This Morning-Challenge is held in English. This is why all the information on this website is solely in English.
Online 3-Week Morning Challenge: “Foundations of Flow” with Gabriel Ching
Sep 06-24, 2021
Mo-Fr 08.30–10.00
Live ONLINE via ZOOM
English
140€
Please note this morning challenge is held online via Zoom. We send you all the Zoom Log-In information with your payment confirmation.
Please register here.
This morning challenge invites you on a 3-week journey through the practice and theory of flow-based yoga to help you find more comfort and confidence in your yoga practice – whether you’re new to yoga or have been practicing for some time. With the studios closed and yoga classes having shifted online, more and more people have been experimenting with yoga for the first time. While other, more experienced yoga practitioners have switched to doing yoga at home and have more questions than ever about how to make their home practice safe and sustainable. This 3-week program is designed for both of these types of people: those who want to start practicing yoga in a clear step-by-step structured course, and those who have experience but who still feel unsure in certain postures or want to refine their physical alignment and internal awareness.
Each individual session in this morning challenge is a fully-rounded yoga class, combining asana practice with breathing exercises and theory and information on flow and technique. In the first week the group will learn the ABC’s of flow-based yoga, exploring sun salutations and transitions and the role of the breath. The second week will look at the foundational concepts of yoga philosophy and how to implement these into your practice, with a focus on standing poses, core stability and arm balances. The third week will focus on pranayama, hip openers and backbends and offers you a chance to integrate everything you have learned, at your own pace and with less alignment instruction.
The three weeks of this morning challenge complement and build on each other, offering an optimal combination of alignment principles, practical exercises and theory insights to help you build the foundations for lifelong learning and a strong, secure and confident future yoga journey.
Week 1
– The concept of ujaayi breath, the importance of developing cadence in your inhales and exhales.
– Finding your own flow and rhythm in sun salutations.
– Introduction to essential standing poses and their key principles.
– Foundational arm balances, inversions and core strengtheners, backbends, twists and side bends.
– How to carry out safe transitions between poses.
– The importance of patience and consistency in your practice.
Week 2
– Investigating the optimum spacing of the hands and feet in different poses.
– Working on core-strengthening postures while maintaining the natural flow of breath.
– Alignment principles and body awareness for arm and hand balances.
– Exploration of the idea that awareness goes beyond simply sensing the most dominant physical sensation in your body.
Week 3
– A closer look at pranayama breathing techniques to modulate the air in the lungs.
– The fundamentals and practice of hip openers.
– Safety, body awareness and the role of the pelvis in backbends.
– Using strength to jump forwards and back with ease and integrity.
– Combining all of this new knowledge into flowing yoga sequences .
This morning-challenge is open to anyone, regardless of their previous level of experience with yoga.
Gabriel Ching was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he lived until finishing his BA in Public Relations. His nomadic spirit led him to live in London, Madrid and then Berlin, where he has lived since 2007. Between his passion for electronic instruments and his work as a UX designer, he discovered yoga as a way to compensate for his long hours in front of the computer and as a way of exploring different levels of perception. After 9 years of continuous practice he decided to do a 4-year teacher training in Berlin in the tradition of Dr. Swami Gitananda. Although his original motivation was initially to deepen his practice and to better understand the theory behind it, teaching yoga has now become almost his full time job. Gabriel is certified by the Professional Association of Yoga Teachers in Germany (+1000 hrs.), has taken advanced training courses in anatomy, sequencing and injury management, and teaches “Praxis & Didaktik” in the Yoga Teacher Training Courses at the Yoga Akademie Berlin. In addition to his drop-in classes he also offers workshops and organises yoga retreats in India and Sri Lanka.
Gabriel’s teaching is flow-based, with an emphasis on both precision in posture and the interplay between breath and movement. His sequences balance strength and range of motion and are tailored to the modern lifestyle. In everything he teaches, he leaves aside any kind of dogmatism. In his classes you will also learn pranayama, concepts of yoga philosophy, and meditation techniques.