Ecology of Yoga, Yoga Teacher Training

Deepen intimacy with ourselves and Earth
September 23 – October 1, 2016

This yoga teacher training is for yoga teachers and others who would like to bring forth an ecological perspective to teaching, facilitation, and other forms of leadership, as well as those who simply want to deepen their experience of ecology of yoga.

Yoga teachers and Yoga practitioners come and experience the Ecology of Yoga at Metta Earth Institute in Lincoln, Vermont. For complete information about the program and to register, please follow this link: Metta Earth Institute.

9 days, 100 hour module for yoga teachers & others interested in facilitating ecological yoga offerings for others

  • ƒintegrate deep ecology with yoga philosophy & practice
  • ƒconnect your yoga leadership to environmental issues
  • ƒtap into your creative imagination to enrich your facilitation of yoga experiences
  • ƒenjoy the peak of Vermont’s autumn color in the mountains
  • ƒrevel in the beauty of a magnificent yoga sanctuary
  • ƒlearn about healthy, organic foods at an ecologically sustainable farm
  • ƒrecharge your passion for life and earth

Yoga is rooted in the understanding that everything is interconnected – earth, water, fire, air, space, soil, animals, plants, cosmos, and all beings. Through sensory awareness and embodied consciousness, yoga strengthens one’s ecological awareness and highlights the interdependent nature of the relationship humans have with the Earth.

This Ecology of Yoga YTT has significant components that deepen the practitioner’s awareness of this interconnection. Exploratory work with Patanjali’s eight limbs of yoga– yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and samadhi – brings forth the ecological dimensions within each of these. When these yogic practices are experienced as integral with nature, they create enlivening pathways for healing our relationship with the planet.

This training also integrates the very vital work of Yogagaia, where our evolutionary story becomes a practice, sourcing the pivotal work of Thomas Berry, Brian Swimm, and other deep ecologists. Hasita Nadai is the originator of this practice, integrating her professions as a biologist and geologist through a long journey with yoga and deep ecology. Her zest as an 83 year old grand dame is contagious and instructive.

This yoga teacher training is for yoga teachers and others who would like to bring forth an ecological perspective to teaching, facilitation, and other forms of leadership, as well as those who simply want to deepen their experience of ecology of yoga.

Through the exploration of principles and practices of yoga and ecopsychology, participants learn how to practice, teach, and live from a grounded and heart-centered place. This process is cultivated by attuning to the senses and the environment, tapping into creativity, and practicing presence.

This training is strengthened by core practices of yoga and meditation, farmstead living skills, leadership processes, the arts, and a multifaceted approach to activism. The rich medley of these realms is offered intentionally to provide an enhanced vibrancy to our daily living and to stimulate possibilities for social and cultural renewal.

The program takes place at Metta Earth Institute, where participants are immersed in communal living with the resident team who care for the farm, gardens, and retreat spaces. Many opportunities for learning about ecological sustainability and intentional community happen within this environment.

Yogagaia

Yogagaia is a synthesis of deep ecology, yoga asana, and evolutionary cosmology. As a potently embodied practice, participants discover a way of knowing science that taps into cellular consciousness and creative imagination in order to deepen a sense of care and reverence for Earth and its inhabitants. The natural activism arising from this practice promises a much deeper sense of commitment to sustainability than is normally achieved through reading or academic study. Each day of practice elucidates the grand evolution of the universe story and brings us to the experience of being human in relationship to this full ecological perspective.

  • The Birth of the Kosmos
  • The Birth of Tiamat (the Supernova)
  • The Birth of the Sun
  • The Birth of the Earth & the Moon
  • Beginning of Life & the Birth of the Creatures
  • Evolution of Desires: The Human
  • Integration and Deepening of these Processes
  • Preparation for Interbeing Celebration

For complete information about the program and to register, please follow this link: Metta Earth Institute.