In this practical, interactive workshop, we’ll learn and experience the purpose of Pranayama.

You’ll experience a Prana Nidra relaxation practice to feel the connection of breath and prana (vital energy) in the body.

We’ll review the range of yogic breathing practices, including when they are beneficial, and when to avoid them.

We’ll introduce a simple 3-step framework for practising Pranayama. You’ll experience vitalising, balancing and tranquillising techniques and have the opportunity to get some feedback on your practice through optional one on one assistance in Zoom’s break out rooms.

You’ll also receive a handout of these techniques for your reference.

Outcomes:

• Identify a range of Pranayama practices and when they should and shouldn’t be used
• Understand the purpose of and differentiate between vitalising, balancing and tranquilising techniques
• Learn a simple, balanced framework for practising Pranayama
• Practise techniques such as kapalbhati (frontal-brain cleansing), nadi shodhana (alternate nostril breathing), ujjayi (psychic breath) and bhramari (humming bee breath)

Benefits:

• Knowing why and when to use each type of Pranayama and when to avoid it depending on physical and mental conditions
• Feeling more confident in practising Pranayama
• Observing the effects of a range of Pranayama practices on your state of mind, body and energy
• Deepening meditation by using Pranayama as a preparatory practice

Principal Presenter: Gregory Morrison (Gyan)

Gyan was first introduced to yoga in the early 1990s when a health practitioner handed him a cassette tape of yoga nidra relaxation practices to help him sleep during a stressful period of his life. He began doing asana and pranayama classes regularly with Simon Borg-Olivier in the late 1990s.

In 2002 Gyan went to Mangrove Ashram for a meditation weekend workshop and became enamoured of the whole ashram experience. He realised that many of the aspects of his life that had not been serving him had just effortlessly fallen away with regular yoga practice. Hence he decided to commence Yogic Studies at Mangrove to understand why yoga had been so beneficial for him. He completed the 3 year Satyananda teacher training program in 2007 under master teachers such as David Burgess, Shankardev, and Satyadharma. He ended up immersing himself in ashram life for another 3 years, where he worked tirelessly on the farm, teaching courses and supervising projects. Gyan has attended ashrams in India, and he periodically undertakes month-long Kriya Yoga retreats at the Scandinavian School of Yoga and Meditation.

From his deep experience of traditional yoga, Gyan has developed an informed, regular, and systematic personal practice, which he draws from in his teaching. He was a dedicated teacher at Manly Yoga, and now continues to teach his holistic style at Qi Freshwater, where students experience a range of asana, pranayama, yoga nidra and meditation practices in every class. His instruction style is down-to-earth and spacious, allowing students to connect with their physical and inner experience throughout.

Assistant Presenter: Alana Smith

Alana currently lectures on yoga philosophy for the IYTA Teacher Training Diploma and she is also an IYTA Committee Member. She trained at the IYTA under the tutelage of David Burgess, a master teacher of pranayama and meditation. Gyan has also been Alana’s yoga mentor since 2013 and through the guidance of these highly experienced teachers, she has a regular and systematic personal practice which informs her yoga teaching and lecturing. From 2017 to 2019, Alana was the Director of Manly Yoga, one of the oldest and most respected authentic yoga centres in Sydney. Now she offers popular yoga classes at her farm “Stag Hill” in Jamberoo, as well as enjoying the occasional beach yoga practice with Gyan when she is in Manly.

Prerequisites:
To attend this online workshop you will need:

• a reliable internet connection
• the ability to join a zoom meeting
• this workshop is open to non-teachers as well as teachers