
Ananda Yoga for Body, Mind, and Soul
26 February - 2 March 2012 (in Italian only)
29 April - 4 May 2012 (in Italian only)
1-3 June 2012 (in Italian only)
3-5 August 2012 (in Italian only) (A deposit of € 50.00 is required to confirm your reservation.)
This course introduces the Ananda approach to Hatha Yoga, which emphasizes the psychological-spiritual aspects of this ancient science. It offers a solid foundation in yoga for beginners, opens up new, inner horizons for experienced practitioners, and is required for those wishing to become certified teachers.
In a serene atmosphere, you will learn how to combine the yoga asanas, affirmations, and pranayamas with meditation. All of the principle aspects of Ananda Yoga will be intensely practiced:
- relaxation of muscular and mental tensions
- awareness of the subtle movements of breath and of vital energy
- the combination of asana and affirmations
- correct body alignment during each posture
- receptivity to higher states of awareness.
This course helps you to develop a fit body, a more positive mental outlook, a joyful heart, and an expanded awareness of the beauty of your soul.
Ananda Yoga for a Happy Spine
1-6 July 2012 (in Italian only)
2-7 September 2012 (in Italian only)
The spine is central both to our physical health and to our spiritual advancement. This workshop focuses on spinal physiology and correct postural alignment and includes:
- postures for developing a healthy and flexible spine
- exercises to release tensions and strengthen the muscles in the neck, shoulders, and lower back
- practices for energizing the spine as the pathway to higher states of consciousness.
Ananda Yoga for Awakening the Chakras
12-17 February 2012 (in Italian only)
6-11 May 2012 (in Italian only)
29 July - 3 August 2012 (in Italian only) (A deposit of € 50.00 is required to confirm your reservation.)
In this course we will learn how to use yoga postures to become more aware of the astral body: the deep energy channel within the spine and the energy centers (chakras) which are located within that channel. Using asana and pranayama practices, we will stimulate the energies of the chakras, trying to experience their subtle psychological-spiritual influences on our consciousness. We will also use meditation, mantra, and music to awaken the chakras.
(See also the courses on the Chakras)
Ananda Yoga to Relax, Recharge & Enjoy
Stress, anxiety, depression: the civilized world’s most pervasive diseases. Learn to combat these conditions when they occur, and, better yet, to prevent their onset.
The Psychological Benefits of Ananda Yoga
The proper practice of yoga improves not only the body: It transforms our mental outlook. We become more able to free ourselves from the slavery of bad habits, tendencies and prejudices by working scientifically with each of the three levels of consciousness.
In this workshop we will journey into these realms of consciousness, using yoga asana and affirmation as tools to reprogram our subconscious mind, bring clarity to the rational mind, and open the magic doorway that permits us to experience the highest level of consciousness: superconscious intuition.
NEW! Ananda Yoga and Ayurveda
Be in Harmony within Yourself and with the World
With Monika Laaber
18-23 March 2012 (in Italian only)
During this weekend you will learn about your own particular body type and how to keep your body healthy, your immune system strong, and your mind calm and clear. The approach is through Ayurvedic knowledge and yoga practices.
Ayurvedic comes from ancient times, long before written history. It is a way of living which creates inner harmony and balance, and is a sophisticated system of self-healing much used in modern times in both Asia and the West.
At the beginning of the workshop, you will use a standardized test to determine the proportion of the three doshas (body-mind types) in you. Then you will learn simple yoga routines that you can practice easily to maintain an energetic balance of your doshas, and experience more dynamic energy, and a stronger immune resistance.
Practices include:
- asanas combined with affirmations to establish psychological balance
- Pranayam and recharging exercises
- Meditations and visualizations
- An introduction to the basic principles of Ayurveda, which help you in your self-understanding and spiritual search:
- The three bodies which encompass the soul
- The three gunas, those qualities inherent in all of creation
- The three doshas and their relationship with the gunas.
Bring comfortable clothes for yoga and meditation. All other materials are supplied.
Monika Laaber, a yoga teacher for sixteen years, has always been interested in the curative aspects of yoga. She received her first training at the Yoga Academy in Birstein, Germany, where she received her diploma as a yoga instructor in 1994, with specialized studies in Ayurveda. She has also received her teaching diploma from the Ananda Yoga Academy and is qualified in both hatha and raja yoga. A resident of Ananda Assisi since 2000, Monika is one of the main yoga and meditation instructors.
Interview with Monika
Q: Ananda Yoga and Ayurveda.... what connection is there between the two?
Yoga, which includes meditation and a number of spiritual practices, is the science that leads to Self-realization, beyond our mental limits and beyond suffering. Ayurveda, a science as old as yoga, also aims at alleviating the illnesses in our body and mind, taking us to a state of well-being whose ultimate objective is the union with our higher Self. We are talking about spiritual healing.
Q: How was it that through Ananda Yoga you felt the inspiration to approach Ayurveda...?
I have been practicing yoga and meditation since when I was young, and I have always healed myself through a holistic and natural approach. I have obtained two diplomas as Hatha and Ananda Yoga teacher, I have studied in depth the science of Yoga, including healing through Ayurveda, and it was natural to integrate the bases of these two wonderful systems into a specific course.
Q: What will the students of this course take home with them? Only theory?
Not at all! They will learn to know their dosha and will receive practical tools that will bring daily benefits to their health.
Q: Will the course deal also with nutrition?
A correct diet is an essential aspect of Ayurveda, but during the course there will not be enough time to treat this subject in detail. Yet, since the course aims at helping people understand the importance of taking care of themselves, in all aspects, this will also lead them to deepen their knowledge of nutrition and other issues related to health and spirituality.
Ananda Yoga and Ayurveda Introductory Weekend
Ananda Yoga for a Calm, Happy Heart
23-25 March 2012 (in Italian only)
15-20 April 2012 (in Italian only)
22-24 June 2012 (in Italian only)
16-21 September 2012 (in Italian only)
The heart chakra is the mid-point of the seven spinal centers, with the three materially-oriented centers below and the three centers of higher consciousness above. When the heart’s energy is blocked, it flows along the downward path, and we experience such emotions as anxiety, fear, anger, jealousy, discouragement, depression, which affect our health and the quality of our relationships. When the heart center becomes relaxed, the energy flows upwards, and we are more able to experience understanding, compassion, acceptance and love. A heart free of negative emotions is a source of infinite strength and energy.
The yoga postures and breathing exercises you will practice in this course are specifically designed to relax the heart center and let its energies expand. You will gain a sense of self-awareness and self control, learning how direct your emotions and transform them. You will also practice self-observation and become more aware and more in control of your emotions. Mantra and sacred music will accompany you throughout the weekend.
NEW! Ananda Yoga and Patanjali
Experiencing Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras through Ananda Yoga
Patanjali is the Indian sage who compiled the ancient wisdom of yoga into an eight-stage process of Self-discovery. In this course we will use the third of these stages, “asana,” as the key to experiencing the others.
The course begins on Friday at 17.30 with the first of four yoga sessions, during which we will work with posture, breathing and affirmations to expand our self-awareness and begin to calm the mind and emotions. Through these practices, each of the stages of yoga will be presented. In the Saturday class we will explore some of the aphorisms which deal with higher states of consciousness, the obstacles we face in attaining these states, and practices for overcoming these obstacles to experience our inner divine nature.
Deepening Ananda Yoga
27 May - 1 June 2012 (in Italian only)
Ananda Yoga is a holistic approach to Hatha Yoga. With many benefits which affect all levels of your be-ing: physical, psychological, spiritual, relaxation, vitality and many others. This course is for those who regularly practice yoga and want to deepen their practice.
During this program you will learn:
- Instructions for precise alignment of asanas with variations if you have any special needs
- The mental and physical benefits of asana
- A personal practice routine, you can practice at home
- Techniques to increase your energy level
- The self-transforming power of affirmations
- Use of deep breathing
- Increase your well being on all levels
- How to integrate meditation into your practice, to experience the deeper effects of asanas
- A lesson in yogic diet.
Ananda Yoga Intensive
Ananda Yoga and Divine Love
26 August - 2 September 2012 (in Italian or English with translation) (A deposit of € 50.00 is required to confirm your reservation.)
“Real love is Divine Love, of the heart and soul.” ~Paramhansa Yogananda
Given by the founders of the Ananda Yoga Academy, this course is available to yoga students from all schools and traditions. This intensive experience, with seven hours of practice each day, will deepen your understanding of the deeper aspects of yoga by exploring and applying the parallel teachings of Yogananda and Teresa of Avila. You’ll be immersed in an atmosphere of joyful friendship and mutual support, and will be closely followed by the teachers.
Each day includes:
- morning asana and meditation practices before breakfast;
- a three-hour morning class divided between theory and a long, enjoyable practice;
- a two-hour asana workshop before dinner.
NEW! Yoga, Ayurveda and the Mind
17-22 June 2012 (in Italian only)
Course description coming soon.
NEW! Ananda Yoga to Awaken Creativity
19-24 August 2012 (in Italian or English with translation) (A deposit of € 50.00 is required to confirm your reservation.)
Course description coming soon.
See also:
Ayurveda and Ananda Yoga in Kerala, India
The Joy of Breathing - A course of respiratory rehabilitation
For information and reservations:
info@ananda.it Tel: +39 0742-81.36.20 Fax: +39 0742-81.35.36
Ananda is located in the tranquil hills of Umbria, Italy on “Strada Statale 444” between Assisi and Gualdo Tadino. It is the largest retreat center in Europe for Yogananda’s teachings.
Ananda Associazione • Via Montecchio, 61 • I-06025 Nocera Umbra (PG) • ITALY