3-Week Morning Challenge: Intensive Pranayama Morning Practice and Sattvic Detox Diet with Amanda
Mar 09-27, 2020
Mo-Fr 08.30-10.00
Studio Sonne, Sonnenallee 67
English
140 €
Please register here.
Join our 3-Week Morning Challenge; 3 weeks of sattvic detox diet and fasting (optional and depending on experience) and pranayama, the yogic art of breathing. ‘Prana’ means ‘vital energy’ or ‘life force’. It’s the vital principle, the force that makes up the entire cosmos, that vitalizes and holds together the body and the mind. In the yogic understanding of life and manifestation, prana is the key principle of existence. Without prana there is no life. Our principal sources of prana are food, sun and breath.
It’s clear that a long winter, indoor life, bad eating habits and poor breathing leave us tired and exposed to disease. Pranayama teaches the expansion (ayama) of the vital energy (prana). As the breath is considered the external manifestation of prana, by expanding, controlling and directing the breath we can gain mastery over prana, thus learning how to vivify and rejuvenate the body, harmonise the energies moving in it (the pranic body), prepare the body-mind for the awakening of the chakras (psychic centres), create a solid bridge between the body and the mind and open the doors of our mind to other states of consciousness.
Our 3-Week Morning Challenge will give you strong theoretical and experiential bases to apply the art of breathing to different aspects of your life and deepen both your physical and spiritual practice.
A full commitment to the whole 3-week period is necessary to guarantee fast group development and deep learning.
Week 1
Theory
– Yogic diet and sattvic food: guidelines for a safe diet and fasting
– Anatomy of breathing
Practice
– Yogic cleansing practices
– Asanas for pranayama
– Breath awareness
– Basic pranayamas: abdominal, thoracic and clavicular breathing, full yogic breath
– Pranayamas to expand the capacity of the lungs
– Exercises to relax and strengthen the diaphragm
– Breath and movement: dynamic pranayamas
– Mula bandha, jalandhara bandha
Week 2
Theory
– Yogic understanding of prana and breathing, part 1: introducing the subtle body, nadi and chakra system
– Breath and emotions
Practice
– Introducing the classical pranayamas and their effects.
– Uddyiana bandha
– Introducing Kumbhaka: breath retention.
Week 3
Theory
– Yogic understanding of prana and breathing, part 2: prana vayus (winds of vital energy)
– Prana vidya
Practice
– Classical pranayamas, advanced
– Kumbhaka, advanced
– Pranayama in the asana practice
– Pranayama for meditation
– Introduction to Swara yoga, brain breathing.
The program can be slightly adjusted to fit the group.
Sattvic Detox Diet
There is the option to join Amanda and other group-members on a 3-week detox diet, which emphasizes the cleansing effects of the breathing practice. Sattva is in Samkhya philosophy one of the three qualities or tendencies of manifestation, translated as “pure”. A sattvic diet can be described as food and eating habits that are pure, essential, natural, vital, energy-containing (full of prana), clean, conscious, true, honest, wise and respect the principle of Mitahara that recommends leaving a fourth of the stomach empty, filling the rest with 2 parts of food and 1 part of fresh water.
Sattvic food is food that is life-giving, purifies one’s existence, gives strength, health, happiness and empowers virtues such as ahimsa (non-violence) and daya (compassion). That means local and seasonal vegan food, a diet based on ripe fruits and vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and nuts and seeds in reasonable quantities. No sugar, sweets or chocolate, salt, pepper, alcohol or fizzy drinks (only water or fresh-made juices), no black and green tea, coffee, strong spices, garlic, onion and of course no processed food of any kind.
A sattvic diet has a strong detoxifying effect but it means more than that. It challenges your consuming and eating patterns, develops mindful eating, compassion for other beings and the planet and stimulates your creativity! To enjoy the diet/fasting experience begins by eliminating stimulants (sugar, coffee, tea, spices) and meat gradually several days before starting. Taking your time to transition into and out of the cleansing time eases your body and mind into the new routine and out of it. Advice on diet and fasting will be given on the first day.
Amanda Morelli is a cultural anthropologist and is passionate about oriental studies. She has been practicing yoga since childhood. In 2011 she began teaching hatha yoga in Berlin. Her yoga practice is both precise and deep, creative and cross-pollinated by symbolism, subtle hints of physiology and an attuned awareness of anatomy. Great importance is given to the integration of movement and breath, the development of self awareness, and having respect for oneself and one’s body as the basis of a practice where every posture is vivified by the light of consciousness.