Opening to Insight: A Yoga Intensive with Donna Farhi

June 24-28, 2011, I attended a Yoga Intensive with Donna Farhi: Opening to Insight. It was hosted by The Yoga Tree in Seattle WA. Donna is a brilliant teacher, so knowledgeable about the body, her personality was lovely, she was natural and funny and classy. She is a great role model for striving to be your grandest version of yourself. I would highly recommend any training with her. I hope to do more with her in the future. For more information about the workshop read below: Since the inception of Yoga thousands of years ago, the form of the practice has been in a constant state of evolution, innovation and change. When we cease to explore and make new discoveries, our practice can become a dull and mechanical routine. In this 25-hour intensive we will look at ways of reactivating our own capacity for creativity and exploration within our practice. A special feature of this intensive will be learning to perceive the state of the koshas or sheaths of our embodiment (physical, energetic, emotional, mental and spiritual). As we become more adept at perceiving how we are on all levels of our embodiment we can learn to adapt the content, structure and sequencing of our daily practice so that our Yoga practice remains relevant to our personal needs. In this way our Yoga practice can be in a state of constant evolution, changing as we change. Each day will be divided into two sessions. In the morning session we will use guided movement and asana practice to explore ways of adapting the form and structure of the practice to open up new possibilities. In the afternoon we will use sitting meditation, restorative practice and Yoga Nidra as a way of accessing a deeper connection with our own inner teacher. Yoga Nidra is an ancient Tantric practice in which profoundly deep states of relaxation open us to the nature of the true self. This workshop is suitable for anyone with at least one year of consistent Yoga experience. Students of all levels are welcome, this workshop is particularly recommended for students and teachers who may be feeling a sense of burn-out or lack of inspiration. About Donna Donna Farhi is a Yoga teacher who has been practicing for 33 years and teaching since 1982. She is one of the most sought after guest teachers in the world, leading intensives and teacher training programs internationally. Donna is best known for her unique ability to help students and teachers embody their spiritual practice. Her work focuses on the refinement of natural and universal movement principles that underlie all Yoga practice. This concentration on fundamental principles allows student of all levels of experience and from all traditions to build their own authentic Yoga practice. Considered the teacher of teachers students return to Donna’s intensives again and again to be a part of the inspiring evolution of Donna’s own practice and teaching. Donna has been the asana columnist for both Yoga Journal and Yoga International Magazine (U.S.A.), and has been profiled in four separate publications on exceptional contemporary teachers of our time, including Yogini: The Power of Women in Yoga. Donna is the author of the contemporary classics, The Breathing Book, Yoga Mind, Body & Spirit: A Return to Wholeness and Bringing Yoga to Life: The Everyday Practice of Enlightened Living. Her fourth book Teaching Yoga: Exploring the Teacher-Student Relationship is a curricular text for teaching trainings worldwide. American born, Donna now resides in Christchurch, New Zealand where she pursues her passionate love of horses.